The Ford F-Series pickup truck has been the best selling truck lineup in America for over a decade, and the 2009 Ford F150 stands to continue that legacy.  The 2009 F150 features a huge variety of innovations to make it the most capable truck on the market, but more importantly, it is also one of the most powerful F150s in existence.  The 5.4L Triton V8 offers 320 horsepower and when mated to Ford’s new 6-speed automatic transmission it is capable of an amazing towing capacity of over 11,000 pounds.  While the 2009 Ford F150 does a great job of carrying on the F150 name, the success of Ford’s half ton truck began in 1984.

1984-1986 Ford F150:  Seventh Generation

The 1984 Ford F150 entered the lineup halfway through the F-series’ seventh generation, and many of the F150’s parts were similar to its predecessor, the F100.  The base model F150 engine was a 115 horsepower Straight-6 engine, followed by a pair of V8s, a 302 cubic inch engine making 130 horsepower and a 352 cubic inch variant offering 150 horsepower.   Each engine option could be ordered with either a manual or automatic transmission, and the F150 could be ordered as a 4x4 or rear wheel drive.  The original F150 was offered as a regular cab, Super Cab, or Crew Cab and those could be had with either a Styleside or Flareside bed.  The 1984 F150 was available in four trimlines; the base, XL, XLS, and XLT Lariat.  The only major change to the 1985 F150 trucks was the addition of electronic fuel injection on the 302 engine, and this EFI version made 185 horsepower.  In 1986, the F150 remained unchanged, with the exception of the 351 not being offered.