Just picked up a 1969 F-250 Ranger, Camper Special VIN #F25YRF13307 for $1,300. Truck is in pretty nice survivor condition. It's a 360 2bbl, C6, with power brakes and manual steering. Royal Maroon exterior and black vinyl interior. Body is super straight with very little rust and the paint is decent enough for a 43 year old truck (damnit, I was born the same year. We are getting old).

The PO had it sitting in his back yard for at least a year on old bias ply tires, but receipts in the glove box show routine maintenance through 2008 including having the brakes overhauled about a thousand miles ago and a total rebuild of the rear suspension about the same time. The new leaf springs have it sitting pretty high in the back and the receipt has a note that it was "in at 24 1/2, out at 32 1/4". It also has a new Holly carb sitting on it. The engine runs nice and strong, no smoke, and does not seem to have any oil leaks. It does have the usual exhaust leak on the driver side that I'll have to deal with soon. PO claimed it had been rebuilt at some point, but no receipts for that, so who knows. It is mighty clean though, with fresh looking Ford blue paint on the entire engine. Today I changed out all the fluids and filters.

Flat spots in the tires (and a near total lack of tread) made the ride home pretty bumpy and it wanted to jerk around the lane on the freeway, but I'm hoping a new set of tires will calm the ride down a bit. And while the brakes are strong and don't pull to either side, the master cylinder is leaking like a sieve. Other than that, we are planning to leave it alone for the most part and use it as it was intended and fix things as they break.

This is a replacement for the '76 SuperCab in my user name. I miss the big cab, but never managed to get that truck quite right. A friend put the poor thing out of it's misery last year when he just kept driving after it overheated. He will be funding a portion of the purchase price for our "new" Ranger.

Wanted to share this with those of you in the Bumpside forums. I spend most of my time over on the 7.3 list, but love wrenching on the older trucks when I have time. This will be the fourth old Ford truck in our family. My brother-in-law has a 1966 F-250 and my dad has a 1972 F-250, Ranger, Camper Special that my grandparents bought new in 1972.

 

Nice truck. I just sold my 75 F150 last month. It also had the 360 / C6. But my other 2 73 crewcabs with 390's keep me busy. There so easy to work on and fun. Enjoy your new ride. I wouldn't let anyone drive it but thats just me.

 

$1300.00 for that truck is the deal of the month. What a find.

Tip that has worked for me, find a piece of innertube and make another gasket for the top of the MC, That has stopped leaking for me more than once. Don't know what the extra fittings are about on the line but shouldn't hurt.

The PO must have pulled a big trailer that he thought needed the additional spring. That will aid in a tooth rattling ride, beating the sheet out of you. I might would have to undo some of that.

You can measure the stroke on one of the front pistons to see if it is a 360 or 390. A Sharpie and a piece of white wire is all that is needed.


Enjoy it.



John

 

The extra fittings plumbed in a line to an old Kelsey Hayes brake controller in the cab. Looks like it was actuated by the brake fluid. The leak seems to be coming out of the bottom of the MC rather than the gasket on top. The MC is covered in a lot of rust and corrosion. Looks like leaking brake fluid has been eating at it for a while, but the resevoirs were still full last night even after I drove it around quite a bit.

It does make for one hell of a stiff ride. I'll be using it for pretty heavy loads of lumber, brick, junk, etc., so I'll probably just keep it as is.

 

That truck is decked out nicely! Chrome around the wheel wells, drip moldings, windshield and lower area of the truck. Wood grain in the interior. Nice find for the money!

 

For what it's worth, I do most of that in a F100. But hey if you enjoy the abuse, don't let me stand in the way.


John

 

So true. The abuse is not insignificant. It rides like crap. But hey, it's a truck.

Norm

 

I put a couple of leafs in mine when I put on a much heavier camper. Sold the camper and it rode really rough. I took the springs out and it rides decently now. You might try to take a leaf out. Mine has the levers that shorten the spring when it's loaded and your's probably does too being a camper special.

 

Any recommendations on tires and wheels? I'd really like to keep the stock hub-caps if possible, but the wheels are 16.5" with 10 x 16.5 tires. Looking to find some steel 16 x 7's and a set of 265 75 16 tires. Anyone know if the stock hub-caps will fit on later model 16 inch wheels? I found a set of steel 16 inch wheels on a late 80's F250 at a salvage yard, but forgot to take the hub-cap with me. Might go ahead and remove a couple leafs as you all of recommended too.

 

Your C/S wheels are 8 lug, 6.50" bolt circle 8.75" x 16.5." Tires are not EZ to find and when found are expensive.

8 lug 6.50" bolt circle wheels: 1953/98 F250 / 1967/98 F350 / 1969/74 E300 / 1975 thru today E250/350.

F250/350 went to metric wheels in 1999, but no Econoline has metric wheels.

Your 1969 should have "outie" wheels, as the changeover from "innie" wheels occurred in 1968.

Innie: So called because the hubcap snaps over tabs located on the inside of the wheels center section.

Outie: So called because the hubcap snaps over tabs located on the outside of the wheels center section.

Innie hubcaps won't fit outie wheels, outie hubcaps won't fit innie wheels. The innie/outie hubcaps look identical, but their O/S diameters are different: Innie (10 5/16") / Outie (11 3/4").

The outies were also used on 1969/74 E300's, 1975/77 E250/350's. There are two types: Stainless steel (Custom Cabs/Rangers) / Painted argent with black accents (Standard Cabs).
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C/S's have Flex-O-Matic rear springs (24" > eyebolt < 32") with a compensator at the rear of the spring pack. There are 3 rear spring bushings, 1 on the leaf, 2 on the compensator.

1968/69: The spring pack contains 6 leafs, but there are three different 6 leaf spring packs because their load rates are different: C8TZ-5560-E (1650#); C8TZ-5560-D (1950#); C8TZ-5560-B (2450#).

Which is which? The main leaf has an ID number stamped on it near the eye bolt. Are the springs new or were they re-arced?

 

if you look at my album, you will see my 69 f250, camper special,custom cab with a 390. when i got it, it was the same color as yours. i painted it flash red. it has factory bucket seats. i had it for over 15 years. funny you should have posted this. you got a great deal. about 6 years ago i traded my uncle mine for my grand fathers 66 sport fury. my uncle has had some real bad health trouble and had to quit driving. the truck has been sitting and i have been doing some yard work for him just because that is what family do. friday night i was cutting his grass and he came out and i stopped cutting to talk to him. he said when i get done get that truck out of the yard. i thought he said to move it so i could mow were it has been sitting. he said no, take it home with you because i am giving it back to you. almost gave me a heart attack. i got the title last night and going to get a battery today and get the truck. you will like yours. mine has disc brakes on the front and if yours has the double piston calipers on it like mine, the 16 inch wheels will not fit. they will hit the calipers. i tried it and wouldn't work.

 

You can lighten up the springs. I had a 72 F250 with the 6200 GVW and it rode great, plus you still have a full floater rear end and dual piston disc brakes (if equipped, mine was). Makes for a very nice combination and definitely a step above an F100 for work capacity.

 

Dual piston caliper power disc brakes were an extra cost option for 1968/72 F250 2WD's & F350's. Were not part of any package.

1966/72 F250 C/S's came with 12" x 2 1/2" front/rear drum brakes as standard equipment.

 

This is very helpful. Turns out I have a set of wheels with "innie" hubcaps. I'll keep looking for some replacement wheels and just bring the hub-cap with me to see if it fits or look for a set of outie hub-caps along with the wheels.

The springs have been re-arched, but I'll see if I can find the ID number. Here's a not-so-great photo of the rear suspension.



I don't have disc brakes, so that won't be a problem.

 

ND - i found a good set of used wheels off a late 80's F-250, but I'm wondering if an older (69-77) set of outie hubcaps like these 67 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 Ford truck Painted Hubcaps Vintage original Dogdish | eBay

will work on these later model wheels?