Hi from northeastern mass.
I've had a '03 explorer for 6 years, she'll be at 200,000 miles by end of summer. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY: I finally found an old body style F-series that's already had the tranny rebuilt. I've only been able to see the body and underneath, I drive by it at work.. Guy says $4,500 or b/o, he says only things wrong are "exhaust leak" and broken bracket for the 4x4. I've never owned or worked on a 4x4 so I'm gonna need some help with explaining that bracket situation.. aalso, if anybody has one of these oldies-- I'll take any advice or help with what to look for... I already saw a bent leaf spring when I crawled under... was used as plow truck of course.. I'm going to drive it and look under hood this weekend. Its a 5.8 351 gas 180k single cab automatic . thnks guys!
I have pics but new here... and don't think I can post em yet :]

 

My advice...stay away from an old plow truck! If you can buy it very cheap and do all the work then it might be worth it. Plowing is very hard on the truck, hence the broken 4X4 bracket. I don't know what bracket that is but it could be an expensive repair. Another indication of hard use is the bent leaf spring, usually all the suspension will be worn out. Things like the ball joints, tie rods, and any other rubber bushings are probably toast.

Shop carefully and since I don't know your ability level you might want to pay to have it inspected.

If you're looking for an F350 I would suggest buying one from an old man who has been using it to tow his travel trailer.

 

Welcome to the site it's great to have you here

Tony

 

hey, thanks for the reply. and trust me I know... I've always said I will never ever buy a plow truck cuz they get beat to hell.. but I only have $3,000 to spend... so the truck in my budget, will undoubtably have issues and I'm basically a beginner with working on cars myself , but I grew up in dads garage while he wrenched 24/7. I've always wanted to do it myself.. I know my way around ; just lack physical experience (except for brake jobs/ common stuff). it's so hard to find 20 year old trucks that haven't been abused or poorly done lift kits & napa specials by young kids. Maybe it's just my location...

 

I Appreciate it thanks.

 

basically, I just dislike newer body styles, and I don't want the frills and unnecessary components and computer gadgets.. i want to be able to work on my own truck, make it mine, and have a project that I can invest time into and be proud. everything around here is rusted out or closer to $10,000... I figure if I can find one with the transmission already rebuilt... then I'm in pretty decent shape off the bat.

 

Yes, it's tough to find a good candidate where salt is used on the roads in the winter time. There are a few older one ton trucks out here for sale for around $3K, but then it would cost about $1K to get them back to your neck of the woods. That's what it cost me to go get my old '67 F100 hot rod. It barely fit on a U-Haul trailer but now I have a longer flat bed that I can use.

Maybe try looking down south and try to see if your towing costs can fit into the purchase price.

 

that's a good tip to consider..
I posted some pics of the f350 in an album.. not sure if the undercarriage is a big fat WALK AWAY orrrr offer him way less than he wants and put time & money into it.

 

Ok, found the pics and the nice 'tang...the truck looks nice on top and I don't think the rear wheel well body rust is too much to worry about. The bent leaf spring, and is there a bent shock?, are probably from abuse causing axel wrap. That was from the lift kit blocks being added without ladder bars.

I suppose the rust underneath is typical for your location. I bet you know what that means when you try to get bolts loose. It's nice to have a new tranny but I would ask for a receipt to have proof of when it was done. Even with a new tranny and not knowing the mileage I'd only be offering around $2K. It's close to needing a $1000 set of tires and probably about another $1000 for suspension work. After that I can't tell if it will need countless other small items...

 

yeah I've had the 'stang since I was 18... she's a serious pain in the a$$, lol. But yeah, thanks, I was also thinking $2,000, just considering all the work that right away needs to be done.. like the casual mention of an exhaust leak.,. but not telling me where the leak is,,, cuz by manifold-- that's going to be even more $$. massachusetts doesn't mess around with emissions crap. alright, well cool... I'm in it for $2,000... if not, the search keeps on keeping on.. *sigh*

 

Yes, if the manifold is cracked that can lead to pulling the head if the bolts won't come out.

There are a couple of older F350's for sale in town that look like old ranch trucks. They had $3K on the windshield, no idea of anything else, but they don't have the rust problems.

This one should be rust free and has a new engine along with other work having been done:
1989 f350 4x4 diesel

 

"""The bent leaf spring, and is there a bent shock?, are probably from abuse causing axel wrap. That was from the lift kit blocks being added without ladder bars"""
so there is a lift kit in that 350? I thought that was stock look for the big 350.....?

 

I don't know for sure but I think it has about a 2" lift on it. Either way, it does show signs of abuse.

 

yup. I looked at it Saturday. abused it has been. and he wouldn't budge on price.. so.. search continues . I'm going to try to up my price limit, be able to find some in little better shape.

 

Good choice...try to save some money to travel down south to get one without all the rust typical from your area. That way it will be worth more when you bring it home because a similar truck won't be available in your area.

Take your time looking...and good luck