push button
 

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

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

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

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

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Nope, '53 had one also.

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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?

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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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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I know that '54 Mercury has the key start.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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A 1951 crestliner starts on a key no push button.

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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.