Built Ford Tough

hawk43

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So today on the way for a round of golf I heard a "pop" ....The distinct sound of an acorn hitting metal...I thought it was on the roof. After golf I washed the truck and lo and behold and dent in the center of the hood of my truck and I can no longer unsee....lol..It is very tiny and no paint damage but to me it looks like a silver dollar on my hood...

These things are paper thin people...Not tough at all. Hopefully the paintless sent guy can talk it off not sure g how aluminum does with those guys...... be careful out there in acorn season under oak trees...
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slowmachine

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We are getting pelted with acorns on every trip right now. Thankfully, the most significant impacts have been on the windshield glass.
 

cclayton

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I have two small dings from a grocery cart on my rear driver panel near the taillight. Very frustrated that a minor bump from a cart caused such a dent.
 

Spence's bumper sticker

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Yeah...not sure I blame Ford on this one. I blame unrealistic EPA standards that force manufacturers to cut weight anywhere they can to meet some MPG mandate. Would love to get @P. A. Schilke 's take on this from an engineering perspective.
 

AzScorpion

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So today on the way for a round of golf I heard a "pop" ....The distinct sound of an acorn hitting metal...I thought it was on the roof. After golf I washed the truck and lo and behold and dent in the center of the hood of my truck and I can no longer unsee....lol..It is very tiny and no paint damage but to me it looks like a silver dollar on my hood...

These things are paper thin people...Not tough at all. Hopefully the paintless sent guy can talk it off not sure g how aluminum does with those guys...... be careful out there in acorn season under oak trees...
If you've ever hand washed yours you would've noticed how thin they are. The doors give you that beer can affect if you press a little to hard on them. The first time I washed mine I was like wtf these are paper thin! But as @Spence's bumper sticker pointed out, you have to shave weight somewhere.
 


P. A. Schilke

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Yeah...not sure I blame Ford on this one. I blame unrealistic EPA standards that force manufacturers to cut weight anywhere they can to meet some MPG mandate. Would love to get @P. A. Schilke 's take on this from an engineering perspective.
Hi Joe,

The use of aluminum is both driven by Corporate Average Fuel Economy and competitive advantage. What happened when Ford launched the all aluminum F Series, the tow advantage was huge. Ford marketed the aluminum as Military Grade and much more ding resistant. Ford also locked up the aluminum suppliers to long term contracts to supply aluminum to guarantee supply as well as prevent GM and Chrysler from following suit. What I do not know is if Ford, on Ranger, reduced the thickness of the aluminum and if they did...why? Also Ranger only got the front clip and the tailgate...again why? My ear to the ground, it was to achieve cost targets as steel is cheaper. Aluminum requires more exotic techniques to assemble a body, but a tailgate and the front clip are just bolt on so can ship into the plant with little to no assembly plant fabrication required. many difficult trade off decisions for the Ranger Program.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 

jsphlynch

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Also Ranger only got the front clip and the tailgate...again why?
Hi Phil,

I was talking to someone a while back, and he wondered aloud it the selective use of aluminum might be related to weight distribution? Could this play a role in the design decision?
 

P. A. Schilke

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Hi Phil,

I was talking to someone a while back, and he wondered aloud it the selective use of aluminum might be related to weight distribution? Could this play a role in the design decision?

Hi Joe,

It will certainly play into weight distribution, but I do not think it would have been driven by a need to improve weight distribution...After all manufacturers have been making steel bodies for years and years. I would not be surprised if it had to do with the IWC, Inertia Weight Class, which impacts fuel economy. If Ranger slipped up one class and had to take a hit on fuel economy, the math might have said to reduce weight. When at Ford back in the early 2000s, Ford would invest $100,000,000 if a gain of 0.1 improvement in CAFE could be achieved. This was before the tremendous gains for CAFE by piloting GDI engines. Do not know if this stands today.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 

Shadowdraxx

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“Why is the sheet metal on these trucks so damn thin. Everytime I turn around I have a new dent or door ding. I have never owned a vehicle that such thin, weak metal. I am not sure I would feel real safe getting in a T Bone wreck with this truck.” - Tacoma owner forum post.

Sign of the times indeed
 

RedlandRanger

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“Why is the sheet metal on these trucks so damn thin. Everytime I turn around I have a new dent or door ding. I have never owned a vehicle that such thin, weak metal. I am not sure I would feel real safe getting in a T Bone wreck with this truck.” - Tacoma owner forum post.

Sign of the times indeed
If someone is hoping the sheet metal on a modern vehicle is going to protect them in an accident, I think they should read up on how modern vehicles are designed. Everything except the passenger compartment is expendable. I think that is why many more vehicles these days are totalled in accidents. The sheet metal is literally there just for looks (and aerodynamics) - it has almost no structural component - at least not in an accident.
 

Porpoise Hork

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If someone is hoping the sheet metal on a modern vehicle is going to protect them in an accident, I think they should read up on how modern vehicles are designed. Everything except the passenger compartment is expendable. I think that is why many more vehicles these days are totalled in accidents. The sheet metal is literally there just for looks (and aerodynamics) - it has almost no structural component - at least not in an accident.
Heh.. Remember Saturns? The body panels were all plastic. Made for a light, surprisingly cheap car to build/buy and repair, but a nightmare to paint correctly...
 

RedlandRanger

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Heh.. Remember Saturns? The body panels were all plastic. Made for a light, surprisingly cheap car to build/buy and repair, but a nightmare to paint correctly...
We owned two of them. :) Actually really liked those cars - and even more how they were sold. They were the first real no pressure sales environment. The first one we bought was actually a lot of fun. We ordered both of them we bought. Traded the second one for an Explorer when the family got larger.
 

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Got a small ding in my hood from basically a twig falling on it. If I don't wash it I don't notice it ?
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