Ford F-1s for Sale

It?s the original F-series. From 1948 to 1952, the entry-level Ford pickup was the ?Bonus Built? Â½ ton F-1. The F-1 replaced the 1942-1947 trucks, known informally as the ?jailbar? Fords, thanks to their distinctive vertical grille bars. The new F-1 was t...

It?s the original F-series. From 1948 to 1952, the entr...

It?s the original F-series. From 1948 to 1952, the entry-level Ford pickup was the ?Bonus Built? ½ ton F-1. The F-1 replaced the 1942-1947 trucks, known informally as the ?jailbar? Fords, thanks to their distinctive vertical grille bars. The new F-1 was the least car-like light truck had produced since it started fitting pickup boxes to the Model T back in 1925, though it was still an evolution of the earlier series, which itself had at last radically departed from the old ?commercial car? style of Ford pickup.

The F-1 designation was in line with the rest of Ford nomenclature during this period, whereunder ¾-ton trucks were badged as F-2?s, 1-tons as F-3?s, etc. The F-1 badge and its chums hung around through 1952 before being replaced with the familiar three-digit F-series names. It is likely, though not confirmed, that the F-100 name was inspired by the then-state-of-the-art North American F-100 Super Sabre fighter jet.

Factory-engineered four-wheel drive didn?t come to Ford?s half-ton line until 1959, long after the F-1 series had disappeared, but aftermarket conversions existed from companies like Marmon-Herrington. Today, light-duty conversions like ½-ton trucks and woodie wagons bring a healthy premium over their rear-drive brethren.

The new 1948 trucks had more modern, bulkier styling and roomier cabs than the old jailbars (which used a cab that dated back to 1940). While it was consistently outsold by the Chevrolet 3100, the F-1 is widely regarded as a styling classic, especially in its first few years of 1948-?50. The 1951-?52 trucks are also handsome, featuring a wider, toothier redesigned grille.

Drivetrains in the 1948 to ?52 period changed alongside those of Ford passenger cars. The standard engine at the outset was Ford?s oft-forgotten but excellent 226-cu.in. flathead straight six, a 95-horsepower engine that was preferred by many truck users for its low-end grunt compared with the 100-hp, 239-cu.in. flathead V-8. For 1952, Ford dropped the old flathead six and introduced a new, 215-cu.in. OHV straight six rated at 101 hp.

Larger trucks in the 1948-?52 F-series may be found with bigger-displacement sixes or Lincoln-type V-8s (flathead or OHV, depending on model year), but the flathead V-8 and a straight-six were the only options for ½-ton buyers. Because the F-1 shares many design elements with pre-war Ford passenger cars, however, it has been common since the 1950s to find a variety of newer and more-powerful engines swapped in.

Transmission choices were equally simple in the F-1. Neither an automatic transmission nor overdrive was available. Buyer choices were a column-shift three-speed, a floor-shift three-speed, or a floor-shift four-speed. The earlier three-speeds were related to the venerable ?1939? gearbox of hot rodding lore and lend themselves to adaptation to other engines. The rear axle was an open-drive unit?a feature of Ford trucks since 1942, although Ford passenger cars would retain torque-tube drive through 1948.

The F-1 was perhaps not the best-selling truck in Ford history, but it has become a classic in the interim. Ford continues to reference it as the original in the F-series line, and the classic F-1?s of 1948 to 1952 are among the darlings of today?s collector-car scene.

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