If they are producing on the same line it sounds like a lot of reused parts and materials. Not all new

Two POS side by side

The best never rest! Go Blue Oval!

You have to admire a company that is going in the right direction!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/business/north-american-sales-propel-fords-results.html?ref=automobiles&_r=0

My 2004 Heritage says this is possible.

Seems to me that Ford has a lot of practice at this, as the SD has changed very since it was first introduced in 98-99, as a mater of fact, there is still the first one I recall seeing, still running around the local area, it is owned by a stone mason! a reg cab F-250 4x4, with the 5.4/auto, it is on the 3rd tranny, and he had to have the plugs "removed", and the front end has been re-built twice, and the truck only has 115K on it! but there is no rust, dents or even scrapes, and is in overall good condition for the age and use of the truck, oh and it is on the 3rd bed liner, as the truck regularly hauls racks and sand! but the bed is still in fine condition.

Thanks to robotics building two models on the same line is easily accomplished, it will be the processes the workers need to remember between the two which will take some adjusting. As in the past though, they seem to adapt to it very well.

Don't buy a truck until after the six months, you'll likely get a 2015 with half the parts from a 2014.

I assume the outgoing 2014 models will look significantly different from the new 2015's, so there's little chance that an absent-minded worker could try to, say, bolt a 2014 seat into a 2015.

And this has been done before. Remember the 2004 F-150 Heritage?

There are many components that can be changed without huge effects with the assembly line.
If the new trucks share similar dimensions to the "old" F150 and they do go to aluminum panels, that will have a greater effect on stamping plant. They can change the dash and interior panels which will also have minimal effects of the production line due to pre-assembly. Same can be said for most components.
I think that it also depends on how modern and up to date the assembly line is. A more modern robotic line will be easier to change over than an older line.
I had read that one of the reasons that GMC delayed going to a 6.5 box in the 1/2 tons was because the longer truck wouldn't fit in the spray booths. They had to change multiple things just to be able to run a crew cab 6.5 box down the assembly line.

Whichever company that makes a comeback with the old style stepside truck preferable with the wood bed will undoubtably make it big in truck sales in the US.

Spray booths? Who's using spray booths any more? Even the painting is done in a line now, either through dip or robotic spray. The robots can even change color on the fly, so one truck might be red, the next white and the following black or brown with no bleed-over of color.

MORE of the same old thing = My BROTHERS JUNK!!!! Sorry but the truth!!! As 4 the thing I have to put up with and because I lost my 4 NEW chevy trucks that I had to let go because of BUSH and ___ ____ ____ !!!!! !!!!!!!!!! Now I have to wait for a tow truck every 60,000 miles. THANK YALLL.

They did the same thing in 03 with the 04 Heritage built at the same time as the all new 04. The Heritage not share any parts with the all new 04.

Maybe GM and Ford could get together and make Silverados and F-150's on the same line.

@vulpine - I had heard that GMC would of went to a 6.5 box crew cab earlier but one of the big reasons was changing the paint booths (or what ever you chose to call them) to accommodate a longer truck.
If I'm wrong on that point, I'll gladly retract the statement.

@Lou--I read that some where as well. It would make sense in that having to reconfigure the size of the paint booth, but maybe Vulpine is correct in that they might not even use paint booths anymore. Maybe someone else who is more knowledgeable will comment.

@Hankley--Years ago Ford and IH had an agreement to assemble each others 1 ton trucks. I know of an old IH flatbed that someone had that was assembled at a Ford plant. As for Ford and Chevys being assembled on the same assembly line, stranger things have happened. Who knows Ford could end up owning Chevy or GM. Don't want to get any fan boys upset, but in a changing environment anything can happen. I would have never thought that Fiat would have ended up with Chrysler. Domestically the manufacturers are doing great at the present time but no one knows how long the growth cycle will last, and I don't see the will for anymore Government loans if things get bad for GM again. Hopefully everything stays positive for a long time.

They still use paint booths, the biggest reason is to keep out contaminants. You don't want dust and dirt from the whole plant landing on wet paint. Workers go through a complete dedusting before they can even enter into one of the boooths.

While I won't deny the possibility of some companies still using conventional paint booths, I expect those are rare because of the simple fact that these trucks need to keep moving once assembly has started. Every single manufacturer that I have visited or seen on a documentary of one sort or another has used a long, shielded paint line that is insulated from the rest of the plant but keeps those bodies moving. They are not stopped, shoved into a tiny booth where one or two men might spray it down and then sent on; they are sprayed on the fly, inside and out, by robots. Any other method slows down production.

If your favorite brand doesn't paint them on the fly, then that brand may offer better overall quality, but is taking too long to build them.

I can't find anything on google as to why the 6.5' cargo box for the GM's was not available at launch. Lou, perhaps you can provide a link to where you heard of the GM spray room problems.

Most of the dealers around here have 90% long boxes in right now for Sierras and very few short boxes and the short boxes that are out don't have the center console while all the long boxes do. I'm trying to find a short box SLE with center console and thiers nothing within 100 miles.

What do you mean by long box? Long box is the 8' bed for regular cab. I will be surprised if it's 90% regular cabs. The standard box is the 6.5'. The short box is 5.5'.

Yea, I know GM calls it the standard box, its the longer of the two beds on the crew cab.

This isn't new, in Thailand they are building the Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton side by side.

There is also a considerable size difference in the two.

Ford will be using quite a significant amount of the 'old' plant and equipment, so it makes sense.

Most of the new materials will not be made on the actual assembly line but probably in another plant.

So, I think much of the aluminium will be used in placed where the current assembly equipment can be used.

I wonder how Ford will go about training the line workers how to work with aluminium. In my job we were taught how to work and use aluminium during 'school'.

Ford will have to devise additional schooling for the line workers or they will make errors. Aluminium isn't steel, nowhere as forgiving and easy to damage/deform.

We still don't know if the body is going to be all aluminum, thats some rumers that this site started. It will use some aluminum parts and other weight saving techniques, but I highly doubt the body will be all aluminum.

No problem. The work on the truck bodies is done by about 300 robots and lasers.

It's all computerized robots and the bodies get built by themselves. Search on youtube for Megafactories Ford F150. The line workers don't even touch the bodies.

So they build difrent truck whit the same engine problem wow...

The problem is it isn't the bodies that will have the aluminium.

There is no problem. It is all in your head.

Wow Ford is really trying something new a "seamlessly transition"...that would be a first. I wonder if you can drive these new ones in the rain?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that the problem at hand usually occurs when it’s raining or humid out. No accidents or injuries have been reported stemming from this issue but the NHTSA has received 95 reports concerning EcoBoost engine failures. Those who filed reports with the NHTSA said that the problem occurred when accelerating hard, such as when passing someone on the highway. Making matters worse, the NHTSA has outed Ford for advising dealerships on how to fix this issue but not telling the affected owners.

given how it is a simple grill and headlights change or at most a front clip change I dont see how this is very difficult at all ;)

Sorry fanboi's couldnt resist the temptation

The new ones are not affected.

On the 13's they have pretty much fixed most issues, plus the 13's have some more improvements

-pass side exhaust cam driven vacuum pump for brake booster (like a diesel)
-camshaft position sensors moved from behind the motor to above valve covers
-pcv nipples moved to better locations on the valve covers
-new intercooler
-electronic bov (if youre leaving the truck stock this is a slight improvement)
-slight update to turbos

a) these 2013 turbos do not have the integrated BOV on the compressor housing like the 2011-2012 does

b) the 2013 turbos compressor wheel is 51mm OD (larger than 2011-2012 @48mm OD)

c) one turbo is standard rotation (clockwise) -- the other is reverse rotation (counter clockwise)

devilsadvocate is the real faniboi. That's why he resorts to talking points that are false and calling people fainbois. Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.

Ford’s has set an aggressive lightweight plan calling for total average magnesium content to grow to 250 pounds per vehicle from five pounds over the next two decades.

Magnesium is so magnificent when it burns.

A Pickup Truck ( 2010 Ford F-150 ) catches fire on the interstate. As the fire department puts it out, and large flash of burning metal blows out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3O1g6umnd4

@Tom
So where is the aluminium in your rant?

That's what we were discussing. The only time aluminium affects a persons head is if you use aluminium in food prep and cooking.

I think this has something to do with dementia, you should know this.

Talking as if you are knowledgeable, you should also know that the body can't use aluminium, unless it's bonded to steel, which I don't thinks Ford has that capability yet.

Also if bonding of steel and aluminium occurs a barrier must be present to stop the galvanic process from occuring due to dissimilar metals.

There is another issue of bonding dissimilar metals, it becomes a bi-metallic strip. Expansion occurs at different rates, and when enough expansion and contraction cycles occurs, bang it delaminates. But, you probably know about this stuff as well as gear ratios. Also the use of metal fasteners become restricted.

So, my deduction is many of the 'bolt on' components will be aluminium. If this is the case robots don't generally fit these to the vehicles, its done by humans, who tend to screw things up if they aren't educated.

I do know these things, well, because its my job.

@Walt - I can't find the link. I'll keep looking.

@Walt, Vulpine - I did find this link about the HD's being too long to fit so they had to adjust assembly due to paint booth size.
"The biggest challenge was how to fit the bigger, heavier-duty trucks (which now would include duallys) in paint booths that were only long enough to hold the shorter, lighter-duty full-size."

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2012/02/plant-creativity-saves-gm-millions.html

I don't buy the spray booth was the reason for not offering the 6.5 ft. bed. My ext. cab 8ft. bed chevy is 9 inches longer than a crew with a 6.5 bed. Only crews with 8ft. beds are longer than my truck by 9 inches.

Maybe there are different issues at each factories.

All GM/Chevy crewcab half-tons are made in Mexico now.

Fort Wayne is for double cabs/regular cabs, and Heavy-Duty.

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/07/2014-chevrolet-silverado-gmc-sierra-1500-double-cabs-now-online-at-fort-wayne/

@ Fred the man - Perhaps I had mixed up the story on adding HD's to the assembly line with the reason for not building crew cab 6.5 box trucks. If that is the case, my apologies to the bloggers for my mistake.

The majority of these comments are ignorant,people truly are clueless ! Especially the people who think they know it all,are the most clueless,but please ...tell me where I am wrong,you will most likely prove my point,cheers !

Anywho,keep the comments coming,its pure entertainment !

Remember go out and do a burnout ,grab second gear chirp/rubber (if you have the power) its good for the environment,and emotional well-being !

@Lou, Fred, Bob, and Dave - Thanks for the updates. I think GM has a jump on Ram now. Over 1 year out and I don't think I've seen one 6'+ bed crew yet from Ram. 1 month out and GM already has it.

@1968 Charger - Who thinks he knows it all? Who are you talking? Name names because painting everyone as clueless is a cowardly way to call someone out. Could you please be a little more specific?

@Big Al From Oz ..... I am pretty sure that my brothers 2009 -10 f150 has a aluminum hood as does the 2014 Silverado 1500. As I don't think you are talking this small.

THANK YOU !! YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE I LOOK FORWARD TO READING ON THIS POST!!

p.s. (sorry for all the caps.)

@the TRUCK guy,
The hood isn't part of the body that is built by robotics. It isn't part of the structure. It's one of those 'bolt on' bits not done by a robot.

The hood is also relatively bare from any other components other than the windscreen washers, which are plastic.

Doors could also be aluminium, but I think the costs involved will be large with crash testing and all of the internal components.

Essentially steel and aluminium just don't mix, it is quite awkward to work the two together.

Remember the F-150 has to be as economical as possible.

Al, Once again you don't even have a clue what you're talking about and just want to badmouth it because it is F-150 and not sold in your region.

If want to support non-American, that is your deal. But cut the crap already.

@Tom
First you post a blog directed at me. To belittle me.

Then when something is directed at you, you call them non American and putting down the F-150. Actually were did I put the vehicle down. I was explaining the limitation on working with aluminium, read it and you might expand your mind.

If you perceive something that is negative because of your lack of comprehension on the subject then pull out the text books and learn. Or you will force me to educate you again.

Ford has used an aluminum hood (since '04!), suspension and engine parts!

The aluminum F-150 and Super Duty are good to go. No worries. Both will be all new for 2015.

Al is just whining because he has some some strange preoccupation and desire for full-size trucks going away, and everyone using diesel mini-sizers. I don't see why he cares so much because he doesn't even live here!

Anyway, for those who are interested, here are some of the features that have been reported that we have all been waiting for.

-Heated Steering wheel
-Extensive use of Aluminum
-multi contour seats like the SHO/MKS
-360 degree camera
-Active park assist
-LED box lighting
-tailgate dampener
-box with storage for ramps
-ladder rack
-remote unlocking tailgate
-LED headlamps
-Active grille shutters
-stop start technology
-AND MORE...

As far as engines the 5.0L v8 and the 3.5L ecoboost are here to stay and are rumored to have increased fuel economy ratings along with more towing capacity thanks to the use of aluminum. They will be joined by a 2.7L V6 ecoboost 320hp/375 ft/lbs and a 3.5 N/A entry level v6 280hp/250 ft/lbs.

For those of you wanting a 6.2l V8 now is your time to go out and get one or order one before they are a thing of the past.
I wanted to share this with you guys first and we're looking forward to what the next generation of F-150's have in store for us.

That is all for now.

On a lighter note...I keep seeing the new 2014 Silvies on the street and every time from a distance I think I'm seeing a much older one.
Actually, that's a good thing.