Ford's aluminum body and fireworks don't mix

[Boog]

This is a bit humorous. It is a Ford. This is real. I kid you not.
This senator's ford truck melts after he put fireworks in the back.

https://katv.com/news/local/senator-...-truck-on-fire

[special-K]

It's a good thing he didn't pull it under the carport. I guess waiting until morning to clean up because you got drunk and said "screw it" is a good thing

[Ol Blue K20]

Put used fireworks in a bucket of water.....sheesh....could of saved his Ford.

[Boog]

After he hosed them off he said. Really?
But look how completely the aluminum body melted away. Melt 'er down and recycle!

[A1971Blazer]

stupid is a stupid does
I remember the commercial where they were dumping a load of blocks from a skid steer as high as it would lift, into the bed of a Chevy and and a Ford to show how much stronger the steel bed was...
what kind of idiot does that to a 50K truck?....
and although the steel bed sustained less damage...they didn't tell you that it would be rusted out from the "minor" damage in a few years...the aluminum not so.

Watch for GM to phase in aluminum before long....

Like the new "Blazer" vs the new "Bronco".....as usual...Chevy will lag behind Ford and try to play "catch up"
I love the old Chevys....the new ones...not so much...just my 2¢

[special-K]

That ad reminded me of when I was sub-contracting vinyl siding installation from a big home improvement company in the Baltimore area (Tin men ). Usually on re-siding jobs people want to add a layer of foam insulation and the fanfold foam is a great idea. But this company fell for the "molded to conform" beadboard foam gimmick. It was expensive and although make for specific siding profiles the foam is inferior, disintegrates when wet, and where it is thinnest where the siding is closest to the house, it would break leaving a way for air to get past it.

The big selling point was "feel your house how solid it feels". Ok, so vinyl siding you can push in and it gives. It also goes right back to normal. I like solid but who goes around feeling their house? Looks good, stays dry, and it's nice to add a warmer jacket while you're at it.

I hated installing it. It was a major deterrent to a job moving along and done right. One day a salesman came by the job and wanted to know how I liked the stuff. I didn't say what he was hoping so he says, "Watch this" as he lays one piece of siding with the foam and one w/o on the sidewalk. He steps on the one w/o, "See that? I crushed it. Now look at this", as he stepped on the one with foam that didn't give. He looks so happy and proud of his sale (used this on homeowners) as he looks at me and asked "Now what do you think?". My simple reply was "Who walks up the walls of their house?"

Anyone dumping a load of blocks into a truck bed like that from up that high must be a marketing guy, not a real truck user. It used to be pretty much anyone driving a pickup had a good dose of common sense. Now everyone drives them and that has changed the selling points. I like Chevys more than Fords because they have a nicer shade of Blue

[truckster]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

Like the new "Blazer" vs the new "Bronco".....as usual...Chevy will lag behind Ford and try to play "catch up"
I love the old Chevys....the new ones...not so much...just my 2¢

I don't think GM has the guts to do anything like Ford does. As a lifelong GM fan, that makes me sad.

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by truckster

I don't think GM has the guts to do anything like Ford does. As a lifelong GM fan, that makes me sad.

I don't really understand it...but I'm not a marketing guru..

In 64½ Ford unveiled the Mustang....instant success with 1 million built in the first 18 months
Chevy was 3 years behind with the Camaro....but also a success with about 700K first generation units produced

Fast forward to 2005 when Ford again unveiled a "retro" Mustang
Again Chevy....took 5 years to unveil a "retro" 2010 Camaro...

I was a die-hard GM/Chevy guy for most of my life...not so much any more
I own 2 Ford trucks now...both have given me flawless service

[Boog]

GM's plan in 64 may have been to give Ford a few years to succeed or fail before GM produced their competitive model. I'm guessing. Now with the bronco debut maybe GM is already in the design works for a retro Blazer? Then again they may be waiting....
I have always been a GM man too but I don't think jumping ship is in my future. All brands have some problems but from what I read Ford's engines of late are having a LOT of problems, including that Coyote they are so proud of.

[special-K]

In '64 GM had the GTO to run circles around the Mustang for a few years until they came out with a much better design than Mustang which is just a Falcon with sportier body proportions. and bucket seats. GM led the way through the '50s and '60s on style and performance. They waited when the bronco came out because there was already the CJ5 and Scout. They came out with the full-size K/5 and it took Ford 8 years to catch up to the market the K/5 created and the rest followed. Ford tried upgrading the Bronco but obviously realized they needed a new vehicle. And what about the Suburban since 1936? when did Ford produce their first full-size equivalent? Ford put Centurion in business for quite a good while before seeing the light. Dodge never even got in the game because at that time they were out of the game. They were about extenct until the Cummins in '89, which was seven years after GM introduced their 6.2. Ford came along the next year.

You could say Ford came out with the first independent front end on a full-size 4wd truck and GM took 8 years to catch up, except the TTB was nothing to catch up to. Hard headed Ford stuck with their folly but no one else was foolish enough to follow. GM waited, researched, and designed the superior IFS of the industry. GM has been great about the fickle changes the others have come up with. They sit back and wait while the engineers produce the superior product, as proven by the SBC and then the LS. So far that's 65 years on two engine designs and the only reason there are two is because in all that time the needs of the world changed. I think GM makes the best looking truck for 2020, BTW. Yep, too bad there isn't a short 2dr with a removable top. You'll have to settle for the handsome Tahoe. Not retro, just 2020

Also, back in the '60s it was different. Refer to my Suburban comments. One manufacturer was ok with giving the other these small market segments. Chevy built the Suburban, Ford and Dodge made crewcabs. The Chevy came out with the Crewcab and it made the Fords and Dodges disappear. They both went to extended cabs while GM enjoyed owning the Crewcab market. It took till '88 for GM to put out a little bit bigger extended cab.

[1976gmc20]

He advised those planning to shoot fireworks this week to hose them down afterward and check on them so that people don't lose their truck, their home or even their life.

He should have advised them not to buy a Ford

[special-K]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

He should have advised them not to buy a Ford

I loved that, "he advised" part. His constituency probably read that and thought "No chit Sherlock" I wonder if this will affect his re-election prospects. "We need a leader with foresight, not hind sight!"

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by special-K

I loved that, "he advised" part. His constituency probably read that and thought "No chit Sherlock" I wonder if this will affect his re-election prospects. "We need a leader with foresight, not hind sight!"

It's Arkansas! "We need a leader that shoots off a pickup load of fireworks and then comes home too drunk to clean out the pickup."

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Boog

GM's plan in 64 may have been to give Ford a few years to succeed or fail before GM produced their competitive model. I'm guessing. Now with the bronco debut maybe GM is already in the design works for a retro Blazer? Then again they may be waiting....

We'll be waiting. The "Blazer" is all new and I've seen quite a few running around. The "Trailblazer" is also brand new, like months ago. Between the Burb, Tahoe, Blazer, Equinox, and Trailblazer... I highly doubt we'll see anything else.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that he didn't really hose those fireworks off

My wife has given me the Greenlight to buy a new Bronco. Love it. I'll probably wait until 2023-ish to get one. Let the hoopla die down and problems get worked out.

[special-K]

Good plan. I always waited on buying a new model or one after major changes.

[68bowtie]

I commend him for being humble enough to try and warn others from making the same mistake. Stupid or not. More people should do that.

[kipps]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

... they were dumping a load of blocks from a skid steer as high as it would lift, into the bed of a Chevy and and a Ford to show how much stronger the steel bed was...
what kind of idiot does that to a 50K truck?....
and although the steel bed sustained less damage...they didn't tell you that it would be rusted out from the "minor" damage in a few years...the aluminum not so.

I'm not completely in favor of aluminum pickup beds. Pitching firewood on one is not that much different from concrete blocks.

Also, aluminum rusts out much faster than steel under certain conditions. I've seen those conditions exist in pickup beds, where a layer of rotten bark and cow manure has accumulated in the bed corners. It's not good for any bed, but I expect an aluminum bed would be eaten through in a matter of months.

True, no owner of a new truck will allow these conditions to happen. But in 30 years, that kind of neglect will be commonplace for an old beater truck. And I expect the aluminum beds will not be as desired by the hunter/farmer crowd.

Personally, I think that fiberglass or composite beds would make the most sense. GM tried it back in the early 2000's, but for some reason they never sold very many. If designed right, a non-metallic bed should be the longest lasting of them all.

[special-K]

Until there is impact. I've seen whole rear corners missing from impact that would have dented steel. I think steel works as good as it always has. There are 100 year old Model T pickup beds out there still. My '72 bed isn't rusted out. I don't like aluminum bodies either. Aluminum is about impossible to work. Try getting a dent out or pulling out a crunched in corner. My dad had Land Rovers, the real ones from the '50s and '60s

[burnin oil]

every time I get rock for my driveway they dump it from 4-5 feet above the bed floor to clear the side racks. Been doing it for years. I have surface rust on the steel flatbed. So far the bed is solid and I have had one board rot out behind the header. I would not even try that with an aluminium bed. AL has it places but not truck beds on a actual working truck. Its fine for a home depot weekend warrior. Lots of oops happens to a working truck.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by burnin oil

every time I get rock for my driveway they dump it from 4-5 feet above the bed floor to clear the side racks. Been doing it for years. I have surface rust on the steel flatbed. So far the bed is solid and I have had one board rot out behind the header. I would not even try that with an aluminium bed. AL has it places but not truck beds on a actual working truck. Its fine for a home depot weekend warrior. Lots of oops happens to a working truck.

In all fairness to F**d, they designed it to some specification. Once people do something outside the spec, it's going to be mayhem. One project I worked on many years ago, the torque spec for a screw was brought into question because a fastener stripped, The screw was #4-40 Titanium, and the nut was a Heli-coil that had a 5.5 in-Lb torque written right there in the spec. The analysts were all over the fact that the screws were all certified for 15 in-Lbs. I had to "reply to all" that the screw wasn't the failure! Some people just run down a rabbit hole about specs, sometimes. I personally blame Chevrolet for doing false advertising on that commercial. It isn't even apples and oranges, as a comparison. Don't get me wrong, ain't no F**ds in my driveway.

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

I don't really understand it...but I'm not a marketing guru..

In 64½ Ford unveiled the Mustang....instant success with 1 million built in the first 18 months
Chevy was 3 years behind with the Camaro....but also a success with about 700K first generation units produced

Fast forward to 2005 when Ford again unveiled a "retro" Mustang
Again Chevy....took 5 years to unveil a "retro" 2010 Camaro...

I was a die-hard GM/Chevy guy for most of my life...not so much any more
I own 2 Ford trucks now...both have given me flawless service

That was 5 years worth waiting for. The 5th gens blew the lid off the pony car wars and kicked ford and dodge both between the legs for the whole model run, in looks, performance and reliability. The 5th gen Camaros are STOUT cars. The stock drivetrains In the SS will hold 650-700 hp without blowing stuff up, and that’s just the SS, the ZL1 and Z28 are even more capable. And yes as said above Fords mod motors have had quite the reputation for issues in the last several years. Kudos to GM and even dodge for keeping the single cam in the center of the block where it belongs. The overhead cam Fords are expensive as hell to mod and really don’t come close to achieving the gains that the LS does for the money spent. Gm still does some some stuff good but I’m not crazy about the current styling.

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

That was 5 years worth waiting for. The 5th gens blew the lid off the pony car wars and kicked ford and dodge both between the legs for the whole model run, in looks, performance and reliability. The 5th gen Camaros are STOUT cars. The stock drivetrains In the SS will hold 650-700 hp without blowing stuff up, and that’s just the SS, the ZL1 and Z28 are even more capable. And yes as said above Fords mod motors have had quite the reputation for issues in the last several years. Kudos to GM and even dodge for keeping the single cam in the center of the block where it belongs. The overhead cam Fords are expensive as hell to mod and really don’t come close to achieving the gains that the LS does for the money spent. Gm still does some some stuff good but I’m not crazy about the current styling.

I'm not plugging for Ford...it's just "facts" over "feelings"
I wouldn't buy a new Mustang or Camaro...just don't like the looks of either one
My choice for the same money would be a first (or second)generation Camaro of which I have owned several

Makes you wonder why this is happening?
GM to discontinue the Camaro in 2023

quote

"While some saw Chevrolet's controversial redesign of the 6th-generation Camaro as a mistake from the design team,
another way to view it is as a cry for help because although Chevy hasn't exactly been advertising it,
its muscle car has been going through somewhat of a sales slump lately. In 2018, only 50,963 Camaros left dealership lots, a 25% drop from the year before.
What's worse is that the decline follows a downward trend in Camaro sales dating back to 2014, when 86,297 units were sold.

It means that the 6th-generation Camaro is not selling nearly as well as the 5th-generation did, which itself only went on sale after Chevy received rave reviews about the Camaro
Concept it brought to the 2006 Detroit Auto Show.
Following the concept's reveal, a production version was built and put on sale in 2009, ending the Camaro hiatus that began in 2002 after the model was killed off due to sluggish sales."

quote
"The 7 percent increase in U.S. Ford Mustang sales volume during the first quarter of 2020 enable the Mustang to continue being the best-seller in its segment,
outselling the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro.
The news is very much welcome for Mustang fans after the Challenger outsold the Mustang during the third quarter of 2019, after which the Mustang reclaimed the first place spot during the fourth quarter."

[burnin oil]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

In all fairness to F**d, they designed it to some specification. Once people do something outside the spec, it's going to be mayhem. One project I worked on many years ago, the torque spec for a screw was brought into question because a fastener stripped, The screw was #4-40 Titanium, and the nut was a Heli-coil that had a 5.5 in-Lb torque written right there in the spec. The analysts were all over the fact that the screws were all certified for 15 in-Lbs. I had to "reply to all" that the screw wasn't the failure! Some people just run down a rabbit hole about specs, sometimes. I personally blame Chevrolet for doing false advertising on that commercial. It isn't even apples and oranges, as a comparison. Don't get me wrong, ain't no F**ds in my driveway.

Curious why you say it is not apples to apples. I remember them doing the commercial but it is a little hazy at this point. I basically just remember the red tool box falling on its corner.

I agree that the truck was built to some standard but something does stand out in my mind. With some of the claimed tow ratings rivaling 1 tons from 20 years ago why skimp on the body? If I can tow 14k with some version of the F150 why skimp on the body. I looked at the rear of a king ranch f150 the other day and it was rated at 10k towing. It had 3 little leaf springs under the rear. Looked like the suspension out of an early xterra which was rated at 1/3 the capacity. I realize that is towing specs and we are discussing the body but It makes me wonder what the overall specs are? It seems almost thrown together spec wise or corporate, engineers, and bean counters were on separate pages. This isn't a knock on the trucks but my general observation. I won't start on the GM trucks.

[dajn]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

I'm not plugging for Ford...it's just "facts" over "feelings"
I wouldn't buy a new Mustang or Camaro...just don't like the looks of either one
My choice for the same money would be a first (or second)generation Camaro of which I have owned several

Makes you wonder why this is happening?
GM to discontinue the Camaro in 2023

quote

"While some saw Chevrolet's controversial redesign of the 6th-generation Camaro as a mistake from the design team,
another way to view it is as a cry for help because although Chevy hasn't exactly been advertising it,
its muscle car has been going through somewhat of a sales slump lately. In 2018, only 50,963 Camaros left dealership lots, a 25% drop from the year before.
What's worse is that the decline follows a downward trend in Camaro sales dating back to 2014, when 86,297 units were sold.

It means that the 6th-generation Camaro is not selling nearly as well as the 5th-generation did, which itself only went on sale after Chevy received rave reviews about the Camaro
Concept it brought to the 2006 Detroit Auto Show.
Following the concept's reveal, a production version was built and put on sale in 2009, ending the Camaro hiatus that began in 2002 after the model was killed off due to sluggish sales."

quote
"The 7 percent increase in U.S. Ford Mustang sales volume during the first quarter of 2020 enable the Mustang to continue being the best-seller in its segment,
outselling the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro.
The news is very much welcome for Mustang fans after the Challenger outsold the Mustang during the third quarter of 2019, after which the Mustang reclaimed the first place spot during the fourth quarter."

But how about that Corvette? Now that is one hell of a car. Nobody cares about camaros.

[special-K]

^^^ Oh yeah, How did we overlook the li'l ole Vette? And the Ford Falcon GT with it's hi-perf 289 was an answer to the SS396 Nova in the compact category?