Does the Dodge Ram have the thinnest sheet metal in the Industry?

[DocDetonancour]

I won't say my Dodge is light, 7 K and change, where is the weight? Every truck comparison I see the Mopar is the heaviest. Doc

 

[Jeremiah]

Dented by an acorn!!!!!!!!!!

I got y'all beat on the thin metal issue. My truck was parked under an oak tree in NW Arkansas and an acorn dropped off and put a small dent in the hood. Can you believe that? Oo. If I was DC I'd be ashamed to sell something that thin. No wonder American manufacturers are going broke.



I was talking to a truck accessory shop owner today and he said his 18-year-old business was as bad as it's ever been. Toyota is going great, he said, but not DC, Ford and GM. Maybe the Big Three hasn't caught on yet: they gotta build a quality product before people will buy it.



It ain't no big secret: All they gotta do is read Consumer Reports to find out what cars and trucks are being recommended. Sadly, they ain't from this country.

 

[YFZBOB]

I got y'all beat on the thin metal issue. My truck was parked under an oak tree in NW Arkansas and an acorn dropped off and put a small dent in the hood. Can you believe that?

A. P. B. Lookout for crazy Squirrel. Wanted for throwing Nuts at trucks... :-laf

#ad




Yup... You got me beat. Standing on the rear tire. I went to pull the Pin on my 5th wheel hitch and put a dent with my knee (2 to be exact) right above the wheel well. :--)

 

[Amish Elegance]

Yup... You got me beat. Standing on the rear tire. I went to pull the Pin on my 5th wheel hitch and put a dent with my knee (2 to be exact) right above the wheel well.

I had the same thing happen to me! I was washing the roof of my cap while standing on the rear tire. Even though I have one of those neat-o wally world extenda wand, car wash mit on a pole thingies, the light pressure of my knee still left a small dent in the bed side.



I cant find a paintless guy that'll touch it. Body shop did say if I took the cap off they'd repaint the bed side... for $500!! #@$%! Good paintless dent guy wanted.

 

[ASchuerg]

To put you all to ease.

The Steel The Use Comes From Recycled Ford's And Gm's But Made In China. Along With Harley Davidson Chrome From Tiawan

China Stainless Is The Only One I Ever Saw That Will Rust In Your Hand.

 

[elandon1201]

I put my hand on the hood to wash the windshield and DENT!! right in the corner of the hood. I havent tested my theory yet but I think if I stare at the truck real hard I could dent it

 

[Grizzly]

The most durable Truck I ever had was POP's 1973 F250. The sheet metal in that Truck was thick. I tip the toldedo at 260 pounds, and I could jump on the bumper and stand on the hood! I never got up on the cab, but that thing was a TANK!!! The 390 was a gas guzzler, but thats another thread.

Maybe those F250 had thicker sheet metal, but they sure had a rust problem on the fender wells, bottom of doors and tailgates. And I live in the Southwest where it's dry and they don't salt the roads. Speaking of the 390 gas guzzler the worst part was that it had to be the lousiest engine ever made. My original 390 went 104K. The second engine went 21K. The 3rd engine was giving me problems at 32K, so I gave the truck away. I ordered this truck brand new. I'm still totally turned off on Ford.

 

[elandon1201]

I just want to transplant my drivetrain into by old 1999 superduty you could walk on the hood of that truck as well. Never got a dent in her for 100,000 miles. Just the whole POWERJOKE that I dont want.

 

[Grizzly]

I just want to transplant my drivetrain into by old 1999 superduty you could walk on the hood of that truck as well. Never got a dent in her for 100,000 miles. Just the whole POWERJOKE that I dont want.

Don't waste your time and money on any Ford. I don't care if you can walk on the hood. Mechanically Ford is the worst vehicle ever made. I had one and it was always broke and full of rust.

 

[Walker]

Bee careful

My sales buddy at the local Dodge house was circling outside in the front of the show room with the other vultures, I mean salesman, when a wasp decided to join/scatter them. A short sprint and a quick WWE style sling-shot bounce off the ropes into a brand new 06 Quad Cab tailgate completely totalled it (the tailgate that is, not the whole truck..... last I heard anyway).



It should have been a Rumble Bee :-laf

 

[mlewis73]

This is why I'm keeping my '91 Ford. I expect to have to do a Cummins transplant within 6-8 years due to Dodge's **** poor materials.



It is a shame.



I think that their hands are tied--they are being forced to make trucks that dent easily so that passenger cars won't fare so badly in accidents with pickup trucks...

 

[BHolm]

I had two chevys, an '01 and an '03. The beds on those dented much more easily than my Dodges. I also happen to like my '99 Ford, 250k HARD miles, purrs like a kitten, only thing that ever failed was a waterpump way back at 30k miles.

 

[mlewis73]

I like the styling of the new Rams the best out of the 3 diesel pickup makers. Ford's new grill is too bold. GM trucks don't look right. The biggest issue I have with the Dodge is the front end, but that is actually growing on me and I'm finding I like it better than the '03 - '05 style.



Anyhow... my wife's '00 Silverado is a bucketful of dents. A $35k purchase ought to do better--especially when that purchase is a vehicle used for WORK that WILL BE exposed to dent hazards as part of its everyday duties.



Maybe best to just get a nice utility bed/flatbed--made of steel.

 

[MLKramer]

Been a autobody tech in independent shops for 30 years. I've fixed em all. Sheet metal has gone down hill greatly but our Dodge trucks still have in my opinion the best body in the industry until you get up into commercial vehicles. I use a stud welder to pull dents and it just blows holes in some of the new sheet metal. Some of it is so thin it is almost impossible to work on.

 

[crobertson1]

... Good paintless dent guy wanted.

Come to Colorado and I'll help ya out.

 

[geusterman]

My 76 Ford Hi-Boy was tough. My Jeep PU was tough. My 56 IHC 4by was real tough. My new 91 Chev was a beer can... totally freaked out... but not as bad as 02 Dodge... then 04 Dodge... yikes! Rolled a Rickson into the bed... it fell over on the fender well and CRUSHED it! Huge dent on an outside curved surface! They gotta rib this stuff. I could not take it and removed the bed (two guys) and build a nice flatbed with folding sides and tool boxes. I can work now. George

 

[jsimpson]

With crude prices spiralling upward, I would expect manufacturers to start backing away from plastic bodyb panels!

Try a Chevy some time. I had an '01 and an '03 and if the Dodge is tin foil the GM trucks are no more than paper mache'. I had lots of dents in the bedrails from just leaning over the truck. My Ford and Dodges seem about the same, both much better than GM. Ford and Dodge trucks are already hundreds of pounds heavier than the GM trucks. I read one comparo that had a Ford SD 800lbs heavier than the comaprible GM truck. Pretty sure the Dodge is at least as heavy as the Ford SD.



Don't worry, it wont be long and the beds will all be plastic anyway

 

[Heavyweight]

The Chrysler engineers are morons. They could design thicker sheetmetal for these trucks. The plastic emblem "Heavy Duty" is more dense then the paper thin body it is glued to.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

WAY too many guys here trying apples/oranges comparisons - comparing trucks made a few years ago with the current stuff, a 97 Ford vs a '05 Dodge - with few direct comparisons with other same-year brands, and on similar formed body sections.



For EVERY "lean-on-push-in" dent you might do on ANY of the US makes, I'll flat out guarantee you I can do on a similar stretch of sheetmetal on a competing brand. Dodge, Ford, GM - makes NO difference!

 

[mlewis73]

Don't waste your time and money on any Ford. I don't care if you can walk on the hood. Mechanically Ford is the worst vehicle ever made. I had one and it was always broke and full of rust.

91 F-350. Zero rust. The only reason I sold it was because I need more power to pull what I pull, and more comfort for my family.



Also helps that we're getting rid of a problem vehicle in the trade to the Dodge (my wife's Chevy truck. )



I have zero complaints about my '91 Ford's durability. I have many complaints about stupid stuff like its underdesigned headlight switch, which could have burned the truck to the ground before I found its melted mass behind the dash one day.





Mike