Fuel Saver Option

[Gary Lewis]

I was perusing the 1982 Dealer Facts Book looking for info about lighting, stylesides, DRW's, etc. And, while doing so I came across this on Page 9 of the Options And Accessories tab and thought y'all might like to see it:

FUEL SAVER (F-100 FS)— (F-Series)

This new option package includes a special power team for

the driver who wishes to achieve optimum fuel efficiency from

his F-100 pickup. It is available only in 49 states on the F-100

Styleside pickup with 117-inch wheelbase and Base Payload

Package No. 1. Components include:

•4.9L 1VI-6 engine

•Three-speed manual transmission (four-speed manual overdrive optional)

•2.47 rear axle ratio

•Front spoiler

•Secondary door seals

Not available with air conditioning, manual brakes, P235/75

R15XL tires, power steering, tilt steering wheel, speed con-

trol, Heavy-Duty Trailer Towing Package, XLS trim, optional

mirrors, optional rear bumper, super engine cooling or extra

engine cooling.

[kramttocs]

The 'not available with' list cracks me up.

Wonder what secondary door seals look like.

[Gary Lewis]

The 'not available with' list cracks me up.

Wonder what secondary door seals look like.

Yes, they made sure it was bare bones. No extra weight - including a longer bed. Kinda like there was a competition of some kind and they needed to ensure that all of their Fuel Saver trucks got a certain MPG.

Here's the secondary seal:

[FuzzFace2]

Yes, they made sure it was bare bones. No extra weight - including a longer bed. Kinda like there was a competition of some kind and they needed to ensure that all of their Fuel Saver trucks got a certain MPG.

Here's the secondary seal:

But if I read it right they kept the power brakes?

Would that not add the weight of the booster?

Then again the brakes are different front & rear for power / non-power and it is a wash?

I also would have guessed they all would of had the OD stick trany but not the heavy T8.

The 3 speed would be a light weight tray but the OD I don't think would be much more?

Other than the flare side my 81 F100 custom only had power steering, T18, manual brakes and the large mirrors based on bolt holes in the doors.

Wonder if that is the pony option?

When looking over the cooling side it used a 15" fan, less drag, all others an 18" fan.

Anyone have a picture and / or part number of this spoiler?

Dave ----

[Steve83]

Would that not add the weight of the booster?

Yes, but the brakes themselves could be smaller/lighter.

...a 15" fan, less drag...

Fans don't create any drag, regardless of size. Super cooling is excluded because of all the other things required before super cooling can be added (A/C, a big engine, a big trans, a heavy GVWR...).

Anyone have a picture and / or part number of this spoiler?

The crossmember at the front of this pic is sometimes called a "front spoiler":

https://supermotors.net/getfile/78839/thumbnail/crossmembers.jpg

[Gary Lewis]

Would that not add the weight of the booster?

Yes, but the brakes themselves could be smaller/lighter.

...a 15" fan, less drag...

Fans don't create any drag, regardless of size. Super cooling is excluded because of all the other things required before super cooling can be added (A/C, a big engine, a big trans, a heavy GVWR...).

Anyone have a picture and / or part number of this spoiler?

The crossmember at the front of this pic is sometimes called a "front spoiler":

https://supermotors.net/getfile/78839/thumbnail/crossmembers.jpg

Spoiler, aka Deflector (Front Air). It measures 50" wide and is a whopping 1" tall, so probably makes a huge difference in MPG.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Spoiler, aka Deflector (Front Air). It measures 50" wide and is a whopping 1" tall, so probably makes a huge difference in MPG.

I was wondering if the spoiler was the little rubber thing on the front bumper. My 86xlt had one. I am planning to make a new one but a little longer someplace between 2” and 3”.

[Steve83]

It measures 50" wide and is a whopping 1" tall, so probably makes a huge difference in MPG.

That's not exactly its purpose...

It's there to "spoil" the air flowing under the bumper & hitting the engine crossmember, which creates pressure BEHIND the fan, reducing airflow THROUGH the radiator. With the spoiler, more air comes through the rad, making the tiny fan more-effective without as much weight as a larger fan would require. On later trucks, especially those with A/C, the spoiler is larger & more-critical. And another barrier was added there, as the 2nd TSB in this caption describes:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/724185/thumbnail/tsb961710refrgtsubs.jpg

[Gary Lewis]

It measures 50" wide and is a whopping 1" tall, so probably makes a huge difference in MPG.

That's not exactly its purpose...

It's there to "spoil" the air flowing under the bumper & hitting the engine crossmember, which creates pressure BEHIND the fan, reducing airflow THROUGH the radiator. With the spoiler, more air comes through the rad, making the tiny fan more-effective without as much weight as a larger fan would require. On later trucks, especially those with A/C, the spoiler is larger & more-critical. And another barrier was added there, as the 2nd TSB in this caption describes:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/724185/thumbnail/tsb961710refrgtsubs.jpg

Steve - That's an interesting theory. And, it may have answered a long-standing question about the "Pony".

I turned to the page on fans (Cooling Systems/COOLING FAN #'S & ILLUSTRATIONS) and found that there's no really small fan to fit your theory - except for the "Pony", which got a little bitty 15" fan as opposed to the 18"+ fan for other 300 six's.

As explained on the 1982-84 Pony tab on the Bullnose FAQ's page, the Pony is mentioned several times in the catalog. But it is not mentioned in the dealer facts books nor listed in the price lists. So, my wonder had been if it was planned but not produced.

However, what if the parts catalog just has the wrong name? Maybe "Pony" is a term that Ford employees called the truck with the Fuel Saver option. And, note that the parts catalog also called it the Fuel Economy Package, so there was already some confusion regarding its name.

[85lebaront2]

It measures 50" wide and is a whopping 1" tall, so probably makes a huge difference in MPG.

That's not exactly its purpose...

It's there to "spoil" the air flowing under the bumper & hitting the engine crossmember, which creates pressure BEHIND the fan, reducing airflow THROUGH the radiator. With the spoiler, more air comes through the rad, making the tiny fan more-effective without as much weight as a larger fan would require. On later trucks, especially those with A/C, the spoiler is larger & more-critical. And another barrier was added there, as the 2nd TSB in this caption describes:

https://supermotors.net/getfile/724185/thumbnail/tsb961710refrgtsubs.jpg

Steve, as far as the TSB on air conditioning, I added the lower air deflector to Darth and since then added a pair of side "baffles" from a 1995 F450 that was being scrapped. I haven't really been in stop and go traffic in hot weather since the side baffles were added, but the lower air deflector behind the bumper did help last summer when I had to go through downtown Portsmouth VA to get to the I 264 tunnel.