We Love Ford's, Past, Present And Future

We Love Ford's, Past, Present And Future

The 1960s will long be remembered as a tumultuous time in our nation's history. For Ford Motor Company, however, this was a decade of exciting new product launches and expanded truck model offerings. Ford trucks grew even bigger from 1960-1969, and a number of new diesel options were introduced. The ill-fated Ford Edsel departed in 1960, but it was replaced by the fantastic Ford Falcon. And this Falcon provided the basis for a redesigned 1960 Ford Ranchero truck. Two big events marked 1960 for the Ford Motor Company -- one the start of something small, the other an admission of failure. Introduced to great fanfare -- and great success -- was the compact Falcon, brought in to combat economy cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle. Although GM and Chrysler Corporation joined the fray at the same time with the Corvair and Valiant, the Falcon was the top seller of the three. Dismissed after a brief run of 1960 models was the ill-fated Edsel, a car that held a lot of promise upon introduction, only to end its run as a failure of epic proportions.

Because the new Ford Falcon line included a two-door station wagon, Ford took the opportunity to use it as the basis for a smaller, lighter 1960 Ranchero truck. Ford conventionals entered the 1960s with carryover bodies but the traditional grille change; this year's extended down to the bumper and was joined by slots in the hood's leading edge. The restored F-100 pictured in the previous photo is powered by a 292-cubic-inch V-8, rated at 172 horsepower and shown above. The biggest news in Ford trucks for 1960 was the small Ranchero. In so doing, the Ranchero lost its body-on-frame construction and instead adopted the Falcon's unibody design. Power came from a 144-cubic-inch six with 90 horsepower; a big step down from the beefy V-8s offered in its predecessor. Economy-minded buyers took note, and sales ran 50 percent ahead of the Ford Ranchero's 1959 tally. Ford pickup trucks were again offered in four-wheel-drive form, as evidenced by this 1960 Ford F-250. Although the "old style" Flareside bed with separate rear fenders was still offered, this vehicle's straight-sided Styleside bed was far more popular.

Ford trucks up to the F-600, shown here with a dump body, wore the 1960 light-duty Ford truck models' grille, while F-700s and larger carried over the horizontal-bar 1959 design. Ford used the Falcon's success to benefit its truck lines again in 1961 when the Econoline pickup was introduced. Ford's 1960 success with the Ranchero pickup truck was followed in 1961 by another Falcon derivative: the Econoline series. Also known as the E-Series, the line included a cargo van, a passenger van, and a pickup truck. The van was almost literally a box on wheels, with the pickup being a box with the top rear quarter removed. Added to the opposite end of the Ford truck spectrum for 1961 were the heavy-duty H-Series trucks. These trucks used modified Ford C-Series Tilt Cabs mounted high on the chassis, making them perfect for over-the-road, semi-tractor-trailer work. Besides the new releases, Ford introduced a redesigned F-Series truck line for 1961 that featured new cabs, new front-end sheetmetal, and redesigned interiors.

These trucks were still offered in traditional Flareside (separate bed and fenders) and Styleside (smooth-sided bed) versions, but the Styleside was even smoother-sided than before, as the bed was made integral with the cab. Long a feature of the car-based Ranchero, this new Styleside bed was something new for traditional pickup trucks. The new Ford Falcon-based Econoline series included a short, forward-control pickup. Shown is the Deluxe version, which included rear quarter windows and extra chrome trim. The engine sat between the seats beneath a black cover. 85 less than the previously least-expensive Ford F-100. The blanked-out quarter windows identify this as a 1961 base-trim model. As shown on this Ford F-100, Styleside pickup beds were integrated with the cabs in an F-Series redesign for 1961. Traditional Flareside beds continued to be offered as well, and both styles were available in 61/2- and 8-foot lengths. C-Series trucks got dual headlights for 1961 to replace the quad lights used since 1958; in fact, they now looked nearly identical to the inaugural 1957 models.