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re: Breaking news: aluminum bodywork is way more expensive than steel
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:19 am to jordan21210
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:19 am to jordan21210
I was happy/surprised to find out I averaged 12.4 mpg going 85mph the other day. 642 miles and 52 gallons later, I was honestly surprised
1
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:21 am to Hammertime
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:25 am to jordan21210
It is around 9-10mpg with only city driving, so it really did surprise me considering I have an 11 year old gas 2500 4wd CC with 4.10 gears
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:28 am to Hammertime
quote:
If you want to talk about welding, I have a $1000 welding machine in my garage that can do both steel and aluminum.
Any decent machine can do that but that's not the welding I was talking about. I know that my grandpa used to weld panels together that way but most modern body shops use one of these because of the time savings and efficiency.
You aren't buying one of those worth a shite for $1K.
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:44 am to Tiger in Texas
quote:
and with liberal Fed groups always on automakers backs,
I'm sure that's why Ferrari and Lambos are going aluminum too. Or why some elite sports cars have had alloy versions since the 50's.
1) It's well known that aluminum is more difficult to work with than steel. Has been known for several decades.
2) The sheetmetal used on todays cars is so thin, any damage done to an aluminum panel would be the same to a steel panel.
3) Lighter aluminum doesn't only mean better mpg, it means better performance overall...better acceleration, handling and braking. Way more pros than cons.
4) Whoever said that body shops use 30 lbs of bondo and paint is an idiot.
5) A welder may have settings for aluminum as well as steel, but the two react differently and it takes a knowledgeable metal worker to properly work aluminum.
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:46 am to stout
Too lazy to clamp and tack with a spool gun
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:48 am to Hammertime
quote:
Too lazy to clamp and tack with a spool gun
More to it than that. You also have to drill out spots on the top panel in order to weld the two together and then grind the weld down and in some cases even use filler to dress it up like on a bed where the welds will be seen.
A spot welder makes a factory looking weld that doesn't require any additional work.
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:52 am to Clames
Yeaaaa
Let's compare forged structural members to sheet body panels. Same application.
Ford's "revolutionary" aluminum body is going to cost customers more than it's worth. The costs associated with building an aluminum body that can hold up as well as steel are being passed on to you for meager gains in performance. Ford gains a sales pitch and an up thumb from the EPA. You gain a more expensive truck.
Let's compare forged structural members to sheet body panels. Same application.
Ford's "revolutionary" aluminum body is going to cost customers more than it's worth. The costs associated with building an aluminum body that can hold up as well as steel are being passed on to you for meager gains in performance. Ford gains a sales pitch and an up thumb from the EPA. You gain a more expensive truck.
Posted on 1/28/15 at 9:54 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
You gain a more expensive truck.
I wonder how many of these will be totaled out faster than their steel counterparts would be due to repair costs.
Posted on 1/28/15 at 10:08 am to stout
Probably not much difference because of the higher value of the vehicle.
Posted on 1/28/15 at 10:50 am to stout
yep that's me
Posted on 1/28/15 at 11:06 am to stout
at this point, everything is speculation but from experience i've learned to avoid the knee-jerk reactions others in this business take. bring the truck in and let's figure the best repair for it. if it requires a new tool, buy it and get the job done.
after being in and around the business for as long as i have, there is rarely a day that goes by that i don't learn something new on a new vehicle. a lot of those days leave me scratching my head wondering why an engineer decided to change something that was working.
as long as the vehicles retain value, the amount of totals should stay the about the same. i don't see it rising.
(yes stout, it was a small bit of hyperbole but just a small bit)
after being in and around the business for as long as i have, there is rarely a day that goes by that i don't learn something new on a new vehicle. a lot of those days leave me scratching my head wondering why an engineer decided to change something that was working.
as long as the vehicles retain value, the amount of totals should stay the about the same. i don't see it rising.
(yes stout, it was a small bit of hyperbole but just a small bit)
This post was edited on 1/28/15 at 11:09 am
Posted on 1/28/15 at 11:08 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
Ford's "revolutionary" aluminum body is going to cost customers more than it's worth. The costs associated with building an aluminum body that can hold up as well as steel are being passed on to you for meager gains in performance. Ford gains a sales pitch and an up thumb from the EPA. You gain a more expensive truck.
The extensive use of more costly materials is driven far more by regulatory factors than consumer demands.
Posted on 1/28/15 at 11:22 am to DLauw
I pass your shop all the time. 
This post was edited on 1/28/15 at 11:22 am
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