When did Ford switch from the F-100 to the F-150? – Jalopnik

The Ford F-150 is a ridiculously popular pickup that has dominated US sales for decades. It’s easy to see why, as the Blue Oval truck offers plenty of towing capacity, room for an entire family, and a range of different powertrains, all at an attainable price. However, this was not always the way. Ford’s popular F-Series actually begins its story in 1948 with the F-1, which was replaced by the F-100 just five years later.

The F-Series as a whole proved to be a successful part of the Blue Oval range for many years, meeting the needs of employees across the country. In the 1970s, changing customer demands and the introduction of stricter emissions regulations meant that Ford felt it necessary to add a new model to the mix. This new model would eventually become the evergreen F-150. In terms of capabilities, it was halfway between the half-ton F-100 and the heavy F-250, eventually replacing the F-100 entirely in 1983.

So while the F-150 first appeared in 1975, Ford didn’t replace the F-100 with it until eight years later. Buyers of Blue Oval trucks clearly saw more value in purchasing the larger, more spacious and more capable pickup that performed well as both a work and personal truck, rather than settling for the lighter F-100.

The F-Series proved successful, especially with farmers and workers, although the 1970s saw a shift in the way pickups were viewed. They were no longer just wanted as workhorses, but now also as family and lifestyle vehicles. Ford saw the opportunity to develop a truck that performed both as a workhorse and as a comfortable passenger vehicle, but to do that the base had to undergo some changes from the F-100.

The most significant upgrade was increasing the truck’s GVWR – which is the gross vehicle weight. Specifically, Ford wanted to increase the GVWR enough so that the all-new F-150 would be moved out of the light truck category, where the F-100 sat. To achieve this, Ford equipped the F-150 with upgraded suspension, new engine options, several structural differences and reconfigured cabin styles. In doing so, the F-150’s GVWR was 6,050 pounds; 350 pounds higher than the F-100, and 50 pounds higher than the maximum for a light-duty pickup.

This was important because light trucks were about to be hit by regulatory changes. These changes include the need to run on unleaded petrol and to fit catalytic converters as standard – one of the car parts that thieves like to steal. By launching the F-150, Ford essentially avoided the need to comply with these new regulations. The changes also allowed customers to enjoy a range of new benefits, such as increased payload, without having to adapt to the F-250. When the F-150 joined the mix, the F-100 quickly fell out of favor. In 1979 it became a 4×2 model, and in the early 1980s the writing was on the wall and Ford dropped the model completely.