Ford's F-series of pickup trucks started with the 1948 model year. Called the "Bonus-Built" line, they were all-new designs, replacing the prewar carryovers that had resumed civilian sales after VJ day. They offered a stronger frame, V-8 engines were available at every level of the lineup, including the light-duty ½-ton F-1, and were the first domestic pickups to offer telescoping hydraulic shock absorbers, which were marketed as "Aircraft-Type" shocks.
The Bonus-Built trucks were replaced for '53 with the new "Triple Economy" series of trucks. This was when Ford went to the triple-digit nomenclature that has hung on to this day. The half-ton F-1 became the F-100, while the ¾-ton F-2 was transmogrified into the F-250.
The F-250 had a wheelbase eight inches longer than the F-100, at 118", and had a heavier duty suspension, rear axle, and 8-lug wheels. The wheels make it an unusual choice for hot-rodding, as disc brake conversions aren't really available, so the driver of the '55 F-250 in the picture is something of an iconoclast.
Engine choices for 1955 were either Ford's 223 cubic inch Mileage Maker OHV inline six, rated at 115 SAE gross horsepower, or the Y-Block 239cid OHV V-8, which put out 130 horses.
This one was photographed in October of 2024 using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens.
It looks like there's a miniaturized Jeep in the box!
ReplyDeleteHeh, it does look like that, doesn't it?
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