Ford goes to great lengths to prevent galvanic corrosion issues on the new F-150s; provides owners with a list of compatible fasteners and paints
Educating the pickup buying public on the new era of aluminim-bodied pickups is one of the ongoing jobs at Ford.
One of the more common concerns with those leaning toward the purchase of the 2015 F-150s –and the next-generation Super Duties that will have aluminum bodies — is the issue of how aluminum stands up to corrosion and the interaction with dissimilar metals.
We posed that question to Ford structural engineers who have decades of experience making aluminum-bodied luxury cars and SUVS under brands such as Jaguar and Range Rover.
Here’s the short take on how they’ve made the 2015 F-150s “corrosion proof.”
To prevent contact between the materials, Ford e-coats the 2015 F-150 frame and the body-in-white separately – so two layers of coatings. In places of high contact, like where the box meets the frame, Ford also employs an epoxy – so a third layer of protection.
Ford has also extensively tested many combinations of fasteners and coatings that are widely used in the aftermarket.
To that end Ford has provided this list of approved products owners should use to help ensure the durability, strength and quality of their aluminum-bodied pickups – both now and in the future:
Approved Anti-Corrosion Coatings
- Motorcraft PM13-A
- NOX-Rust 7703-W
- Zinc Rich Primers
Recommended Acrylic Lacquer Touch-up Paints
- Motorcraft
- Duplicolor
- Rustoleum
Approved Fasteners
- Aluminum Clamps
- Zinc coated steel fasteners used with an aluminum washer
- Aluminum Pop Rivets
- Plastic Push Pins
- Aluminum Rivnuts
- Plastic Scrivets
Isolator Recommendations
- Aluminum washer
- Urethane tape
- Polypropylene tape