 |
This article needs attention from an expert on the subject. Please add a reason or a talk parameter to this template to explain the issue with the article. WikiProject Transport or the Transport Portal may be able to help recruit an expert. (November 2008) |
 |
|
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Production | 1970 - 1998 |
| Successor | Sterling |
| Class | heavy-duty truck |
| Layout | Front engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Engine | Various Cummins Units, Caterpillar Units, and Detroit Diesel Units; 240 and 300 inline-6 gasoline engines, FT 331 and 391 gasoline engines, 385-series 370 and 429 gasoline engines; and Super Duty 477 and 534 gasoline engines |
Ford L-Series trucks was a long running series of heavy-duty trucks built by Ford Motor Company between 1970 and 1998. It was distinctively styled with a bold hexagonal grille at its introduction. It was built in a new plant which was called the Kentucky Truck Plant, but its location near Louisville, Kentucky gave rise to the popular name of Ford Louisville line trucks, as well as the "Louisville Plant" [1]
These heavy-duty Ford trucks replaced the short conventional N-Series, along with the heavy-duty F-Series trucks (but not the medium-duty F-Series trucks; which have soldiered on through production, and are still being produced to this day), and related tandem-axle T-Series. The Louisville Line encompassed a wide range of models serving the medium-, heavy-, and extra-heavy-duty truck ranks. The line would become one of the most popular series of trucks Ford ever produced.[1]
Contents |
The designation L Series is for the base truck. Designations for variants are listed below:
Ford L-Series truck styling would influence other Fords. In 1972 the Ford Torino and Ranchero were redesigned with a hexagonal grille that resembled the L-Series. In 1974, the W-Series Cab-Over-Engine trucks would inherit chrome L-Series grilles. The 1978 Ford F-100 pickup would also incorporate a hexagonal themed grille. In 1996, The Louisville Line was redesigned with a sloped windshield and rounded front contours, and had lost the hexagonal front profile.[2] No models with set-back axles would be made after 1996 either. However; production of models with set-back axles eventually resumed after the entire heavy-duty truck division was sold to Freightliner, and the trucks were rebadged as Sterling Trucks.
In 1976 Ford added the LTL-9000, a truck marketed toward cross-country truck drivers. Two years later, the LTL-9000 would have its own grille and headlight arrangement. The same year Ford introduced the CLT-Cabovers which had identical grilles with the LTL-9000.
In 1988, the basic L-Series truck design was repackaged into the AeroMax. This truck introduced new innovations in class-8 aerodynamics. A setback front axle made possible swept-back front fenders and a smoother form-fitting front bumper. It also had wraparound headlights, tank skirts and an available "Aero Bullet" sleeper unit.[2] The first models were known as the Aeromax 9000. Later in 1992, when the Aeromax 120 was introduced, the Aeromax 9000 was renamed the Aeromax 106 (for the BBC (Bumper to Back of Cab)). In 1996, they were joined by the Aeromax 9500 which was based on the new cab of the Louisville Line.
The year-span of these newer versions would be short-lived, though. In the late 1996 Ford sold its entire heavy-duty truck division to Freightliner Trucks. The trucks were rebadged as Sterling, a former division of White Motor Company in 1998.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ford L-Series Trucks |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The contents of this page are derived from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_L-Series_Trucks>
Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply.
Return to the Model Information Index
Promote YOUR Business or Product on this Website!
→ Advertising Info
More sites to explore:
You can Login with the same Member ID on ANY website in:
The AutoShrine Network
