1974 Ford F-100: Greatest F-Series Truck of All-Time?
The 1974 Ford F-100, in my (highly biased) opinion, is the greatest F-Series truck ever produced. Specifically, a 1974 F-100 with Custom (base level) trim, rubber floor mats, and the unloved 360 lump under the hood. Throw in a four speed manual with the granny gear, and you’ve got a recipe for perfection.
1974 saw the debut of the Super Cab configuration, but nobody wanted it back then. No, if you had “extra” passengers like kids that wouldn’t fit in the wide bench seat, they sat in the bed. In my case, on a home built wooden bench fashioned out of 2×4’s, Styrofoam, and custom upholstery (a Mexican blanket). It wasn’t even bolted down.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, the 1974 F-100 holds a special place in my heart because I grew up riding around in one. My father bought one new from the Ford dealership that employed him as a mechanic, the same Ford dealership my mother also worked at, as a receptionist.
Dad kept that truck for 31 years. After he joined the military, it traveled the country. It towed trailers, hauled loads, and pulled a camper across the great U.S. of A multiple times. Every time we moved, it made the trip. Old Green, as we affectionately called it, never faltered along the way.
I didn’t care about the heat radiating from the carpetless floor, nor that the truck was equipped with only “2 at 60” air conditioning. I didn’t care that it took a coon’s age to merge onto the highway, thanks to that granny gear.
I don’t know where Old Green is or if it’s still on the road, but I like to imagine that it is still going strong, creating new memories for a young, future Ford truck enthusiast. I just hope his dad has retrofitted some air conditioning, and maybe gotten rid of that old bench. Sometimes, after all, nostalgia is best left in the past.
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