1957-72 Ford Truck Vehicle History

1957

The 1957 trucks were totally restyled. The running boards were eliminated, and the cab design and dash design were new. The most noticeable feature was the new Styleside pickup box, which had slab sides that blended in with the sides of the cab. The traditional pickup with fenders attached to the outside of the box was called the Stepside. The Stepside pickups came with a wood floor, whereas the Stylesides got a steel floor.

1958

The 1958 trucks were facelifted. The most noticeable changes were the use of quad-headlight arrangement, a new mesh type grille and new hoodside identification emblems.

1959

The major styling changes on the 1959 trucks consisted of a woven nylon saran seat upholstery, foam rubber seat padding, sound deadening material, two-tone paint on the doors and the instrument panel, a left door armrest, a white steering wheel with a chrome horn ring, a passenger's side visor, an illuminated cigar lighter, a chrome grille, headlight bezels, parking light rims and windshield moldings, and matched door locks. A Custom Cab emblem was located on each door. Optional Four Wheel Drive was introduced.

1960

The 1960 trucks featured a new grille that incorporated quad headlight bezels. The hood also got new sculpturing and new side ornamentation. Several minor improvements appeared, such as modified door latches, new door seals, a redesigned armrest, a redesigned wiring harness with multiplug sockets, and a cowlside fuse box and circuit breaker box.

1961

The 1961 restyled trucks featured less front overhang, more rounded lines, a flatter hood and larger glass area on cab.

1962

Restyled slightly with the Ford lettering relocated to the grille opening. As in previous years the custom cab option was available on all models. It consisted of woven upholstery, chrome trim on the instrument cluster, white steering wheel, two tone interior, bright metal grille and windshield reveal moldings.

1963

A rectangular grille pattern and hood side emblems are new. The 6 Cylinder 262 CID now available.

1964

The F-100 Styleside got a new separate double wall bed with a single handle tailgate latch. The F-100 was available with either 6-1/2 foot bed or 8 foot bed in Stepside or Styleside form. The bed floor on the Stepside was wood covered and the Styleside bed floor was steel.

1965

The twin I-beam suspension was added. It combined the strength of a solid front axle with the softer ride possible in a design using independent front suspension. The parking lights were now located above the headlights.

1966

New grille added. The grille now featured a horizontal bar and twin spear shaped openings above two rows of small rectangular cutouts. A new Deluxe Ranger option included bucket seats. Trucks equipped with the Ranger dress-up package are identified with a Ranger emblem.

1967

F-Series trucks were redesigned to a squared-off look with the headlights worked into the rectangular grille. The parking lamps were located under the headlights. The interior increased in size and had more glass.

1968

The grille got a new look and to comply with federal standards side marker lights and reflectors were added. Inside Ford improved the armrests, changed to safety window cranks and redesigned the heater controls.

1969

The grille was the same as 1968 except the black paint was changed to ivory for the standard grille which changed again midyear to chrome. The rear view mirror mounted on the windshield instead of the window frame. The Ranger Package had a red stripe in the center of the grille and blacked-out headlight bezels.

1970

The grille again got a new look with a grid pattern. The parking lights were wraparound and the rear side markers moved. The trim packages changed names-what was Standard became Custom and Custom became Sport Custom Cab. A new top of the line trim package was offered, called the Ranger XLT.

1971

The grille changed to six rectangular sections on each side of the center vertical bar. The interior had a new two-spoke steering wheel with a horn bar instead of the button. The F-100 hubcaps were passenger car style.

1972

The grille changed slightly to four rectangular sections on each side of the center vertical bar. Engine and transmission choices stayed the same. Power brakes were optional on 4-wheel drive trucks.