1977 Ford F150 Supercab hey guys, im usually on the 87-96 forums, but im now looking for a 70's f150. currently own a 1990 f250. I know quite a bit about the 9th gen trucks, but not so m about these. Would you guys say this is a good deal? how much do trucks like this usually go for? look forward to hearing your guys feedback.

Jared

 

I'd want to know how old the bodywork and paint job are and then see how it's holding up. Last I knew they were still using a salt mix on the roads out by Squamish so there should be rust on there somewhere.

 

That's a reasonable price for a truck with no major problems and some work done to clean it up. But you can never tell until you get eyes on. look close at cab corners, and floor pans for rust.

Here's a similar option 1979 Ford F250 7.5L 460 V8

 

I love the body style. I never cared for the 78-79 grill, but I got a good 73 grill in a wrecking yard and have installed it on 2 different 79's I've had. Your 90 has a lot more sound deadening on it and has fuel injection. The 70s era is much simpler and carbureted.

Most V8s came with Motorcraft 2 barrel carbs. These carbs are tough to get parts for now, I know some shops I've had do work for me, horde jets. Many people upgrade to an aluminum 4 barrel manifold and get new 4 barrel carbs that work well when adjusted properly. Where I live, the 70s era trucks are exempt for emissions testing. There is a wider variety of engine choices in the 70s. As far as 4x4's in 73-76 w/ V8, they all came from factory with an FE 360. In 77-79, all 4x4 V8s were either 351M or 400. I know the I6 300 in some of the 4x4s but not sure of which years. In 2wd, you could find 300, 302, 360, 390, 460 in 73-76. FEs (360/390) went out of production after 76 and were replaced by 351M and 400. Over the years people have done all kinds of engine swaps as motors have needed replacing. The 70s were when pollution control systems were born and the later the year, the more extraneous stuff comes on the truck. 75-76 is kind of a transition period. Trucks sold in CA for example were sure to have pollution control. In the transition period the F250s and F350s were less likely to be pollution controlled. If you have a desire for less pollution control and you live somewhere where exhaust modifications and such might not be street legal, then you want to pay attention to whether the truck's VIN identifies it as a catalyst or non-catalyst motor. Catalyst motors have gas gauges that say Unleaded only as well as restrictor plates in the fill tubes.

I often scour the local Craigslist for Ford trucks. I think that general, a 70s era of a comparable condition costs somewhat more than a late 80s-early90s.

I have a 95 F150 SC 4x4 with 351 with an excellent interior, 117K miles, good body. I got it 4 years ago for around 5K. I'd probably have to spend 8-10K for a 70s era 4x4 in similar condition. I do see a many 70s that are drivable but have rust issues, flaws, tired engines, dents, worn out interiors for 800-3K.

If you like Overdrive transmissions, you won't get this cheaply in the 70s era. There was a early Manual overdrive in a few 78-79s, but it was a 3sp with an Overdrive and had an awkward gearing gap. I see people talking about adopting NV4500s from Dodges or Chevy, or adopting ZF 5 speeds from later model Fords. For most this is pretty expensive and can be a headache of matching bell housings and other parts. If you go with a clutch, these trucks all used a rod and z-bar clutch linkage and don't have hydraulic or cable clutch linkages.

I think the 70s F150 4x4s are probably stronger than the 90s era because they don't have straight front axles instead of the Twin I beam thing that the 90s trucks have. The transfer cases are pretty solid too. In the 70s, most F150s have 9" rear ends.

I would suggest figuring out what kind of engine you want. Whether you want dual tanks, long bed, short bed or step side bed, 4x4 or not, AC or not. Also if you are shopping, realize that many engines are mis-identified. Many people will claim a 360 is a 390. The blocks are identical and unless you measure the stroke or can see the crank, there aren't any numbers that will give it away. Same thing with the 351M and 400. I was told by my 351M was a 400. Some people will call a 351M a Cleveland. Some people have swapped in a 351 Cleveland. Some people have swapped a 351 Windsor. My original truck (the dark brown one) was my first experience and I went to a bunch of trouble to change it from a 300 I6 to a 302 v8. Later I swapped in a 390.

What I like about the 70s era is there relative simplicity that has allowed me to do all kinds of things myself, as well as the styling.

I also like the 90s era. I don't try to do any mods or repairs on my 95 though. My 95 is much more refined and comfortable. My 70s trucks are more fun to drive.

 

This guy did the paint on my 73...I bet this truck is very,very good.

Super nice classic truck for sale!

 

Thanks for the input guys. Grinner, do you actually personally know this guy? I tried to call him and it went to voicemail, it said his name is Darryl.

 

Also, what do you guys think of the 351m? How does it compare to a 351c or a 351w?

 

351 M is a de-stroked 400. It has Cleveland heads on it. The crank journals are bigger than a Cleveland. Stock from the factory they were made with low CR and retarded cam timing. They have a reputation for poor oil pressure. They have a "dry" intake manifold (no coolant passages). The Air injection thermactor system used internal passages in the intake and heads to inject air into the exhaust.

Trying to increase CR is not easy to accomplish as piston sets for these are very limited. If you are rebuilding it makes more sense to put a 400 rotating assembly in it.

Having said that, I have a 351M in a 79 4x4, and a 351W in a 95 4x4. Maybe not apples to apples because of weight difference, rear gearing and automatic vs manual, carb vs EFI but I don't feel like in everyday driving demands that the M is lacking compared to the W.

 

That first truck you posted is cool because its a supercab shortbox, pretty rare truck, ive only seen a handful of them ever. If i was looking to buy, the condition of the body would be the most important thing to consider. Its been repainted so id be going over that truck with a fine tooth comb. Body panels are hard to come by and expensive up here in BC and plenty of good trucks are parked/scrapped because they rusted out. Check the gutters above the side windows, the cab corners, the front cab mounts, the rad support. The box can be rusted in all sorts of places and its the most $$$ to replace so check it over very carefully. Good luck

 

The guy likes chevy's, look at the color of the motor. My eyes might be deceiving me but there looks like a lot of overspray in the engine bay. At this point it's a "pretty" truck. Give this one a really good inspection, any excuses, alibis or lies, it's the wrong kind of pretty. enlarge the engine bay pic to get your only real view of the truck and start the nit picking there, look at the bottom side of the hood, inner fenders and firewall, the other 2 pics are there to distract you. Me been in sales for too many years, sometimes I'm overly critical, better than being broke or broke down.

 

Nice looking truck. If the body is not rusty and mechanical's functional, seems like a decent price. With a fresh re-spray, close inspection preferably with a magnet, would be a good idea to check for any bondo rust repairs. If there, they will show up in form of paint bubbles pretty fast. Also, "rebuilt engine" can mean a lot of different things. How is hot oil pressure? Any puffs of smoke when followed?

 

Sorry for the late reply

The guy just replied to me. Turns out he was in Mexico ahaha. I will hopefully go look at the truck this week. I will let you guys know how it goes.

Jared

 

hey jared I,ve seen that truck sitting under the carport for the last 5 or 6 years. I always wondered what the story with it.Now its for sale, wouldn,t mind looking myself.

 

I'd definitely take a close look at it. As long as it isn't a bondo bomb, it looks great. Everything people want but the 4x4. That would be the first thing I did to it.


Cool truck, good luck and keep us posted.

 

I think 3500 is a bit much for it. Like others have said, depends on how much rust there is and how well it runs. That could be Ford red on the engine, I think Chevrolet is more of an orange color. If it were me....offer the guy 2000 and see if he bites. I don't see many Super cab shortbeds around here so that's kinda cool.
Now for the engine debate, I think the 351M is a decent engine with headers, Edelbrock intake and a 650cfm carb with an RV cam. Ran that combo for almost 10 years then I upgraded to the 400 and liked that too. I really don't think the oil pressure issue is much of an issue. I ran Shell Rotella 15W-40 and the oil pressure was good even after 60,000 miles. Of course, I wasn't doing any quarter mile drags or pulling heavy toy haulers/trailers or boats but it had plenty of giddy up n go and had a few Bowtie boys scratching there heads. Always had people asking me if it was a 390. (Why...yes! Yes it its! haha)
Note too that 351W's are a small block and wont interchange with the 351M-400's. Only difference between 351M and a 400 is the rotating assembly. Externally they look the same. 351M has a 3.50in stroke and the 400 has a 4.00in stroke. Read some threads in the 335 series engine forum and i think that will clear up a few questions. At least I hope it does. Best of luck.