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New Ford truck advice

M

M Nut

Well-known Member
I’ve always driven GM 3/4 ton trucks, no complaints at all. I’m planning to buy a new truck in early spring, and I’m wondering if the aluminum body that Ford uses is holding up well and worth the extra cost over GM steel? When ordering the truck to my specs, as close to apples and apples as I can get, the Ford is going to run about $4,000 more than an equivalent GM truck. Are the aluminum Ford bodies truly much better about not rusting? I live in MN, and road salt is a very real thing here. I’m really wanting this truck, which ever one I go with, to last me 10 plus years. (Current one is a 2009 in pretty darn nice shape yet for its age, but has had minor paint work done once around rear fenders.)
So, tell me about these aluminum Ford bodies.
Thanks
 
So far, I like mine and it has been the body shop once, minor damage from an elderly driver who backed into the side of the bed behind the wheel well. You could hardly see it, was easily fixed. This shop has the equipment for the aluminum body paint system, their most experienced, longest tenured person painted mine. I was told the aluminum tears more than anything, so the repairs are replacement panels quite often.

I don't see them rusting at all, nor oxidizing, salt should not effect it best I can tell. I did have mine undercoated and it has held up very well, could just now use some touch up, clean and reapply on small areas. I also regularly flush the undercarriage immediately after running in the salt slush when it's warm enough, seems to help.
 
Not in you adverse salt as I live in Tennessee ,but have one ever since they came out and hove had no problems.
 
Tempered aluminum, like the 5052-T6 we used at work has low corrosive additives to get the strength in thin, lightweight aluminum....or any metal for that matter. These materials like Nickel to name one are highly resistant to corrosion. A beer/pop can is an example of a tempered aluminum.....but, like beer cans, if you get then thin enough and enough force, you can tear them.

Other thing is that aluminum is "Alodined" on aircraft to prevent corrosion......it's the olive drab look you see on fuselages of aircraft ag Boeing (to name one) as they go through the assy line prior to painting. Alodine is a deliberate corrosive process (dip, spray, or brush on) where the surface of the material is "surface corroded" thus protecting the inner components......think of a "skin rust" on a steel fence pipe. Down here we build steel pipe fence and leave it be letting it deliberately develop this nice, uniform brown color that lasts for decades. The DFW airport has steel railings all over the place and they are surface rusting too....neat. Nature does the painting and you never have to comeback and chip, scrape, sand, prime, and repaint.....whadda deal!!!

No I don't drive a Ford. My truck is a 2011 Silverado 1500 4 door, 4 sp. 4.8L simple pushrod engine. Goes to the dealer's shop every year.....not to get fixed as it doesn't break.....to get the state safety smog inspection.....and it passes every time. Every time the owner comes out, looking it over as he tries to sell me a new one......I want this one.

Last I was surfing a day or two ago and I think I picked up some chit chat that GM had aluminum on "hinged" panels....doors, tailgates, and hoods I suppose on recently built vehicles...maybe only trucks, and do not know yearmodels.
 
its just a common fact that aluminium dont stand up to vibration or rough roads. joints crack. seen that on cattle liners , aluminium decks on tow trucks, and also the brases on the side panels on those fords, they break off. thats what i have seen. aluminium has its place so all depends on the trucks use. thats my advise.
 
I don't own an aluminum Ford yet, but will soon. My experience is with truck bodies which have been aluminum for decades in some brands. They hold up for decades and millions of miles without issue. I suppose Ford could have messed up in some way, only time will tell on that. I am going to get one tho, hoping it will be my last as I only drive about 6-8,000 miles a year.
 
I’ve had one since May. My only issue so far is magnetic signs, strobe lights, antennas etc don’t work.
 
I just ordered a new F250. Replacing a 2015 F150 that was the first year for the aluminum bodies. 92000 miles and no issues.
 
My only knowledge about these truck bodies come through a friend that works for a Ford dealership, in the body repair shop. He told me it doesn’t take much of a collision to destroy an aluminum truck box. And that is unlike a steel box that will dent, and you can bang/pop dents back out. The aluminum stretches when dented. Sure you can push a dent out, but because the aluminum has stretched the body can never be back to near perfect shape and contour. So most collision repair on say a truck box, means a new truck box is put on. So check with your insurance company, and see if your premium will change if you buy an aluminum body Ford compared to a regular steel body truck.
 
Doesn’t the new GM body style have almost as much aluminum as the current F150 body, and perhaps more than the current F250+ body?
 
You know, I honestly don’t know. I never asked the salesman. I was just planning on going GM again until a friend mentioned the benefits of an aluminum body Ford for rusting reasons. Maybe GM has gone to aluminum bodies and I don’t know it?
 
Good thought! I didn’t think of a difference in insurance premiums. I’ll have to check into that.
 
That has been my plan, just had the Ford idea mentioned to me recently. I haven’t driven a new super duty Ford yet, but I’m sure they are nice. I did test drive a 2021 3500HD GM last week. Even the wife said “let’s buy one”. Wasn’t quite expecting it to be that easy :)
 

For model year 2019, GM started using aluminum on hinged body panels.
i.e. hood, doors and tailgate.

P.S.
When dented, steel stretches also as does any other material that can be dented.
 
I have a 2018 F150 company truck , the body is not holding up as far as a work truck is concerned. Dents too easily, stress cracks from where tool box’s and other work related equipment is mounted. The caution and strobe lights are all the time quitting due to terrible ground issues. If i were looking to buy a brand new truck for myself it would not be a Ford, just my two cents....
 
Better drive a new Ford. As my best friend says when better trucks are made Ford will build them.
At our morning coffee there is one Chevy one Dodge 4 Fords.
 
While aluminum doesn’t rust it does corrode. I have a 2014 Explorer here that has a couple small spots on the aluminum hood where paint is starting to bubble and peel. Not sure if the trucks are any different material.
 
On Motortrend network, a few of the shows have a sponsor call New Hampshire oil and undercoating. Their product is scented to repel mice and soaks into the metal to prevent rust. The downside is that it needs to be re applied every year. For a difference of $4k you could afford to have it applied to the Chevy for as long as you owned it.
 
On these trucks, I highly recommend the drop in bedliner, they are corrugated and really protect the bed. More so with wood dunnage or a sheet of plywood on top of it when hauling something. I had picked up a 3 pt post hole digger during my lunch break and loaded it onto the bed. It was summer and while hot, the bed liner was more pliable, so I got some scraps of rough cut pine and placed it under the one lift pin that was poking into the bed liner, solved the problem. I'm careful with mine, but also use common sense, bare bed on one of these not so good, add the drop in liner, much better and you still get the weight reduction. I use mine more than pamper it, but am careful and have gotten good results by doing so.
 
I would keep you '09. GM trucks may have a steel body, but their powertrain has went down hill. GM is currently battling a bad valve spring issue causing dropped valves, which destroys the engine. Some reports have it happening within a few miles of delivery. GM no longer has dealers test drive vehicles before delivery, so the owner is the guinea pig. GM's current "fix" is to have dealers run the engines at 2500 rpm for 4.5 hours to season the springs before delivery. Basically just results in the springs breaking while the dealer still owns it, and in a controlled environment so hopefully they don't have to replace the engine.
 
I wondered about that. My brother and I own a roofing company. We have all Ford trucks. Only have 1 aluminum one so far but its the one my brother drives giving price quotes. So it doesn't get more than 1 ladder on the rack. The rest of our trucks have hundreds of pounds of scaffolding on the racks and tools in the boxes. Next truck will be a Ford but I'm leaning towards a steel service body with ladder rack. Not sure how the aluminum bed will hold up to our bed mounted racks and boxes. Plus the new trucks sit 4" higher to the bed top as the last body style did.

I will say though, the steel they were using at the end wasn't cutting it either. The 2014 F250 I drive starting crushing and tearing at the front tops of the bed sides. The ladder racks we use have angle iron that runs the length of the bed. We had to add feet down to the bed floor for support. The ladder rack on the 1980 f150 Dad started with rested on the bed top at 4 spots with 4 inch pads. Bed held up fine to just as much weight. I assume it was thicker steel back then, or a different formulation. Having said that, I'd much rather have my '14!
 
Hard to find, but look to see if you can get Texaco undercoating applied. It really works. This is my 08 in SE MI where Morton rules.
cvphoto65495.jpg
 
Yup,there is nothing like smashing up your own truck,and blaming it on the metal quality.Besides the truck must be a real piece of junk if you have to run a little ground wire.


Rock
 
I knew a fellow that was a true Ford truck man.I saw him in a GMC and asked him what's up with this? His answer was $4000. I asked him several years later how he liked his GMC. JUNK! was his answer. Later on he had another GMC. His answer was $8000 difference between Ford and GMC. The GMC held value better than ford.
I have owned Ford trucks to include 2 with aluminum bodies. If you get a good one both choices are good trucks.
 
Since you are a loyal GM owner and had good luck with them I'd recommend you stay with them. Like the post below I have known some that switched brands and were never happy until they went back to what brand they always ran.
 
(quoted from post at 18:58:12 12/02/20)
For model year 2019, GM started using aluminum on hinged body panels.
i.e. hood, doors and tailgate.

P.S.
When dented, steel stretches also as does any other material that can be dented.
Click to expand...

"For model year 2019, GM started using aluminum on hinged body panels.
i.e. hood, doors and tailgate."

You are a little late with that date.

My 2001 Yukon has an aluminum tailgate, and I believe GM used aluminum hoods and possibly trunk lids on certain cars well before that.

The Yukon tailgate has aluminum "cancer" where the wiper arm pivot passes through and in the area where the gas support struts attach.

4 or 5 years ago, I asked on the "Paint and Bodywork" Forum here what could be done to stop the corrosion of the aluminum from spreading and popping more paint off and got NO replies.

For rusting steel, phosphoric acid will "kill"/neutralize rust,goes anyone know what can be done with corroding aluminum?
 
The BIG TRUCK companies have built aluminum cabs for DECADES, hoods & frt fenders are all fiberglass. Sleeper bunks aluminum too. They all last for decades and millions of miles.

Most of the old UPS package cars I drove 42 years ago were aluminum bodies with fiberglass roofs and front fenders & hoods. Some of those trucks were 20 years old way back then. Probably still running. They have spare 6 cylinder engines and 4 spd transmissions they can install in 2-3 hours.
 
The body panels are about the least important thing on a truck to worry about rusting. It's what's underneath them that counts. I have a Navigator that looks beautiful and it's a rusted pos underneath the paint job. If ford wants to make a rust free vehicle they have a long way to go. Anybody at ford ever heard of stainless brake lines? Keep your aluminum box sides and give me some stainless brake parts and a frame that isn't a rotted piece of swiss cheese in ten years. I would probably go with the gm because when they're both rusted out hulks underneath at least the gm pushrod engine will still be running.
 
Screwing up simple things is what GM excels at. And they think they can handle self driving cars.
 
And you can slide heavy items on rough cut, the texture of the liner is a great match for rough cut. These are heavy drops of some heavy beams that we cut in the shop one is a W18 x 175



cvphoto65552.jpg
 
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