If you’re in the market for a substantial truck from yesteryear, here’s a candidate. This 1951 Ford F-6 is listed here on eBay for just $1750. Take a (large) trailer to Thief River Falls, Minnesota to pick it up; the seller has a skidsteer and can assist with loading. The F-6 hails from the first generation of the F-series, with production commencing in 1947. This bad boy is classed as a medium-weight truck, with a GVWR of 16,000 lbs. Typically used for towing or farm hauling, the two-ton F-6 was a lightweight compared to its “Big Job” F-7 and F-8 peers, found in fire houses and on construction sites. Still, it’s impressive and would make a definitive statement at the next ATHS show.
The engine is possibly “stuck”, according to the seller – and that’s likely accurate since the radiator, carb, and other potential airways are open! No word whether the truck rolls, but we can assume not since a few of its tires are flat. The F-6 could be ordered with three engines – a 226 cu. in. inline six, a much beefier 254 cu. in. six, or this 239 cu. in. flathead V8, good for 90 net hp. The standard gearbox was a four-speed manual crash box, or, for a few extra bucks, you could have a four-speed ‘Synchro-Silent’ with synchromesh. Ford’s competition was Chevy’s 6400, available only with a six-cylinder, but still providing immense torque and load capacity.
The F-6’s interior retains its seats, as well as much of its trim, gauges, and glass – providing a leg up for the would-be restorer. Ford was spotlighting cab comfort by the 1950s, with millions of development dollars dedicated to enhancing the driver’s experience. By today’s standards, we’d consider this a rudimentary interior, but features we take for granted today – line of sight out of the vehicle, the ergonomics of the switches and handles, how long you could tolerate the seat – these were improving by leaps and bounds back then, even in heavy-duty work vehicles.
Ok, the bed is growing a bit of moss, but hey that’s not so bad when you consider that the cab corners are very clean. Some prospective buyers might think about installing a modern drivetrain, but I’d prefer to see this bit of Americana restored to its original specs. What do you think?
Ta ta da! A truck, maw, get the boys,,,sorry, it’s just when a truck DOES appear, it’s a special event,,,for me anyway. I had a similar truck, a ’51 F5 single axle dump( I should have kept), an in line flattie 6 and a 4 speed, which, by the way, is the non -synchro compound 1st( aka granny gear) synchros in 2,3,4, and the id tag indicates a 5:83-8:11 rear axle, which should mean a 2 speed, but see no button. No hoist,( Jim?) and I believe the F6 was the top of the medium duty trucks, and the 3 speed was still a crash box. Funny, when looking that up, on some forum, someone, clearly a youngun’ asked, “why is it called a “crash box”? Us old farts can gloat, but a good question, the non-synchro transmissions, you would “crash” the gears if not properly shifted, never thought I’d ever have to explain that.
You know,,,while initially I was opposed to showing these rusted hulks as examples of such great trucks gone by, I’m sure Geo will have a better example of one. However, as nice as his trucks look, something just isn’t right, farm trucks only looked like that ONCE, from the dealer, the rest looked just like this. It’s almost as if you can see the age marks from a lifetime of work, kind of like the lines in the face of an old man. The F6 meant business, and cost about $1700 new, for a bare chassis, and several hundred more for the stake bed, it was a major investment for the farm. Most bought only one, and these lasted well into the 70s, until what you see here, and was replaced. I sadly see less than zero interest for this today aside from kibutzing about days gone by,,.
WOW! Plenty rough old truck, but at least it’s all there. Grain body, but no hoist, must of had an axle lift at the local co-op. If you could coax that engine to roll over it might be worth the ask. I’d go back stock, but that’s just me. As always with these big trucks tires and brakes are where the money is, the rest of it isn’t any different than working on a pickup ‘cept you need a box to stand on.
Come listen to a story about a man named Jed, a poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed….