Yeah but when an automaker like Ford addresses the problem and starts making trucks out of aluminum, all we can do is ***** about it and talk about what a bad idea it is. Funny had it been Chrysler it would have been most innovative.
I had a chance to talk to the lead body engineer responsible for the new aluminum bodied pickup and see the cut-away at SEMA this past fall. I have to say I was impressed from a restorers perspective. The only welds in the entire body are the cross members under the bed. The frame is three pieces all of which can be removed and replaced. The front, center and rear sections. The entire body can be dis-assembled with a 3/8th inch drill bit. The rivets they use to put it together are the same type that have been tried and performed well in decades of use on semi's. If it's corrosion you're worried about todays coatings solve that. Even Boeing now coats the inside of new aluminum airplane wings with a coating that eliminates corrosion for the life of the plane, it's not expensive and it's easy to work with. I read the articles about retraining body shops and the new equipment they would need and after looking at it, I'm scratching my head wondering what the fuss was all about.