Got to love GM’s paper thin sheet metal

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by Gray Ghost

I hate to scatter all hopes to the four winds, but there's never been a time when any automaker put thicker sheetmetal on a newer vehicle.

You got that right. What the manufacturers need to do is just ditch all exterior sheet metal all together and go with RRIM (Reinforced Reaction Injection Molded) polyurea polymer body panels or other composite materials. With the weight savings of RRIM they could afford the weight gain to reinforce the cab and interior bed box with a higher MIL sheet metal to withstand work truck punishment. RRIM is the material that the GMT800 sportside beds were made out of (not the same crap they made the protect-O-bed out of on the fleetsides). RRIM is a great material and has a lot of potential with advancements made to the formulas the last several years.

A composite exterior could provide several advantages to pickup trucks. Rust proof, light weight, dent resistant, and could allow the manufactures to add metal beef back to where it needs to be, like the cab and bed floor. Basically, like the Smart car.