I'm not so sure I'm a fan, but only because I have seen how their aluminum hoods and rear doors held up on the trucks and expeditions.

Seems like every time I get one in with an aluminum hood the entire front of the hood has lost it's paint showing oxidized aluminum, and or the bubbling that looks like rust. It's an ugly sight but I guess in some ways its better than having a rust hole.

My concern would be with the repair or repainting of this aluminum, as it seems that once the paint is broken it really swells up something nasty. Then there is the fact that whenever aluminum is bolted to something steel there is a tremendous reaction causing the aluminum to "powder", it happens a lot on bolts that hold the aluminum engine cradles in GM cars. Makes it a real PITA. I only mention this because it would seem that Fords has to bolt these aluminum bodies onto steel frames.

I'm just not sure about this move by Fords. You would think using aluminum for the entire body would raise the cost of these trucks, as if they weren't expensive enough as it is. Whenever I scrap the old parts that collect in the scrap pile, I always get way more money for the aluminum than I do for the steel.

From what I have seen, it seems like they are going to have a hard time keeping paint on these aluminum bodies. The only advantage outside of weight savings is that MAYBE these new Ford trucks will be able to go more than 5 years without the rear fender wells rotting out. I mean, sure the paint will flake off, and it will look ugly as all hell, but maybe there wont be a big rust color hole? But I still worry about the reaction at the points where the aluminum body mounts to the steel frame.

Guess time will tell.