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2018 Jeep Wrangler Aluminum Parts Confirmed by Alcoa

JAY

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The 2018 Jeep Wrangler will have aluminum doors (front and rear inners) and hood (inner and outer), at the very least.

This has just been confirmed by an Alcoa employee and JL Wrangler Forum reader which sent us this internal company news release distributed within the company this week.

INTERNAL RELEASE:

A team in the Farmington Hills (Michigan, USA) Aerospace and Automotive Products group is leading a new profitable growth opportunity with the 2018 Jeep Wrangler program. The next generation Jeep becomes the first to utilize our C6A1 high form alloy; we are currently the only supplier of this high form product.

Alcoa will also supply 6022 and A951, including front and rear door inners, hood outer and inner.
You may recall in May 2015, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed to the press that the next-generation Wrangler would feature "a large portion" of aluminum but not entirely.

"There will be a large portion of that vehicle that will be aluminum. It will not be all aluminum... We've run the numbers and we've simulated mileage and the impact... Because of the difference in cost--not just of the material but the actual assembly process-- I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum. I think we can get very close," explained Marchionne.
Now, thanks to Alcoa (and JLWF readers) we have a clearer picture of which parts (at a minimum) will be aluminum.

In addition to utilizing a new high form alloy supplied by Alcoa, the 2018 Wrangler will also make use of aluminum alloy sheet 6022 which is typically used for closure panels such as hood, decklid or doors. It will also make use of the durable pre-treatment aluminum sheet bonding technology, Alcoa 951.

Of course, this does not preclude the use of aluminum elsewhere on the JL Wrangler from another supplier.
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CorpCow

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Nice to get some confirmation of exactly which body parts will be aluminum. How much weight do aluminum hood and doors usually save? And will aluminum make repair more expensive and complicated?
 

AWD

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We're also likely to see mechanical parts with aluminum construction. Probably from another supplier if Alcoa didn't mention those.
 

Rambeaux

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Nice to get some confirmation of exactly which body parts will be aluminum. How much weight do aluminum hood and doors usually save? And will aluminum make repair more expensive and complicated?
First post, Hello everyone.

I doubt it. They mostly just swap body parts these days.
 

94grt

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Nice to get some confirmation of exactly which body parts will be aluminum. How much weight do aluminum hood and doors usually save? And will aluminum make repair more expensive and complicated?
The JL seems to have a longer hood (?).. And the JLU with 4 doors could make a big enough difference to give it the extra MPG they are after.
 

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I love how this forum is the leading edge of JL rumors for news media. :cool:
 

Rambeaux

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I love how this forum is the leading edge of JL rumors for news media. :cool:
Yeah buddy, gonna be a long year for me waiting to see this thing.
 

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New here too after seeing news of this reposted on Autoblog and RT etc. Looks like the place to be for those of us interested in the JL!

I'll start by saying what a lot of Jeepsters are thinking. How will the aluminum hold up for heavy trail use, Rubicon, Moab ....?
 

Billy

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Yeah buddy, gonna be a long year for me waiting to see this thing.
Not a year from now. The reveal is rumored to be the Detroit Auto Show in January.
 

Rambeaux

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New here too after seeing news of this reposted on Autoblog and RT etc. Looks like the place to be for those of us interested in the JL!

I'll start by saying what a lot of Jeepsters are thinking. How will the aluminum hold up for heavy trail use, Rubicon, Moab ....?
All depends on how it is heat treated. Lots of aluminum on aircraft.

Glad to hear we might see it in January.

Is it too early to start a "What have you done to your JL today" thread?
 
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Corduroy

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All depends on how it is heat treated. Lots of aluminum on aircraft.

Glad to hear we might see it in January.

Is it too early to start a "What have you done to your JL today" thread?
Yea but aircraft won't see the high likelihood of hard impacts from rocks and terrain as is likely from Jeep trailing. Steel would take on damage better without transferring it to the body and its also smoother/harder allowing rocks to slide over it without gouging easily... is how the argument goes.

I'm sure this will be a common concern among the Wrangler crowd.
 

Bill P

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Nice to get some confirmation of exactly which body parts will be aluminum. How much weight do aluminum hood and doors usually save? And will aluminum make repair more expensive and complicated?
The 2015 Ford F-150 was able to cut 450 pounds from the body and frame. They used aluminum for body panels and high strength steel in the frame (which required less material because of the stronger steel). F-150 is a much bigger car so it's easier to drop more weight, but goes to show you can drop several hundred pounds just from switching to aluminum and some smarter steel construction.
 

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Good to see the doors going aluminum. Gonna be lighter and easier to remove and put doors back one for those of us who do it regularly.

Next gen, carbon fiber :)
 

Jeep XXL

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Curious to hear what the C6A1 high form alloy is all about.
 

jb1990

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Good to see the doors going aluminum. Gonna be lighter and easier to remove and put doors back one for those of us who do it regularly.

Next gen, carbon fiber :)
It sounds like only the inner doors will be AL while the outer skin might still be made of steel.

My guess is this will make it lighter and easier to remove but they kept the door exterior steel to protect one of the most easily damageable areas.
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