Ford and Chevrolet had been locked in mortal combat since at least the late 1920s. From that point through the 1970’s it was more often than not that Chevrolet came out on top, especially in trucks. But in 1973 each launched a new pickup truck design. Only one got it right from the start, and this time it wasn’t Chevrolet.
We like to talk about “the modern era” in many things. In pickup trucks, did “the modern era” begin in 1973? While this sort of thing is always subject to debate, there is a strong case to be made that 1973 would indeed be the year, with new designs from Chevrolet and Ford coming on the heels of the first new design from Dodge since 1961. It was the era that saw the American pickup truck moving from a tool for doing America’s work into a legitimate choice for an all-purpose vehicle that was as at home at a suburban mall as it was at a farm or ranch.
It is increasingly rare to find a vacant, buildable lot in the vibrant development that the Curbside has become. Imagine my surprise to find that this hugely important and successful generation of Ford pickup has only been touched on at the peripheries. I guess I get to be the guy who builds something in the open space that covers what was once the heart of the market in 1973 – the F-100 Styleside.
Ford truck enthusiasts consider the 1948 F-1 as the beginning of another “modern era” – the Ford F series. If we accept their premise, this made the 1973 design the 6th generation in the F-Series’ lineage. It is probably also the generation that moved the Ford F-series from a profitable sideline into the product line that has become the crown jewel of the Ford Motor Company.
There was not a lot of groundbreaking stuff underneath this truck. Paul Niedermeyer has ably described the steady improvements that Ford trucks received starting in 1966 when the famed Twin I-Beam front suspension system hit the market. The 5th generation “bumpside” 1967 trucks built on that foundation and the 6th generation “dentside” 1973 truck would mark other places where evolution and not revolution was the guiding force.
The engine choices were a mix of old and new, with both the 240 (3.9L) and 300 cid (4.9-ish with an asterisk L) sixes were on offer. V8 choices included the 302 (5.0-ish with an asterisk L) and both 360 (5.9L) and 390 (6.4L) flavors of the old FE engine. The modern 460 (7.5L) from the 385/Lima engine family was available on F-250 and 350 models for those who needed more truck than car.
Among the changes under the truck were a lengthened wheelbase (to 133 on the Styleside with an 8 foot bed) configured to reduce rear overhang and a rear track widened by 4 inches to match that of the front. Longer and wider leaf springs out back made for an improved ride and front disc brakes were made standard. But the most noticeable change was the relocation of the fuel tank out of the cab and down between the frame rails below the bed.
It was in the bodywork where these trucks made their biggest impression. Although the styling was purely evolutionary (to the point where I did not recognize as a kid that these were all-new) it contained many small things that made the Ford truck more like a car when it came to driver and passenger comfort. That relocated gas tank allowed a more naturally angled seat back and more leg room for those who occupied it (plus offering additional behind-seat storage). And speaking of room, this big new Ford truck offered 66 inches of both hip and shoulder room to accommodate three burly dudes in that seat.
There were lots of other small touches too – curved side glass, the rear window that tilted slightly forward to reduce mirror-glare and options like interval wipers and an air conditioning system fully integrated with the heater and the dash. Out back the bed was double-walled steel with rounded corners inside to make sweeping it out less of a chore and made with fewer seams for corrosion to get a toehold. All in all, Ford claimed to use 200 square feet of galvanized steel in the bodies of these trucks – something that Chevrolet fans no doubt wish that their favored truck had employed in 1973. These Fords were certainly not impervious to body rust, but they seem to have handled life in the Great Salty North better than the competition.
This generation would see another evolution. The inaugural version of this truck offered a wide range of GVWRs throughout the lineup, plus choices in bed length, Flare (step) or Styleside beds and 2 or 4 wheel drive. As this generation progressed the extended “SuperCab” would be offered in mid ’74 to augment the fleet-oriented 4 door Crew Cab. The heavier-duty F-150 would be added the following year. Also, 4 wheel drive would go from a fringe to a mainstream offering during the seven year lifespan of this design. Ford got this truck right at the beginning and kept getting it right as changes were made.
I found this truck on a trip to Evansville, Indiana in October of 2011. At the time it did not excite me as much as some of the other finds from that trip. Besides, I figured, surely someone will soon write up this important chapter in Ford truck history. Well, as CC approaches its 10th birthday we are still awaiting that day, so here we are.
Another reason I avoided tackling this truck was that I had no idea what year it is. I still don’t – the 1973, ’74 and ’75 versions of this truck are virtually indistinguishable. Right down, as it turns out, to the Sequoia Brown and Wimbledon White paint on this example being offered all three years. (Trivia note – did you know that Ford’s creamy, luxurious Wimbledon White paint was offered on Ford trucks almost every year from 1964-1988?). After poring over ads, brochures and online pictures, I have made the command decision to call this one a ’73 – both because it was the highest production year for a 4×2 F100 Styleside (457,746 built according to fordification.net) and because it served as a good excuse to tell the story of the beginnings of the F-Series’ 6th gen.
This truck may have been Ford’s most important product launch of the 1970’s, as well as its most successful. These trucks may have had their flaws, but they had fewer of them than did the competition. Ford had touted a “car-like” driving experience in the years before 1973 but it was this series of truck that allowed them to say it with a straight face. With high-trim models like this Ranger XLT becoming more and more popular, the terms “Ford truck” and “creature comforts” got crossed off the list of great oxymorons. That these trucks continue to survive in significant numbers (and not just as playthings) tells us much about their inner goodness.
It must be conceded that Chevrolet’s new 1973 pickup offered an even more car-like driving experience than the Ford, but in exchange the Chevy buyer had to accept body rust that approached Vega levels in the first several years as well as interior plastics that degraded almost as quickly in sun as the bodies did in rain. And in later years those buyers were restricted by a model mix that stubbornly refused to offer an extended cab as that configuration became more and more a mainstream choice. These are doubtless among the factors which in 1977 allowed Ford to end Chevrolet’s longtime lead in truck sales, a situation that has remained unchanged in the many decades since.
Let us not, however, forget “Occam’s Razor”: the theory that can be summarized by saying that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. What does Occam’s Razor have to do with the reason Ford surpassed Chevrolet in the Great American Truck Wars? To co-opt another old saying, if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door. Ford designed and built a really sound truck when it did the ’73. It was not better in any revolutionary way, but it was better in many small ways that were important to truck buyers. It should come as no surprise that truck buyers responded.
Photographed in Evansville, Indiana, October 8, 2011
Further Reading:
1973 Ford F-350 Camper Special – Paul Niedermeyer
1978 Ford F-250 SuperCab – Paul Niedermeyer
I didn’t realize just how much had changed from ’72 to ’73. I knew that the greenhouse was altered but I thought everything else was just styling tweaks.
My grandpa had a black ’74 F-250 Camper Special when I was young, and I remember two things about it – it had a 360 (I’m sure I hounded my dad about the engine) and I thought it was pretty ugly. This is one of the few times in my life where my tastes have drastically changed; today, I have no idea what I could have found unattractive here.
I felt the same about the bumpside generation for years, and now I find myself looking at ’70-’72 models in the online classifieds. I’m sure they were sweating it, but Ford finally won me over with these trucks. 🙂 Thanks for the writeup, JP.
This Ford is undoubtedly still on the road somewhere. It’s a terrific example of the breed.
At one time my father had a ’70 F-100. At the same time, his brother-in-law had a ’75 F-100. While I knew there were differences at the time, I never would have guessed they were of different generations.
Some research last night revealed there were 1.95 million pickups sold in the US – in 1968. Given how much smaller the market was then, that would correlate to, what, 3 million or so now?
Ford indeed did well with this pickup.
Some research last night revealed there were 1.95 million pickups sold in the US – in 1968.
I would be most interested in seeing that. Could you please send me a link, here or via email.
Are you sure that wasn’t for all “Light trucks”, which includes vans, SUVs, and other related categories of vehicles?
Below is the link. It intrigues me, although I have not dived into it. The section for 1968 is where I found what I stated above. Like you, I am wanting to flesh it all out. The only other production volumes I’ve ever seen for pickups during this era are vague or simply statements, such as Ford selling just over 500k F-Series in 1964. That’s from a Ford pickup book I own.
It appears the production volumes shown are for all weight ratings, not just half-tons. It’s not clear if vans were included but I would wager they might be.
http://www.sweptlinetruck.com/history.php
In relocating the site just linked, I also found something else. I am supposed to be doing work-work, so I have not yet correlated any numbers. This is Dodge only, said to be pulled from a Standard Catalog. It does include vans.
http://www.sweptline.com/hist/prod_info.html
This is the first time I’ve ever seen any production numbers for pickups during the 1960s. I plan to search for Chevrolet/GM to get a feel for what volumes were so I can develop a degree of confidence (or non-confidence) in what I’ve found.
The U.S. truck industry had its best year ever, producing 1,950,713 units.
That’s every truck of every kind built in 1968! Semis, dump trucks, delivery trucks, etc., etc… “Truck” ≠ “Pickup”. Not by a long shot. I estimate the pickup market in 1968 to be around one million, or half of that.
I found some Ford truck numbers broken out in useful ways at fordification.net, but I think Chevy and Dodge production figures are either scarce or nonexistent.
The total US market (including light trucks) was some 9 million in 1968, and 17 million in 2019. So 1.95 million pickups in 1968 would correspond to some 4 million pickups in 2019, based on the same share. Actual pickup sales in 2019 were 3 million. So you’re suggesting that pickups’ share of the market has dropped by 33% since 1968.
You can see why I am more than a bit dubious about your statistics.
Ford sold 435K F series light trucks (F100-F350) in 1968. That alone suggests that the total pickup market in 1968 was about a million, give or take, since Dodge and International were marginal players then.
Nice writeup, this was a vehicle I never really noticed at the time because they were everywhere, but also because I didn’t know anybody who had one.
You kind of forget how long an 8 foot box looks these days. It’s like, 8 feet! 🙂
While the Ford full-size pickups have outsold Chevrolets since 1977, it’s important to consider that GM sells pickups under two brands. When GMCs are added to the Chevy total, GM has outsold Ford in several recent years, including 2020. The other big pickup phenomenon in the last few decades in the ascension of Ram, an also-ran bit player in the pickup wars in the 1980s and early ’90s, but whose sales have steadily grown since then to surpass Chevrolet in 2019.
Why was the gas tank ever located in the cab? It takes up almost no unused space underneath the bed.
“Why was the gas tank ever located in the cab? It takes up almost no unused space underneath the bed.“
That’s a good question. I believe the answer is simply “that’s how they always did it.” Since the days of the Model A, Ford gas tanks had been inside the passenger compartment. Initially it was placed in the cowl so they could gravity-feed fuel to the carburetor. Later they moved it to behind the seat and almost certainly crowed about the increased safety. I imagine it was simpler that way since trucks have always been available in a variety of wheel bases and frame configurations but the cabs were usually the same from F-100 to F-550 (or however high the series went at the time). Furthermore trucks often had flatbeds or dumpbeds or other modifications that were simplified by not having to worry about the gas tank being back there. When trucks became more user-friendly and less strictly utilitarian, the benefits of moving the gas tank out back became greater than the downsides.
I think Sailor Harry may have the answer. Although I looked into it and it appears that the 1949 Studebaker R series truck put the tank down in the frame, either inside on light duty or outside on the heavy stuff. Even the late Champs had a filler cap in the cab behind the door, but a tube went down under the cab and into the tank mounted in the frame.
I think the answer is increased fuel capacity, you could run saddle tanks left and right in addition to the cab mounted tank. My old 1970 C10 had left, right, and center markings on the fuel gauge. My truck only had the cab tank, but the gauge was equipped for 3 tanks, the owners manual showed how the fuel gauge needle moved to each position depending on which tank was being used.
It can be easily argued that the General’s biggest problem in the 1970s was that there were TOO SUCCESSFUL.
Until 1973 when they were all allowed to become Exxon…Esso, Enco and Humble gas stations, depending on where you lived, were an object lesson in the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which also brought an end to the Hollywood studio system at the end of the 1940s. RCA spun off the NBC Blue Network in 1941 to avoid anti-trust action.
GM’s market share had flirted at around 50% for decades, but there was more talk, whether idle speculation or a real possibility, that Washington might step in and break up General Motors. Why try too hard when you already command so much of the market, and the next “home run” could push your market share over the top?
I recall reading that John Delorean considered the 73 Chevrolet truck as the best the company had ever done at the time it came out. I think the problem was what afflicted so many GM products that came out in that period – really sound chassis and running gear let down by poor engineering/materials in bodies and interiors.
I drove one once, a 350/auto, and it was a really sweet driving truck with a driving position I preferred to that in these Fords. But the rust and the interior were disastrous.
If GM had used as much galvanized steel as Ford we’d be talking about how this generation’s Ford’s trucks just weren’t good enough with their “all-new” styling looking so much like a heavy reskin of 1967 and their clinging to the tire-eating Twin-I-Beam front suspension rather than adopting A-arms and coils.
Instead, I’m left to report on how my dad’s ’74 and ’79 C-10s did indeed rust like it was an Olympic sport, with the latter having two body-shop and repaint sessions before our family’s pickup-owning era ended in 1985.
Had an attractive two toned yellowish and white 73 Chevy Cheyenne 4v 350/THM. One of my first vehicles in the late 80s- only the drive train and A/C were good though. Cheyenne package meant plain vinyl bench, but had ps/pb and drove car like. However, that truck’s body would flex and groan on curb ramps. Rattles galore even on the smoothest roads while it slithered around from the body flex. I lived in salt free North Texas and it had profound upper body/bed rust from just the rain, actually had holes in the hood. The crumbly dash looked like a dry desert arroyo.
I longingly admired the Fords from the same period. I saw a good number of these old Fords running around rural New Mexico last year- very few GMs of the same there. They’ve rusted away despite the arid climate. And they were so arrogant not to offer the extended cab!
I see the ’65 and later Ford Falcon in the front grillwork of these, and cannot unsee it.
These trucks looked old-fashioned to me until the ’78 update with the slightly hexagonal grille.
IF they had square headlights to match, the 78s that came with rounds was a really cobbled together look
I believe that the F series lower trim levels had round headlights in ’78 while the upper trim levels had square headlights.
The F series went to square headlights across all trim levels in ’79.
Although round headlights were used throughout ’78-9 on export trucks like the Aussie brochure pic above since neither the new square sealed beams nor H4 lens-and-reflector assemblies shaped to fit where they were intended to be were available outside North America at that time.
Mmm…nope, that’s not it. Rectangular sealed beams and replaceable-bulb headlamps meeting the world’s various specifications were available from the world’s various makers in plenty of time for installation on ’78 and ’79 models. If the export trucks used round headlamps while the domestic ones used rectangular ones, it’s because Ford decided to do it that way. Perhaps they already had enough round foreign-spec lamps in the house to cover the volume of trucks they’d be exporting, and didn’t want to go to the trouble or expense of buying rectangular ones for markets where “Oooh, lookie, new headlamps that aren’t round!” wouldn’t’ve been a thing—only in the United States had round lamps been mandatory.
The front end design of these is a throwback to the Chevy and GMC pickups of the early 60’s with their low mounted headlamps and eyebrow turn signals. Looks very odd and old fashioned to me. Good looking trucks otherwise.
Throwback to Chevy? That positioning can be seen on the first year I beam suspension F100 as in 1965.
As much as I will always love the following bullnose generation for trimming the fat from these dentsides, the ’70s trucks will always have a special place in my heart because they were the first to have a SuperCab, which I grew up in.
Like a few others, I never noticed at the time or in hindsight much change between these and previous years. For the Chevy/GMC twins on the other hand, 1973 seemed like a milestone year, and still seems that way despite all the evolution in pickups since then. Though perhaps part of the square Chevies’ impact is due to the long life of that design, even longer in SUV form. But I do see now from JPC’s post the significance of the functional changes in the ‘73 Fords. The stretched wheelbase and reduced rear overhang were certainly indicators of the eventual shift away from regular cabs and short beds to either longer beds, or, eventually, to longer cabs.
Thank you for that JP, I am a dedicated fan of these trucks. Currently own a ’78 F250 and a ’79 crew cab in build. Like Drzhivago138, I grew up with a 1978 Supercab F150, many miles riding in the back seat.
Best looking in my opinion, and remarkably durable of the many F-series out there.
Well done.
PS – I concur with your call to date it as a ’73 – those lap belts look exactly like my ’72 F100. The side mirrors place it as a slightly newer, but were likely added as I rarely see those towing type mirrors on F100 models.
I recently came across this bit of information (below) from a 1977 US Department of Transportation report… surveying the number, characteristics and principal use of trucks in 5-year increments during the 1960s and ’70s.
The excerpt below shows – on a national level – the DOT’s estimate of how trucks were used. In 1963, just 24.5% of trucks were used principally for “personal transportation” — in 1977 that figure more than doubled to 54.4%. And the raw numbers of pickups increased substantially too over that period.
And keep in mind, this survey included all trucks, not just pickups. In 1977, pickups made up about 2/3rds of all surveyed trucks, and well over 60% of pickups were used for personal transportation at that point. This shows just how transformative the 1970s were in the truck market, and I can see how this F-100 and its cohorts really led the way.
That’s a useful statistic, and right about in line what I would have expected.
Many of you guys are making me feel a lot better about not noticing how significant the 1973 redesign was when these were new. I recognized a difference between those before and after 1973 but I could not really see how major the change was. Having driven some on either side of that divide, I would say the later version felt more civilized.
I legitimately only thought the differences were the “dent” vs the “bump” and of course engines. It’s remarkable how many changes occurred that I had no idea about
My dad owned a ’67 F250 352 4spd camper special and a ’77 F250 Super Cab 400 4spd camper special. Main use was originally hauling an 8′ slide in camper and then 5th wheel campers. Never were used as daily drivers. The 77 left the family about 2 years ago, the 67 is still with us but probably leaving sometime this year, needs much work. Still have the 8′ slide in camper, might have to cut down a few trees to get it out.
Both trucks preformed very well with only regular maintenance.
I was 10 when these trucks came out. I’ve always been partial to Ford trucks (especially the bumpside and dentside models) and I thought they were the best looking trucks on the road. A teacher at my school had one (actually, my second grade teacher – she always had a cool car) and it really stood out beside the ordinary, lesser cars the other teachers drove. I still smile when I see one, and it’s not unusual to see them still on the job here in Ontario. If I ever have a big enough driveway I just might search out one of these. Make mine an F-250 with the 300 six and a four speed…though I’d have no complaints about an F-100 either.
About 3 weeks ago I got the safety done on my 76 F150 4×4 and it’s my daily work driver. I am the second owner. The body had badly rusted so I took it right down to the frame and a complete body rebuild. The truck has 95,000 original miles. ITs got the Ranger trim package with 360, 4 speed manual and factory air in the bright red colour. I did add some black to the interior as all red was just A LOT of red! The 350:1 gear ratio is pretty sedate with the 31-10.50×15 tires but it drives really well. It also came with the traction lock diff and the mighty AM radio. It took me a year and a half to redo. I opened the transfer case and trany and replaced a few rough bearings in each. The rear diff I still untouched, but due to the front axel sitting in water it needed everything replaced. The engine had perfect compression at 150 lbs +- 5 so I just did all new gaskets, timing chain and oil pump as well as main bearings because they were only 30 bucks.
Dad had a ’74 F350 stakebody he bought new for his landscaping side business that we owned up until 1984 or so. I don’t know what engine was in it, but it was a manual with a bench seat and no A/C. In 1981 he strapped a slide-in camper to the bed, built two toolboxes for the wells on either side, and took us on a month-long tour of the U.S. from one coast to the other. My sister and I rode across the country on the bed above the cab—try doing that now without getting pulled over—and we crossed Death Valley in the middle of August. As I recall the only problem we had was had a water pump failure somewhere out West, but he was handy and fixed it pretty quickly.
Somewhere downstairs I have Mom’s handwritten mileage figures from that trip; I’ll have to dig them out sometime and see how it did. We all still talk about that trip. I can’t imagine how exhausting it must have been to drive all day without A/C and then camp at night, but he was a badass. And I do wish we still had that truck.
Thanks for posting this. I’ve had a ’73 F-100 XLT for a few months and I’ve been trying to learn what I can – your article helps a lot. I had one back in the 80’s and it’s great to get ahold of one again. It’s very similar to the one in your story. Interior and exterior are in really good shape and it drives great. It’s almost all original and well preserved. The bumpers with the chrome push-bars are the same and seem to be rare – maybe an upgrade option?
Thanks again.
These were good utes a lot of friends ran mid 70s F100s if the rust stayed away they went for a long time towing caravans around Aussie unless you put wide wheels on the front they were fairly bullet proof with wide wheels the steering track rod joints wore out remarkably fast and you have to buy the entire assembly not individual parts mostly 302 or 351 powered they sucked the gas pretty hard LPG conversions were popular.
Having been a pickup geek all my life, and definitely a lover of the bump sides when they came out, I was excited about the new look of the 73 models. I was extremely relieved as a 16 year old that Ford did NOT go with wrap around tail lights as the Dodges, and then GMs did. I’m sure they had me in mind on that styling cue haha. I have had somewhere close to a dozen bump sides and dents sides combined and drive my bone stock, second owner 76 F150 4×4 every day. Love these trucks
I really thought these were mostly a restyled of the ’72s. The windshield looked the same to me.
Thought they just turned the side bump into a scallop, and enlarged the fenders. But I may never have seen them together to compare, as the ’72 and earlier trucks were pretty much gone around NWI by the late 70s. The stepside beds of the mid-70s F-series still had the fuel tank behind the cab, BTW.
I have distinct memories of loving the bumpsides when they came out. I was 5 or 6 and saw one on a family vacation in Maine, with a slide-in camper. We were tent campers, but it’s not because of Maine’s frequent rain that I wanted Dad to get a pickup and camper (which was not going to happen!). It was so I could ride in the top over the cab, looking out the front. I-king: I am envious that you got to do it. (Though TBF I did love our similar trip in 1978 in our ’77 Impala wagon, camping all the way. We still talk about it too.)
I’ll just leave this here:
…and this:
This car for sale ?