ByMikeMcNessor•PhotograPhybyJeffKoch
Middle
ground
Ford’s 1957-’60 F-100 was a postwar
truck designed for the future
L
ike any pickup truck, a 1957-’60 Ford F-100 can haul you
and your stuff from place to place. But as a piece of rolling
history, these evolutionary rigs illustrate how light-truck
design got from there to here.
Dearborn’s upright and boxy third-generation F-series was
a transitional model that built a bridge from yesterday’s rounded
cabs, bulging fenders and running boards to today’s squared-off,
slab-sided trucks with aggressively styled front ends.
Technologically these trucks had a lot in common with their
ancestors, but a cosmetic overhaul of the new-for-1957 Fords
made them a drastic departure from all previous series. The hood
was a wide clamshell that capped the front fenders — rather than
fitting narrowly between them. A pair of steps mounted inside the
cab aided ingress and served as a stopgap for the running boards
that had been a mainstay on Ford light trucks until 1957. In the
rear, Ford introduced its new higher-capacity Styleside box with
a steel floor and smooth sides (available in 6.5- or 8-foot lengths).
The traditional Flareside with its bolted-on fenders and wood
floor was still available for traditionalists, but the more modern
Styleside was standard rather than an extra-cost option.
Inside, suspended brake and clutch pedals swung over a
beefierfloorpanstampedfrom18-gaugesteel.Thisnewdeck
formedthefoundationforwhatFordclaimedwasthe“...strong-
est, sturdiest Light Duty Cab ever to wear Ford badges.”
The F-100’s base offerings consisted of dual windshield
wipers, hubcaps, one taillamp mounted on the left side, an
interior rearview mirror, horn, spare tire, and jack, as well as a
driver’s-side sunvisor. If a buyer stepped up to the Custom Cab
F-100 he got a matched set of sunvisors, an insulated headliner,
dome lamp, pair of door-mounted armrests, interior sound