Ford unveils 2004 Super Duty trucks

Ford Motor Co. has unveiled its 2004 F-650 and F-750 Super Duty trucks, the first products to result from the Ford and Navistar International Corp. joint venture, Blue Diamond Truck. "Ford is reinventing, expanding and updating its entire commercial truck lineup, and a big part of that is the 2004 F-650 and F-750," said Dave Tarrant, Ford's chief nameplate engineer, medium-truck and joint venture products. Typical uses for trucks in this category include dump, utility, van and stake bodies for construction, urban-suburban delivery, and service applications, Tarrant said. Three diesel engine families are available with a wide variety of horsepower choices, which include a 3126 Caterpillar 7.2-liter diesel with up to 300 horsepower and 860 ft.-lb. of torque, and a 5.9-liter Cummins ISB diesel engine (available late spring 2003) with up to 260 horsepower and 660 foot-pounds of torque. Customers also can choose between ten manual and seven automatic transmissions. The base engine will be an all-new direct injection, 32-valve, 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel with four power ranges, generating up to 230 horsepower and 620 ft.-lb. of torque.Ford has established a parts joint venture to support the F-650 and F-750. The goal of the joint venture is to enable Ford dealers to service all the needs of diesel truck customers. Additionally, the parts joint venture offers an all-makes service parts program to eligible Ford dealers. Through the program, dealers gain access to a full range of industry service parts for other OEMs' trucks in the medium-duty segment.