I read that compact and mid size body on frame trucks are going to go the way of the dodo over the next few years in favor of unibody utes like they use down under.

What do you all think?

 

not sure about all small trucks. but weld in body frame may be tought too. Aerostars for example are tought enought and they may haul about 1500 kg... rear axe and suspention fails, but body is ok. in USSR unibody trucks were started in 60-s and early trucks had corrozion related problems solved later...



In EU many small truck are unibody
Ford build too


So seems to me this is another step to making global product. One small truck for all markets...

 

i like that blue truck, what is it?

 

IZ 2715... made on Moskvich chassis in 70-s....500 kg truck. was especially made for urban area.. really - very simple - 4-cyl engine, no PS, no auto... was called heel.... early trucks were not reliable enought... and owners of early IZ trucks had to change rear shoks nearly every year. Later all general problems were solved, including corozzion...

yeah, truck looks like a lady's shoe... and owners working under heel (changing shoks) were called under heeled (in Russian language it is the same like p***y-whipped)... LOL

well, anyway it was proved and demonstrated that unibody trucks may be tought enought to haul up a ton.

 

but unibody trucks have disadvantages.. like if bed is damaged it is not so easy to change bed.... welding, cutting, welding, painting....

some truck maker call these LCVs (ligh commercial vehicle) car like a truck and go on building trucks with heavy frame.

 

i think if theyre gonna do uni-body trucks they need to bring back the ranchero...

 

now you're talkin', sparky!!

 

i dont think so.... they gonna make a track of FWD car... in Europe they do it with C-class cars... so they can use focus ore fiesta base, may be they will use Mondeo/contour... they can use taurus... but anyway modern unibody trucks are FWD.

 

I knoow the 2012 ranger is supost to be body on frame as well as the the new f-100. The frame isn't dead on real trucks yet.

 

F100 will have common chassis with new gen. ford transit vans and trucks.

this chassis is like a Spribter chassi, lower center of gravity, more torq.rigid.

They want all trucks and vans on this chassis share axes, suspention parts and powertrain.

They also want to continue ranger, but make one more smaller truck.... this is new Transit-connect.... really this is unibody FWD truck on Mondeo/contour chassis.

This is not all. They want to enlarge Mondeo and sell upsized Mondeo with Taurus label in the USA.

Really, they want maximally use all previous chassis and powertraines for new trucks and cars to save money for development.

So you'll see something well known in Europe under new bodies in the USA

 

i used to own a 1979 Chevy Luv (light utility vehicle) made by isuzu. it was body on frame but had many similarities. it was great for light duty around town. i miss it, am looking for something small and interesting to replace it.

 

yeah my current 87s built the same way.. its rated as a 1/2 ton and have had it loaded up so much it sagged a bit.. only thing i dont like about it is i feel its a little under powered... mine actually does have the luvs 4 speed in it made by isuzu.. and has a 2.5L l4 (aka iron duke)... but it only puts out 92 hp/132ft-lb... i wish it had a bit more power than that so i could pull least my stang... does 0-60 in 30 seconds flat with the way the trannys geared (not the rear end)...

my grandfather got it to pull his boat around with.. and when he passed i got it... well dad did i later traded dad a car to get it so id have a truck to use... but like you said with your love... mines also a great truck for running around town in.. but isnt great for highway use with how high its rpms run.. and with as hot as it runs i run it more in the winter than i do in the summers... mainly cus the cold air keeps it down in a cooler range.. summers just runs too hot for my likings...

 

I had 2 jeep comanche p/u's that were unibody and they were great trucks. If you looked under them, they looked like they had full frames, but the cabs were welded to the frame as part of the structure.

 

Not all Ranchero's were uni-body.

1957/59 = body on frame.

1960/71 = uni-body

1972/79 = body on frame.

 

Hey Bill, you done pouting over cally yet? I even make fun of my own state's, you know you can't take me too serious!!!!!!!!