push button

[scrapiron]

What was the last year for push button start in cars & trucks?

 

[5851a]

I believe 50 in cars, 52 in pickups. Don't quote me going from old memories.

 

[51 MERC-CT]

What was the last year for push button start in cars & trucks?

That's probably something to debate because some new cars have push button start.
And my '51 has push button start.

 

[5851a]

http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/NA/Ford/1951_Ford/1951-Ford-rev/1951-Ford-rev--08-09

 

[RalphG]

Push button on my 52 Merc. Might have been the last year.

 

[51 MERC-CT]

Push button on my 52 Merc. Might have been the last year.

Nope, '53 had one also.

 

[RalphG]

Nope, '53 had one also.

Interesting! I just checked my manual for 52 Fords and see they used turn key start. No push button. I wonder what 52-53 Meteor used since some of them had the Ford dash and upscale Meteors had the Mercury dash?

 

[Robz51]

My 55 F100 had push button start. My guess is last year for push button start is 1950 Ford car and 55 pickup. Mercury 1953.
Rob

 

[amodel25]

My '51 sedan has a key start. I have a '49 and a '50, both push button.

 

[Seth Swoboda]

I assumed '49 was the first year for a key switch start on Fords and Mercury had the key switch start in '48.

 

[34PKUP]

Fords and Mercury had the key switch start in '48.

Suspect you are confusing key switch and starter button.
Key switch just turns the ignition on, the starter button activates the starter to start the car.

 

[Seth Swoboda]

Suspect you are confusing key switch and starter button.
Key switch just turns the ignition on, the starter button activates the starter to start the car.

No, I have a friend with a 1948 Mercury sedan and it starts with a turn of the key, a factory Mercury set up.

I'm not familiar with the 1949 Fords but my thoughts are that they would start on the key just like the 1948 Mercury does. Not a flip of the ignition switch and push of the starter button.

I suppose what I meant to say was simply the last year for the push button start on Fords was 1948 and Mercury 1947. However, amodel25 states that his 49-50 Ford still starts on the push button.

 

[TJ]

I know that '54 Mercury has the key start.

 

[51 MERC-CT]

No, I have a friend with a 1948 Mercury sedan and it starts with a turn of the key, a factory Mercury set up.

I used to own a '48 Merc. and it had a starter button.
It was not uncommon to customize/upgrade to a later Ford starter switch, especially when the original switch went bad.
I recall doing at least two cars this way.

 

[Seth Swoboda]

I used to own a '48 Merc. and it had a starter button.
It was not uncommon to customize/upgrade to a later Ford starter switch, especially when the original switch went bad.
I recall doing at least two cars this way.

I'll have to take another look at this '48 Mercury. If it was a modification it was done really well as its built into the dash. You very well could be right.

 

[5851a]

Maybe it was a early/late production or territorial thing. I do remember turning the key to start on a 51. I do like them all but the shoebox Fords had the nicest instrument panels. 51 was so modern looking.

 

[Don Rogers]

Had a starter button in 1951. Here's a dash photo of a 1951 Merc

 

[MGG]

I got my first driver's license in my parents' 1950 Ford 2 door sedan. It had a key to turn on the ignition and a push button to start.

 

[Seth Swoboda]

A 1951 crestliner starts on a key no push button.

 

[RalphG]

Fords and Mercs were different. My books say Merc had turn key starting in 48 but apparently they went back to starter buttons for a few years.
My 52 key on the right, button on the left.