My dad had a 1979 F-250 4x4 pickup with a 400 and C-6 automatic when I was growing up and I always loved that truck. Lost dad back last Sept and I got to thinking I'd like to have his old truck back or a substitute. If anyone knows of one sitting around, let me know as I'd be interested in buying it even in rough shape. I'd also take one with a 460 in it. Long bed and dual fuel tanks would be a plus and I'd be interested in a dually as well. I'm a fair mechanic and body man so in need of work doesn't scare me. $1000 to $5000 range would be great.
Just looked at a '79 a couple weeks ago, guy wanted $9,500 for it. Wish I had taken another photo, it had a sweet custom flatbed. If distance isn't a factor, look around New Mexico and Arizona. I have found a few in good shape and decent prices. Myself, I'm looking to get an F-100 Ranger, preferably '74.
I finally found one on Facebook Marketplace! Been looking there and craigslist for a while. This one got listed and I spoke for it within an hour. 1979 F-250 Ranger supercab 460 with a c6 automatic 4x4 with dual tanks. Things are damn hard to come by, going to pick it up Tuesday. Needs work but it runs and drives and under $2K...damn. I've seen restored ones go for $25-$30K and all stock. (of course it'll probably eat $15k worth of parts and labor, lol) Frame off restoration on this old gal, sandblasted and undercoated. Good thing it has dual tanks, I bet it drinks gas like Thor drinking beer...lol, that's okay I guess, it should have power to spare and if not when I re-build the engine I'll supercharge the sob, lol! I'll either put a gooseneck ball or a fifth wheel hitch in it and use it for my cattle truck. It's going to get two toned forest green and white just like dads. Wow, I'm excited.
That's one thing Facebook is really nice for is marketplace. Have found a lot of things on there in the past few months. I found over $350 worth of 1:64 scale Ertl buildings on there for $35!
There's a 77 f150 just saw on fb near jacksonville, il but i see you already found one, besides wanting a 3/4 ton. Be little but of a drive too. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Yep, F-250=3/4 ton. Heading out to get it in the morning, about a 90 mile drive one way. Hauling it on a trailer if it fits (it should). I hope my ambitions haven't written a check that my a** can't cash, . This thing is going to be a hell of a project. I'll go over it here in the next few days and take inventory of what is and isn't. I'll post pics so everyone can laugh at me along the way. If it runs and drives I may just change fluids and make sure it's safe to run (brakes etc..)and drive it around playing with it for a bit before I rip the piss out of it to rebuild it.
Here's my goal. Whenever I get discouraged and tired, I'm going to watch this video. Maybe just nostalgia but I love the looks of these trucks! Mine isn't a lariat unfortunately, just the XLT package but I guess I can make it what I want as I go. I'd turn the sound almost off, the music in this vid sucks, lol.
Great truck covey! I had alot of ford's over the years and keep going back to them. My brother had a 78 growing up. My first truck when i was 17 was a 86 f150 standard cab long bed. Loved that truck! I like your game plan of getting it running and driving, then fix it up along the way. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Hmm. I happen to know where there is an f250 about mid 70 s in an abandoned farm yard. Last I looked it over, it appeared to be in great shape. Last licensed in the 90 s. May have to inquire?
I bought grandparents old farm truck back in hs and me and my dad redid it. Was a 80 f350, was a fun truck besides the gas mileage. Good thing was at that time could fill it up for a 20. Thing rode like a log wagon but have lots of good memories in that thing. Good luck Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
You better, if you don't want it there's no shortage of people wanting them. The kind of sad thing is here at least that a lot of guys just want to make a mudding/crawling machine out of them. They make good ones but I kind of hate seeing them destroyed in the process.
Well so here's the update: I got it bought and paid for and clear title in hand, got it pulled all the way home and had no issues, made it safe and on a great schedule. The bad news is that the poor old bastard is about as rough as anything you can imagine. The engine does start and run and sounds amazing...is there any sound like a big V-8? Just grabs ya in the guts man, awesome and that 460 sounds amazing. Has a new $600 carb on it, lol...kinda looks like a diamond on a turd. The good news is it's nothing I didn't totally expect, most any of those old trucks that are buyable are roached. Everything on them is available and reasonably priced. Good engine and tranny in a parts matching camper special 4x4 460 with a C6 auto tranny is pretty rare this day and age. I could have done much worse. Almost in too bad a shape for me to post pics of, kind of embarrassed to show the old gal with all her flaws but I may anyway here pretty soon. If I'd decide to sell it instead of restoring it, I'm sure I could make money on it. People were still calling the guy while I was loading her up and offering more than his asking price if he'd not let me take it, lol.
Poor old truck had some really cheap and lazy a-holes working on it. It's even worse than it looks in these pics when you start looking it over close. Someone bent at least one of the bed support rails, you can see the body lines are really effed up between the cab and the bed in the last pic of the drivers side. Also check out the badassed "custom" running boards made out of chrome pipe and welded straight to the frame. World full of geniuses. How the hell do you bust off a fuel filler lid? Lol SMDH. They've also got the automatic transmission shift linkage all effed up. First thing on the "to do list" is fix the shifter linkage. They also put those big bog tires and rims on it (shown still on the back) Rims are hideous and the tires made it too wide to load on my trailer. I suspected that issue and took a good used set of OEM wheels and tires with me and swapped out the fronts so it'd fit between my trailer fender wells. They put headers on it and new exhaust which they get a total "F" on and they put glass packs on it. As if the 460 needed to be "enhanced" LOL. Everything done to it smells of D-baggery. Last one to do work on it gets some kudos for the new Eldelbrock 4bbl carb and the brake lines they put on and a new starter. Oh and the lights actually work, ha. The firewall and cowl are perfect, front fenders aren't terrible and the middle high portion of the cab floor is still great. Floor pans on either side are roached but that's normal and all of them I looked at save one were that way. $80 repair so no biggie. Dash is decent though wrong color and this truck's bed wasn't equipped with the passenger side integrated tool box I really wanted.
