Description
Building the fourth-generation F-Series was quite an eventful experience for the Blue Oval, which was forced to modify the design several times during the truck’s five years of production, between 1961 and 1966. From the outset, the fourth-generation F-Series presents itself as a slightly strange vehicle, sitting closer to the road than the previous generation. Ford also decided to weld the cab to the body initially, to eliminate the space between cab and body. This decision was short-lived, as the manufacturer reverted to a separate cab and body design in 1964. For the 1965 and 66 models, Ford introduced an all-new F-series chassis, although the overall body design remained the same – with the exception of the repositioned turn signals, now positioned above the headlights. These were also the first F-Series trucks to offer more than 200 hp, thanks to a 352 ci V8 engine. In the late ’50s and ’60s, the pickup truck became increasingly “civilized”. In addition to softer suspensions and other improvements, the main aim was to embellish the cab with more pleasant upholstery, interior door trim, padded dashboards, fancy steering wheels… but nobody had yet taken the plunge and installed real “bucket” seats. No doubt inspired by the success of the Mustang, in 1965 Ford offered a cab-finish option for the Ranger that included bucket seats, straight out of the Mustang. The Ranger package had to be ordered in addition to the Custom Cab option. It included both the bucket seats and a liner behind them designed to conceal the old-fashioned fuel tank in the cab. The console, taken from a 1963 Falcon Sprint or Comet S-22, was an additional option. This example is a Custom Cab V8 352ci equipped with the rare Ranger pack and a 3-speed manual gearbox. It has been restored, but we have no records. It runs perfectly.
