What is the major differences between an F100 and a F150 pickup trucks? I heard someone say it had something to do with emission requirements originally, but I do not know for sure. Thanks.

Jim

 

From what i heard don't know if its true but F100 is like an F-150 but is just lighter overall with lighter suspension parts like springs and stuff and F-150 has heavier springs bit more heavy duty i dont think it had much to do with emission requirements

 

Dustin is correct.

What you are thinking of is when Ford developed the F150 to get around government regs regarding emission standards.

The F150 has a higher GVWR than the F100.

 

Yes, in 1975, Ford came out with the 4x2 (for that year only) F150. It was heavy duty enough to carry a 6,050 GVW. That was just heavy enough for the F150 to be exempt from cats.

Don't think that an F100 is a weak sister though. My 4x4 F100 could run side-by-side and haul the same loads as an older F150 all day.
-"$lick"

 

i also have heard that f-100 trucks had lighter suspentions than f-150 trucks.not to hi-jack the thread but, are f-100 trucks rarer than f-150 trucks?-billy

 

Depends what year ?

78/79 F100's are rarer than F150's

75 F150's are rarer than F100's

 

cool,my f-100 is a 79 short box. thanks dennis.

 

hey. you do you guys know if i can put f150 springs on f100?

 

What year F150 to what year F100??

 

AWWWW SILVER! always here to help! i have a 1970 f100 and i need a 2wd leveling kit. Do i just put spacers in the fron or what? i feel like my back is somewhere around 2" higher.

 

1975/79 interchange.

 

It likely is. They're built that way in anticipation of the loads and hauling... unlike trucks today, these rigs were built to do hard work.


I put '78 springs in my '70. No problem.


There is no off-the-shelf leveling system that I know of. Leveling would require bending the I-beams to provide some lift or altering the rear leaf spring hangers to provided the desired drop... Flipping the forward rear spring hangers are the "easiest" method but you'll have to correct the resulting pinion angle induced by the slight rotation of the axle about its axis.

 

Really, the spacers in the front won't get that job done?

 

Back when they were bringing in cats and the real engine-strangling emissions controls the weight cut-off limit for vehicles was 6000 pounds. The F100 was lighter than that, and so subject to using more expensive unleaded, had lower horsepower, etc. Some smart engineer at Ford figured that you could take select parts from an F200 3/4 ton, substitute them onto a F100, and get a truck that as above, barely broke the weight limit - so no power robbing emissions controls. Since it was part F100 and part F200, it was called an F150. A few years later everything had to be emission controlled, but by then F150 was firmly accepted as the "better" model. At the time, Ford sales guys told customers that Ford had put the 3/4 ton frame under the 1/2 ton truck because it was heavier, but I believe it was a more nuanced approach than a simple frame substitution. Source - I was working at a Ford dealership and had friends on the sales staff.

 

The front coils are captured with top and bottom mounts. Whatever spacer you install needs to keep the spring from popping out. Like I said, there is no leveling lift kit that I know of.


Regardless, longer/taller springs (or the installation of a spacer) will result in positive camber that would need to be corrected by bending the I-beams.


I suggest reviewing how the I-beam suspension is set up and the resulting changes that would happen if "X" were done. Then you would understand the consequence(s).