Hey everyone! This is my first post, but I've been coming here and drooling over your trucks for a while. I'm a huuuge fan of fifth generation f-100s, and have just started looking to buy one myself. I know that I'll have to put a lot of work into whatever I end up buying, but I don't want to get in over my head with a massive project that I can't finish. So I thought I would come ask the experts for some advice on buying a truck from this era!

What are some basic things that I should be looking for / asking about when buying a truck from this era? Are there any major warning signs or common problems that I should look out for?

Thanks in advance for the help guys! I appreciate any advice you can offer!

-Jay

 

Welcome to FTE.


The best advice I can give is to do your homework and lots of it!

• Make a wish list. For me? It was power steering, power disc brakes, and a manual trans but sometimes beggars can't be choosers. I will be swapping in discs from a '78.
• Be very skeptical of the seller's claims.. verify it yourself.
• Get the data plate information and decode it to verify how it was originally equipped. Compare.
• Buy the best condition you can afford.
• Be realistic about how much repair you can do yourself. This would be a good time to learn how to weld. Ford used like a toothpaste tube's worth of sealant on these rigs.
• Beware of 1967 models as they have one-year only parts.
• Don't settle for a 2WD if If you really want a 4x4.
• Look for rust. Oy.. you're in Michigan... roof rails, cab corners, cab mounts, beds, door corners, hood corners, and cab and bed crossmembers
• Look for hacked up wiring and turn on every accessory, switch, system to see if they do anything.
• Beware! 360s magically become 390s when rigs are put up for sale. Verify by measuring the stroke using a wooden dowel. Measure at TDC and BDC.. a 360 will be 3.50 inches while a 390 will measure 3.78 inches or so.
• After a test drive, let it idle for about 15 minutes to see if it overheats. Then turn it off and let it sit for 10 minutes to see if it can be restarted... a hard start condition will likely mean a carb rebuild is in your future or it suffers from vapor lock.

 

I don't think I can add much to the list above. Stress buying the best condition you can afford. You really do not need to look much at the truck. Look at the house, how the seller is dressed, the vocabulary they use. look at their children & how they are behaved, yard, etc. Anyone can make a vehicle look good when selling but these other items tell the true story. If the house is neglected so is the truck you are looking at. If they can not afford a $7000 truck they don't have a $7000 truck for sale. You get the idea.

 

Hey!!! Not all 2WD's are bad!!! But x2 on everything HIO said.
If you learn what your doing these trucks are pretty easy to take care of. As soon as you find a truck you have to get us pictures!

 

+1 on the best truck you can afford. Don't know all of what is implied about not needing to look much at the truck but, YOU ARE BUYING A TRUCK that's about 99% of what you're there for not interviewing the family.

Divide in 3 categories - body, mechanical, interior. Not likely to get all 3 in good shape for a good price, it will be 40+ yrs. old after all.

Figure your budget and what kind of repairs you're able to handle on your own and go from there. Later.

 

The implied is if they do not care for what they have they do not take care of the truck either. You are not interviewing, you are paying attention. Anybody can spend a day prepping a vehicle for sale. Good cleaning end to end, quick oil change with new filters, a couple cans of spray paint, etc. Does the truck look like it really lives in this environment or does it look out of place? New filters would make me nervous about a purchase. Slightly used filters tells me they didn't try to hide anything. New filters doesn't necessarily mean they are trying to hide something. It all depends on what you are looking at. If it looks like they do not service their other vehicles regularly why should I believe they service this truck they want to sell regularly?

In my case the truck was out of place. I pulled into a nice subdivision, all the homes were well kept including the 1 where I got my truck. The truck had not been cleaned up because it was for sale. The man was well dressed. Not over dressed but I wasn't looking at Larry, Daryl & Daryl either. I told him I was looking for a body & chassis (I had my plan for the truck) with a strong enough drive train to make the trip back to Indianapolis. I was sitting in northern GA. He said he wouldn't be afraid to drive it anywhere but it did have a problem starting when hot. He thought it was the choke (turned out to be the coil). Lost a cyl in TN on the way back but the truck made it back to Indianapolis without a hitch short the hot start issue. I NEVER TEST DROVE THE TRUCK! I did hear it run.

Something else I thought of. Any claims to major money spent get receipts. No receipt, wasn't done. "It's got a rebuilt transmission", "rebuilt engine", etc. Don't buy a rebuilt engine without seeing receipts. A couple cans of degreaser with a pressure washer & engine paint can work wonders.

 

'didn't say that young padawan.

I stated that because some guys will want a 4x4 and then settle for a 2wd only to post the question later in FTE "How hard is it to convert a 2wd to a 4x4?".

 

Haha Yeah i know. I settled for my '71 and I have wished it was a 4x4 from day 1.

 

Does anyone low what the original 1969 ford f100 seat design was. I'm just trying to get back to original as possible.
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This is out of LMC catalog.

 

One thing I have learned to check for is condition of cab mounts and floor pans. Especially if you are not a welder...

 

i'm with diamond, i'm a hobby welder and i first check the floor pans and cab mounts, also lobes on lower back of cab, depending on your knowledge silver has a great check list. what part of michigan are you from? i should have been pickier on my first bump from iowa, come to find out it spent most of its life in michigan, second bump came out of georgia, and my last purchased 71 f250 from new mexico. dollar for dollar they are still reasonable lagging behind the chevy's from the same era, i like the bumps, i had one in college and use mine as daily drivers for 8 months of the year here in west michigan

 

be very patient, i wasn't on my first one, take your time

 

a walking dead post from the past 2013 this post went to sleep long ago..

 

ctorres, check out this link, it will answer a lot of your questions: Read First: Technical Info Hyperlink Compilation ( 1 2) HIO Silver
Also please start a new thread to ask your questions, I'm not trying to be a pain in the A_ _, but this old thread has nothing to do with your question.