I'll admit, I kind of wondered how the new aluminum cab would hold up in a crash. If this NHTSA pic is any indication, I'd say pretty good. Can't honestly say I've seen better post crash cabin integrity. Apparently, it got a 5 star rating.
Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
Yep, looking good there
I remember looking at the Saab 9-5 offset crash test 15 years ago and saying that is what I am going to drive my son around in and did in around 2003. I hope those will depreciate the same way to make that possible.
There's still a steel frame under it, and boron steel inside the pillars and a couple other spots IIRC.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: There's still a steel frame under it, and boron steel inside the pillars and a couple other spots IIRC.
Besides, the aluminum is "military grade". 
Honestly, I'd be shocked if it hadn't performed well. Ford can't afford to have any screwups with this thing.
Why would it be bad? Aluminum shell knowledge is out there. Given the Ford-Aston Martin connection, I'd expect nothing less.
Heck, Ford was experimenting with aluminum shells in the 90s. The idea back then was to just replace all of the stampings with aluminum and build it the same way. The reason why they don't do that, is the power requirements for welding the shells together would be more than the entire plant requires to make a steel shell... So you see a lot of gluing and large castings and preformed box sections and stuff where a steel car is just spot welded origami.
In reply to Tom_Spangler:
I don't know about the HMMWV, but the H1s were aluminum bodied. Riveted and glued.
Did someone say military grade aluminum?
Knurled wrote: In reply to Tom_Spangler: I don't know about the HMMWV, but the H1s were aluminum bodied. Riveted and glued.
I was poking fun at Ford's advertising "military grade" aluminum in the truck. Because that's a meaningless term. Sounds good, though....
Tom_Spangler wrote:Knurled wrote: In reply to Tom_Spangler: I don't know about the HMMWV, but the H1s were aluminum bodied. Riveted and glued.I was poking fun at Ford's advertising "military grade" aluminum in the truck. Because that's a meaningless term. Sounds good, though....
I can't wait to get one with Corinthian leather!
So what of "aircraft-grade" aluminum? Not as good as it used to be?
kazoospec wrote: Can't honestly say I've seen better post crash cabin integrity.
Toyota Tundra, 2007 crash test image.
Ford, Dodge and GM all said it couldn't be done. Toyota showed them that it could, and they'd been doing it for years already. Took those three many more years before they started to catch up.
Exactly. Part of the problem is perception. When people hear aluminum, they associate "beer can".
Have you noticed GMs ads touting their trucks are made of "strong steel?
Cuda wrote: I can't wait to get one with Corinthian leather!
Corinth is famous for its leather!
spitfirebill wrote: Have you noticed GMs ads touting their trucks are made of "strong steel?
The same steel that military submarines are made of no less!
In reply to cdowd:
Me too.
bigdaddylee82 wrote:Cuda wrote: I can't wait to get one with Corinthian leather!Corinth is famous for its leather!
How much did Dodge kick in?
Keep in mind that Aston Martin uses "al-u-MIN-yum" and Ford uses "a-LUM-i-num"
pinchvalve wrote: Keep in mind that Aston Martin uses "al-u-MIN-yum" and Ford uses "a-LUM-i-num"
That, and astons are glued togther, F150's are welded.
What amazed me about the Aston Martin was that it was made from aluminum and carbon fiber, and still managed to clear 4000lb. Just like the steel DB7. Which really lowered my opinion of Lotus.
Tom_Spangler wrote:bigdaddylee82 wrote:How much did Dodge kick in?Cuda wrote: I can't wait to get one with Corinthian leather!Corinth is famous for its leather!
Not as much as you'd think.
I've got to find the youtube construction videos and see how they make those. I had a friend who worked for Anodizing Inc. back when they were making high-end mountain bike frames as well as the Harley race bike. It was very interesting how they welded everything up, then stuck it in an oven to heat treat and de-stress the frame. It came out of the oven way out of true, and they had a guy with a jig and a rubber mallet who re-trued the frames the old-fashioned way. I always chuckled when reading the ads for the "high-tech" frames, thinking about that guy with the rubber mallet at the end of the fab line. I would think that if Ford is welding those aluminum assemblies, they've got something a little better than a guy at the end with a mallet
foxtrapper wrote:kazoospec wrote: Can't honestly say I've seen better post crash cabin integrity.Toyota Tundra, 2007 crash test image.Ford, Dodge and GM all said it couldn't be done. Toyota showed them that it could, and they'd been doing it for years already. Took those three many more years before they started to catch up.
Interesting how they've cropped that photo to avoid showing how far off the ground those rear wheels are.
I don't think it's cropping to avoid showing rear wheels off the ground. It's pretty obvious from the photo. That impact test is quite a violent collision. A lot of cars/trucks/SUVs do the same thing.
The F150 and Tundra are hitting different 'walls'. The Tundra is going to rotate around it a bit more than the F150 just because of the whole setup.
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