Hi, I'm new to the forum, and kind of new to ford trucks. I owned a 96' ford F150 2wd with a 300 ci 6cyl and manual 5-speed. It was a good work truck, real reliable, but I sold it about about 4yrs ago to fund my 86' toyota 4runner project. I did a SAS on my 4runner, and swapped in a 302 V8 using a Northwest Offroad bellhousing adapter. Anyway I've been dd the 4runner for the last 3yrs, which makes it hard to work on and have it be down for any extended length of time. So I've been looking for a truck that could share dd duties with my 4runner. I was cruising along on CL last week and came across a 79' F250 2wd. It had 125,000 original miles, 460, auto, AC, cruise control, PS, PB, and dual batteries. The owner said it originally belong to her grand father, and had been used mostly on their farm. I set up a time to go look at it. Because of her asking price, and the fact that it was just an old farm truck, my expectations were not very high, but after seeing and test driving it, I had to buy it! I didn't even try to talk her down in price, I handed over the $800 and drove it the 2 hr drive back home. I am still amazed at how well the truck drives, handles and stops for a 36 old truck! And the power is awesome, it just wants to go, and breaks the tires loose so easily...it addicting, lol! Anyway, enough rambling, on to some pics!




^^^The dash, door panels, head liner, and floor mat are all in really good shape, just need cleaned. The seat is coming unstitched a little on the driver side, other wise its jn good shape, I need to remove the ugly old seat cover.






^^^The truck still had it Farm Exempt sticker on the back. I need to unbolt the wooden slats and rubber tires off the back bumper. Still not sure what purpose they served, lol.




And a couple pics of my 4runner, I figure it would be ok since it has a Ford 302, lol!

^when I first bought it, stock, 22re 4cy sitting on 31×10.50's.



^After, straight axel swap, 302 V8, RUF springs upfront with 14"travel Bilisteins, AllPro 6" lift in rear, 35x12.50 MT's, daily driven for 3yrs, still a work in progress...

 

Nice truck, looks like a great base to start with at a great price.

If I had to guess what those pieces of wood and tire are, probably a homemade solution to backing up to hook up to trailers and avoiding rear bumper dings.

 

Nice truck! Excellent find. Could wood and tires have been to push it? Being a 2wd farm truck maybe it would get driven into some sticky situations, then pushed in front of a tractor or something?

 

Looks like the back of my flatbed for backing up to concrete loading docks..lol yes those and the stupid mudflaps.

Great find. CNt believe a $800 truck made the 2hr drive home.

 

Thanks, I can't wait to start working on it!
Could be, I should have asked them when i bought it, lol.

Thanks! That could be, I was thinking that they were using it push something, but it very well could have been the other way around, as muddy as their driveway was, I could totally picture the 2wd big block truck getting stuck!

thanks, Yeah those mud flaps are coming off too.

It drove like a champ, rides like a Cadillac! in the morning, 20° outside, I pumped the gas 3 times and she fires right up instantly, no hesitation!

 

So my main plan is to just clean some of the ugly off the truck, fix some of the minor issues maintain and drive it for awhile as is, while I get some work done on my 4runner. But my wheels are turning... it's been along time since I owned a 2wd (that was fun 2 drive) I've been into 4wd's for awhile. I'm thinking once I get the worked finished up on my toyota, I'm going to have to do some mods on the truck!

I prefer the looks of the older style grille, I've seen some on CL, I'm thinking of going to this style





I've also been reading some threads on Crown Vic suspension swap, and I prefer the stocky looks of a short bed .....

 

It is an old ford remember!

 

And old Ford it is. . tough but stubborn. I spent 2500 in parts on mine this weekend and it left me stranded roadside walking distance away..she made it out the driveway and down the dirt road, out on the pavement accelerated a Lil bit and then went "nope, not today" cough cough shutdown. ( think I have it worked out though. Vac line to the wrong port on my new carb)

I wanted a split grille in the beginning. . or a bumpside. But the 78/79 grille grew on me. I wouldn't change it now

 

I see the semi rare metal door panel trim.

Good idea to lift up the vinyl floor mat and check floor pans. Those mats trap moisture.

 

I didn't know the bump side model grilles could be made to work, I like the looks of those too!

 

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to pull up the mat and check the floor boards out one of these weekends when it warms up a bit!


I found a few cool items while looking behind the seat and through the glove box.


^I found the owners guide booklet, paper clipped to the inside was the original owners warranty card dated 7/29/80





^I also found still in the original cardboard box this Anthes roadside reflector kit. The red metal case still looks like brand new, it has 3 roadside reflectors in it, pretty cool!

 

So I have an addiction with watching to much TV, more specifically anything car or truck related. I used to watch Power Block's Extreme 4x4, trucks, then followed Stacey David over to Gears, so like most all of you, Ive seen the shows where they shortened a Chevy long bed on Truck's, and Stacey did one on Gears. So if you combined my car/truck addiction with my inability to leave well enough alone, I think you can see where this is headed!

Ive been searching for threads on how to shorten a long box frame. It sounds like on the positive side on the dent side trucks, you only have to shorten the section between the cab and the wheel wells, unlike the Chevy trucks where you need to shorten the frame and bed after the wheel well too. I'm sure all of this info has been covered numerous times, but in my search I've found alot of dead end threads most with very little tech(or maybe I just don't know how to search). So I'm going to try to compile as much info as possible, providing links and keep them posted here where it will be easier to find, maybe help out the next guy. If anyone has or knows of a good build thread and wants to share a link it would be greatly appreciated!

*EDIT* Just came across HIO Silver's Technical Info Hyperlink Compilation sticky, very well organized and alot of great info, I guess I should have read all the stickies first, lol! Oh well, I'm still going to leave some links posted here, if nothing else it will make it easier for me to find later

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...mpilation.html
^HIO Silver's Technical Hyperlink Compilation

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...cab-build.html
^redsuperduty's Super Cab build

72 F100 project, longbed to short conv, CV swap, 20s - The FORDification.com Forums
^ This thread is a bumpside, I'm not sure if the frames are the same (I think I read that the dent side frames flare out in the back, the thread still has alot of good info)

How to shorten a LWB frame - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network
^Step cut on long bed Chevy

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...get-build.html
^Bumpside "Z" cut frame

GRILLE SWAP THREAD:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...rill-swap.html

 

I got the title transfer done yesterday, got new plates/tabs, so now I'm all legal to drive it. Today I yanked the old seat cover off, along with those boards with the tires bolted to the bumper, and the mud flaps.Today I went to pick up my daughter from school and and spotted a glimpse of a 76'ish white ford pickup in my neighbors horse pasture. They had cleared out some trees next to this old barn next to the road, that's why I had never seen it before. I might have to hit him up to see if its for sale, the grille was the style I like, looked to be in good shape, couldn't tell about the rest of it.
Going to drive the truck to work tomorrow!

 

I've been driving the truck back and forth to work all last week. I need to adjust the carb a little, it's running rich, but other than that she's been running good. I noticed today my gas cap was missing, must have forgot to put it back on, I remember setting it on the stake pocket by the cab when fueling up, kind ticked me off, it was a nice locking cap. Can anyone tell me if the front tank looks like a factory install, or was it one the previous owner added later? I find it odd that the factory would have a fuel door on the rear tank, and not the front one. Also the switch on the dash doesn't look like a factory installed switch, it's just a toggle switch that someone labeled "main" and "aux". I tried to see if the rear tank gas cap would fit the front, but it wouldnt, it was too big, I hope I can find a new replacement cap that will fit!

 

That's a very nice truck for $800. Great find.