The second generation of the

Ford F-Series The Ford F-Series is a series of light-duty trucks marketed and manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford since the 1948 model year. Slotted above the Ford Ranger (Americas), Ford Ranger in the Ford truck model range, the F-Series is market ...

is a series of trucks that was produced by Ford from the 1953 to 1956 model years. In line with the previous generation, the F-Series encompassed a wide range of vehicles, ranging from light-duty pickup trucks to heavy-duty commercial vehicles. In place of the previous "Bonus-Built" series, Ford now marketed its truck range as the "Triple Economy" series. To further emphasize the model update, Ford changed the F-Series model nomenclature from a single number to three numbers; subsequently, this system has remained in use on all Ford F-Series trucks to the present day. Alongside the naming change, this generation marked several firsts for the F-Series, including an adjustable seat (wide enough for 3 people), power brakes, and the introduction of the Ford-O-Matic

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...

as an option. In line with Ford cars, seat belts were introduced as an option for 1956. The second-generation F-Series was produced by Ford at eleven facilities across the United States;

Ford Canada Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited ( French: ''Ford du Canada Limitée'') was founded on August 17, 1904, for the purpose of manufacturing and selling Ford automobiles in Canada and the British Empire. It was originally known as the Walkerville ...

marketed the model line under both the F-Series and the Mercury M-Series nameplates. Ford of Brazil inaugurated local production with the model line, producing it from 1957 to 1962.

Model overview

1956 update

The 1956 F-100 is a one-year only body style. The 1956 F-100 is easily identified as it has vertical windshield pillars and a wrap around windshield as opposed to the sloped pillars and angled windshield of the 1953-55. The 1956 model also offered a larger wraparound back window as an option.

Powertrain details

The 1954 F-100 was the last year for the

flathead engine A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...

in the US. Models in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, however, ( Mercury M-Series), retained the flathead. 1954-55 saw the introduction of the new 239 CID

overhead valve An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located b ...

Y-block V8, dubbed "Power King." The six-cylinder engine's displacement was also increased from 215 to 223 CID and power steering was introduced as an option. In the succeeding years the 239 Y-block was replaced with the 256, 272 and 312.

Models

As part of the model change from the first generation, the model nomenclature for the F-Series was changed from a single number denoting each model series to a three-digit model number. As of current production, this nomenclature remains in use today, under minor revisions (the F-150 replaced the F-100 entirely; many medium-duty trucks use the F-x50 designation). Among the pickup truck lines, the -ton F-1 became the F-100, the F-2 and F-3 were consolidated into the -ton F-250, with the F-4 becoming the 1-ton F-350. For 1956, lower GVWR versions of the F-100 and the F-250 were introduced (under the F-110 and F-260 model codes). The medium-duty F-5 (-ton) and F-6 (2-ton) became the F-500 and F-600, respectively. The heavy-duty F-7, F-8, and F-9 "Big Job" trucks became the F-700, F-750, F-800, and F-900 series.

Gallery

References

{{Ford vehicles 2nd generation Pickup trucks Rear-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Cars introduced in 1952 1960s cars Vans Panel trucks