Hello everyone,
I'm going this weekend to look at a truck for a friend. It's a 89 f250 ext cab 4x4 with a 351 and 160k miles. He says the engine was rebuilt recently and has the paper work for it.
I've never worked on one this old or one with a rebuild, are there any specific things to look for on a 351, ttb, ext...

 

Old or new, rebuilt or original, you'll still want to look for the usual things.

Check over the body and frame for damage and rust. Especially with a TTB, give each front wheel the 'ol eyeball inspection and see if each one is in the same place in it's respective wheel well. Sometimes you can bend a beam if you smack something real good. Check cab corners, rocker panels, wheel well edges, firewall, and floorboards for rust. Look for rot at the rear spring hangers and radiator core support. Put a magnet (wrapped in a soft towel if the paint is nice) to any suspicious looking body repairs. If it don't stick then you better believe you're looking at BONDO and not steel. Don't forget to have a look at the top of the cab too.

Check all fluids that you can get to. Watch for recent repairs (new gaskets, RTV, etc) and ask about them.

Use your good flashlight (you did bring one, right?) to look around the dash, engine, and transmission at the wiring harnesses. Watch for those evil blue t-tap connectors. Nothing more frustrating than sorting thru someone else's spaghetti wiring hack. If everything looks stock, or if it's been modified but done nicely and not a hack job, you're good there.

Start it up, listen to it idle with the radio and blower fan off so you can hear anything out of place. Take it for a drive, don't be afraid to punch it ONCE but don't abuse it and suck down his gas which there is, in my experience, probably not much of in the tanks anyway. Try both fuel tanks if it's a dual tank truck, but ASK BEFORE YOU DO THIS because some owners don't use one tank or the other and the fuel in it has turned to CRAP. Listen for noises, check for vibrations under moderate braking, etc. Try out the 4x4. The BW1356 transfer cases have a habit of wearing out the case where the oil pump retainer sits, and this causes further damage until the case grenades. The first signs are usually light clicking/grinding on deceleration, and sometimes the case will have a hard time engaging gears. If it has auto hubs then unless you know how to tell the difference, these could be a source of noise as well. I'd negotiate $50 or so less just for having the auto hubs.

When you get back look for fluid leaking and whatever else you think needs looked at and then decide your offer, which of course depends on what's wrong and how willing/capable you are of fixing it.

 

Thanks. Tip about the case is good to know. I always check for rust even though it's usually not an issue here in Georgia. I've had my share of electrical hack jobs by POs and steer clear of those unless the price is just too good. I'm still trying to sort out the nightmare electrical in my samurai.