Five Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the F Series Part 2
Transition from F-100 to F-150
Due to emission laws, in 1975 the F-150 was introduced, filling the slot between the F-100 and F-250. As years went by, the F-150 had essentially overtaken the F-100 in purpose. By 1983, the F-100 designation was gone. Impress your friends with that nugget of chronology.
image [autobooksbishko.com]
Ford F-150 Back Atop Cars.com American-Made Index
A few weeks ago, Cars.com refreshed their American-Made Index (AMI) for 2013. Built in Dearborn, Michigan and Claycomo, Missouri, the Ford F-150 is now at the top of the AMI list, surpassing the former #1-ranked Toyota Camry. Because sales is a factor calculated in the AMI, chalk up the top honors to a resurgent U.S. economy that boosted F-150 purchases. How about this? The Chevrolet Silverado was excluded from the top 10, but the Toyota Tundra ranked number seven.
image [Ford]
A Unibody F-Series?
Well, not quite unibody, but it is just as bad as you’re thinking. It was still a body-on-frame truck, but the bed sides were welded to the door sills. Owners complained about their doors jamming when their trucks were loaded. On the flip side, people were complaining about their doors opening over train tracks. Rust was another major issue. The unit body configuration was produced from 1961 to 1963, and is a dark spot in F-Series history. It sure looks nice, though.
via [pickuptrucks.com]