Thames Trader Truck

Overview
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	1957-1965
Assembly	Dagenham, England
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door pickup 2-door van
Layout	FR layout
Dimensions
Wheelbase	118.0 in (2,997 mm) 138.0 in (3,505 mm) 152.0 in (3,861 mm) 160.0 in (4,064 mm) 108.0 in (2,743 mm)

The Thames Trader was a range of trucks manufactured by the British arm of the Ford Motor Company built between 1957 and 1965.Produced at the Dagenham plant for the European market . The trader was also exported to South Africa , Indonesia and Australia . From 1963 the trader was also produced by Ebro in Spain as Ebro C-400, C-500 and C-550. Also starting from 1963 the production began at Otosan in Turkey and in the Ford plant in Rhodesien - Egypt, after the end of the production in England as Ford K series .

Thames Trader FC Series 

In March 1957, Ford England introduced the new Thames Trader FC (Forward Control) series as the successor to the Fordson Thames ET and the Fordson E83W . The new trucks were the most versatile that Ford England built until then, as the payload now ranged from two to seven tons. The design was based on the American Ford C-series and stood out clearly from other commercial vehicles of the same time. As engines 4- or 6-cylinder diesel or gasoline engines were used. In addition to flatbed , This was also used as a chassis produced, which were provided by designers with a variety of structures, for example, as a bus .

The distinctive cab design, which sets it apart from other British commercial vehicles, was a forward-control (or semi-forward control) design and the Thames Trader model covered a much wider weight range than the existing normal control ET Thames model or the earlier forward control 7V model. Both these earlier models had been based on Ford of America designs, the new Thames Trader was the first heavy commercial to be designed by Ford of Britain, (although if you look at the headlight surrounds of the American Ford C series truck of the mid 1950s there is a definite family resemblance).

Mechanicals and wheelbase types

The Thames Trader model range covered weights from 2 to 7 tons, powered by either petrol or diesel engines in four- or 6 cylinders guises. The lower weight vehicles were available with 118 and 138 inch wheelbases, the heavy weight vehicle with 138, 152 and 160 inch wheelbases, there was also a 108 inch tipper wheelbase. In addition there was also a low frame chassis model - typically used for furniture van bodywork.

Mk2

was revised and introduced as MK II. You could now order a conventional cab NC (NC for Normal Control) and a 17 ton truck tractor. The NC models had the cab of the German Ford FK series , whose production was discontinued in 1961. In 1965, production in England was discontinued, while the model in Turkey and Egypt for the non-European market was further produced. The successor model was the Ford D-series , which revived under the name Ford N-series in 1973.

A Mk 2 version was introduced in mid-1962. Externally it is very easy to differentiate between Mk1 and Mk2 versions; the Mk1 has the words THAMESTRADER in red on a chrome strip along the bottom of the bonnet opening and the white painted grill between the headlights has a vertical divider with a red circular badge with 4 stars, whereas the Mk2 has just the word THAMES under the bonnet, and TRADER in white letters spaced out between the headlights replacing the divider and badge. The Mk2 Diesel engined variants had either a 4D or 6D chrome badge on each front wing, on the Mk1 it was a squarish chrome badge with either a red painted 4, 6, 4D or 6D to indicate the engine configuration. The lower edge of the badge had a horizontal chrome strip running the length of the lower part of the wing.