I guess Progressive does. I don't know what kind of a mess I will get into. Might have to change companies. Now that I think about it, the county clerk, when I went to get the title changed was looking at her computer screen and got this weird look on her face. I asked her what was wrong "It's not stolen, is it?" She said no, their asking what color it is. Looking back in this thread, it was stated that most of them were green. Don't know if that has anything to do with anything, but that was unusual....

 

I have bought and registered several vehicles and they have always asked what color it is. I have no doubt when I register my new to me 2006 F250 they will ask what color it is even though all the dealer paper work is going to say its white.

Especially older ones since it is so easy to repaint them etc and given the age who knows what has been done to them.


Josh

 

I have bought and registered several vehicles and they have always asked what color it is. I have no doubt when I register my new to me 2006 F250 they will ask what color it is even though all the dealer paper work is going to say its white.

Especially older ones since it is so easy to repaint them etc and given the age who knows what has been done to them.


Josh

 

Well, anyway. new to me. So, do you think that anybody will be able to figure this F-130 thing out? Looks like a lot of knowlegeable people have given it a good shot. I was going to re-sell it, but maybe not.

 

hang on to it Bud. Post up some pic's. We like truck ****

 

I found reading through this thread more enjoyable than any other I can think of in recent memory. I learn something new about these trucks every day, but its usually small things. If someone had told me they had a 1/2 ton with 3/4 axles I, like many others, would have dismissed them and told them it was just swapped under there.

I feel like this truck would have made perfect sense in 1975. The F100 had a lower gvwr and lower rated axles and needed emissions equipment. The F250 was heavier all around and had a rougher suspension. Solution? Stuff F250 axles under an F100 as a stop gap measure so you wouldn't need the emissions equipment.

I also think its very very telling that the few people that have heard stories of their trucks origins mention it being purchased by a company, hauling olives, or for a lumber yard. I know even today that fleet buyers can purchase vehicles that have features very unlike production features. Did you know you could get a diesel excursion with 4.10 gears, a warn winch built into the bumper, and F250 springs with 33" BFG's from the factory? No one believes me, but I've seen a few at federal surplus auctions. Border patrol ordered a fleet of them, though I can't figure out why. Figure even with 33's they would just sink into the sand, and there is nothing to winch to in the desert. I've seen them in forest service livery as well.. All equipped the same. The forest service ones had a locker in the front, and the couple I've seen were all dented to hell. They all have mismatched cloth front and vinyl seating too. Weird stuff.

So, who knows the exact reason why? It could even be that 15" tires couldn't handle the higher GVWR once they increased it to above 6k so they put 8 lug axles under there solely for the 16.5 tires that came with them.

 

I think it's a simple answer, it has to do with the smog laws.
The F-150 was introduced in 1975 as a heavier half ton to get around the smog requirements of the time period.
Ford could have just took a F-150 body and put F-250 axles under it to get around smog requirements. I remember something about you couldn't get a 460 in a F-100 in California, might also have something to do with that as well.

 

I'm interested in this F130 subject. Subscribed !

 

I even have the FORD Shop Manuals for it,,, NOTHING about F130,,,, need to find an old owner of a Dealership in the 70's

 

With a normal DSO these trucks aren't special orders or anything.

Unless it was a stop gap emissions thing to get a half ton truck emissions exempt.

That was the whole reason for the F150 to sneak around emissions in 75.

Possibly the F130 was to sneak around emissions again in 76.

Which could make sense since it seems a majority of the trucks are California built.

 

Well, the F130 is a model and GVWR code. I'm sure of that much.

Like the code F150 is for a F-150 4x2
and the code F140 is for a F-150 4x4.

Then there are F141, F142, F143 etc.. of Different GVWRs of F-150 4x4s, and F151, F152, etc... of different GVWRs of F-150 4x2s.

I'm also pretty confident that the F130 is a code for a F-150.

It just there is no F130 in my books, or anybody elses books that I've talked to, to actually decode. Ford seems to have omitted it.

Perhaps that code is listed in one of the original printings of 1976, and it's been ommited in every other re-printing of the books since.

 

Well, we know the F130 is actually an F150, however, the "why" is the question.

Given no special DSO or options other than the axles possibly it was a test program... Put some trucks out at some higher capacity dealers and see how quickly a heavy-half with 8 lugs sells.

Similar to today with a heavy-half F150 with 6 lug wheels.

JOsh

 

I am thinking this is likely. Perhaps these were all california trucks... california had different smog laws, as we all know. Maybe this was something to slide trucks into california without additional equipment. Maybe they didn't have enough catalytic converters to satisfy all the california orders?

I've also heard all these stories about "freak" fords. Things that left the factory with drivetrain parts that were nonstandard and etc. And places like the ford museum say sometimes they would put something in due to a parts shortage, a parts surplus, or a really high demand for a particular model just to keep them rolling.

That makes me wonder, maybe after making the F150 to get by emissions, there was a shortage of the higher GVWR half ton axles and a surplus of 8 ton axles, and demand for heavy half ton trucks, so they just used what they had to build them? It is possible, I guess, that the answer could be that simple.

 

I remember reading something about Ford haveing axle supply problems back in 75 or 76 and because of that they but 8 lug axles under half tons and called them "Contractor Specials".

 

Ford has had a Contractor's Special since 1969. You can get a Contractor's Special down to this day.

There were 2 forms of Contractor's Special back in the day actually, a convienence group along with heavier springs and a second version that had the powered ONAN generator under the hood.



Josh