Yahoo Autos Ford F-150 spy photos suggest the truck could get magnetic paint
Ford's decision to switch the majority of the F-150's stamped body parts from steel to aluminum had a significant, positive impact on weight and therefore its fuel economy numbers and the truck's ability to haul and tow. On the other hand, aluminum can be more difficult and more expensive for body shops to repair. And since aluminum isn't magnetic, it also means small business owners need to find creative ways to hang signs and advertisements on their doors and tailgates.
Recently, reports circulated that Ford was working on a solution to the signage problem, and a new set of spy photos may in fact indicate that a fix is in the works. We can't say for certain how these black signs are affixed to this white and gray F-150 — it's certainly possible that these signs have sticky backs and the truck still isn't magnetic — but one theory is that Ford will use some sort of magnetic paint or primer. Such products are available for home use to make walls that can support magnets, but we're not aware of any automotive use up to this point.
As for the signs themselves, the only Project MOART we could find from Ford hasn't made news in the last decade. Way back in 2010, the Blue Oval's so-called "Mother of All Road Trips" was apparently a program engineers used to collect driving data to be used for future autonomy or driver assistance projects. The 1-800 phone number on the sign is for Ford's in-house customer service line.
So, to recap, we don't know if these spy photos really do mean that Ford has a pending magnetic solution for F-150 owners coming down the pike, but it certainly doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility.
