Custom Cabs were a extra cost Item on '57-'60 F series, I don't recall how much but close to $80 I think. For that I believe you got a chrome front bumper, Chrome grill, Chrome windshield trim. Cigarette lighter, better headliner, 'Custom Cab' chrome script, Better windshield wipers, and best of all a inch of extra foam in the seat. Maybe more, but I don't recall Tow hooks on a 4WD? Any way functionally the wipers, Cigarette lighter and seat, the rest were cosmetic, but I liked them. The lighter I guess was good for smokers, but we used the lighter to melt nylon rope ends and similar tasks, and we could use the receptacle as a power source. When it rained two speed or whatever they were, wipers were a big help. If you spent time driving the extra foam in the seat was nice,

I thought the Custom Cab was worth the extra dollar. I may have made a similar post a couple of years back, don't know.

We had a Yellow & White F-350 (Maybe it was F-300) dually 9' Stake bed, 95% of the time we used it as a flatbed but the stake sides were fairly easy to put back in place. 181 HP if I recall from a 272 Y Block, hydraulic clutch, 4 speed manual, 4.56 gears. My Hot Rod Great truck we had it from '60 to '65 when traded on a more usable new '65 GMC 1 Ton dually with a 12' Stake Bed. The GMC had a 305 HD engine, but was not a Hot Rod, did it's job though.

Still miss the Ford.

 

Two tone interior paint also.

 

I think I read on here that Custom Cab trucks also came standard with the driver side exterior door lock. I have a special ordered '59 standard cab short bed F-100 that has been in my family since it was new. It has the Magic Air heater, cigarette lighter, electric wipers and the See-Clear windshield washer. No radio though. It has both visors (I've seen standard cabs with only the driver's side one before) It has the 223 and the light-duty 3 speed. One mystery I have is the paint code on the data plate is "S" which apparently stands for whatever color you wanted that Ford offered across their entire catalog. This truck is still in factory paint and hasn't been repainted. The truck is not two tone and has the regular white painted grill and bumpers but the paint *appears* to be Wedgewood Blue which was apparently a '59 only color, but apparently it was a normally available color, so I have no idea *why* my truck has a "S" color code. Nor have I been able to find what the paint code for Wedgewood Blue was. :/

 

Door lock maybe was option. My F600 donor Custom Cab didn't have it. I think S was special ordered color used a lot for fleets.

 

Our one ton had a AM radio but with the gearing and duals it was generally too noisy to bother with. We had a light blue 62 F100 short bed, separated Styleside box (Like the '57 to '60 box) 3 on the tree, 223 6, We bought it used, it was 9 months old with 29,000 hard miles (used by loggers on log roads) We cleaned it up changed the oil drove it some, changed the oil again along with plugs and points, had it aligned and drove it till '65 when dad bought a new GMC pickup with a AUTOMATIC. I do recall the F100 had a sort of loose shifter mechanism Could have been from the rough early life, certainly not from a fifteen year old driver. (Idaho at the time allowed 14 year old's a daylight only driver license, 16 for night, different now.)

 

Funny you say that, I’m hoping to get my boy involved with this build and supposedly he gets his permit at 14 1/2 & liscense at 15(?) (Idaho). I didn’t get mine til I was 17 ( poor choices were made), so we’ll see what he does between now and then…

 

Pretty good memory, that's about right.

 

And you can still buy one for that price. No engine or transmission and body rusted away.

 

A little late to the party but here's the description of Custom Cab for 1958 from the Salesmans Facts Book (printed 12-1-57 for this page). Says you got 5" of foam on the seat cushion.

 

And its amazing! So much better support than my standard cab seat.

 

Think the frames were different to compensate for the thickness of the foam?

 

Looks like maybe not the frame but the springs were a different shape.

 

IMO, the full foam seat was the best feature of the Custom Cab option. Not sure if the full foam seat was a separate option for standard cabs in the '57-60 era, it was, in later years.