Autoblog

Outdoor enthusiasts and urban cowboys get some love from Ford this year in the form of the Blue Oval's first-ever Cabela FX4-edition F-Series and the latest Harley-Davidson tie-up -- the first time ever the Bar and Shield logo has appeared on the heaviest-duty F-450 model.

Apparently, Ford has found that 76-percent of F-Series buyers hunt and fish, hence the newly expanded relationship between the automaker and the outdoorsy retailer. Consisting mostly of a paint and badge job, the Cabela buyer gets his or her choice of five two-tone paint schemes: Ebony, Oxford White, Forest Green Metallic, Royal Red Metallic and Silver Metallic -- all with Sterling Grey Metallic lower accents along the rocker panels, running boards and wheel arch moldings.

For the twelfth iteration of the Harley-Davidson edition, Ford will put blue-flames along the length of the vehicle and on the black leather seats. Also included are large chromed vents just aft of the front wheels. Expect plenty of Harley logos all over the truck, though a photo has yet to appear.

Along with these two new models, the Super Duty trucks receive an optional spray-in bedliner from the factory, an integrated trailer brake controller, the new Ford Work Solutions suite, Voice-Activated Navigation System with SIRIUS Travel Link and the heavy duty trucks first application of SYNC.

[Source: Ford, Pickuptrucks.com]

It's an unconfirmed rumor that Ford's going to make its Super Duty pickups shiftless, but the mere whiff of a reduction in choices is likely set enthusiasts afire with rage. The merits of standard versus automatic transmissions in trucks that routinely tow and generally work hard is a debate for another time, but the real crux of the biscuit comes down to cost. As it stands now, you can get a Power Stroke diesel with a manual for $1500 less than a self-shifter. If Ford removes the standard transmission from its Power Stroke offerings, does that mean that it will pass some of the savings on to consumers by reducing the price of the automatic? Not bloody likely. A more probable scenario would see the price of the Power Stroke option rising.

[Source: Four Wheeler]

On the final media day of the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, Mike Levine from Pickuptruck.com walked us over to the Ford display to show us an inconspicuous Super Duty sitting among a fleet of Ford commercial vehicles. He wanted to show us the bed, which was filled with DeWalt tools and Ford's new Tool Link system for keeping track of one's tools. The purpose of our visit was not Ford's new fancy in-dash computer for the commercial sector, but rather the spray-in bed liner that the truck was sporting. Called Tough Bed, Ford will soon become the second manufacturer to offer a spray-in bedliner behind Nissan, which began offering its Durabed spray-in bed liner on the 2004 Titan. Ford's Tough Bed will be an alternative to drop-in bed liners, which, while popular, can be susceptible to rusting the bed if water gets between them and the truck's metal. Ford's spray-in liner, meanwhile, is applied by robots at the factory and covered under the truck's three-year or 36,000-mile warranty. Head over to Pickuptruck.com to see Levine's detailed comparison between Ford's factory offering and a popular third-party spray-in liner called LINE-X. Honestly, we wonder what's taken the OEMs this long to offer optional spray-in bed liners, but now that Ford and Nissan are both doing it, don't be surprised if GM, Chrysler and Toyota follow suit quickly.

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

Rather than wait for the 2009 model year to roll around, Ford has decided to introduce two new fuel saving changes to the 2008.5 Super Duty that should improve fuel economy for the big trucks by about 1.5 mpg. That may not sound like much, but for vehicles that barely break the double-digit barrier in mpg, it's a big improvement. The changes include reducing the rear axle ratio on certain F-250 and F-350 models and extending their underbody chin spoilers by 3.93 inches. If you're a truck person, you're no doubt wondering how Ford will maintain the maximum tow rating for these trucks while reducing their rear axle ratios. With big trucks, a higher rear axle ratio means more towing capacity, while a lower rear axle ratio provides better fuel economy. In this case, Ford says that these Super Duty trucks will still be able to tow the same amount of weight as before, though our friends at Pickuptruck.com suspect that 0 to 60 performance and acceleration in general, especially while towing, will drop. Click here to view the specific changes for each iteration of the Super Duty that's affected.

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

click above image to view more high-res photos of the DeBerti Super-Duty

Earlier we showed you a preview of three Super Duty trucks that Ford's brought to SEMA, and we hunted down the DeBerti version to see just how low they could get an F-450. This ground scraping pickup has a Dallas Smith Axleless Lo-Floor front-wheel drive conversion that puts the rear low enough to easily drive a motorcyle up onto the bed. Ford even put a motorcycle into the Deep-V bed to demonstrate its utility. It was by far one of the most popular vehicles in the company's display, which unfortunately made it hard to get photos. Still, with some patient waiting we snapped a gallery for your viewing pleasure.

International and Ford haven't been the best of friends lately, with the two companies sparring over compensation for the Powerstroke 6.4L. International stopped making the engines in protest earlier in the year, but this time the union has walked out on International. Even with the strike, Ford hasn't yet suspended production of the Super Duty at its Louisville plant. If the strike lasts more than a few days, however, the blue oval will simply run out of parts with which to build the big truck.

Union rhetoric points to what may be a longer strike than we saw at GM and Chrysler, and if days turn into weeks, Ford could lose $22 million a week in lost profits. International supplies Ford with up to 250,000 Powerstroke 6.4L engines per year, and the oil burner reaps Ford's largest profit margins. We're pretty sure Ford is in no shape to lose out on $22 million a week, so lets hope this union spat ends quickly.

[Source: Auto News - sub. req'd]

Our good buddy Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com did the legwork and got in touch with Ford safety spokesperson Dan Jarvis to talk about the video we showed you yesterday that features a 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup spewing flames from its tailpipes. Jarvis confirmed that the truck in the video is one of the three pickups Ford described last week when it issued a recall to address the problem. While not entirely certain which of the trucks it is, Jarvis said it's one of the two trucks that was purchased in Canada, probably the one that was started in extremely cold temperatures (appx. minus 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit) and not given sufficient time to warm up before being driven. That situation could make short work of any engine, and the resultant blown bearing seal in the turbo that leaked combustible fluid into the exhaust system should not necessarily be considered a defective part.

Clearly, Ford is very concerned about the reputation of its new 6.4L Power Stroke, which is evident by how quickly it took action with a recall to address three isolated incidents that resulted in the same outcome, i.e. flaming tailpipes. The real issue in each case appears to be this newfangled Diesel Particulate Filter, versions of which are used not only by the Ford Super Duty, but also the Heavy Duty GMT900 and Dodge Ram pickups. Considering that all three heavy duty pickups use a process of regeneration to burn away accumulated particulates in their respective DPFs, the potential for flaming tailpipes exists in all three trucks if an unmetered amount of flammable liquid gets in there somehow. We're certainly not cutting Ford any slack here, but considering it likely sells more heavy duty trucks equipped with diesels than the other two automakers, statistically speaking this was bound to happen to a Ford first. Only time will tell if we're right and other diesel-equipped late-model pickups start getting hot under the collar.

Ford is telling its dealers to put on ice sales of some 2008 F-Series Super Duty diesels because of -- gulp -- reports of flames shooting from the tailpipes. Ouch.

Luckily, only about 8,400 of the trucks had been sold, with the remaining 29,000 still on dealer lots. So far, only three owners have reported the fiery problem and no one was injured. Ford says the issue stems from leaking fuel injectors in one case and a cracked turbocharger shaft in another. In both cases, Ford says the leaking fuel ignited in the diesel particulate filter near the tailpipe.

Apparently, according to Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis, the problem can be fixed with a control module upgrade that will "power down the engine" when extreme temperatures in the trucks' diesel particulate filter are detected.

[Source: AP via Yahoo]

Ford has announced slightly smaller pricing for some of its 2008 Super Duty pickups. A 2008 F-250 Super Duty Regular Cab XL 4x2 will start at $23,305 ($150 less than a 2007), while the top end Crew Cab Lariat 4x4 before options will be $38,425 ($245 less).

Ford brags that the Lariat is now an even better deal since it comes with $545 worth of more standard equipment, including 18-inch wheels and trailer hitch. Ford says the new trucks should be available sometime in the first quarter of this year.

For a list of options like the 650(!) foot-pounds of torque Power Stroke, check the jump.

As noted by Inside Line, Ford decided not to go with the locomotive-inspired theme of the Super Chief concept for its refreshened Super Duty pickups due out this summer. Too bad, as the Super Chief was super cool. Regardless, the new Super Dutes will get bigger and bolder in the front and back, with larger, one-piece headlights that extend down to a one-piece bumper, bigger vents in the grille, quarter panel vents behind the front wheels and the words “Super Duty” branded everywhere it will fit.

The bigger news for the new Super Dutes will be the arrival of an all new Powerstroke diesel to replace the current one that’s been plagued with problems from the get-go. The new oil burner will displace 6.4 liters and employ a pair of sequential turbos to help produce 350 hp and 650 ft-lbs of torque. Those numbers would put the Super Duty ahead of both Dodge’s 5.9L Cummins turbo diesel (325 hp/610 ft-lbs.) and GM’s 6.6L Duramax diesel (310 hp/605 ft-lbs.), in which case it’s time for another race.

[Source: Inside Line]