1954 Ford F-100

The Ford F-100 name arrived for the 1953 model year, when Ford redesigned its second-generation F-Series and replaced the half-ton F-1 with the F-100. The change was part of Ford's 50th anniversary in 1953 and introduced the three-digit naming Ford still uses, with the F-2 and F-3 becoming the F-250 and the F-4 becoming the F-350. Collectors often call these 1953-1956 trucks the "Effie." The 1953 Ford F-100 used a 215-cubic-inch overhead-valve inline-six and the last of Ford's flathead V8s, a 239-cubic-inch unit; 1953 was the final year for the flathead V8, while the six was already overhead-valve. For 1954 Ford replaced the flathead V8 with the overhead-valve 239-cubic-inch Y-block V8 and enlarged the six to 223 cubic inches, branded the Mileage Maker. The V8 grew again to 272 cubic inches for 1956. Horsepower in this period was quoted in SAE gross figures, well above the later net ratings. The 1953-1956 Ford F-100 used a body-on-frame layout with a solid front axle, before factory four-wheel drive and Twin-I-Beam suspension reached the line later in the decade and into the 1960s.