History of the F series
1948 saw the beginning of the F truck, Little did
ford realize that they were on a winner from the beginning.
First up was the F1 a half ton vehicle then the F2 and
F3
the heavy duty.
Engine was a powerful 95 HP 6 226 cu in and a 239 cu in V8
with just on 100 HP
Note *(1 horsepower = 0.745699872
kilowatts)
Towards 1952 the engine altered and the six cyl
model now was 215 cu in rated now at 101 hp
Things evolve slowly mainly cosmetics, different grills and the invention for
those wet wintry nights a waterproof ignition system..
The lines improved in 1953 the grille the fenders and the bonnet all
stylizing into one and also the birth of the badge F100 and F150 (f150 ¾ ton).
Early into the next year the engine developers increased the engine size to 223
cu in and a full 115 HP The V8 was also revamped and it became the 239 with 130
HP.
1954 also saw the luxuries included like, arm
rests, cigarette lighter and again a grille change.
1956 up goes the HP to 137 in the 6 to a huge
173HP in the new 272cu in V8
the Flare side began its life in 1957 with its two separate rear fenders and the
evergreen Ford F truck the style side. Another new grille in 1958
1957-1960
Ford eager for a power house in 1959 developed the 292 cu in 186 HP V8
and a year later in the body department the bug eyed model is released
1961 the designers went to work and a newer look was developed , the single
headlights returned Ford seemed happy with engine development at this point and
right up to 1965 when the 240 cu in and 300 cu in sixes hit the market . HP
here was significant developing 150 and 170 HP. Then the V8 353 with a whopping
208 HP
1967 the cabin became larger, legs were getting longer and more
visibility was created using more glass. Three trim levels became available,
base, custom and ranger.
The ranger had the carpet and more chrome the fore father
of the lariat
1968. The 360 disposes of the 352 V8 and Ford
added the 390 V8 . The f100 got its act together with coil springs (mono beam)
. For the family man the innovative 4 door crew cab arrives into 1969
1970 a extra trim level is on the market and the
Ford marketing machine is working overtime The four models are the custom,
Sport, Ranger and Ranger XLT .The age old favourite 302 with 220 HP is now a
addition to the choice of engines
And don’t forget the grille changes in 1972
Over the next few years development in cabin space and sturdier frame headed the
development departments agenda the 460 cu in V8 became a option, as did the
automatic transmission and the body changed and this was just 1973. 1974 into
the extended cab called for the first time “the Super Cab” integrated
indicators, suspension and another grille also appeared. The rear seats could
also now be placed in the rear.
1975 and here is the F150 this filled the void
between the F100 and the F250
Ford had a little sleep until 1977 when the 360
engine went and the 351 163 HP and the 400 cu in 169 Hp soothed the passion for
V8s and a year later the 300 six cyl became the standard engine also that same
year the Lariat was introduced with the rather large grill 1979 square
headlights on most models except the custom
In with the 80s and legroom was the flavour and Ford delivered with a extra 10
percent the 460 engine said good bye 1982 the ford oval badge replaced
FORD on the bonnet.
Those ever reliable ball joints made their debut, the
ranger name was dropped from the fleet and the names appeared XL, XLT, XLT
Lariat
1983 Ford confusion on where the market was going and the 460 came back this was
also the year when engines became litres 460 = 7.5 lt HP here was 245 also the
6,9 V8 arrived in a diesel HP was down to 170 torque was just the best as demand
now was switching to vehicle suitable for towing. This year saw the goodbye to
the F100 and the F150 now became the intro level model.
Ford saved their money for the next two years and nothing changed but 1987 and
the new look f series appeared. Headlights evolved and now you only had to
replace the bulb and not the whole headlight, the instrument panel changed and
antilock brakes appeared for the first time on light trucks the 4.9 lt got a
revamp with fuel injection with a increase of power output of 20% following on
that year the 7.5 lt V8 got fuel injection
1988 and the old flare side body was discontinued the 4.9 lt six now had
185 HP the 5.0 lt V8 210 HP the 5.8 V8 230 HP and the increased size diesel now
7.3 and don’t we love them developed 180 HP. The four speed box is gone and in
with the 5 speed box
Auto locking hubs also appeared on the F150 for the first time late in 1988.
manual locking hubs remained a option
Auto hubs became standard on the f250 and f350 in late 1990 4 wheel
drive on the 5.0 lt was made better with the touch drive transfer case
For Australians the f series went into a hiatus even though most of this history
is relating to the USA market as I consider that to give the insight to what is
now the F series. For the interest of Australian readers the know 4.2 diesel
and the 5.4 petrol engine was initially a reality in the US in 1997.
The Harley edition debuted in the states in 1999 and
Ford Australia released the F250 4.2 XL in 2001. 2002 along came the super cab
and crew cab.
In December
2005 the last shipment of Brazilian made RHD vehicles headed to Australia and
the rest is history we all await the next chapter
2008
Ford F150 Ltd edition Foose
Ford f250 f150 Vin Number
Lincoln Mark Lt
