In 1966, Ford leaped forward into the future with a seemingly irrelevant innovation: the independent suspension. This needs clarification, I know. That year, the number-one-seller American-made vehicle got Twin I-beam suspensions on the front axle. The comfortable F-Series pickup truck was born, and things were never the same again.
As the best-selling automobile ever in the history of the United States of Automobile, the Ford pickup truck deserves a special place in the Happy Driving Grounds. With nearly 45 million examples assembled since 1948, the F-Series is the quintessential means of transportation across the Home of the Brave (and beyond).
In 1966, Ford adopted the new, comfortable, independent suspension system. It proved so popular that it stayed in production until the present day (with improvements and modifications, but still true to the original concept). The new ride-smoothing feature turned out to be a winner, and Ford’s pickups became the truck to have and the name to beat. Ford used a very visual demonstration to advertise the new system (see it in the second video).
In 1966, the F-100 alone jumped over 40,000 units in sales numbers from the previous year’s total of 220,306 units. The decade was a prosperous period, with car production booming, so trucks of all shapes and sizes were in high demand. Naturally, the vast majority of the utilitarian machines were lost to wear, time, use, and whatnot. Still, once in a while, a nice example pops up from some forgotten place.
Traditionally, pickup trucks don’t make the object of car collectors who prefer to focus on high-value items or simply are interested in other types of two-seat, to-door, rear-wheel drive automobiles. However, a true icon of internal combustion, such as an F-100 from 1966 in superb condition, is not something to look away from, and one car nut from Ohio had the exact same thought some years back.
His vast collection had been gathering dust for a while now, and after his passing, his daughter inherited the lot and is now thinning the herd. One of the vehicles that will go away is a 1966 Ford F-100 truck. To give you an idea of what kind of collector the Ohio man was, he purchased and later sold gems such as a 1963 split-window Corvette and a Lamborghini Countach (among other jewels).
To prepare the truck for sale, the current owners decided to have it cleaned and fixed, which meant the detailers from Wagener DiCesare Detailing were called into action. Frankly, this might have been one of the car cosmeticians’ easiest detailing jobs ever performed. The F-100 was already in a good, solid, and sanitized condition, with only a 15-year layer of garage dust covering it. Play the first video to see what it’s all about.
Before being acquired by the Ohio gearhead, the truck sat outside in Georgia for several years, but it still looked the part. Whoever had this pickup cared for it and even performed an engine swap. The original FE 352 cube-V8 (the 5.8-liter) engine is no longer pushing this all-purpose hauler around, but a stouter 390 big-block with a two-barrel carb is in charge.
While the 6.4-liter V8 didn’t officially debut in F-Series trucks until 1968, this example was retrofitted with the fabled powerhouse. Nonetheless, this example was born a true V8, as evidenced by the emblems on the grille and sides and the Y-code letter in the VIN. A tree-on-the-tree (but automatic) Cruise-O-Matic transmission sends the power to the rear wheels.
The beautiful light blue and white pickup (call it teal, turquoise, or whatnot, but it’s still blue) also sports red steel rims and WWW tires (white wide wall). The detailers don’t disclose the mileage, and the big motor will need some work, as its leaky carburetor isn’t up for it. Still, it could be an easy fix, as the accelerator pump is the main suspect, according to the team of mechanics that WD Detailing took the Ford to for a close inspection.