I'm thinking about buying vintage F150. I want the inline 300 and manual transmission, preferably a standard cab short bed. Are there any specific problem areas to watch out for? Rust is high on my list of problems to avoid. Are there any years that are better of worse than others for rust?

Thanks in advance,
John

 

Nice configuration you picked out for a lot of reasons. What do you plan to do with it and what years are you considering first.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Primary use will be to pull a travel trailer to the coast for fishing trips and to do errands around home. I don't anticipate any heavy hauling or off-roading, so a 2 WD would best suit my needs. As to years, I would prefer a carburetor model as they for me would be easier to work on and do performance mods to. However, the carb models would put me in a pre 1987 generation. Those era trucks are getting long in the tooth. From looking on line, sound trucks at a reasonable price are getting hard to find.

I like the looks of the 92 to 96 F150s and there appear to be sound trucks readily available. However, the EFI looks like a mess under the hood. It looks like it would be hard to work on. Push comes to shove I could put in a carb engine.

 

I never got to work on cars or trucks when I was young. From what I know now, which is not much compared to some of the guys on here, I would not have a carb vehicle. Mods and all are not for me with these trucks but I do know they have less HP gain ability. Your configuration is easy to find here as most young guys want V8's and don't know how to drive a stick. Prospect base for the 300 and stick shift are limited. So, you can take your time and negotiate a great deal on them and find something nice and hopefully with lower mileage also. I have only ridden in a short bed and the LWB was a much better ride. Granted the short bed looks great. Up until late 95 the trucks were OBD 1 and you can check diagnostics with a paper clip and find all OBD1 ford codes online. There is a great scanner a lot of us have for the ford OBD1. You can find quite a few videos on how to use the paperclip so you might want to look at several of them and make sure you are ready and have the codes when you go look. Other than the rust you mention, just the normal things apply for any used vehicle when you buy one. The help on here will get you through any issue you face. Chilton and Haynes have good manuals for starters and Ford Service CD's are available. Lots of experience on this site and some great folks. Good luck Sandy.

 

I built a few engines when I was young, primarily Chevy 283s, 327s, and 348s. The 300 looks like it would be fun to play with, lots of torque.

 

The EFI on these trucks is rock solid, and actually quite simple, don't discard it. The front end TTB (4WD only) might be something to check, alignment, noises, bumps, etc. But even then the truck will work just fine. Rust is the same for all years, a good cared non-salt belt truck should have a solid body, as with any vehicles, check inside the wheel well, cab and bed corners. Check the usual wear items, look for engine noises, drivetrain noises, bearing chirps, broken/rotten bushings. If you get a truck with dual fuel tanks, those can be problematic so check that everything works. Apart from the dual tank problems and TTB wear there aren't any known issues with these trucks, things will break from time to time but almost everything will last a long time before giving any troubles.

 

If you want a carburetor, buy older. Save everybody aggravation, mostly yourself.

The guys in pre-87 are real good at keeping their controlled leaks running just fine.

Here's one person's recent conversion adventure.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...rite-up-2.html

It is possible to do, but generally if you don't have the chops to swing keeping the EFI running right, then doing what it takes to convert is beyond one's skill set too, except on rare occasions.

You'll still have electrical systems that will want to jump up & bite you.

Not being harsh, just realistic & there's lots that have been down this path before you.

 

I would suggest you consider getting a F-250 if you are going to be towing. I say this because the 150 just doesn't have that great of towing capacity. Too often people get confused by the newer 150's and their greater capacity. You will still be able to find the 300 and manual in a 250. I always say it easier not to use the capacity than to be lacking. Plus, I worry more about being in control and stopping while towing, not going fast. There's the old saying if you want a pick up get a 150, if you need a pick up get a 250, and if you have to have a pick up get a 350.

 

Towing with a short wheelbase truck is somewhat more difficult than a long wheelbase. F250 is preferable to an F150 for this purpose. 300 six will work just fine if you plan to stay under 55 mph.

For all these reasons, the truck you described is better suited to an around town, light use purposes. LWB, 351 or larger, F250 would be my choice for towing.

 

It really depends on how heavy your trailer is if an f150 is suited to you as others have said. The i6 is a good motor and with a carb is very easy to work on. An efi one may be too but I have no experience with the efi version. They make a lot of torque(for a 300CID engine) low in the rpm range where it is useful for towing. They are definatly not fast so if that is important to you get a bigger motor. For you needs I would avoid a 302 as they are basically the opposite of a 300. All of the power is up in the higher rpms. A diesel would be a good option if you start looking at the larger trucks.

As for what to look for on the trucks. Check for rust on the rear wheel wells, the back corners of the bed, the cab corners, and the back corner of the front fenders. Check the back leaf springs for cracked or broken pieces as I have seen a few of these trucks with half a leaf missing(including my own f150).

 

Thank you for your reply.

It sounds like good advice. Truth be told, I haven’t messed with carburetors in over 30 years. My vehicles have been Volvo 940s, 740s, and 240s with TBI. All were reliable, easy to maintain vehicles, that I never had a problem with. Each of these vehicles had over 250,000 miles on the odometer when I sold them. My current vehicle is a Honda Civic SI sedan with direct injection. I have over 125,000 miles on this car with no issues. It is a lot of fun to drive, 8,000 RPM limit with a 6 speed manual transmission.

I appreciate the other points that you bring up. Those are areas of consideration that I will keep in mind.

 

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your candor. It sounds like good advice.

Reverting a fuel injected engine to carburetor may well be more trouble than its worth. Maybe the answer for me is to buy two trucks. First buy a solid 1996 to drive and tow with and a 1980 to 1986 model to build/modify/play with.

 

Thank you for your reply.

It sounds like good advice. Truth be told, I haven’t messed with carburetors in over 30 years. My vehicles have been Volvo 940s, 740s, and 240s with TBI. All were reliable, easy to maintain vehicles, that I never had a problem with. Each of these vehicles had over 250,000 miles on the odometer when I sold them . My current vehicle is a Honda Civic SI sedan with direct injection. I have over 125,000 miles on this car with no issues. It is a lot of fun to drive, 8,000 RPM limit with a 6 speed manual transmission.I appreciate the other points that you bring up. Those are areas of consideration that I will keep in mind.

 

Thank you for your reply. You bring up a very good point.

I found the 1996 Ford F150 owners manual online. Per the owner's manual, a regular cab 4.9 has the following tow ratings:
Automatic - 3.08 axle – 9,000 lb GCWR - 4,700 LB Trailer - Trailer Frontal Area 60 Sq Ft
Automatic - 3.55 axle – 10,000 lb GCWR - 5,700 LB Trailer - Trailer Frontal Area 60 Sq Ft
Manual – 2.73 axle – 6,250 lb GCWR - 2,100 LB Trailer - Trailer Frontal Area 60 Sq Ft
Manual – 3.08 axle – 6,450 lb GCWR - 2,300 LB Trailer - Trailer Frontal Area 60 Sq Ft
Manual – 3.31 axle – 7,125 lb GCWR - 2,900 LB Trailer - Trailer Frontal Area 60 Sq Ft
Manual – 3.55 axle – 7,800 lb GCWR - 3,600 LB Trailer - Trailer Frontal Area 60 Sq Ft

The ratings for the manual transmission, which I want, are substantially lower than those for the automatic. It appears that the ratings for the manual are limited by the overdrive. The logical answer would be to not tow in overdrive. However, doing so could invite legal liability risk in the event one was involved in an accident while towing.

 

Thank you for your reply.

I hear what your saying about the 302. It is a good motor for a car. The long stroke of the 4.9, IMO, makes it a better motor for a truck. I appreciate the heads up regarding the wheel well rust and leaf springs. I will keep those areas in mind.