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Ford's big aluminum show-and-tell

5K views 24 replies 14 participants last post by  XP300 
#1 ·


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For those with an engineering bent, the display provided a fascinating first look at how construction and repair of the nation's top-selling vehicle will change with the aluminum redesign.

Take apron tubes for example.

A pickup has two of them, one on each side of the engine compartment. The tube runs from the A-pillar to the radiator support frame and helps support the front fenders.

If the tube is damaged on the current F-150, technicians have to remove the instrument panel to get the tube out - a job that takes six to seven hours, said Gerry Bonanni, a senior body engineer at Ford. That's because the end of the tube wraps around the bottom of the A-pillar and is welded to the body behind the instrument panel.

In the redesigned truck, the apron tube is riveted to the bottom of the A-pillar and does not wrap around the bottom. So a technician can remove it simply by pulling the rivets
.

Ford took a similar approach with the floor pan. If the current truck is damaged, the technician might have to replace the entire floor structure, said Bonanni. With the new truck, technicians can remove individual sections.

"So the advantage to the technician and body shop is they have repair options they would not have had," he said.

With all the unknowns surrounding the aluminum F-150, Ford wanted to reassure dealers as quickly as possible. And the

NADA convention, just two weeks after the truck debuted at the Detroit auto show, provided the chance.

 
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#4 ·
Look, I'm sure that using aluminum is great. It won't fall apart. The guage of aluminum used will be somewhat dent resistant. It will be resistant to corrosion (not corrosion proof). It shaves pounds off a vehicles gross weight (hell, car have been using aluminum panels for a while). Ford has made ways to make replacement of components easier. Great.

What I want to know is, for any vehicle with structrual damage, do you remove and replace components or can they be repaired? Also, I thought that using less componentry (sp?) added to a vehicle's structural rigidity.

If Ford has their bases covered, they indeed will have the attention of truck buyers.
 
#7 ·
......What I want to know is, for any vehicle with structrual damage, do you remove and replace components or can they be repaired? Also, I thought that using less componentry (sp?) added to a vehicle's structural rigidity......
Yes, this is true. Two smaller parts instead of one larger part adds a joint, adds those fasteners, adds that part overlap, and will be built less accurately (more tolerance) leading to worse panel fitups, worse vehicle structure.

While it certainly makes part replacement easier when you have more individual parts, these are some of the drawbacks to doing so.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Interesting.

In that case, for the purpose of repair and replacement, how well can you pull apart two pieces that have been joined with adhesive? Does pulling them apart destroy the two parts? For the sake of the structure, I would hope so. And if that is the case, Mister Bonanni's assertion about better repairability doesn't ring true.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Heck..........In Most new cars today the door skins are glued on!

As far as that riveted structure panel ask any 3rd gen firebird/camaro owner
about when their RIVETED to the door frame electric window motor/regulator/
window glass assemblies rivets FAILED and the whole shebang drops down inside
the door! (they are some hefty pop rivets too!)

But them cheezy pop rivets on a structural piece??????????
 
#19 · (Edited)
Ah, thank you, that might be the difference right there then.

How high a temp does this "melting" require? Because aluminum can't take anything close to the temperatures that steel can. I also wonder if the heat is the same, because I'm sure the adhesive to bond aluminum would be different than for steel. But the temp can't be too low, so low that a vehicle might see something close to it in high desert heat, or a paint bake oven. Because then the car would fall apart!
 
#20 ·
My body tech bud works in a multi line new car dealer body shop and he unbends many
different cars on a daily basis. To him a repair on a toyoto ain't no different than a benz,
Cadillac or Cruise. No matter if they are galvanized steel or aluminum either...........

I wouldn't sweat it. The body pros and insurance adjusters know all the tricks and
shortcuts ! The adjuster wants the cheapest repair price they can get away with!
 
#21 · (Edited)
Anytime new technology is introduced and a major shift occurs away for what people consider safe norms,
you'll always find fear and resistance to change. BOF to unit body in car, carburetors to EFI - strange black boxes,
those new 6 speed and 8 speed gearboxes that cost a fortune to fix, hybrid batteries that will cost a fortune to replace..

For all the tech changes in the past, I think most are now comfortable with what we have versus past efforts,
the switch to lighter bodies and more efficient vehicles is simply the next step in buyers continuing to give buyers what they want
while satisfying government regulators like CAFE that large vehicles can continue to be produced because of increased fuel efficiency.
 
#25 ·
As most people here will tell you ........ I'm not a big fan of aluminum car or truck bodies. However, I found one in Hemmings that would force me to go out and buy Depends, because I would pee in my pants for a chance to drive it or to own it.

Click on the 427 Cobra on this Hemmings page. It's a one off replica, with a polished aluminum body.

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/shelby/cobra/1655406.html
 
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