1953 Ford F-100

Description

Ford truck people went back to the drawing board five years after the F-1's debut, shelling out a reported $30 million on what arguably represented Detroit's earliest application of an ergonomic study — at least as far as truck development history is concerned. The result was the F-100. 

 A lot of design money was spent on the 1953 F-100's “Driver Engineered” cab, which was created using the “Measuring Man,” a life-size model of Average Joe Trucker. “Driverized” features like improved control locations, sound deadener in the doors, and an even wider seat. Also new was an enlarged one-piece windshield for added visibility. 

The second generation of Ford’s F-Series truck line (1953–56) was one of the first post-war pickups to gain collector status as happy Ford owners began holding onto these trucks in the 1970s. Many of them, however, saw engine swaps and less-than-authentic restorations, which makes a bone stock example exceedingly rare today. 

This 1953 Ford F-100, nicknamed “Big Red” by the family that has owned it for at least the last 15 years, is one of those that had its original engine swapped out years ago. The pickup is now powered by a Chevrolet 350-cubic-inch small-block V8, and it also received other upgrades, including an automatic transmission. 

Highlights 

• Longtime family ownership 

• First year of the F Series “Driver Engineered” cab 

• Finished in Vermilion (red) paint over gray interior 

• Engine swapped by a previous owner; truck is now powered by a Chevrolet small-block 350 cu-in V8 

• Manual transmission was converted to a B&M three-speed automatic transmission by a previous owner 

• Late-model bucket seats with headrests were installed by a previous owner 

• Original steering wheel features “50th Anniversary 1903-1953" center badge 

• The chassis number (F10R3N12709) decodes as: 

  • F10 – F-100 

  • R – 239 cu-in V8 

  • 3 – 1953 model year 

  • N – Assembled at Norfolk, Virginia 

  • 12709 – Sequential production number 

Features 

• Rear-wheel-drive, two-door, half-ton pickup truck 

• Instrumentation: 

  • 90 mph speedometer 

  • Odometer 

  • Temperature 

  • Oil pressure 

  • Fuel level 

  • Battery 

  • Modern tach/volts/water gauges under dash 

• Removable AM/FM/CD digital stereo 

• Seat belts 

• Running boards with step plate 

• Original under-dash heater (works) 

• Locking glove box 

• BFGoodrich Silvertown 6.00-16 wide whitewall tires 

Known Imperfections 

• Driver’s seat upholstery is torn 

• Paint chips, cracks, scrapes, or bubbles on hood, front and rear bumpers, driver’s side front fender, passenger side front fender, and under the gas filler 

• Driver’s side foot well is warped 

• Gas gauge may be inaccurate 

• Bushings on all four shock absorbers have dry rotted  

• Seal around the oil pan feels dry and has a slow leak 

• Rear differential seal may need attention 

• When the transmission was changed from manual to automatic, the clutch pedal and shifter were left in place but are not connected 

Included 

• Spare tire (mounted beneath the bed) 

• 1953 Ford Truck Shop Manual 

• 1948-1956 Ford Pickup Parts Catalog 

• Vinyl bed cover with homemade stretch bars 

• Ford floor mats 

Ownership History 

From the consigner: “We could not find the original bill of sale, but some service records show that my wife’s father owned and actively used the truck as far back as 2008-09. He owned several cars in addition to the truck, and he kept the truck garaged in Lombard, Illinois, before moving it to another garage in Green Lake, Wisconsin. It remained in Wisconsin until his passing (in 2017), when it was shipped to us in Naperville, Illinois, where it has been for the last seven years.” The couple has continued to keep the F-100 garaged, and because they drive it/clean it only every few months, they have decided it’s time for Big Red to go to someone who will enjoy it. “It just seems like a waste for a good truck, and someone could quickly have it tweaked into a daily driver. We would like to see it find a good home.”