Hmmmmm. Being a '74, my guess is that it has a 360 in it. As for the value, it could go as cheap as $500. I've seen govt. owned vehicles sell for much less than they would if they weren't govt. owned, even with super low miles on them, mainly because not many people actually bid.

Something to consider is that this truck, because it was sold to a fire department and because the color indicates it was sold through Ford's commercial division, might be geared much lower than you will like. I've seen those older fire dept. pickup trucks max out at 50 mph because of being geared so low.

So, you could end up bidding a low amount and getting it, but you could end up with a truck you will have to regear to take on the highway.

 

Thanks for all the insight guys!

Time to regroup. I drove back to look at the truck real good again. Turns out it's not in all that great of shape. A Ford guy and collector (not like museum collector) was there looking at it and he said he wouldn't even put in a bid. The body is rough. It has nearly no rust But it's all beat up. Plus I think it leaks one of every fluid. Both really don't bother me enough to not bid on it but it'll definitely lower it

 

And I popped the hood. It's a 360

 

I drove my green '79 (in gallery) from Southern Missouri to SE Iowa when I bought it. While still on active duty I bought and drove the brown '79/460 (also in gallery) from Iowa to Ft Bragg NC, that truck with 373 gears would haul a** & drink gas.!

 

Is there a lot of light forest, rivers, lakes, campgrounds with marinas or lumber mills in your area. I ask this because that jesus bar, not just a head ache rack and rack up front tell me that would make a good brush fire truck, water supply chaser.

 

So how much was your bid?

Just sold my 76 Ranger 4X2 for $11,500.

 

I haven't bid yet. I'm still debating lol. I WANT to bid like $2000 but at the same time I could really use an older truck right now. If the body wasn't so beat up and it wasn't a leaker I'd have no problem bidding $3500+ for it

 

Roll the dice make the 2k bid and cross you fingers. I am sure for $3500 you can find one nicer rig. Like a 78/79 with front disk brakes, a better power steering design and way less leaks.

Craigslist time, here is some info on old Ford truck buying: New truck buying excitement….First relax, do not show your enthusiasm to the seller! Act as if it is easy come, easy go. Here are some basics for checking out one of these rigs. Lots of mental notes to take! A written checklist is also OK to bring with you if needed. BE READY TO START MAKING A LIST TO DISCUSS WITH THE OWNER. Basic Visual Inspection: TITLE TITLE TITLE 1st CHECK THE VI# ON THE PAPER TITLE, THEN AGINST THE DVRS DOOR (WARRENTY PLATE) AND THEN THE (SAFETY STANDARDS CERTIFICATION LABEL)THIS IS NOT, I SAY AGAIN NOT THE VIN PLATE! THE ACTUAL VIN IS STAMPED ON THE FRAME! AND IT IS NOT ON THE DASH EITHER. Do a bumper to bumper visual inspection; this is also time to go on“Visual Hack Patrol” – All those so-called “repairs” madeby previous owners. Look for duct tape, household wire nuts, electrical tape, wood screws, wires that go to nowhere. Any leaks on the ground? What about the drum backing plates (wheel cylinder) or the pinion seal(s).

Look for loose, missing, or broken hardware like lugs, lug nuts, fender and bumper bolts, and bell housing to engine bolts. Feel around for soft or cracked hoses – radiator hoses degrade from the inside. Crimp it with your hand and it should have the same firmness all the way around. How do the radius arm bushings look? Rock the truck back and forth, any squeaks??? 4x4, ck the trac bar bushings. And ck the 4x4 operation, 4Hi and 4low. Are the tires evenly worn? Any leaf springs broken? All the glass good? Bed liner in it, lift up the end and look under it for rust. Tailgate work?

FluidCheck.
Engine oil check, is it full and relatively clean. Or does it smell musty and old? Coolant, is there an oily sheen? Does it look like milk shake? Check level of auto trans, power steering, and brake fluid.
Ask if there is anything on the engine that has been heli-coiled. Note any newish parts. Any “it’s been rebuilt” stories, show me ar eceipt.
Pre-Operation
Check for brake pressure, pedal low? Pedal sinks to floor? Comes back up slowly? Park brake work, if it’s a standard trans, that’s a biggie. Ask the owner BEFORE you put it on. It might NOT release. Check when truck is running and in gear it it’s an auto. The brake light on the dash will NOT COME ON WHEN YOU SET THE PARK BRAKE….
Ask owner battery condition then, turn on the (key) ignition system to the 1stposition (no engine start). Turn on everything-exterior and interior lights, dash lights (rheostat to the left to brighten), turn signals, hazards, heater controls, blower fan, wipers, horn, a/c radio. Does every thing work? What about the gas gauge?
Turn it all off, then start Engine. See if elec choke works.
Fire it up and let it idle and just listen to it. Ck oil pressure. Get out of the cab and get your head under the hood. Any leaks? Ticking sounds? Exhaust leaks/tailpipe blue smoke? Knocks, thumps or rattle? Hand blip the throttle and listen, ck oil pressure again after a few minutes of idle time.
Squeeze the radiator hoses... they should not be pressurized. Hard hoses may mean a blown head gasket. Now get back in and turn all that pre-operation stuff again. Does it all still work?
Let the owner drive it first and ride shotgun and just look, listen (have the stereo OFF) and get a feel for the truck, see how it drives. Does the owner chase the steering wheel all over the road, does it pull or any grinding noise, when he brakes? Does the transmission shift ok? Take over on the return drive and note how it tracks, turns, accelerates, and stops. Note the temp gauge and oil pressure reading....and is the heater working (hot air)?
CAREFULLY, do an aggressive stop with your hands lightly on the wheel...does it track straight without assistance? Does it pull to one side or theother, any grinding noises? Park it and let it idle for about five minutes to check if it overheats. What does the temp gauge read?
Shut it off for 10 minutes and then restart it. Hopefully it starts right up. If not, then it can be a vapor lock, a carb that needs to be rebuilt, or defective ignition components like an ICU or coil.
Odd but… take note how clean or unkept the sellers property is or even their own vehicles. That's a sign on how detail-oriented they are. Ask every question about the truck, has it been wrecked, maint history, previous owner’s ?

Cash talks, and BS walks or at least leaves without the truck, be serious about the ALL the issues found and what you might OR WILL need to address as soon as you buy it. Mention that to the owner, he might understand or maybe not care at all. Have your 1st CASH offer in one pocket and the rest of what you are willing pay inthe other. Flash the cash, in a stack of 20’s, 50’s or 100’s, that always make it harder for the owner to say no.

Have fun, but remember it’s not the only truck for sale, and try not get caught up in the moment (yea right it’s a Ford truck man!)

 

To answer your question, I live in southern Illinois so LOTS of corn and bean fields. There's a 90% chance it was a brush truck. In my county, we have an early 80s Dodge Power Wagon set up as a brush truck. I wouldn't mind owning it too

 

Did you pull the trigger and bid???? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

the truck in my sig has hauled the fifth wheel in same picture from WI to KS to TX to WI and back to TX. around 2700 miles all told so far. my fuel milage sucks, but aside from some power issues on the most recent haul (which we're in the process of tracking down), it's been quite reliable.

 

My eyes got wide when I saw your sig pic lol. Impressive! Heck these trucks are relatively cheap. The no truck payment offsets fuel mileage

And yes, I did submit a bid of $2100. I talked to the fire chief and he said their department is ran by trustees (I guess its a "fire district" instead of a fire department) therefore the city has no relation with them whatsoever. He informed me if they don't get what the truck is worth, the trustees wont sell it at all. He did however say if they don't get a high enough bid, hes going to see if the trustees will call the top 5 bidders and ask if they would be willing to pay what the trucks worth (who knows how much thatll be)

Its all up in the air... I'm on the fence about it. Sometimes I feel like I bid too low and other times I'm confident I have a chance

 

I am really interested to see just WHERE AND HOW the trustees get their "the trucks worth X dollars" information or idea?

I would not get all kinds of crazy with the offer, it is nice with the low mileage, but your $2100 could get you a real nice rig off the Craigslist, at least in my neck of the woods it can.

Good luck with it.

 

I bought a similar F150 (1979 though) about 4 years ago for something around $1000. It ran and drove, and had small dents but no serious rust. It also had a 400 in it, vs. the 360 in this fire dept. truck. Didn't really leak fluids, but always had a vibration in the drive train that made it hard to drive over 50mph. That and it had either the 4.10's or 4.54's which had the motor rev'd pretty high.

I still see them in pretty good shape for $2000-$3000 pretty regularly on craigslist, so if you don't get it for the amount you bid, I don't think it would be worth bidding more. They can value it however they want, but isn't the point of an auction to determine true market value?

FWIW, I just bought a '74 F250 Camper Special (2wd) for $900, which needed some work but is straight and rust free other than the hood/tailgate, both of which can be easily replaced. The rest of the truck literally could just be sanded and painted to look like new. Has a 390 in it, which I prefer to the 360. My thoughts are that any used truck will need going through, so pay the least you can and spend your time/money fixing it so that you know exactly where it's at mechanically. I'll have about $2500 into the truck by the end of the month, but that will include not only the truck itself, but also a new fuel system (tank, pickup tube/sender, lines, fuel pump, and new Holley carb), new brake master and rear cylinders, new battery, new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, Pertronix coil replacement, transmission fluid/filter (with new welded in bung for future draining) and various new wiring/bulbs.

I guess that I think buying the cheapest straight truck you can find, then repairing it will produce about the best truck you can get for the money. The challenge is having the time to do the work to get it there. $2000 is on the high side for a starting point unless it's got features that are saving you the $1000 you are paying over the low end of the range (at least around here you can find starting points for $1000 just about any day of the week with minimal rust and basic mechanical problems owners can't figure out). If the truck leaks everywhere, it sure isn't going to save anything mechanically since it will need gone through. If it has a lot of dents as well, it isn't saving you any trouble there either. I think the $2100 bid was as generous as you should get. Just my 2 cents....

 

I'd talk it down and say I probably wasn't bidding on it too in order to keep other bidders lower or out altogether. Then he swoops in and takes it for $1000.