1951 Ford F-1 Marmon-Herrington “Ranger”. This Custom All-Wheel-Drive Ford Carryall started life on the Ford assembly as a rear-drive panel van. 1 of 54 were sent to Marmon-Herrington in Indianapolis for mechanical and extensive, exquisite wood paneling conversion. The M-H team was well versed in swapping a Dana 44 front axle and proprietary transfer case into F-Series Ford. Was later rebadged as International Harvester Travelall.
Powered by a 239ci flathead V-8, this F-1 originally came with 100 hp at 3,800 rpm. The four-speed manual transmission wasn’t synchronized so it was dubbed “crashbox”. Double-clutching is mandatory with this option and with spur-cut gears, it constantly whines.
Trivia:- Only 10 Rangers of this model year are known to exist, and this example is one of two such vehicles that has been restored. Two companies from Washington -- J&L Fabricating and Byers Custom -- undertook a nuts-and-bolts restoration of the Ranger in 2009 and 2010. The lovely Sheridan Blue paint took 400 hours alone, and Canepa claims every detail is perfect, right down to the Ford-embossed glass.
Thoroughly detailed and lots of pics:- https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/1603-find-of-the-week-1951-ford-f-1-marmon-herrington-ranger
Ford didn’t build a true competitor for the Chevrolet Suburban until the 1997 model year, with the F-Series–based Expedition. The company al
