I'm new to the forum and currently don't have a truck, but am putting a game plan together to purchase one in the next year.

I'm really like the '67-'79 trucks. My dad had a '77 F150 Ranger with a 300 that he bought brand new before I was born, and he had it the whole time I was growing up. I can still hear that seat belt buzzer in my head and he got rid of it 15 years ago.

Anyways, I like the styling of the 67-72 trucks a little more than the '73-79, but I can see probably moving toward a '73-'79 due to some of the mechanical improvements(front discs) and engine options. It's not set in stone as there will be much changed on whatever I get anyway, but it'd be a little nicer on the budget if I'm not retrofitting everything. Regardless I'm looking for advice on what to look for when buying, what years are better than others, problem areas that I need to make sure I look at, parts that are hard/impossible to get, etc...

I know to look at areas like cab corners, rockers, cab mounts, etc...but what else tends to be a rust issue on these trucks? Body work is not my strong point. I can do most mechanical work but really don't want to get into body work myself so if I can avoid outsourcing that it would save me a lot of money. My dad's went through bedsides twice in it's life, but the front fenders were always solid, the frame stayed very nice, but I think that was due to him painting it every so often with Rustoleum paint back in the day.

I want an F100 short bed two wheel drive. Preferably a V8 truck, but it's not an absolute must as eventually the whole drive train will come out anyway. I plan to drive it as is for a couple of years so it'd be nice to have the V8 to start with. Again I'd rather have the nicer body. I'd even go for a complete rolling chassis with no drive train in it if the body was pretty nice.

Also, what should I pay? Prices seem to be everywhere for these trucks, ranging from $2000 for a running/driving truck with a not so nice body to $8k-$9k for a nice driver. Then I've seen nearly $20k for fully restored trucks. My budget is going to be in the $4k-$6k range most likely, but I'll just wait longer and save more if I can't find the right truck.

 

• Buy the best truck that you can afford. Don't be afraid to walk away.
• Buy what you want... don't settle. V8 shortbed it is.
• Do your homework! And it is good to see that you are doing that.
• Evaluate your skills, budget, and facilities. Having a gas hog and living in an apartment with a rig that needs regular tinkering usually don't mix very well.
• Buy a good welder (Miller, Hobart, Lincoln) and learn how to weld. The machine will pay for itself in no time flat. Always use shielding gas.

My preferences are far as 2WD shortbed combos:
68-72 and 75-76 2WD PS, PB, ..... AC would be nice - All with 360FE/C6, 460/C6, 302/C6, or a 300/4-speed.

An FE backed by a TKO 5-speed would also be nice.

 

I got my truck ('78 F250 4wd 400 C6) almost by accident. I was helping my father in law fix it up, he got tired of messing with it and offered it for sale.

Mine is a "rolling restoration". With the exception of the alternator and a few other odds and ends, stock. The truck is basically in good shape and fairly low miles so I drive it and do "improvement projects" from time to time. The biggest project was pulling the bed, welding up rust in wheel arches and a few other spots and painting the frame (with good old Rustoleum). Basic maintenance including fuel tank/hoses, brakes, steering joints ect. took a little time and money.

Mine gets used for projects, sometimes heavily and fully loaded, towing, a backup vehicle for DD's and for visitors like my daughters. After catch up on basic maintenance it has been very reliable. As far as fuel consumption... fill her when she is empty.

As you say, the mid-later '70's trucks have a lot of improvements vs earlier. My 78 drives well, stops well, handles a trailer well and routine service parts are available at the parts store. That and most times I take it out I get a thumbs up or "nice truck".

 

Yeah I would like PS and PB, like I said, I'd end up spending the money later to retrofit anyway if I get something without, so I'm hoping to find something with those upgrades. This I think is going to start me at '73. As far as A/C, I'm not too worried about that at this point. As far as I'm concerned half the enjoyment will be to ride around with the windows down listening to the sound of the engine. It's like therapy to me, a big reason I'm in the market for a project.

As far as skills and facilities, I do have a large selection of tools and past experience with other projects when it comes to mechanical work. Ive torn down engines, rebuilt suspension, and handled anything electrical. I'm currently a marine electrician and have plenty of experience there. I'm also in college to be come an electrical engineer. Facilities...I don't live in an apartment and have a 4 bedroom house and a two car garage, BUT it is a rental because when I decided to go back to college we chose to not buy a house until after I finish. Since I have the space to do some work, but not tons, I plan to drive the truck as is for a few years until I have more space for a tear down(and a new job). For now I'd plan to only go over the truck mechanically and make it reliable and safe to drive...so suspension, brakes, electrical, would get the attention and cosmetics will wait.

A friend of mine's dad has a 460 and a 4-speed sitting in his garage that I'm going to keep in mind if I'm in need of a engine/tranny but have my eye on fuel injection at some point and that may come in the form of a conversion or a modern drive train, whatever budget permits. I'm not very knowledgeable on older vehicles and really need to get a handle on what fits what, from what year and so on...

Welding, I've always wanted to learn to weld. I'm actually waiting for a hole to open up in my class schedule where I have a problem getting enough credits with what engineering classes are available so I can throw a welding course in to fill the void. I've welded a little aluminum before but nothing else.

I think it's inevitable that I'm going to be steered into learning some body work at some point, and I can honestly say I don't look forward to that. So that's why I'm looking mostly for a truck with a solid body.

 

So are there any other body areas to look for major corrosion other than cab corners and body mounts? Obviously stuff like fenders and wheel arches will generally be pretty visible but some things are not.

I had an '85 RX-7 at one time and I remember when buying that I pulled the storage bins that were behind the seats out because the underneath area was prone to rust.

I've been looking a lot into suspension options for these trucks and it looks like early on I will plan to keep the I-beam setup and opt for a set of drop beams. Like I said, mechanical is where most money is going to go early on, so I've already planned on replacing all bushings up front, along with the kingpins, and will just take the time to lower the truck in the process using new parts. No sense doing it twice.

 

Like everyone else has said, buy the truck you want. If you have an "oh s***, I really didn't wanna mess with that" moment, dont be afraid to let that deal pass. For me, that's interior. I hate bad interior, so if it isn't savable, I generally leave it for the next guy waiting to buy it. Even if it takes longer, don't get discouraged. Eventually one comes along that is just a ton of fun and exactly what you want. Then you can dedicate your money to adding more things you like, not improving it to a factory version of what you want. As for the drop beams, consider the crown vic swap. It's more work, and you would probably have to wait a while longer than you want, but it opens up the option for a drum brake truck because vic suspension has discs. Plus, you get a better ride out of your truck, and the cost isn't too high for the return in my opinion. Good luck whatever you do.

 

I don't think it can be repeated often enough. Buy the truck you want. Don't settle for something less than you are happy with. Even today there are a lot of these trucks on the market.

I have a '78 F-250 4wd Super Cab. My wife and I spent nearly a year looking for the "right " truck. In that year we drove over 2,500 miles, looked at dozens of trucks and almost settled on a couple that just weren't quite what we wanted.
In the end we found the right truck, almost in our back yard, and it wasn't for sale when we started looking. It was optioned as we wanted and even had all the options that were on our "it would be nice, but what are the odds" list.
That was in 1986, we still have the truck and use it on a regular basis.

Good luck with your search.

 

Well, since you're in school ya can just teach yourself - read and understand the theory, the principles, and then practice, practice, practice. I read a book on automotive welding & fabrication, watched a few youTube videos, and then bought a welder and got to it. It is learning by doing.

I was an electronics tech in a past life and anyting that sparked meant "bad". Probably in your case too. You're gonna have to "un-learn" that!
Think of it this way... a wire-fed weld is simply a controlled short.

 

Haha this is true. I've worked with over 35,000 volts and high current on many occasions, a spark in that territory is more like welding, well most things just get vaporized at that point, but yeah, bad. These days I'm working in the 12-24VDC and 120-480VAC ranges.