Chevrolet Series F

Last updated
Chevrolet Series F
1918 Chevrolet Baby Grand FA5.jpg
1918 Chevrolet Baby Grand (Model FA5) (model was carryover from Series F) [1]
Overview
Manufacturer Chevrolet
Also called
  • F-2 Chevrolet Royal Mail Roadster
  • F-5 Chevrolet Baby Grand Touring
Production1917
Assembly Oakland Assembly, Oakland, California
North Tarrytown Assembly, Tarrytown, New York
Flint Assembly, Flint, Michigan
Norwood Assembly, Norwood, Ohio
St. Louis Assembly, St. Louis, Missouri
Ft. Worth Assembly, Ft. Worth, Texas
Oshawa Assembly, Oshawa, Ontario Canada
Body and chassis
Class mid-size
Body style
  • F-2 2-door roadster
  • F-5 4-door touring
Layout FR layout
Related Chevrolet Series 490
Chevrolet Series D V8
Powertrain
Engine 171 in3 (2.80 L), 24 hp (18 kW), OHV I4
Transmission 3-speed Manual transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase 108 in (2,743 mm)
Curb weight 2,050–2,150 lb (930–975 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor Chevrolet Series H
Successor Chevrolet Series FA

The Chevrolet Series F of 1917 was an American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet before they became a division of General Motors. The successor of the Series H, it had a longer wheelbase and other improvements, but kept the same engine. It was replaced the following year by the Series FA in 1918, which had a larger, more powerful engine. [1] It was sold as the larger alternative to the Chevrolet Series 490, and the Model F was available for US$800 ($15,965 in 2019 dollars [2] ) as either a roadster or touring sedan. As the Model F and Series 490 were in direct competition with the Ford Model T, sales were recorded at 110,839 for Chevrolet, with 57,692 Series 490 and 3,493 Model F. [1] Chevrolet instituted Knock-down kit assembly where the product was created at Flint Assembly, then shipped by rail to the branch locations and locally assembled using locally sourced items such as tires, glass and other items. [1] In 1917, the Monroe Motor Company was sold to William Small of Flint MI and was no longer sold by independent Chevrolet dealers when they weren't part of GM. Mason Motor Company was merged into Chevrolet once it became a division of GM and was used to supply engines for GM-Chevrolet vehicles. [1]

Contents

Technical features

The F had a wheelbase of 108 inches. It had the same four-cylinder engine as the H, with a displacement of 171 cubic inches and 24 horsepower.

Engine specifications

Models

The Series F preserved the model names and body styles of the Series H it replaced: the Royal Mail model F-2 roadster and the Baby Grand model F-5 open touring car.

On both models, the front fenders followed a straight line from right behind the center of the front wheels to the runningboard. [3]

Related Research Articles

Pontiac (automobile) Defunct automobile brand owned by General Motors

Pontiac was an American automobile brand owned, manufactured, and commercialized by General Motors. Introduced as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles, Pontiac overtook Oakland in popularity and supplanted its parent brand entirely by 1933.

Chevrolet big-block engine American V-8 car engine

The Chevrolet "big block" engine is a term for a series of large displacement 90° overhead valve V8s that were developed and produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors from the 1950s until 2009.

Chevrolet small-block engine Car engine

The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of V8 automobile engines used in normal production by the Chevrolet division of General Motors between 1954 and 2003, using the same basic engine block. Referred to as a "small-block" for its comparative size relative to the physically much larger Chevrolet big-block engines, The small block family spanned from 262 cu in (4.3 L) to 400 cu in (6.6 L) in displacement. Engineer Ed Cole is credited with leading the design for this engine.

Chevrolet Inline-4 engine Motor vehicle engine

The Chevrolet Inline-4 engine was one of Chevrolet's first automobile engines, designed by Arthur Mason and introduced in 1913. Chevrolet founder Billy Durant, who previously had owned Buick which had pioneered the overhead valve engine, used the same basic engine design for Chevrolet: exposed pushrods and rocker arms which actuated valves in the detachable crossflow cylinder head. This was referred to this as a "valve-in-head" design, and it drew considerable publicity in a time when most rivals were flatheads. It was produced through 1928 when it was replaced by the Chevrolet Straight-6 engine.

Chevrolet Corvette (C1) Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Corvette (C1) is the first generation of the Corvette sports car produced by Chevrolet. It was introduced late in the 1953 model year, and produced through 1962. It is commonly referred to as the "solid-axle" generation, as the independent rear suspension did not appear until the 1963 Sting Ray. The Corvette was rushed into production for its debut model year to capitalize on the enthusiastic public reaction to the concept vehicle, but expectations for the new model were largely unfulfilled. Reviews were mixed and sales fell far short of expectations through the car's early years. The program was nearly canceled, but Chevrolet decided to make necessary improvements.

Marquette (automobile) Automobile manufacturer

Marquette was a brand used on several different automobiles, most recently on Buick's companion make.

Cole Motor Car Company Car manufacturer

The Cole Motor Car Company was an early automobile maker based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cole automobiles were built from 1908 until 1925. They were quality-built luxury cars. The make is a pioneer of the V-8 engine.

Buick Standard Six Car model

The Buick Standard Six Series 20 was manufactured by Buick at the Flint Wagon Works factory of Flint, Michigan, and was the junior model to the Buick Master Six between 1925 through 1929, and shared the GM A platform with Oldsmobile, Oakland and Chevrolet. The Standard Six evolved from the earlier Buick Six when the Buick 4-cylinder was cancelled. The Standard Six was the most popular Buick sold while being more upscale to the Oldsmobile Six. It was the senior brand to Marquette under the General Motors Companion Make Program until Marquette was cancelled one year later. It replaced the earlier Buick Six that was introduced in 1916, and was replaced with the Buick Series 60. Coachwork continued to be offered by Fisher Body who was the primary supplier of all GM products at this time, and Duco automotive lacquer paint, introduced by DuPont was the first quick drying multi-color line of nitrocellulose lacquers made especially for the automotive industry.

Chevrolet Superior Car model

The Chevrolet Superior Series F was launched in 1923, manufactured by Chevrolet for four years with a different series per year. The 1923 model was known as the Series B, the 1924 model was the Series F, for 1925 it was known as the Series K and the 1926 Superior was known as the Series V. It was replaced in 1927 by the Series AA Capitol. It was the first Chevrolet that didn't have a larger companion model and was the only car sold by Chevrolet in several body style configurations all supplied by Fisher Body. Each year new mechanical changes, appearance updates or optional features that became standard in subsequent years became expected of all GM products including Chevrolet. Body styles were separated into open and closed which meant closed included retractable glass in the doors and glass surrounding rear seat passengers. Standard items included tools, a jack for tire removal, speedometer, outside lockable door handles, ammeter, oil pressure gauge, dashboard light, choke pull knob, electric horn, ignition theft lock, and a two piece vertical ventilating windshield that allowed fresh air to enter the passenger compartment. Wheels were 30" and came standard with hickory wood spokes or optional pressed steel discs. For 1925 bumpers were offered optionally along with outside side view mirrors, heater for passenger compartment and a clock.

Cunningham automobile

The Cunningham automobile was a pioneering American production automobile, one of the earliest vehicles in the advent of the automotive age. It was produced from 1896 to 1931 in Rochester, New York by James Cunningham, Son and Company.

Chevrolet Series D Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Series D is an American automobile produced by Chevrolet between 1917 and 1918. Over 4,000 Series D cars were manufactured in the 1918 model year, and it was the first Chevrolet car with a V8 engine. It was not until 1955 that Chevrolet made another V8.

Chevrolet Series 490 Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Series 490 is an early American automobile, made from 1915 to 1922 by Chevrolet. Introduced in June 1915, the 490 sold for $490. Chevrolet 490 was an immediate success and established the brand as a big player. The name would not denote the price for long, but it would stay low enough to take a chunk out of the Model T market. The Model T started at $495 at the time. Chevrolet was soon so profitable that Chevrolet owner Billy Durant began buying shares of GM stock with his Chevrolet stock, enough that he was able to take control of GM and merge Chevrolet with it. Electric horns were standard. And by 1921, standard equipment included a speedometer, and ammeter, dome lights, and headlight dimmers.

The Chevrolet Series FB is an American vehicle manufactured by GM's Chevrolet Division from 1919 to 1922. It was a slightly larger replacement to the 1918 Chevrolet Series FA, sitting on a wheelbase of 110 in (2,794 mm) compared to 108 in (2,743 mm). It was replaced by the 1923 Chevrolet Superior.

Chevrolet Series FA Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Series FA of 1917–1918 is an American vehicle manufactured by GM's Chevrolet Division. It was a replacement of the Series F which had improvements in engine capacity as well as other features. In this transformation of series, the pre-existing names of the H and F series cars, The Royal Mail and Baby Grand were dropped in favor of the names Roadster and Touring respectively. The FA Series was then replaced by the Chevrolet Series FB in 1919. Production was not interrupted while the United States entered World War I starting in 1917.

The Model 42 was an entry-level four seat passenger car produced by GM's Oldsmobile Division in 1914, offered as a replacement to the Oldsmobile Curved Dash runabout when it was discontinued in 1908, and was the junior platform to the Oldsmobile Six introduced in 1913. GM had acquired Elmore Manufacturing Company, Oldsmobile and Oakland Motor Car Company in 1908 and Cartercar and Rainier Motor Car Company in 1909 as their entry-level models, and Oldsmobile products were being repositioned in their new hierarchy as GM began to consolidate operations after William Durant had left.

The Model 43 was an entry-level four seat passenger car produced by GM's Oldsmobile Division in 1915 and 1916, then again in 1921 and 1922. It replaced the Model 42 also known as the "Baby Olds", while the most significant improvement was a longer wheelbase shared with the Buick Series C. Until GM assumed control of Chevrolet in 1917, the previous Model 42 and the Model 43 were GM's entry-level cars which led to the interrupted production of the Model 43 as Oldsmobile was promoted as a higher content product. It was also known as the "Oldsmobile Four" and competed with the Chevrolet Series H as an entry-level model until GM bought Chevrolet. It was the junior level product to the upscale Oldsmobile Light Eight. It was Oldsmobile's last four-cylinder car until 1977 with the Oldsmobile Starfire.

The Series 22 Special was a four-seat passenger car produced by the Oldsmobile Division of GM in 1910 and 1911. It was the first car engineered by Oldsmobile after it became a division of GM and began sharing a platform with the Buick Model 10. It became the entry-level model for Oldsmobile, replacing the discontinued 1909 Model 20 and the 1909 Model D, while Oakland Motor Car Company became GM's entry level brand as Chevrolet didn't join GM until 1917.

Oldsmobile Six Car model

The Oldsmobile Six, also known as the Model 53, 54 and 55 (1913-1915) then a brief cancellation until it reappeared as the Model 37, 37A and 37B (1917-1921) was a top level sedan along with the Oldsmobile Series 40 junior vehicle produced by GM's Oldsmobile Division and was manufactured at Lansing Car Assembly in Lansing, Michigan. It replaced the Series 28 also known as the "Oldsmobile Autocrat" and was replaced by the Oldsmobile Model 30 in 1927, and shared wheelbases with the Buick Six.It continued to use the T-head engine for two years. The various bodystyles were supplied by Fisher Body of Detroit, MI. It competed with the Chevrolet Series C Classic Six as Chevrolet was an independent company before becoming a division in 1917. Oldsmobile also shared technology with GMC for commercial and industrial products.

Oldsmobile F-Series Car model

The Oldsmobile F-Series was built from the 1928 through 1938. The first generation continued the tradition of adding a series number for each model year; F-28, F-29, F-30 and F-31. The second generation, signified by a completely new bodystyle appearance was built from 1932 through 1938, all having been manufactured in Lansing, Michigan. 1926 saw the introduction of GM's most recognized business model, the use of common platforms shared amongst the brands. Oldsmobile and Buick shared the GM B platform. The F-Series was shared with the Buick Master Six and was also known as the Oldsmobile Six which was introduced as a name earlier in 1913. The F-Series was Oldsmobile's entry-level product using the Oldsmobile straight-6 engine, while the Oldsmobile L-Series, with a Oldsmobile Straight-8 engine, was the top level vehicle. It replaced the Oldsmobile Model 30 introduced in 1923, and was replaced by the Oldsmobile Series 60 and Oldsmobile Series 70 introduced in 1938. It was exported to Japan as a knock down kit and assembled at Osaka Assembly in Osaka, Japan

Oakland Six Car model

The Oakland Six was the first six-cylinder engine offered by the Oakland Motor Company in 1913 which became a division of General Motors in 1909. The Oakland Six was offered in many different model names that changed every year, along with several body styles and engine displacements until 1929, when the V8 was reintroduced, then in 1931 Oakland was renamed Pontiac. When Oakland became a division of GM and introduced the Oakland Four, Oldsmobile and Buick shared bodywork and chassis of their six-cylinder models with Oakland. When Chevrolet became part of GM in 1917, Oakland chassis and bodywork were shared with Chevrolet. Manufacture of the Oakland was completed in Pontiac, Michigan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kimes, Beverly R. (1996). Clark, Henry A. (ed.). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1945. Kraus Publications. pp. 283–302. ISBN   0873414780.
  2. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Gunnell, John. Standard Catalog of Chevrolet, 1912–2003: 90 Years of History, Photos, Technical Data and Pricing. Krause Publications. p. 13. ISBN   978-1-4402-3051-6.