Ford F-100 Years: Complete 1948-1983 Timeline & Every Model Year

TL;DR: When Was the Ford F-100 Made?

The Ford F-100 was produced from 1948 through 1983 — 36 model years across 7 generations. The F-100 name itself debuted in 1953 (the 1948-1952 trucks wore the F-1 badge), and Ford discontinued the F-100 in 1983 after the F-150 (introduced in 1975 as a “heavy half-ton”) had absorbed the half-ton market. Every F-100 built shares a direct line from the 1948 F-1 to the last 1983 truck.

• First year: 1948 (as the F-1)
• F-100 name introduced: 1953
• Last year: 1983
• Generations: 7
• Replaced by: Ford F-150

1st Generation (1948-1952): The F-1 Era

Visit the 1948-1952 generation overview for engines and production data.

The original F-Series launched January 16, 1948 with the “Bonus Built” marketing campaign and the “Million Dollar Cab.” These trucks are badged F-1, not F-100 — but they are the direct ancestors of every F-100 that followed. Flathead six and flathead V8 power, three-speed column-shift manual, six-volt electrical.

• 1948 Ford F-1: F-Series debut. Five-bar horizontal grille. Integrated headlights and the widest truck cab Ford had ever built.
• 1949 Ford F-1: Refinements to the launch truck. Five-bar grille continues.
• 1950 Ford F-1: Final year of the original five-bar grille styling.
• 1951 Ford F-1: Mid-generation facelift. Three-bar grille, revised dashboard, push-button starter on some models.
• 1952 Ford F-1: Last year of the F-1 name. Setup for the 1953 redesign.

2nd Generation (1953-1956): The F-100 Name Arrives

Visit the 1953-1956 generation overview for specs and collector context.

Ford retired the F-1 badge and introduced the F-100 name as part of a top-to-bottom redesign. One-piece curved windshield, Custom Cab trim option, Ford-O-Matic automatic available. The 1956 truck is widely considered the most collectible F-100 ever built.

• 1953 Ford F-100: F-100 name debuts. Completely new cab, one-piece curved windshield.
• 1954 Ford F-100: Y-block OHV V8 replaces the flathead. 223 “Mileage Maker” six replaces the old flathead six.
• 1955 Ford F-100: Minor trim updates; Y-block V8 continues to gain output.
• 1956 Ford F-100: Wraparound windshield, 12-volt electrical, 272 V8 up to 173 hp. The iconic year.

3rd Generation (1957-1960): Styleside Arrives

Visit the 1957-1960 generation overview for engine options and production data.

Wider flat-sided cab, flatter hood, and the debut of the Styleside bed — the smooth-sided pickup box that would become the industry standard. Factory four-wheel drive became available for the first time. FE-series big-block V8s joined the lineup.

• 1957 Ford F-100: Third-gen redesign. Styleside bed debuts. Factory 4WD arrives.
• 1958 Ford F-100: Quad headlights added. 292 and 332 FE V8 options expand.
• 1959 Ford F-100: Refined trim and grille updates.
• 1960 Ford F-100: Final year before the bold 1961 redesign.

4th Generation (1961-1966): Unibody Experiment & Twin I-Beam

Visit the 1961-1966 generation overview for the unibody and Twin I-Beam story.

A generation defined by one bold failure and one enduring success. Ford offered a unibody Styleside (cab and bed welded as one unit) from 1961-1963 before the market rejected it. Then in 1965, the Twin I-Beam independent front suspension arrived and stayed in production for decades.

• 1961 Ford F-100: Angular redesign. Unibody Styleside debuts alongside conventional body-on-frame.
• 1962 Ford F-100: Second year of the unibody gamble.
• 1963 Ford F-100: Last year of the unibody body style.
• 1964 Ford F-100: Unibody dropped. Body-on-frame returns across the lineup.
• 1965 Ford F-100: Twin I-Beam front suspension debuts. 352 FE big-block available.
• 1966 Ford F-100: Final year of the fourth generation. Twin I-Beam continues.

5th Generation (1967-1972): Bumpside

Visit the 1967-1972 “Bumpside” generation overview for trim levels and collector notes.

Named for the prominent raised body crease along the sides. Wider cab, curved side glass, and expanding trim levels — Custom, Sport Custom, Ranger, Ranger XLT — pushed the F-100 toward personal-use transportation. The 300 inline six and 390 FE big-block became available in this era.

• 1967 Ford F-100: Bumpside redesign. 3.5” wider cab, curved side glass.
• 1968 Ford F-100: Federal safety mandates add side marker lights.
• 1969 Ford F-100: Ranger trim added. 302 Windsor V8 joins the lineup.
• 1970 Ford F-100: Ranger XLT tops the trim range.
• 1971 Ford F-100: Grille and trim refresh.
• 1972 Ford F-100: Final Bumpside year. 360 and 390 FE V8s continue.

6th Generation (1973-1979): Dentside

Visit the 1973-1979 “Dentside” generation overview for SuperCab and engine data.

Named for the stamped body-side crease at the belt line. The 1974 SuperCab was a landmark — the first factory extended cab on an F-Series, acknowledging that pickups were now carrying families. The 1975 F-150 launch during this generation would eventually retire the F-100 name.

• 1973 Ford F-100: Dentside redesign launches. Larger glass area, improved NVH.
• 1974 Ford F-100: SuperCab extended cab debuts. Market-changing.
• 1975 Ford F-100: F-150 introduced alongside the F-100 as a “heavy half-ton.”
• 1976 Ford F-100: Emissions regulations start to detune V8s.
• 1977 Ford F-100: Grille and interior updates.
• 1978 Ford F-100: Quad rectangular headlights arrive.
• 1979 Ford F-100: Final Dentside year. Catalytic converters across the range.

7th Generation (1980-1983): The Final Chapter

Visit the 1980-1983 generation overview for the final F-100 specs.

Complete redesign, roughly 400 pounds lighter than the Dentside thanks to thinner-gauge steel and aluminum hoods. Driver-focused instrument cluster. Ranger Lariat trim topped the range. By now the F-100 and F-150 were essentially the same truck with different GVW ratings — and Ford made the call to retire the lower badge.

• 1980 Ford F-100: Seventh-gen redesign. Lighter, cleaner styling.
• 1981 Ford F-100: Minor refinements. Ranger Lariat continues at the top.
• 1982 Ford F-100: Penultimate year of the nameplate.
• 1983 Ford F-100: Final year. The F-100 name retires after 30 years; the F-150 carries on.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Ford stop making the F-100?

Ford built the last F-100 in 1983. The F-150, introduced in 1975 as a “heavy half-ton” slotted between the F-100 and F-250, had steadily absorbed the half-ton market through the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 1983, the F-100 and F-150 shared the same cab, frame, and body — the only real difference was the GVW rating and the badge. Ford retired the F-100 nameplate after the 1983 model year and the F-150 continued forward.

What replaced the Ford F-100?

The Ford F-150 replaced the F-100. Ford launched the F-150 in 1975 alongside the F-100, partly to sidestep certain emissions and fuel-economy regulations that applied to lighter trucks. By 1983, the two models had converged mechanically, and Ford consolidated the half-ton lineup under the F-150 name. The F-150 has gone on to become the best-selling vehicle in the United States for more than four decades.

How many years was the Ford F-100 made?

The F-Series line that became the F-100 was in production for 36 model years, from 1948 through 1983. The F-100 name itself was used for 31 model years (1953-1983); the first five years (1948-1952) wore the F-1 badge. Across those 36 years, Ford produced seven distinct generations of the truck.

Is the Ford F-100 the same as the F-150?

No, but they overlapped for nine model years (1975-1983) and by the end were nearly identical. The F-150 was introduced in 1975 as a “heavy half-ton” with a higher gross vehicle weight rating than the F-100. During the seventh generation (1980-1983) the two shared the same cab, frame, and sheet metal — the F-150 just carried a higher GVW rating. Pre-1975 half-ton Fords are F-100s; post-1983 half-tons are F-150s.

How many F-100s were built?

Exact year-by-year F-100 production totals are difficult to establish because Ford’s record-keeping combined F-Series variants in different ways across eras. What is clear: the F-Series as a whole outsold every competing truck line for most of the F-100’s production life. By the mid-1970s, Ford was building more than 500,000 F-Series trucks annually, with the F-100 accounting for the largest share of light-duty sales until the F-150 overtook it. Individual model year pages include production figures where Ford’s documentation supports them.

When did the F-100 come out?

The Ford F-Series debuted on January 16, 1948, as a complete postwar redesign of Ford’s truck lineup. The original 1948 truck was badged the F-1 (half-ton), with heavier-duty variants running up through the F-8. The F-100 name itself did not appear until the 1953 redesign, which replaced the F-1 badge across Ford’s half-ton truck line.