If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. The Ford Motor Company has decided to take that old saying to heart, and produce the engines for its F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks itself. This will end the acrimonious relationship it has had with the Navistar International Corporation, which had produced the engines for that truck line since 1979.

At first, all was fine with the Navistar engines, but in 2003, Ford was surprised with a firestorm of complaints. To satisfy these complaints, Ford bought back thousands of trucks. Navistar was unhelpful, so Ford sued them to recoup the warranty costs. Rather than settle, Navistar countersued, blaming Ford for the problems. The stage was then set for Ford to begin work on producing the engines without Navistar.

Now in 2009, Ford has completed the engineering and testing of its own F-Series Super Duty pickup engines. As is to be expected, Ford didn’t settle for merely making one which duplicates the Navistar’s abilities; it made improvements so as to exceed the original specs. The new engine promises improved torque, fuel efficiency, and of course, better reliability. It is also supposed to be able to run for 250,000 miles without significant repairs needed. These engines will be in the F-Series trucks starting in 2011.

In other Ford news, the Cash for Clunkers program was quite a success for this company, as opposed to some other automakers who ran out of stock. This year, Ford posts its second consecutive increase in year-on-year sales for the month of August. The company’s sales analyst says that even though they were already poised for an increase, Cash for Clunkers brought in many people who otherwise wouldn’t have been shopping for a new car this year. They say that overall, Cash for Clunkers purchases accounted for about 14.4% of August sales.

Due to the increase in ongoing non-Cash for Clunkers demand, Ford is increasing production of its F-150 pickup truck. Workers at its F-150 plant will be returning to full-time scheduling in late September. This will allow Ford to produce another 10,000 F-150s. Ford will also be boosting production of other models which have seen increasing demand, although it hasn’t yet finalized which cars and trucks will be affected.

Overall, the future is looking bright for the Ford Motor Company, and it stands as a shining star amongst the otherwise-downtrodden US auto industry.