Hey guys,

In a follow up to recent thread that I created a couple of weeks ago seen here, https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...short-bed.html, I finally was able to reach the family who owns it and was able to check it out.

I would very much appreciate your thoughts and input on a ballpark value for this truck after cleaned up

Exterior: The Good
A straight body throughout. I spent 40 minutes looking this truck from top to bottom and really the only dents that I could find on the body was a small ding on the driver's side door and in the bed. The bumpers are good aside from the rear that has a very minor twist in it if you look at it right. Keep in the mind the paint needs to obviously be cleaned up, but I did not see any peeling anywhere. I could not find any rust- (more on this later) that I could find below the fenders and as far in as I could see from looking underneath. The condition of the bed is decent and not all beat up. The tires have almost 100% tread life remaining.

Exterior: The Bad:
The worst part of the truck is the bottom of the driver's side door. It is very rusted out as you can see. The passenger door is not nearly as bad, but has a decent amount of rust forming. The right side trim on the bedside was off and laying next to the truck. I actually tried reattaching it and it didn't take much to do so, so I think that's not really a huge issue. Overall, the underside did not appear to have been beat up from off road abuse or anything like that.

Interior: The good: The dash has zero cracks. Like the exterior, it no doubt needs a very good cleaning but overall the interior looks pretty good. The guages, HVAC controls are all in excellent condition. It does have a tach installed as you will see. The headliner is intact and the seat is not bad at all aside from a couple of cracks. I don't really have much negative to say about the interior as I think a good cleaning will make a huge difference.

Mechanically:

I unfortunately could not open the hood. The latch seemed seized and I didn't want to force breaking it. It does look like there are a couple of leaky gaskets but nothing too out of the the ordinary for a truck of this vintage. The shocks look newer and it has an aftermarket steering stabilizer on the front. The exhaust has a couple of holes that I noticed as well.

I am looking for an overall ballpark estimate of its value, cleaned up in the condition that it's in now. The truck was running and driving in 2010 until it was parked due to the owner passing away. Please keep in mind, what you see on the paint is a moss like build up. Not surface rust.

 

What are you thinking of paying for it? I wouldn't pay much more than $2000.

 

I'm not well enough qualified to give you a dollar amount, but I'd throw out a few things. It sounds like there are a lot of Dents up in your neck of the woods, so I would expect that to suppress their value a bit over other places. Colorado seems to be the same story, and I picked up a Dent [there] about a month ago. It is also a '77, but with an earlier 390FE in it, and is a Highboy (F260 4x4, etc etc). It runs but needs a ring gear and a lot of odds and ends, not to mention it's a Custom and not in nearly as nice a condition as this is. I paid $200 and threw in a couple cheap pistols.

No matter the visible condition, I'd keep in mind (and bargain down the price) given the fact this hasn't been driven in a few years. Even in the soggy northwest, I'm sure you're going to run into a lot of stuff that's dried out and needs replacing. Something this old, the miles don't really matter. You can't trust them anyway. I hope you sprayed down the hood hardware with some WD-40 while you were there - I wouldn't make an offer until you have a chance to pop the hood and look at the drivetrain. Does everything turn over OK? If you get serious about it, you might want to change out the oil, bring a jerry can and plumbing to temporarily bypass the gas tank and throw a battery at it to see if it turns over and runs (after checking everything else). Suck to buy something with a bad block or busted con rod or whatever nightmare you can imagine.

Unless you're going to rebuild the thing regardless...

 

$2500

.....

 

Around 2000 but since it have a REALLY old bag of Doritos I would make sure it runs. I could bet this truck has sat around for quite a number of years.

 

2500 2000 way way to much to pay right now. look it only worth what you want to pay. it looks to me like its been sitting longer than 3 years. even if that look at the oil on the front diff. trim is off thats not any where near a good thing. the dash cover around the gauge cluster is irreplacable being a radio delete version. even if you get it running and driving lots of things need looked at here. is the flywheel rusted at all? whats the clutch like? tires dry rotted or sun cracked? seals in everything are drying out as you read this. t-case has a leak some where. powersteering cooler lines are dented in thats not a good sign. in cab tank with a fuel door on the bed? is there a in cab tank or a frame tank? which one is right or are both right i cant tell you off hand. 800 to 1000 tops if it was me i would offer 500. lots of work ahead to get this truck worthy of being in good shape. what do the brakes look like? rusted sized junk or "all new when parked". time is not kind to mechincal things that sit.

 

Well I would say around $1000-1500 in it's present condition. Needs TLC but appears to have potenial to be really nice.

 

Pluses...

Shortbed!!!! A BIG plus to me.
It's got all of its trim? Wow.... even the tailgate decor panel and the surrounds.
It appears complete but needs a thorough freshening due to leaks.. It'll clean up decently.
The body appears to be really straight.. have you priced bodywork these days?
I like the radio delete

Minuses...
The only "bad" parts to me is the door rust perforations. That's a remove and replace affair. Don't forget to remove your dataplate before you scrap the door.
The tie rod is bent but the suspension and steering gets replaced anyway.
Leaks, leaks, leaks.

As-is I'm in at $2000 max but $2300 if it starts, runs, drives, and stops on its own. I'll pay a premium for a shortbed 4x4 cuz longbeds are a dime a dozen. Btw, check all fluid levels before driving it cuz them leaks look active.

 

Thanks so much for the responses, guys! This was the invaluable information that I was hoping to hear as it greatly helps me make my decision. You have all gave me a lot to think about.

You guys are definitely correct in the assessment of it not having been driven much at all in recent years. The tabs expired in 2011, but the truck was not driven much at all even when it was registered. The last time that it was on the road that I saw was in the winter of 2010 and that was shorly before my friend passed away.

Thanks for pointing out the missing gas tank! I didn't even realize that while I was under there, it must have been removed. The dented power steering lines are a great observation as well, thanks.

I think you guys are definitely right in assessing that this truck will not something that you simply stick a battery in and go, but something that needs to be thoroughly gone through.

To be honest, the rust in the doors is the biggest influencing factor for me. My plan was not keep this truck, but rather to fix it up and sell it as it's not going anywhere anytime soon. That would not show well. Understandably, the family believes it has some value in it (...probably mostly sentimental) and from the discussions that I've had with them already regarding price, it sounds like we are going to be a good bit off.

Thanks again guys, this has given me a lot to think about. One day I will own one of these, but it may not be this one which is alright.

BTW, can the size of the engine be identified by one of those tags? Have always wondered what was under the hood... that is assuming its original.

 

F14HRY01772

F14 - Four wheel drive pickup F150
H - 351M V-8, 2 barrel
R - San Jose assembly plant
Y01772 - Consecutive Unit Number (late 1977)

Decode the rest of the plate here: Decoding '73-'79 Ford Truck VIN Tags - FORDification.net

 

Awesome, you're the best, thanks!!

 

That yr would have had the dual tanks option ( has switch on heater - nice option on the short box) and looks like the tank is above the spare tire hanging in the rear - the tank behind the seat may have been removed tho (no pic to tell)
The free market on these short boxes in western canada is strong , esp the great shape- no rust on the box.... And i think the pre 78 shortbox prodution #'s are pretty low. Doors are cheap too , altho a colour match is grief.
Price here would be $2500 - $3500 ....It all depends on buyer ... someone looking to replace a short box from their youth, would pay dearly i think.
I'm not familiar with pre 78's - would this be a early 351M?

 

I'd say you have a pretty good foundation there and even the door could be saved. Having some assurance that it runs would help justify $2500 - maybe more depending on where you are located. Jonathan's suggestion on bringing a jerry can to feed it some fresh fuel and a fresh battery to ensure it runs is good. If its a smoker or knocker or has a busted tranny then value plummets. If the seller is motivated then you might score a deal. Show up with $1600 cash and a trailer with a winch & haul it away!

 

I realize this is kind of odd to revive the thread after this long, but FWIW, I thought I would include a couple of photos from under the hood which did not get posted earlier. Not too mention, everyone loves pics and it's fun to talk trucks at the end of the day.

Earlier when I was interested in purchasing it, I ended up offering up to $2k but the father of the son- (who owned it and passed away) did not accept. I felt that it was a fair offer but I think the truck held more sentimental value than anything to him. Part of the plan was to fix it up and resell it as I didn't/don't like seeing the condition go down the drain from sitting, but there'd be very little profit margin left (if any) after getting it back up on its feet at that price. Not too mentioned, for whatever reason(s), the PNW has a huge influx of these trucks. Anyway, soon after that, I moved out of state for a work related move. Recently I've returned back which made me think of the truck again and look over the past photos that I took of it. I learned that the father recently passed away so I'm sure the family would probably let the truck go for less now since they will eventually be selling off the estate. The truck of course is in the same spot and untouched, although it has a lot more green on it now.

It is a dream of mine to own of these trucks, however I'm not sure if this is the one. I do wish the truck was a true F250 high boy long bed, but it is unique being a short bed 4x4 nonetheless.

 

I have to agree with his value. Buddy of mine sold one like this too a few years ago and it was a lot nicer, and only got $3600