Guy I went to school with inherited 3 of these N Series Fords one single axle,a tandem axle tow truck both restored and a road tractor that his dad was restoring when he passed away the road tractor is finished now with a 3408 Cat V-8 twin turbo 13 spd with a modified 102" walk thru sleeper 8"straight pipes stretched out to 238"wheelbase its going to the paint shop this summer then restart life as a show truck 25 yrs in the rebirth ....cant wait to see it painted
These old N series trucks are awesome. I also like the L series. My grandfather had an old N series 10-wheeler truck on the farm that he turned into a straight truck. I've seen pictures of it in person but never actually got to see it before he sold it.
Look at those great old Ford trucks.. my First truck driving job I drove a 1986 Ford L8000 straight truck 33,000 lbs back in 1988. When I got my CDL I didn't have to do a driving test because I had a class B license only the written exam and for air brakes... It's very different now...
The CDL didn't get forced on truck drivers until April 1992, thanks to George H.W. Bush. I had been driving since 1978, and didn't have any tickets on my driving record so all I had to do was take the test, I took the general knowledge (mandatory), air brake, (mandatory) then the triples, haz mat, and tanker. At that time, it cost me $130 . I no longer have haz mat didn't pay enough to have it in my opinion. I'm retiring in just 90 more days am looking forward to it too!!
FYI In Canada you could purchase a Mercury "N" series, which makes it ultra rare since they were never built in the same quantities as the Ford. My friend restored his Mercury N850 that spent its entire working life (since new) for Rayner and Bracht, Port Alberni BC. After it was restored it was donated to the local truck museum. So if anyone is interested seeing a N series in real life and you are anywhere near Port Alberni BC you can make arrangements to see it in person.
I have fond memoroy of these classic trucks when I was growing up.I remembered that some of these semi;s were gas powered! And they could pull a load as well as their diesel counterparts! I later learned they had massive V8's powering them with a displacement of 534cu in(8.8 litres)! I later learned that those gas powered N series Semi's only got 5 miles to the gallon compared to the deisels that got over7! But that was back when gas was .25cents a gallon!
Glenn, Those were International gas engines, it was cheaper for Ford to buy them than build them, there was a slightly smaller engine as well over 470 cubic inches, can't remember the exact displacement.
My friend from Terrace BC Canada had one like the one at 1:08 . It was originally a lowbed tractor and when he got it it had the only Trailmobile dump box anyone ever seen . Double frame , 250 Cummins , spicer 5 X4 and Eaton 38 2 speeds with Eaton wedge brakes . The brakes were always a problem . Ergonomic 5X4shifters with short sticks and a little elbow rest . His favorite truck . Lasted 17 years , longer than any other truck he owned .
Mercurys were quite common in Canada. they were the same as a Ford, helped the Mercury dealerships to have a truck line. My dad had several, a '47, '49, '52, '59 and a '64, but I believe the bigger models with the diesels were all Fords .Ours were 600 series dump trucks, I recall a few 700's, but nothing bigger around here, anyway.
TACHOGRAPH's are very common in Europe. In most countries they're law in trucks over 2 tons. You can receive a ticket for speeding if you're stopped and the paper disc is checked. Also, if you fail to make rest stops as required you can get written up too!
Big old trucks are the new collectables,they're cheap and they're durable and some guys will use these old beast to haul their showcars around! Jay Leno loves old big trucks! Its not unusual that the trucks themselves get more attention than the vehicles they tow!
I am fond of the c model cabover like the old firetrucks.I recently bought one sitting in a field.After seeing this video of the N series, I wish I would have waited and bought a N series.Nice classic ole trucks ! But I still love my ole c900 gas burner ford !
Thanks for your reply! JFK's secret service limo might have a 534,but I doubt that it makes over a thousand horsepower, back then the 534 made only 300hp.Less than other Engines in the Ford big block family,but it wasn't intended to be a horsepower beast,it was meant to be a torque monster! Having over 550 lbs of torque at less than 2750rpm! Which was suited for the big N series trucks.
I don't know if they still have it but Modern Waste Service in Napoleon Michigan has a Ford N model truck. The next time I am Napoleon I will see if they still have it.
The tonnage ranged from 600 to 1000. This can be seen in the width of the fenders. Not sure where the changeover lies, but of course 600 with be narrow and 1000 wide best comparison is the one at 2:18 to the one at 2:47.
I was a young mechanic back in the 70’s for a large Cummins shop in Toronto. Changing a PT fuel pump on an NH 250 was a contortion and a half on these. Not a fan.
I'd love to add one of these to my mini-fleet, one with a long wheelbase and build an RV on it. When I started driving for a living in 1978 there were a lot of these still on the road. Our fleet was all Ford but we never had any N's.
An N model with an inline six cylinder diesel (Cummins or Detroit) was a bitch to do engine work on. It almost seemed like Ford put in the engine and then built the truck around it .
I know how trucks are built - I spent 20 years as a Ford Heavy Truck dealer. The Louisvilles were built with much better engine access and as a result overhaul and service times were much better
quick question, at 1:50 seconds, the in cab shot, what is that removable clock thingy? Seen them in other older trucks, and have never gotten a real true answer. Does it have something to do with mileage, for pay purposes???
4 minutes is a helluva long time to sit thru with no sound, no narration, no text, no specs or history, no information whatsoever. I lasted one minute.
