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
Flare sides 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
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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
Ford USA continues and 2010 Ford send vehicles to the Smiths
Factory in the UK for possible future Electric conversion. |
Ford F250 & f150 Trucks
Ford Vans
Tractors
