Okay I need a truck like right now but can only afford the well used variety at this time. I have driven many Ford trucks for work in the past and would not buy any other kind of truck but I have never actually owned one not having the total need for a pickup truck until now. So I live in New York state home of rust. But I am looking at this 1978 Ford F100 supercab that has way less rust than most newer trucks that I have looked at there is a little bit of rust in the floor of the truck and a little at the bottom edge of the rear part of the cab. I have seen it sitting for quite a long time on a jack with one of the rear wheels off and so I stopped to inquire if the truck was for sale. It is, and for $75.00 only, but it needs a head gasket I am told by the owner. The truck has a 351m and it will start right up and sounds nice, but the oil pressure idiot light will not go off and so I have not run it for more than a few seconds at a time. The guy said that the light always stayed on while he had it and that he just made sure the oil never got too low. I was thinking about buying it and doing the head gasket, but it is a lot more difficult than cars I have worked on to do. I am used to taking off the valve cover taking off the rocker arm assembly taking out the push rods and then the head and that's the whole deal. Reading through the Haynes manual, it sounds a lot more complex. It looks like each valve has it's own rocker and that you have to remove each one individually? The Haynes Manual is actually really not very descriptive at this point of the procedure and I don't like to feel like I don't know exactly what I am doint when working on an engine! So between the head gasket job looking more difficult than I originally thought and that the oil light stays on I am becoming very skeptical about the deal, but looking at some of the posts it looks like maybe that engine is notorious for running at low oil pressure. I am interested in a supercab because I would like to be able to put my kids in the back at some point. Does anybody know if I can replace the large jump seats with a bench seat? I am also looking at a 1987 F250 4wheel with plow for $1,500 bucks. I have not seen it because it is a three hour drive away, if you promise not to buy it first! take a look at it at http://bbb.quadratec.com/cgi-bin/ult...;f=39;t=003560
it is actually for sale on this websites classifieds which brought me to the appeal for the guidance of all you peoples. I could sure use a plow, here in upstate NY, and I like the heavier rating (F250), but I have not seen it yet and some people have told me not to buy a truck that has been used with a plow. On the positive side I have the best junkyard I have ever been to here within an hour drive where it is the pull your own part type and has a fixed price for all parts no matter the make, model or year. I really need a truck that I can use right away without having to do work on to run and to get to pass the state safety inspections we have here, so I am thinking that if I get a trcuk like that '87 that I still might buy the '78 and slowly fix it--it's only $75.00!s Any help or guidance in making a desicion would be aprreciated. Maybe you all will tell me to buy neither I don't know. Thanks in advance. LOL. If any of you live in the area where the F250 is for sale I could pay you a little for your expert advice on that truck. thanks again.

 

that f250 doesnt look or sound too bad. but for 75$, that supercab is a pretty good steal. is the supercab 4x4 or 4x2? your a little further up than i am and i hated having a 2x4 truck in the winter. personally, without looking at them for real, i would go with the f250. things might change though with a closer inspection

just my $.02

 

Thanks for your $2/100. The supercab is a 4x2 so I would be limited to its use in the winter here. How do these two wheel drive Fords of that vintage handle in the snow? I drive a RWD car all winter would it be worse than that? So it wouldn't bother you to buy a truck that someone has used to plow snow with? Thanks again

 

my buddy's 77 F250 4X2 handled sleet covered roads better than his wife's 95 4X4 jeep cherokee.
the jeep almost couldn't get up te driveway, the F250 didn't know the ice was there.

 

Was there any special tires on the rear? I assume you have to put some weight in the bed too?

 

driving my 2x4 nonford, i put like 300lbs in the bed and studded snow tires. my ford was beat nearly to death when i got it, served as a brush fire truck and a plow truck at some point. buying a well worked truck isn't bad so long as its well maintained as well. i would figure with the plow you can make back what you spent on the truck in 2 yrs depending on how much you plow. your best bet is to go look at the f250, tire setup can make a huge difference in snow driving, but a 4x4 will always beat a 4x2 if its got decent tires. the f250 will also have more readily available parts and possibly fuel injection...i dont know about all that stuff what happened in what years. i would break it down like this...

f250
4x4, fuel injected, plow(money maker), readily available parts from ford, newly rebuilt driveline(supposedly)

f150
extended cab, dirt cheap, local, not a turnkey driver.

i would still look at the f250, 4x4 is priceless in pittsburgh and im sure its close up there too.

 

honestly if money permits id get bot, i mean come on 75 bucks!! the head gasket is not hard to replace, true each cyl. has 2 of its own rocker arms but its not hard to take them off infact its very easy, just a little time consuming, ive taken off 2 sets of heads recently and they are not hard at all. if you need any help with this email me and id gladly help, btw i think hanes manuals are very vauge as well.

 

Well if I get the f250 I would still probably get the f100 and maybe AAA it home and work on it slowly. I could fit my kids in the back of it which is a huge plus. Waht would you recomend as a better manual than the cheapo Haynes? Both of those trucks have carbs and are 351's I don't know if the f250 is a 351M or not... How do you tell if it's a modified 351? Would cab rust or some rust on the bed of the f250 scare you off? I guess the previous owner Screwed on replacment body parts over the wheel wells and did something on the bottom of the doors to stop or to cover up the rust. I am more concerned about frame rust I can't afford to pay someone to wled the frame if it needs it to pass safety inspection... Any weak points on frame I should look at? Everyone thanks for all of your replies...

 

ANd really if there is anybody around that area of Pottsville, PA I could really pay you like around fifty bucks to just check out the truck and let me know if it is worth the drive or not. It will be a major drive as I will have to bring my wife and kids in the car. Something like 7 hours round trip, we drove last weekend to look at this truck up above Rochester which was promised over the phone to be in great shape "once you drive it you'll fall in love with it." Well once I drove in I almost fell out of it as the floor was so rusted out along with the rest of the trcuk. The gear box leaked a steady stream of fluid, the engine ran hot, and the truck shaked all around when I stepped on the brakes. And this was suppossed to be in "great shape." It was a f150 and I wasted about six hours of driving.

 

You can tell by the fact that it's an '87. The 351M/400 engine was officially phased-out in '79, but was still in use until '82, when the last one was installed.

 

i would definatly get the following manuals, hanes, chiltons, and get the shop manuals on cd rom, check motorhaven for that one. 351m could have been transplanted in, but i doubt it, the 351m has 8 valve cover bolts and the 351w wich is probably the motor in the f250 should have 6 valve cover bolts. rust would almost never scare me off. unless the body mounts are rusted off, they are replacable, but they are a PITA! and about frame rust, i doubt that would be a problem, fords bodys rust and disapear, but there frames and drivetrain never die. also if you've seen what i've seen, youd never be scared by any type of rust the only part of the frame i would be conserned with is around all of the front weels, just check it over and look for any "odd" patches on the frame.

 

THanks again everyone for all of your posts; they are VERY helpful. I'll check that frame in front. the main thing I worry about with some of the rust is passing the New York state safety inspection it is a PITAx2. Okay 77f2504by4 why are you so not scared of rust? Are you a welder? Or would you just replace the body parts with new ones or with good ones from a junk yard? I am asking because rust scares me because I don't yet know how to really weld and I don't have the money to pay what welders around here seem to want for minor jobs. I mean that plow on that f250 is around new like at least 2,000k right? SO I am afraid that when I see the truck I am going to see the whole floor rusted out or something. I just looked at this POS ranger that a mechanic I met is selling and the transmission crossmember was about to fall off because I could almost break it's support ears off the frame with my bare hand. I don't want a truck that small but it was $500.00 obo. The floor around the rear corner of the cab was Completly rusted out too. I assume that the "real trucks" are built complelty differenlty than that ranger?
LOL

 

im not scared of rust because of what my uncle has done. he has driven trucks with frames cracked right in half. trucks and vans with floors that are totally non exsistant. that and i know that anything can be fixed. i personally would replace anything that i can, and anything that would be hard to replace, like a cab, which is actually not that hard, is usually easy to fix. i cant weld for crap, but these new wire feed flux cored welders make it simple. espesially doing body work. if you need any other help id be glad to help in any way i can.

 

Yeah I have seen those wire feed flux cored welders and they make it look so easy. I mean really easy... Do you have any idea what a lower end decient one costs? And the circut needed? I have been wondering about how hard it is to replace a cab it is so big that it seems like it might be hard but then it is probably easier than replacing a buch of small things in and around the cab. What about year compatibilty for the cab parts and bed on the '87 f250 how many years of parts trucks would I have to pull parts off of. Incidentialy there is now a '79 F series (f150?) for sale now in my area which is said to run well, 460, has a wood bed (probably because of rust) and needs new shock mounts welded onto the frame. So it is another rig I would have to do work to to get to pass inspection. He is asking $850.00, but is negotiable. I know I could by the '78 and the '79 and peice together a excellent truck but I am thinking that a 4x4 f250 would be better and with a plow a better investment. Hey 77f2504by4 let me know if you want me to scope out that '79 for you for anything; your rig is probably set to go though...okay and this, for the cars I drive I have a web site that I can go to and buy parts delivered for about half of what I can get them for at NAPA(with an account) at least on the stuff less than $100.00 a part is there any comprable site for Ford Truck parts?

 

Allright, highboy1975 , and everyone else. How do you deal with having a plow truck and maybe getting payed to plow other people's driveways? Like with auto insurance and etc.? I used to drive a plow truck for a company I worked for but never just for myself and I am wondering if with the plow on the truck is it a different insurance I should get or is it considered an extension of your vehicle like a trailer?
Let me get this right so far... Everybody seem to think the f250 is a good deal and will last for me even though it has been used as a plow truck for at the least a couple years,,,? Can anyone summarize the difference between a f100/150 and a f250. Is the difference just in some of the parts or is the frame different too? I know you all think I am a total bonehead at this point! I have tried to do searches on a lot of this stuff but it is hard to pull up and filter out the pertinent info. LOL.