Nope factory 460 in a SCS...

Needed a bit more payload capacity than any of the 4wd's could provide.

 

I pretty much only follow Crewcab pricing -- which is a whole different issue -- but some quick research told be what I was looking for.

The guy I got my Crewcab from a guy that specializes in "Highboys". He has sold hundreds of them (only 3 crewcabs ever). I honestly can't figure out how he continues to find them. But he always sells them with No Reserve on Ebay. When I got my truck in 2012, his auctions usually ended around $8500-9000. That got you a rust free low mile original F-250 Highboy. His most recent auctions have all ended in the $16-17000 range-- that says a lot. In the last 5 years, prices have nearly doubled.

The desirability of the older 73-76 trucks is real, especially when factoring in emissions. But the cost to upgrade them to 78-79 style steering, brakes, axles, motors, and other amenities is significant. That goes to another level on the bumpsides -- which combine the need of upgrade with a much rarer body and much higher demand.

That brings up another point. It is still the Bumpsides that are the more desirable rig across the board -- from 2wd shortbeds to the crewcab 4x4s. The Dentside has been the more affordable 2nd option for a long time, but the Bumpsides are getting too hard to find, so more and more people are turning to the newer trucks. I think it will start moving to the '80s trucks soon. We are probably another 5-8 years away from people getting priced out of the 73-79 and switching to the '80s.

 

The crew cab market has been hot for many years. there were a lot of them around here mainly for logging crumys but most of them were plain jane's and they got trashed.

There is a pretty nice one for sale now. the price seems reasonable all things considered. get it running and fix the corner of the bed and you'd have a deriver. so what does this say about crew cab prices it's been for sale a while? I haven't seen it in person but I don't think it's a reflection of actual prices , if it ran so they could load it I bet a Midwest flipper would buy it up. . that's why it's so hard to assess value.

https://medford.craigslist.org/for/d...873154638.html

 

Yeah, thats easily a $16k truck even with the dent on the East Coast.

 

Is the difference really enough to write home about? In the grand scheme of things, is the driving experience of a stock 73-77 dramatically different than 78-79?

Even my 86 is barely different than my 74. ...Slightly better handling.

 

It's safety really. From the drivers seat, the only difference you can really feel is the brakes and the steering. The 78/79 steering is very much worth it to me. You could have a 460 in any of them. The transmissions are all the same. The divorced case and old style axle seems to eat a lot of u-joints, but that is easy to deal with. FE's are more prone to oil leaks. The ride is basically the same, especially if you put on a small lift to get to Highboy ride height. That is unless you get a 79 with Tilt steering, cruise control, and a power seat-- which are all quite rare. The tank in the cab is a nuisance, but not really a safety concern to me.

So yes, driving a drum brake/power "assist"/360FE 1973 is quite a bit different than a disc brake/power steering/400M 1979.

 

Oh I see. That makes sense. Of course there are decently optioned 73-77, aren't there? I briefly had a 74 F-250 with dual piston, dual diaphragm power front disc brakes from the factory. Steering boxes are about the same right? as long as you don't have that weird bendix pitman arm thing.

The 78/79s are a lil bit nicer, but I am not sure I'd turn down a nice 77 over 78/79.

 

1976 is first year for disc brakes on a 4x4. Two-wheel drive is a different story -- a 70 is practically the same as a base model 85.

 

For a few bucks you can convert to conventional steering . and while my '76 has disc brakes and I like them if it had drums I wouldn't care. 4x4 pickups make crappy formula 1 cars.

It's simply a matter of what you like best.

 

If that is worth 16k then look at this one. Wish I had $7,800!!
https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/...896384689.html

 

Does seem like a decent price. super cabs used to bring a premium but I've noticed they sure don't these days.

 

I like that Supercab. Seems like a fair price, maybe a bit low.

Converting the steering is going up in price also. Getting close to $1000 just for parts. Used. And drum brakes are fine when new-- that's all my truck has. I just don't really like towing with them.