The Chevrolet Series F of 1917 was an American automobile manufactured by
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
before they became a division of
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
. The successor of the
Series H, it had a longer wheelbase and other improvements, but kept the same engine. It was replaced the following year by the
Series FA in 1918, which had a larger, more powerful engine.
It was sold as the larger alternative to the
Chevrolet Series 490
The Chevrolet Series 490 (or Four-Ninety) is an early American automobile, made from 1915 to 1922 by Chevrolet. Introduced in June 1915, the 490 sold for $490 ($ in dollars ). Chevrolet 490 was an immediate success and established the brand as ...
, and the Model F was available for US$800 ($ in dollars ) as either a roadster or touring sedan. As the Model F and Series 490 were in direct competition with the
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
, sales were recorded at 110,839 for Chevrolet, with 57,692 Series 490 and 3,493 Model F.
[ Chevrolet instituted ]Knock-down kit
A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...
assembly where the product was created at Flint Assembly, then shipped by rail to the branch locations and locally assembled using locally sourced items such as tires, glass and other items.[ In 1917, the Monroe Motor Company was sold to William Small of Flint MI and was no longer sold by independent Chevrolet dealers when they weren't part of GM. ]Mason Motor Company
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...
was merged into Chevrolet once it became a division of GM and was used to supply engines for GM-Chevrolet vehicles.[
]
Technical features
The F had a wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
of 108 inches. It had the same four-cylinder engine as the H, with a displacement of 171 cubic inches and 24 horsepower.
Engine specifications
*Overhead-valve
*Inline
*Four-cylinder cast-iron block
*Bore and stroke: 3 11/16 × 4 in
*Displacement: 171 cid
*Brake hp: 24 HP
*Main bearings: three
*Valve lifters: solid
*Carburetor: Zenith double jet
Models
The Series F preserved the model names and body styles of the Series H it replaced: the Royal Mail model F-2 roadster and the Baby Grand model F-5 open touring car.
On both models, the front fenders followed a straight line from right behind the center of the front wheels to the runningboard.[
]
References
F
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