1977 Ford F-150 Ranger XLT 4x4 460-V8 Short Bed
About 2 years ago I posted detailed information about this truck and my desire to sell it. I had several people show interest in the truck, but nothing ever came of it. I think a lot of that had to do with the economy and what I was asking for the truck. Times have changed, I still have the truck, and I need to part with it.
Here's the history on the truck:
My father special ordered the truck and took delivery May 2 1977. The truck is a 1977 F-150 4x4 Ranger XLT. It came with the 400-M V8, C-6 automatic, New Process NP205 manual geared transfer case, a Dana 44 Traction Lock limited slip front axle, and a 9” Ford Traction Lock limited slip rear axle, the gear ratio is 3.50:1. The truck also has factory optioned power steering, air conditioning, cruise control, dual fuel tanks (one in the cab, one under the bed), and dual batteries. The truck was special ordered in Mallard Green, it’s a solid dark green used until 75 or 76 by the US Forrest Service. Because the truck was a special order color not available in 1977 as a regular color, there is no color code stamped into the door tag. The interior is a light beige/tan, with carpet, not a rubber mat.
Initially, my father installed several odds and ends from his previous truck. He had special ordered a set of Superior 16.5" slotted mag wheels that are still on the truck, these wheels are thick like a 3/4 or 1-ton would require, but they are drilled for the 5 lug ½ ton pattern and 33" tires soon thereafter. I still have the original wheels, hubcaps and tires that came on the truck as well. The truck has a set of Perlux driving lights mounted in the original bumper bolt holes. The camper shell is a Stockland insulated shell, great for those impromptu camping trips (or when the wife throws you out for buying a new truck without running it by her first.)
In 1980, the original 400-M failed while on a family vacation. The engine had already had several valve spring failures, and now was consuming excessive amounts of oil. It turned out many years later when that engine was torn down to be rebuilt for use in another vehicle that the valve guides were shot with only 22k miles on the engine. The engine failure resulted in my father, who was a talented metal fabricator, and well versed in all things mechanical, set out to install a 429 Police Interceptor engine from a '70 LTD police car into the truck. 8 months later the truck had big block power.
Some of the little details are the motor mounts that are a hybrid of the original 400m and a 72 F-350 460 cross bolt mount. Entirely overkill, but that's the way he did things. The oil pan is half 460 van pan and half 400-M 4x4 pan made to hold 10 quarts. There is a windage tray installed to keep the oil off the crankshaft when off road. He had a custom converter made by A1 in the San Fernando Valley that works well to this day. There are transmission coolers and a transmission filter, and the transmission has a mild shift kit.
In 1994 fuel quality had reached a point where the high compression 429 was no longer suitable so it was replaced with a new 460 Ford Motorsport SVO short block based engine that my father and I built and installed in 1994. The engine is 9:1 compression, has a small torque producing cam, and is very pump gas friendly. The current combination dyno tested 213rwhp, 346rwtq. It runs strong and doesn’t disappoint.
Currently, the truck still wears the original paint. It has BF Goodrich Radial All-Terrain tires that are have 85-90% tread. The air conditioning blows cold, and the heater blows hot. All the important options like the cruise control, variable wipers, dual tank switch, all still work without issue. The truck has not been used regularly for several years, so only basic maintenance has been performed, with a few minor things like fuel hoses and accelerator pumps on the carburetor being replaced as required. Prior to sale, brakes, fluids and batteries will all be serviced to ensure proper reliable operation.
The truck is currently registered non-operational in California because I haven’t needed to use the truck, and haven’t wanted to pay insurance on it while it sits. The truck is emissions legal in California, and passes both visual and tailpipe inspections. If the truck is sold in California, I will take care of the smog test.
The pictures I've attached are a good representation of how the truck sits right now, although they were taken about 2 years ago. The interior, engine compartment, and bed areas look as nice as the exterior. I don't have any good pictures of the engine compartment or interior at the moment, but they are both immaculate. The interior is very clean, no stains, the original seat cover has always been covered and on inspection shows no significant upholstery wear, but would require a mild cleaning if you want to remove the cover permanently, there are no stains or signs of any significant wear in the carpet, and the dash pad has always been covered and is in excellent condition. The engine compartment is very clean and looks fantastic with polished Cobra-Jet valve covers, polished/chromed stock air cleaner, just tons of detail stuff. I can take more pictures of the truck if someone is truly serious.
It’s time for this truck to become someone else’s. I hope that someone who appreciates these trucks has the means to make it theirs. There is certainly someone out here who will appreciate this truck as much as I do, and my father did. I have documentation for the truck including the original window sticker, possibly the special order forms from Haberfelde Ford (now Jim Burke Ford) in Bakersfield, and the majority of the receipts from the original big block install in 1980, as well as documents for the 460 install in 1994.
The $9,500 price I've put up as a starting point is just that, a starting point. I've been watching the market on this era truck for a while now, and for the condition of this truck, and the overall quality of this truck, this is a very reasonable starting point. The closer you are to that number, the more likely I am to part with the truck, and if you're serious enough to make me a reasonable and realistic offer up front, I'll gladly email additional interior and under-hood shots, along with current running video, prior to making the truck available for you to see in person. I want to sell the truck, so I'm not interested in trades, I don't need another vehicle to replace this one. This is an awesome truck with even more potential if that's what you're looking for.
