First Ford Trucks

• Since the Ford Model T debuted in 1908, farmers and business owners often cut the rear bodies and inserted a bed to produce a vehicle that could haul goods. Ford responded in 1917 with the Model TT, the automaker's first factory commercial truck sold only as a chassis and cowl. The Model T's modest 20-horsepower four-cylinder engine powered the Model TT through 1927. The Runabout pickup launched in 1925 copied what farmers had been doing for almost 20 years. It was simply a passenger car with a cargo box in the rear. Like the Model TT, the Runabout received the same 20-horsepower engine that generated 83 foot-pounds of torque with its 3.98-to-1 compression ratio. The Model A launched in 1928 was a streamlined version of the Model T. Under the hood was a 200-cubic-inch, four-cylinder engine that developed 40 horsepower.
  
  

Flat-Head V-8

• The flat-head V-8 forever changed how the public purchased trucks. Horsepower and torque meant everything. For the 1932 Ford pickup, the 221-cubic-inch flat-head V-8 featured a 5.5-to-1 compression ratio to develop 65 horsepower. By 1937, the V-8 received aluminum heads, a 7.5-to-1 compression ratio and a Stromberg carburetor to boost output to 94 horsepower. A smaller, 60-horsepower, 136-cubic-inch version saved fuel, but developed 94 foot-pounds of torque and could still reach 70 mph.
  
  

Postwar Era

• After World War II, Ford enlarged the flat-head F-8 to 239.4 and 336.7 cubic inches. The larger engine developed 145 horsepower and 225 foot-pounds of torque. It powered the 1.5-ton F-7 and F-8 commercial trucks. The smaller version developed 100 horsepower for the half-ton trucks. In 1949, the 336.7 V-8's output increased to 153 horsepower and 265 foot-pounds of torque. A new 255.4-cubic-inch version generated 112 horsepower. In 1959, the light-duty Ford trucks received the 186-horsepower 292 V-8. For 1965, the 150-horsepower 240 straight-six and 170-horsepower 300 six complemented the 208-horsepower 352 V-8. The 390 V-8 arrived in 1968 and generated 265 horsepower and up to 275 foot-pounds of torque.
  
  

Later Trucks

• By 1978, the venerable 114-horsepower, 300 straight six was the standard engine in Ford F-Series trucks. Five years later, the huge 460 V-8 generated 245 horsepower. The optional 170-horsepower, 6.9-liter diesel V-8 was also available. Other 1980s engines included the 185-horsepower 5-liter, the 210-horsepower 5.8-liter and the 230-horsepower 7.5-liter V8s. In 1995, the 7.3-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel generated 210 horsepower and 425 foot-pounds of torque. The compact Rangers in 2011 featured two engines: the 143-horsepower, 2.3-liter four-cylinder and the 207-horsepower, 4-liter V-6. Full-size F-150 engines included the 3.7-liter V-6 and the 5- and 6.2-liter V-8s. Output ranged from 302 to 411 horsepower. The F-250 and larger Super Duty models came with the 6.2-liter gasoline V-8. An option was the 6.7-liter turbo-diesel V-8 generating 400 horsepower and 800 foot-pounds of torque.