yo,
Ford & it's pan suppliers used the worse sections of rolled steel for non-appearance" parts & components
When I was a Navy employee I often met w/many suppliers, esp. the major US steel mills. One rep. described the differences between companies that manufacture commercial and industrial products ranging from refigerators to trucks.
When sellings rolled steel appliance/vehicle body panel, etc. to the customer, the mills would discount 10% automatically because the edges and outside coil of the steel roll would be rusty or slightly damaged due to storage/shipment.
The "higher quality firms" would scrap these sections; while the "others" would try to remove or minimize the rusty sections and use it in various "non-appearance" parts of the vehicle or item they were manufacturing. Such as Ford oil pans.
This was in the 80's and early 90's; and as we know Ford and other manufacturers have improved the body panel specs and quality exc. for this and some other items (some suspension components).
