We have seen several promising F-series pickups on these pages recently. Here is one more, on eBay, a 1953 Ford F-100 anniversary edition truck for restoration. Bid to $2,650, it is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We have prolific tipster T.J. to thank for this one! The year 1953 marked a restyle for the F-series. The grille was distinct to this year. But all second-generation trucks benefited from roomier cabs with an adjustable seat wide enough for three across, bigger windows, and a host of options such as sun visors, dome lights, armrests, lighter, and radio. To punctuate the new look and celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this legendary truck, Ford changed its naming convention: the “F-1” became the “F-100”.

These 1953 trucks still bore the 239 CID flathead V8 in their engine bays; the new Y-block V8 was just a few months off. The flattie made about 100 bhp. This truck runs, but barely; compression is said to be low in one bank. The seller is including a spare motor and transmission in “good running order” – no word on whether that’s also a 239 or not. The existing transmission is a three-speed column shift. The Ford-o-Matic automatic was an option starting this year.

The interior is only moderately worn, thanks to its simplicity – there just isn’t a lot in here that can get torn/dirty/punctured except the seats. Ok, they’re a bit rough but hey, this truck is almost seventy years old. The anniversary trucks were fitted with an appropriate horn button. The photo of the inside of the roof shows the dome light option; I think I see a sun visor too. The front windshield is cracked and scratched. One intriguing anomaly is that the F-100 didn’t come in white in 1953. Fleet owners often special-ordered colors, though, and white would be a logical choice for a fleet.

The body needs a little help. There’s rust in all the corners, and the bed wood has rotted away. Luckily, the seller will supply two good doors – also in white – to aid in making repairs; the worst part of the bed repair will be removing the old hardware. The undercarriage is heavily rusted but the seller indicates that the frame is not rotted. In short, we have a truck that needs motor repair, some interior repair, and lots of rust repair, and we don’t know what we might find out about the brakes, steering, and other components once it’s driveable. This truck has a lot of charm but a prospective buyer will need deep pockets or plenty of skills to bring it back from the brink.