1975 Ford F250: A Project-in-Progress

A 1975 Ford F-250 purchased by mistake on eBay has turned into a cool project truck for one of our members.

Sometimes you go out looking for a project and sometimes you end up buying a truck by accident. Today’s featured build project falls into the second group, with the FTE member purchasing his 1975 F-250 on eBay by mistake. That makes for an interesting lead-in to the story, but this accidental purchase has made for a great project-in-progress with plenty of trials and tribulations along the way.

The Introduction

This 1975 Ford F-250 build project was originally shared to the forum by “mwoj”, who started by introducing us to his new-to-him truck, explaining how he came to own this brown two-wheel-drive pickup and detailing what he had already done to the truck when he started his build thread.

“I figured I’d start a thread to keep track of my progress and get some advice. I bought my truck in fall of 2016 off eBay. It was kind of a mistake because it was sight unseen and my dad and I put in a cheap bid just to see what would happen. It was a brown ’75 longbed that had been sitting for 6 years. To our surprise, we won the auction for $1625. It was then another $1300 or so to ship it from Oregon to Connecticut. The previous owner said no rust at all but the floors needed replacing, nothing too crazy but definitely not in good condition. The rest of the truck was very clean save for surface rust on the frame.

The truck was set up for 5th wheel at one point in its life because it had the mount in the bed, a long gone auxiliary tank, and some extra wiring under the bed. I got the report from Ford to see what it was originally optioned with. Here’s some of the info.

Medium Ginger Metallic (He later learned that it was actually Sequoia Brown Metallic)
2wd
4 speed warner t18
360fe 2bbl
3.73 Dana 60 rear end
Ordered from Seattle, WA
F25YRW82550”

He also included a couple of pictures from the night that it was delivered.

The Beginning of the Project

When the thread began, the OP explained that he and his dad had already done quite a bit of work, listing the items changed to make this 1975 F-250 into a solid driver.

“Over the past two years my dad and I have put some time into it and have gotten a lot of things straightened out. We’ve replaced/done:
Hood seal
Sun visor rubber
Gas tank filler neck
Turn signals
Blower motor
Painted wheels
Horn
Mirrors
Radiator tubing
Heater core
License plate light
Fixed ebrake
Air filter
4 bbl carb
4 bbl intake manifold
Master cylinder
Brake booster
Rear window
Had the radiator cleaned and painted
Water pump
Power steering gear (Redhead)
Front brake lines”

He also explained that at some point, he blew the stock 360 V8 and replaced it with a 390-cubic inch V8, making his classic F-Series pickup a bit more powerful and more reliable.

The Ongoing Project

After replacing the engine and repairing all of those items listed above, the OP has continuously updated his build thread when he makes changes or upgrades. He repainted the rear differential cover while changing the fluid and replacing the gasket, he added a tachometer, he added splash guards in the wheel wells, he touched up the hubcaps, he added new tires on new-to-him wheels, he installed freshly-painted grille inserts, he installed new shocks and he repaired some wiring issues that was preventing the truck from running.

Those starter/wiring issues led to the F-250 going home on a rollback late one night.

In doing all of the work listed above, the OP transformed this accidental purchase into a classic F-250 that is nice enough to take to car shows. In fact, he has taken it to a few car shows and as the image below shows, it fit in among the gorgeous classic cars.

The OP also tried to go off-roading with his two-wheel-drive truck from 1975, ending with him having to be towed out of the woods by a friend with a four-wheel-drive truck.

However, even with the issues encountered over the course of the past two years, the OP has kept making improvements on his truck – making this the kind of classic Ford pickup that we would all like to have for a daily driver or weekend toy.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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