I always had a soft spot for these trucks. Efficiently designed, boxlike shaped, they could fit in narrower streets and around tighter corners that other larger delivery trucks could not. Classed as medium size delivery trucks, they weighed between 24,000 – 30,000 pounds GVW. Their “set-back” front axles were credited with giving them a tight turning radius.
These were more commonly known (to me at least) as “Cab-over” trucks. They were produced for 33 years (1957-1990) without major visual or functional design changes. By the time it was discontinued, it was the longest manufactured commercial truck in North America. Ian A. Williams wrote an excellent article on the Ford C-Series here .
The cab tilting system used a hydraulic hand pump (as far as my research has found), to tilt the cab forward to allow access work on the engine. That was an amazing engineering feature to me.
The looks of these trucks appealed to me. The boxy shape and the wide toothy grille looked so different and modern than other trucks out there. These do not look out of place on today’s roads. They bore a bit of a resemblance with a bus from the front.
When they were used as delivery trucks for Eaton’s department store, the navy blue colour looked sharp. Maybe an Eaton’s truck brought my family a new 26 inch Admiral TV one day, (we always bought Admiral TV’s) and I fell in love with the model. Simpson’s also used them for in town deliveries.
The featured truck was shot in Milton at a construction site. The Hazmat warning signs of Natural Gas presence prevented me from getting a closer shot. I would have liked to have seen the interior. What, why worry about safety? I think the risk was low, but I gave due observation. This truck is still around, plying its trade, but I don’t know what year it is. Given its condition, it may be from the more recent lineage.
Where does my interest in this truck originate?
From this.
I present to you the Big Bruiser, a toy tow truck from Marx Toys. Note that none of these photos are of my truck, these are from the intergoogle.
Around 1964 or 1965, I wanted one of these Big Bruiser tow trucks soooo badly for Christmas, I hounded my parents relentlessly every time a commercial came on featuring these.
An ad I found recently shows that at the time they were $13.98 new. Depending on working condition (or lack thereof) today, these are on eBay now for $100 and up. I have seen one claimed to be still new in an unopened box for $1500. Obviously, these trucks were derived directly from the Ford C series.
Battery powered, they could go forward, reverse, had a flashing light atop the cab, and a winch you could use to go and pick up the wreck that came with it to tow it back for repair. You could steer it too, but it may have been a 20 foot turning radius just judging from the photos I have. All this functionality was great to have. I didn’t have any annoying brothers or sisters either to fight over playing time.
Big Bruiser was made out of plastic. Unfortunately many of these succumbed to leaky battery syndrome, as mine did, and were either discarded or donated (as mine was and also since we were moving and needed the room). Many of the plastic bits broke off over time with rough or outdoor play, wires got disconnected. etc. Today, craftsmen restore these back into working order.
Big Bruisers were made by Marx, (The Louis Marx Company toy manufacturer). They were almost ten times bigger than Mattel in their heyday. Time Magazine called Louis Marx the “Toy King of the US”. In 1955, their sales were $50 million, but they only spent exactly $312.00 on advertising. By contrast, Mattel’s sales were $6 million, but they spent $500,000 in advertising.
In their history, Marx made everything in the toy market from soldier and battleground sets, toy trains, toy airplanes, doll houses, service stations, and the memorable Rock Em Sock Em robot boxing sets. They also made the original Big Wheel tricycle that others copied from, even to the point of genericizing the Big Wheel name. Unfortunately they went into bankruptcy in 1979-80.
My Big Bruiser was very special to me, as not only had it arrived under the Christmas tree, but I found out years later my Mom had to go and buy it downtown and trudge the damn thing home on the streetcar. Keep in mind it was two feet long, and with the box it was pretty hefty. She was only 5’2″ and I don’t know what the whole thing weighed but I hope she had a buggy in which to carry it. We lived a healthy walk from the streetcar as well. I was lucky my Mom cared for me greatly.
Tom Klockau’s post on the Cougar and his inclusion of a toy model in his article gave me inspiration for this article.
Big Bruisers are on eBay regularly, so maybe one day I will pick one up, first it up, and go and rescue a wrecked pickup truck.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_C_series
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-the-almost-immortal-ford-c-series/ by Ian A. Williams
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Marx_and_Company
http://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/237441
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950-1959-ford-trucks8.htm
Excellent article and recollections Lee, thank you. The C Series was probably the most iconic medium truck of the 60s and 70s in the US and Canada. Given you grew up in the Toronto area, you probably also saw many of the CN (Canadian National) delivery trucks, as well as Esso Home Heating oil trucks that used the C Series cab.
As a small kid in the 70s, the Big Bruiser was before my time. But I was exposed to various hand me down toys from the 60s. Including this Ford N Series design tow truck you see below. Only the one I had, was in red. I recall using the tow crank, with black string acting as the tow cable. Even as a young child, you are well aware of the out of date styling on a toy truck or car. I remember being impressed by the attention to detail and styling authenticity of many 60s toy cars and trucks. However, the plastic in many toys from the 60s was still very brittle, and they were highly vulnerable to cold weather and cracking. Lost lots of toys that were left in cold winter storage. 🙂
CN freight trucks were a common sight in Toronto, and anywhere in Canada.
Dad bought one just like this in ’79. We used it for moving the family goods from Alaska to Washington, then it was sold. I was 13 and wanted to drive it. I think ours was a late ’60’s.
The toys remind me of the neighborhood dirt pile where we would bring our Tonkas or Buddy L trucks or whatever. Fun.
As a frozen food manager in the mid ’70 we had ” global frozen food ” trucks that used Ford c cabs
They were based in garden city, long island n y
They didn’t use refrigerator units like today , but had a tank with nitrogen that sprayed out
You had to wait for it to clear out before entering the truck
Extremely noisy inside ,more so when equipped with a diesel
Very nice article. As a child of the 60’s, these trucks were everywhere in our central Ohio neighborhood. You given me added motivation to finish up a post I’ve been contemplating on that other great COE – the White 3000.
The last of the wraparound windshields! These are still fairly common, used by major contractors, not just by landscapers.
I never had a chance to drive one, but rode in one often when I was a construction “helper” in the ’70s. One foreman had a ’59 in flatbed form. I was impressed by its ability to get through tight turns in city streets without swinging wide, and by its low-end torque. The foreman never had to downshift. Start in 3rd, shift to high at 5 mph, stay there.
I saw one being operated by a moving company a month or two ago.
While walking in my neighborhood, I heard it first, and then saw it… an ancient Ford C-Series slowing cruising up the street. When it was backing into the driveway, the family emerged from their house, looking pretty stressed. Kind of like they took the presence of a 50-yr. old, lopsided, beat-up truck to be a bad omen for their moving day. I can’t say I blame them; and I didn’t stick around to take pictures.
These were built with quad headlights from 1958-1960. Wonder how many are left? And why did they go back to single lights?
Early in my manufacturing career, I was amazed to see component costs to 5 decimals. When I asked about the necessity, I was told simply, “100 million x anything is a lot of money.”
Ford didn’t build 100 million C series, but the principal is the same. Every design feature is constantly challenged with 2 simple questions:
1) Does this feature bring in added sales?
2) Does the feature provide a return on cost?
A lot of the “Why” questions about design changes can be answered by trying to think like the manufacturing accountant.
I appreciate your explanation, but the real reason the C Series went to single headlights in 1961 was because the Ford also went from quad headlights to singles in their new pickup/truck line, which had also had quads the year before. They wanted to maintain a stylistic continuity across their whole truck line.
Of course you could argue that Ford made that change on their new truck styling for 1961 as a cost saving measure. Possibly, but then why did they put quads o them in the first place? Style. It was the hot thing in 1958/1959. And if they felt they still needed them stylistically in 1961, I can assure you they would have stayed. But the initial “pop” of quad headlights soon petered out, at least on trucks.
Having worked extensively in both manufacturing and engineering, the reality is that these things do go in cycles and there’s rarely a single driving reason. One manufacturer introduces quad headlights (style, lower fender/hood line, better lighting, who knows?). By 1958 they all have quad headlights – it’s the new normal. A few years later, someone – product management, styling, manufacturing – suggest going back to twin lights. Product management gets a new look and lower product cost; the stylists get to create a new, simpler, modern design; manufacturing has fewer parts to manage and assemble. It’s a win-win. Then the cycle starts again, in another part of the product this time. The industry buzzword however isn’t “cost savings”, it’s “value engineering”.
Bodies for these Fords were not built by Ford but by Budd Co.. Mack also used the same body for its N series, which featured quad headlights. About the same time as Mack dropped the N series, Ford dropped the quads on its C series.
I never knew that fascinating tidbit about Mack. Here’s the Mack N series.
FWD also used the Budd cab on some of their trucks. I would imagine that they are more rare than the Macks. I remember seeing the Macks in service but not the FWD.
That Budd cab really got around.
There was even a Mercury version.
Yep, I got a Big Bruiser for Christmas in 1964. What I remember now is how it could run through the four D-cells in a matter of a few hours. The accessory toy pickup with the interchangeable dented fender was also cool. Easiest body work I’ve ever done.
We still have this ’88 in service in my volunteer fire department and no plans to get rid of it anytime soon.
I can confirm, yes, the cabins are tilted with a hand pump. The old Mack MC/MR series (TerraPro) trucks used the same system. You used a small metal rod (or rebar in our case) and jammed it into a pivot the raise the cab. If you moved a switch over, you could pump it back down.
Wow, for some reason I have no memory of the Big Bruiser at all – and I would have been smack dab in the middle of the intended demographic, too. Maybe I have repressed it because my parents never shelled out the big money for one. 🙂
Before CC I had no idea these were made for so long. I just figured the old ones stayed around forever. Which they do, of course.
Yep, I always just assumed they were 25-30 year old trucks that were well taken care of. Not that they were made after I was born and until I was almost in high school. They certainly still looked very fifties.
Our Premier’s family business still own one.
Apologies for a sideways photo, no option to edit it on the site. It appears correct on my phone.
P.S. If you click on it, it opens correct in a new window.
Interior
Like JPC I should remember these toys but don’t. I think because battery-powered toys were pretty much discouraged in our household. The cost of entry may have been comparable to a sturdy steel Tonka or NyLint or BuddyL truck, but my $0.25 weekly allowance sure wouldn’t have covered the batteries. The C Series, on the other hand, very memorable. They were once everywhere. It’s hard to believe it was launched in 1957 … looks much more like an early ‘60’s design to me.
This 1957 ad (Wall Street Journal) hits the major selling points:
Heh – truck drivers wore bow ties back then (at least in the ads). Spiffy caps too. And don’t forget the coffee and donuts!
The subject is from late in the run as it has the Blue Oval instead of the Crest found on the earlier trucks.
Have to say all the Ford C series trucks I worked on had 2 large coil springs under the cab near the front bumper. After you unlatched the cab, you had to give it a healthy shove so it would raise up past the halfway point and stay up. Another healthy shove to go back down. I have seen some C series fire apparatus with extended cabs, perhaps those had hydraulic lifts.
The White 3000 was the inspiration for the Ford C. The 3000 was more of a medium/heavy truck and was relatively expensive, the Ford was really the first low priced medium duty tilt cab.
Fun article! I’m too young too have experienced that toy. I thought most toy vehicles back then had metal bodies, so that’s interesting to learn about.
” The boxy shape and the wide toothy grille looked so different and modern than other trucks out there. These do not look out of place on today’s roads.”
This is the only thing in the article I might take issue with. They were common still in the 80’s and 90’s, but I think these days pushing 30 years since they went out of production and 60 years since introduced they are obviously anachronisms, even to the general public. I find that a little sad since they were fixtures on the roadways for so long.
Even in the 1980s, when these were still being built, they looked dated to me. Back then I didn’t even realize these trucks were new; thanks to the late 1950s styling I assumed they were older trucks that were still in service. The fact that I remember seeing one in a rerun of The Andy Griffith Show probably reinforced that idea. The thought that something designed in the 1950s might still be in production just didn’t compute in my 8 year old brain I guess. I honestly had no idea these were produced until 1990 until I saw the earlier CC article about the C-Series.
I was going to say the same thing, not that it’s a dig on the design itself but they always looked like a 1950s design to me. I was shocked to learn they were made to 1990, it’s mind blowing that this was in production almost unchanged when both me and my parents were born. Any truck in this class in my lifetime looks purposely devoid of styling flourishes, these on the other hand have more bodylines on the cab than some 50s cars
There’s a C-Series refrigerated truck that belongs to a local dairy that I often see driving around town delivering milk to school cafeterias. I’ve always wanted to get a photo of it, but I’ve never been able to because it’s always moving when I see it. I think it was actually that truck that led to me discovering this website. The first time I saw it driving through my neighborhood I wanted to learn more about that model, since I’d remembered them from my childhood but hadn’t seen one in a long time. That search eventually led me to the earlier CC article about these trucks, which in turn made me to come back here whenever I wanted to read about some other old vehicle.
AMT produced a plastic kit of the C-series, I think it’s still available. The scallop in the door skin made me think of a ’58 Thunderbird, so I took the idea a bit further.
The huge size of the wheel cutout relative to the size of the cab always made the wheels and tires on these look massive to me.
Lots of Ford truck/bus stats here (1958):
Great article, thanks. As a model railroader of Canadian railways I was really happy to see the HO (1/87) scale versions for Eaton’s, Simpson’s and CP; have 1 of each. I do not recall the Brusier specifically but that p/u with the replaceable fender sure rings a bell. Pretty sure a friend had one. For some reason Ford trucks of this era always appealed to me.
I always liked the “gumpy face” style of these trucks. As others have said they were everywhere.
I had a fire truck toy. A ladder truck that was battery operated to raise and lower the ladder. It also had a bellows pump to squirt water from the nozzle on the end of the ladder. I got it for Christmas when I was probably 4yrs old or so. I so wanted to be a fireman after that. When I was 15 my dad handed me some bizzarre looking toy. “What the hell is this?” I said. “A space crawler” came the answer, “You wouldn’t shut up about the space crawler so we got you the fire engine.” Never did become a fireman, never went to space either but 38 years later and 37 since dad passed the space crawler sits on top of my computer reminding me of his sense of humour.
Nice write up and thanks for relating it to your toy story.
I always thought that the face on these trucks looked like a lot of the toy robots of the 1950’s.
I remember some brand of toy truck that resembled these but the actual trucks werent sold here.
I saw this abandoned one on a back road near Nashville, Oregon in 2016.
It had been there for a long time already….
I always loved these big Fords. Really kind of ugly, but in a very lovable way.
By the time I was born (1994), these trucks were obviously no longer a common sight in the Carolinas (North AND South). The only time I’ve ever seen one on the highway was when I was still going to Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood. No idea of the model year although I think it was a delivery truck, but slight design changes aside they all look the same whether it’s a ’57 OR a ’90 with that “tough guy” or “toy robot” face. Not too long ago someone on Pond Branch Road in Leesville on my way to work had a black one as a fire truck but they probably sold it b/c I haven’t seen it up there anymore; never saw it on the road either. Now Cromley’s in Saluda has a yellow C-8000 as another fire truck (pictured below; I read the model plaque too) & it MUST be a late-model (1984-90) b/c it has the Ford oval where the the gear-&-lightning-bolt shield had originally been up to 1974. Something just looks missing on the ’75-’83 models without ANYTHING in that space, but I guess that also meant extra room for additional business advertising. I realize a CDL would likely be required to drive any of them (I have NO experience driving one either) and parts would be undoubtedly expensive & hard to find, but just for a day I bet it would be fun driving one of the short-wheelbase versions like the one in the 2nd picture but converted with a pickup-style bed over the rear axle. THAT would definitely be an attention-grabber where I live & especially when being used for its original intended purpose.
I’ve seen one here in Scottsdale used as a watering truck.
I drove two C 750’s (1965 and 1970 vintage), and a C 8000 which I believe was a 1975. The 750’s had 361 gasoline engines with a 5 speed main transmission and a two speed rear axle. The 8000 had a 3208 Caterpillar Diesel with the 5 and 2 driveline. The 750’s were quite maneuverable as retail oil delivery trucks and were fitted with 2500 gallon single compartment oil tanks with 35,000 GVW’s. The 8000 was far less satisfactory. It had a 37,500 pound GVW with a 2750 gallon tank. The 3208 had engine problerms prematurely, although in its defense, it was one of the quicker cold starting Diesels that I had experience with (it would usually start unaided down to 0 degrees F.) The real weakness was the first generation antilock brake system required at that time, which mandated air-over-oil front disc brakes, a heavier front axle, and larger front tires–all to accomodate the fairly troublesome brake system which eventually was legally allowed to be disabled because of its problematic nature. Because of the brake system and the changes to the front axle and tire and wheel equipment, the “wheel-cut” of the front end was limited, increasing the turning circle dramatically. A conventional cab Louisville Ford 8000 would have turned tighter than the cab-over 8000! So much for the purported advantages of the tilt cab, and the inconvenience factor of the tilt cab versus the tilt nose of the Louisville. In all of these C series trucks, the gearshift linkage had to be maintained and lubricated religiously to ensure easy, accurate shifting, especially if you routinely “split shifted” using the 2 speed axle. There was no shift tower as in many other tilt cab trucks, so the linkage pivoted as you raised the spring-counterbalanced cab, requiring several extra joints, etc. which could either bind or loosen from wear, in either case complicating smooth shifting. Despite the quirks and limitations, the visibility and general convenience for oil truck or pick-up-and-delivery type uses certainly endeared them to those of us who drove them, especially when we had occasion to drive a conventional cab truck for comparison. Nowadays about the only comparable trucks are the forward cab imports, and I’m not sure they would be up to the beating the old Ford C’s would take. I was especially fond of the ’65 750. That old truck just had a good disposition, like your favorite old dog who could do no wrong.
Marx made a range of these in pressed steel as well, with the “Powerhouse” logo on the side of the cab – I believe the Big Bruiser was effectively a plastic copy of the steel ones. There were three tippers (dumptrucks, one not sold outside the USA as far as I know), a flatbed livestock wagon, a breakdown that was the same sort of design as the BB, and an articulated box wagon. Real high quality toys, made of proper thickness steel, there are still quite a few on Ebay. Marx had a factory in the UK as well, and made most of the same toys here, with the exception of the above mentioned “heavy duty rock truck” style dumper.
For completeness, Corgi made a nice 1/43 die cast C-series with a working tilt cab in various bodies back in the 60s and 70s. I personally have one with a working Holmes twin boom wrecker, ideal for recovering stricken toys. They also made C&H series tractor-trailer setups and some straight trucks.