To the untrained eye they look sort of the same, and to be fair, it’s not hard to see why. The 5th and 6th generation Ford #Fseries pickups are close kin, and were produced in such enormous numbers that they’re a common sight 40+ years after production ended, at least, here in the Americas. As F-series sales increased and increased, the sixth-gen Truck became the best selling truck in America in 1977 and never looked back. Because the older ones are, well, older, you see fewer of them. This 1968 F-250 Camper Special is just such a truck. At a glance, the 6th gen trucks look very similar to the 5th gen (from which they evolved), but closer inspection will reveal subtle but significant differences in styling. The 5th gen trucks are sometimes called #Bumpside trucks because a long convex styling line protrudes down the entire side of the truck, clearly seen here. 6th-gen trucks have a concave cut in the same place and are sometimes called #Dentsides. Both generations are based on the 1965 revision to the 4th-gen F (debuted 1960), and use developments of that truck’s frame. Although the styling is essentially uncredited, the planning for these trucks was handled under future Ford CEO Phil Caldwell. For a brief period, Ford stylist Gale Halderman oversaw the exterior work, rotating into the Truck studio before moving on to Lincoln-Mercury. The trucks were aggressively cost planned and market researched - Caldwell, in Halderman’s words, always wanted to know exactly how the trucks would sell and who’d buy them. There were many niche models, including the camper special, geared towards customers who wanted a slide-in camper shell, each costed down to the penny and highly refined before pre-production began. The exterior of the 5th gen and some of its parts were new, but much of the work for the chassis had been done earlier and publicized in the form of the “twin I-beam” suspension but not confined to that system. The Independent I-beam gave the (RWD only) F-series a car-like ride and far better handling than other trucks. The Bumpside used 3 V8s in 1968, 302, 360, and 390-cid or a pair of farm-truck sixes. Campers, needing power for hauling, were almost all V8s. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_LLSjgACKL/?igshid=1kp7ba2ej1z0b
