1949 Ford F6 COE Turbo Cummins Powered

The medium-duty version of the Ford F-Series is a range of commercial trucks manufactured by Ford since 1948. Derived from the smaller F-Series pickup trucks, the medium-duty range is currently in its eighth generation. Initially slotted between the F-Series pickup trucks and the “Big Job” conventionals, later generations were slotted below the L-Series “Louisville” trucks; the last two generations are the largest vehicles produced by Ford since its exit from the heavy-truck segment.

For the 1948 model year, Ford introduced the F-Series as a dedicated truck platform. Along with replacing the trucks introduced before World War II, the F-Series expanded Ford trucks into several product ranges. Along with light-duty trucks, the medium-duty range was slotted below the “Extra Heavy-Duty”/”Big Job” commercial trucks.

The medium-duty F-Series was marketed as a 1½ ton F-5 and 2 ton F-6, in both conventional and cab-over engine (COE) configurations. The F-5 and F-6 also served as the basis for the B-Series bus chassis; produced primarily for school bus use, the B-series was a bare chassis aft of the firewall.

Sure, we would have preferred a Ford diesel under the hood. But the legendary Cummins 4BT is a solid second choice. And these things run forever, too, which means you won’t have to worry about breaking down while on the job.

The cab of this fine COE is every bit as nice as the exterior, too. It’s mostly original yet completely refinished and repainted. Heck, it even still has roll-up windows and the originally painted dash, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Ford COEs have become incredibly popular restomod candidates for obvious reasons. Combine cool vintage styling with modern mechanicals, and you’ve got a heavy-duty hauler that’s as capable as a modern rig yet carries more class than any new truck could dream of having.