Hey everybody –
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I met a guy who has a 1977 F150 Custom for sale nearby with a clean title. It appears to be in decent shape with a 351M that he’ll have back running by this weekend, a 4-speed transmission, and a 2 bbl Holley carb with a recently replaced accelerator pump. As this is the first time I’ve been truck shopping and found something that I’ve been interested in, I thought I’d put up a few pictures (okay, more than a few; I hope I didn't over do it) to get your opinion on what you would consider paying for this rig. The owner did confess that it has a leaking rear end, but he said everything else works on the beast. It's been sitting since April of this year. He was asking $1200, but he told me that he'd be willing to take $1,000 for it. I may (stress on MAY) be able to talk him down into the $800-900 range.

(As a side note, he did have several other bodies/engines/parts for sale, including one 1976 shortbox that is engine free and a sweet 1977 crewcab with a 400. If you're interested, I'd be happy to give you his number. He's been buying, working on, and reselling 1973-79 Ford pickups for years and has owned at least 50.)

Anyway, on with the pictures!
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Vehicle tag:
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Front end, hood up:

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Engine bay:

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Left side engine bay:
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Driver’s side:<o></o>
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</o> Left rear rust:

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Right rear of bed:

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Rust spot rear left of bed:

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Right front of bed:

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Passenger side:
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</o> Front of bed:<o></o>

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Right side of grill:
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</o> Interior with seat cover:

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Rear sliding window:

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Door panel:

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Overhead shot of bed; random transmission can come with the truck:
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</o> Both floor pans have been replaced with galvanized metal:<o></o>

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Left rear tire; looks to be leaking?:

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Rear end, leaky:


Overall, to my neophyte eyes, the truck looked like it was in pretty good shape. The cab appeared to be rust free in all of the places where I've read rust can be a bear, and the frame didn't appear to have any rust (just oodles of dirt) on it.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks -

Fish <o></o>

 

looks like a good foundation to a fun project. keep us posted

 

well being from the salt belt, id jump on it. but i dont know if this is considered a bad rust problem in montana or just average

looks very rebuildable though. i know your looking for something to learn on and this one appears like you could start with your rear brakes and wheel cylinders, then maybe that differential seal

good luck

 

Personally I think $1000-1200 is pretty high; for that amount of money you should be able to drive it away. It's highly unlikely that one wheel cylinder is all it will take for the brakes to be back 100%, and I'd be weary of buying something that I can't hear run. If that 351M has a lot of miles then you're in for some low oil pressure. Is the guy acting like a new accelerator pump is a selling point? If he gives you excuses why he couldn't get it running by the time you go to look at it, I'd pass it up. So long as you don't mind a bit of a project on your hands as soon as you get it, I'd offer $700 and see what he says. Personally I would not pay more than $800.

My advice would be to shop around for a while, but if you're truly in love with this particular truck then do what makes you happy. However, you should be able to find something for $1200 that's in a little better shape that you can drive away. But once you've been bitten by the truck bug it's hard to shake it. If it were me, though, I'd be looking for something with a little bit better bed. But then there are guys in other parts of the country who would consider that bed a treasure trove. To each his own; as was said above it depends how rust is in your area.

 

I'm sorry; I should have been more clear. He says it would start, but he didn't want to get it running because there was "gas in the oil". The current owner said that he's going to "change the oil a few times" and get it running. Once it's running, he said it should have no problem making it home (~1.5 hour drive). He did mention that the oil pressure could be low, but the last time he drove it (April 2010), it was just fine. While I have NO idea (yet) what an accelerator pump is, he was NOT using that as a selling point. He had been out of town for the last week and had been unable to work on this to have it running by today.

While I'm not in love with this particular truck, I feel like anything is going to be somewhat of a project as soon as I get it home. Now knowing how much rust is "bad" for SW Montana, I don't know if this is "bad" or now.

Thanks for your help.

Fish

 

I agree 1200 does seem a lil high. But if he could get it runnin for you so you drive it around and check it out further I believe it would be worth about 800. It does seem in better shape than the other one you posted.

 

Nice descriptive pictures, a skill you will need when you begin any project. Good job taking good clear pics with captions.

I paid $800 for my '73, which is a bit better condition-wise than the truck you are looking at. Doesn't mean that $800 is the right price, but I'd look at several trucks in the same price range in your area. Some will be worse, some better. Nothing on these trucks is incurable if you have the time and $ to fix. It looks like a decent platform for a restoration, but I'd look at a few more before deciding if this is the right truck.

And by the way, the purchase price of your truck will likely be one of smaller expenditures in a restoration

 

This might be an option, since he has so many trucks on hand, maybe he could give you a little better bed off of one of his scrappers and at the very least, a grill that wasn't beat to crap. Both of those items can be pricey and it would be a show of good faith if he would work with you a little. If you can afford to pay the $1000, you might be able to get more value in parts your truck will need rather than insulting him with a low ball price. It is just an option. It is always better to start with more than less.

 

i agree that price is high. i bought my 73 f-350 for 800 and i have had to do some work to it to get it running right but i now use it for a daily driver. it looks good but like the other guys said offer less.

 

Looks like a lot of rust under neath... and a crappy floor pan fix ...bust up box...
even up north here where we get lots of rust, i wouldnt give more that $500 ... Cdn ...

 

I'd be for checking/replacing that fuel pump as soon as possible...

 

I'm a firm believer in the less you have to do right after purchase the better. I can't but help compare it to what I got for 700 and drove it 60 miles the night I bought it with no problems. I know how it is though when you get the truck bug. I'd scan craigslist for hours at a time and 7 or 8 different or states everyday. But just be patient, and the perfect truck will come along at some point.

 

Money pit!

 

I think that white one you posted on the other thread would be worth a closer look. Also there was a guy on that thread with a bed for it also.
John

 

Also it looks like the rust on the pas side of the bed has been bondoed & painted & is cracking off. What I see on the rear axle looks like an axle seal not a wheel cylinder.
JOhn