I would guess that the 226 six cylinder was the standard engine in a 52 F1 and that getting the 239 flathead V8 would have been considered an upgrade. If this is true, does anyone know what the cost to upgrade would be?

 

According to Don Bunn's Ford F-Series Pickup Trucks, a V8 F-1 cost $27 more than a 6-banger in 1948. Pricing for the 1952 6 went up $117 compared to the '48 6-cyl, no info on the cost for the V8.

 

Performance differences between the I6 and the V8 engines offered in 1952 don't appear to be very significant. The flat head V8 produced 110 hp and 195 foot pounds of torque, while the new OHV 215 cid I6 was rated at 101 for hp and 185 for torque.

It would be interesting to see actual road test 0-60 mph time comparisons. Transmissions and rear axle ratios, I believe, were the same for the two engines. Maybe the I6 engine would have a slight weight advantage.

Jim

PS

With my carb re-adjusted, I averaged 15.5 mpg with my I6 for my recent two trips to Iola (about 250 miles). I would suspect that mileage differences between the two engines aren't very significant either.

 

15.5mpg is great. The best I've got on my 54 F100 was 11 mpg on a trip. I don't know how accurate that is as my odometer is not real accurate.

 

The 1952 Branham Automobile Reference Book cites the F-1 six cylinder base price of $1329.37, while the V8 was $1361.77. I’ve compared this reference which was used by banks, insurance companies and police to others I have for my Marmon-Herringtons and these figures appear to reflect dealer cost rather than suggested retail. Stu

 

Learned a while ago it was $35.60 . Upgrade from a standard recirculating block lettered heater to a Magic Air was $62,40 . Must have had a large amount of flat head V8's laying around . From '32 thru '51 FORD produced over 12 million flat head V8's

 

Thanks guys. Great informations! Fred

 

That's interesting, I didn't click that in '52 the choice was the OHV 6, not the flathead 6. Hard to believe Ford could build the OHV for less than the V8. Pricing may have been a marketing ploy to maintain that 6's were a budget choice (pointing at Chevy).

 

Agree, the prices may have borne no relationship to the actual costs. Stu