Ford Power!
Ford Truck Trivia
By Gary Pratt

Trivial Pursuit was a runaway best-selling game several years back and spawned a whole new pastime for those with heads full of sometimes useless knowledge. I mean, c'mon, how important is it to know that the tip of your shoelace is called an aglet, or that the country where the Battle of El Alamein took place was Egypt? If your daily goal is to use the words "plumbum" and "lalochezia" in the same sentence, then you either have too much time on your hands or you need to get out more.

Many of us in the wide world of trucks have a storehouse full of such information. Though it's of a more practical nature, many people would still consider it trivial. So here's a bit of trivia for you to ponder as you peruse these pages.

* The Ford Parts and Accessories Catalogue for 1956 lists available options. One of the stranger ones is an electric razor. How would you drive and do that at the same time??

* Ford officially entered the truck business in 1917. Prior to that, aftermarket companies offered truck bodies to convert your Model T to a truck. Ford decided to capture that share of the market.

* From 1946 to 1968, Mercury trucks were produced in Canada. Rumor has it that Merc trucks were produced in 1969 but were then discontinued. These last few are said to have had their tailgates removed and replaced with Ford units to be sold as Ford trucks.

* Ford produced a panel truck body based on the truck platform until 1961. In 1962 it was replaced with the introduction of the Econoline pickup, a hybrid of sorts. The pickup version lasted until 1967.

* Ever wonder about the holes in the top of the front frame horns on your fifties Ford pickup? They were designed for a seldom-seen grille guard, not for driving lights, as many people think.

* From 1961 to 1963, Ford produced an integral unit. During those years, Ford also offered and optional bigger rear window. These great-looking trucks are now gaining in popularity, and may well become as popular as the '56 "Big Window"!

* Ford produced around 50,000 Model T trucks in 1923. With over a dozen manufacturers currently reproducing them in fiberglass, and with the number produced over the last 40 years or more, there are an estimated five times as many in existence now than ever rolled off the Ford production lines. This may be the longest-running model production of any vehicle ever!

* From 1948 to 1950, Ford trucks sold in the US were designated F-1, F-2, etc. In Canada, they were designated F-47, F-65, etc., in conjunction with their 4700-pound GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight). This fell in line with the model designations for Mercury trucks: M-47, M-65, etc.

* In 1957, Ford introduced a truck built on a car platform and dubbed it the Ranchero. Some two years later, in 1959, General Motors released the El Camino. During one of the first road tests, the Elky suffered a breakdown, and the service vehicle that came to the rescue was a 1957 Ranchero. Much to GM's chagrin, the incident was caught on film. GM faltered and didn't produce the El Camino again until 1964. Meanwhile, Ford downsized in 1960 and introduced the Falcon platform.

* Old advertising and dealer brochures are not always an accurate source of information. They were often created months in advance of actual production and and were based on prototypes. Trim option, wheels, and colors were some of the things that commonly changed prior to release.

* Though it may have looked the same, the front sheetmetal on Ford cars built from 1939 to 1941 won't fit directly on Ford trucks built in the same period. Creative and ingenious rodders have since made it fit, often with better than original results.

* 1948 was the first year that Ford trucks cabs were interchangeable between the F-1 right up to the F-4 models.

* The "Courier" nameplate was first used in 1952 on the Courier Sedan Delivery, which was based on the Ranch Wagon car line. The name remained until 1960 when the car was redesignated the Falcon. In 1972, the Courier name was attached to the mini truck, which was produced for ford by Mazda until 1982.

* In 1973-74, Ford of Mexico produced a panel truck based on the F-100. It featured a narrower frame, a mid-mounted fuel tank, and was designated the B-100. Can anyone direct me to one of these rare birds?

* Ford produced many special editions over the years. Among them are the Deluxe Cabs, Five Star Cabs, XLT, XLS, "Cruisin Vans", and more. Option packages of note were the "Eddie Bauer" edition and the 1995 AJ Foyt "Coyote." Only 500 of the latter were ever produced, making it a rare beast indeed.

So there's a sample of Ford truck triva to titillate your thoughts. Please send along any tidbits of info you may have and I'll try to share them in part 2 of this story. Send me any verification of the facts as well.

Oh, by the way, the application of the plumbum to my truck last week caused me great lalochezia. I feel better now though!

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Revised: 3/9/99