Found a 76' in a guys yard and stopped to ask about it. I was a bit surprised how good the body looked and the interior is virtually pristine. Popped the hood and there sat a clean little 289 complete with a Mustang "289" air filter housing. The guy said his brother in law installed the motor and four speed in the truck sometime in the mid 80's when his Mustang was rear ended. He claims the truck gets 15 MPG in town and 20ish highway, which I do not believe. The truck had not battery, so I couldn't take it for a test drive, but he said if I am serious about it he will buy a battery for it. I kinda want the truck, but he is asking $3,500 and said the price is "concrete firm". And I am not sure the truck is worth it being a base line short bed Custom with no AC and the incorrect drivetrain. It is kinda cool though.

Would any of you guys have an opinion of this swap? I am trying to decide if I should pursue this truck, or just let it sit.

 

The motor wouldn't bug me too much so long as the truck could get out of its own way. But even without pictures, it's pretty easy to say that $3500 is too steep. He can either be "concrete firm" or interested in selling, but not both. It's also irritating that the guy will only put a battery in it if you're "serious." Sound like he's the one that's not serious. He should have it running and ready to look at regardless; not somehow put folks on the line. It's not like he's selling a $400 parts truck.

My advice: truck sounds cool, seller not so much. Leave it be until you see the price go down. There are lots of folks that think they have a faberge egg when they really just have a plain old pickup truck, and they scratch their heads as to why 18 months have gone by and they still haven't sold it.

 

I agree, but I should note that he doesn't have the truck for sale. It is just sitting in his side yard. The motor is supposedly stock with a rebuild when it was put in the truck, which is why I wanna drive it, if it is a complete dog I won't even consider it.

 

If it truly is rust free it'd be worth 3500 to me all day long.

 

I would really inspect it to be sure it's rust free.
Most rust starts from the inside out, places that you can't inspect. The cab corners, the lower part of the kick panels on the interior. These are double panels and you can't look at the back side, but these are bad for developing cancerous rust. Other areas like the floor pans can be inspected. The floor pans can look great from underneath, but peel back the carpet or floor mat and check the top side, this is where the rust starts. Pull the headliner and check for rust along the inside of the roof above the windshield and above the doors.
If there is no rust on the cab corners, use your finger to push on the metal. You're checking to see if any of the areas are "soft" or give more than the surrounding area, a sign that cancer has started but not eaten through yet.
Also, what kind of shape is the bed in? Is it pristine or beat to hell?
All this makes a big difference.
If it truly is rust and damage free and you can afford it, it would be worth the $3,500. You will definitely pay much more than that to make a "silk purse out of a sows ear".
But be warned, if it's been sitting outside for a long time, chances are it's going to have rust, whether it's visible or not.
Even if you go out west and buy a rust free truck for half that or less, by the time you factor in the transportation and trip costs, your at least the same amount, if not more.
But, like fmc400 said, it doesn't sound like the owner is serious about selling anyway.