I’m brand new here but I’ve been wanting to pick up a 4x4 f100 for a while now. I found this one. The guy wants 3500 for it. It doesn’t run and has no drive shaft but the guy said he hasn’t really tried anything to get it to run

 

Moved to appropriate forum

 

Maybe. Looks mostly rust free from the picture, check it real good especially at the cab corners, drip rails, cab mounts, etc. See if the engine spins freely.

 

It's worth $3500 all day long as is. Give it a once over for cab floor boards rusted and the frame for rust as well. Even if it's rusted it's still worth it. Unless the frame and the cab floor is a total train wreck scoop it up. The engine is a plus if it starts but no matter. Those short box trucks hold their value very well. If it's a NM truck don't bat an eye it'll be rust free or close

 

A truck without a driveshaft is a red flag, because it cannot be test driven. The seats in this truck are from a much newer F150.

The truck may be in NM now, but how long has it been there?

Look for rust on the frame, cab mounts, radiator support where it bolts to the frame, cab corners, drip rails, bed cross members, floor and bed pans, front fenders and quarter panels.

Use a magnet to check for bondo.

 

Prolly not a true NM truck as it doesn't appear to have AC? I still wouldnt pass it up. If you have any mechanical abilities whatsoever and resources it has tremendous potential for $3500. If your looking for a turn key truck with no red flags for $3500 then I'd pass. If your looking for a cool truck for a project don't hesitate.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum. 3500 is way to much for a truck that looks like that and doesn't run IMO. The risk is all yours it won't need an engine, trans or drivetrain rebuild. Do you feel lucky? By the time you buy it and then spend enough money to get it reliable and safe to drive you could easily buy a truck that's already running and driving that needs little and you can enjoy driving it immediately. Who knows if the lift was done properly and not a hack job that still needs sorting out. The interior is a total disaster. After 40 years of buying and fixing old vehicles the worst thing is when I have to undo mistakes done by previous owners. Trying to figure out what someone did can be way worse that fixing anything that failed naturally so when I see a vehicle that has had so many changes and in poor condition, I pass. That's a $1500 truck to me and that's only if you are looking for a project.

 

If the seller will let you, bring a battery (if needed) and run a quick compression test on it. If all cylinders are within spec then I'd probably go for it. The big question is why is the drive shaft removed. Rear end might be toast....still not a bad buy tho, if it's not rotted out.

 

If your gonna have to rebuild the drive train, its a 2k truck in my silly little world.....

 

With it not running, no driveshaft, and having **** not oem seats? Leave it. Find a different truck. Screw that noise.

 

A Ranger XLT SWB 4x4 is in the top of the 73-79 Ford wish list. even though it needs a lot of work if it's rust free I'd give that price for it all day long.

 

I'm with niko20 on that one. I'd leave it. Ghetto wheels, looks lifted, later model seats, no driveshaft, doesn't run, etc. Hard no for $3500. Why is there no air cleaner? Now much has crawled or fallen down into the carb from sitting open? Judging by the MSD distributor, somebody has tried to get it running at some point.

Looks hack jobbed together honestly. I'd give 1500 max. But then again I hate seeing these trucks modded.

 

I hate mods too, but it takes half a day to fix the suspension and 20 lug nuts to change the wheels. who gives a FF about the engine on a $3500 pickup you expect to rebuild it. a few bucks for a drive shaft big deal . all the parts to put it back original are cheap and easy to find.

Once restored this would be a very rare highly desirable pick up. try to find a better SWB 4x4 XLT for less. no question it needs some work but unlike many projects out there it's worth fixing. a few bucks more for a desirable project is ALWAYS worth the money over a pig that's cheap. if, it's rust free , not a bondo bucket , the door tag checks out and the other side is straight that is.

 

Is this a good buy? IMO NO for $3500, why.... a lot of the previous statements. For $3500 is should at least run, and be driviable. 2 pretty important things to me when going to look/buy a truck.

Now it if at least ran and was drivable I would consider it after I gave it the once over. Yes it is a short bed and alot of folks like that style of truck.

Here is some general truck buying advice. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14696861

If you do go look at it again, can you please get a detailed pic of the inner cab grab handles on the A pillars please?

 

Well, you know what they say about opinions .... so I thought I might as well add mine (smelly as you might think it is).

Like it or not, the value of these trucks has increased exponentially in the last 2-3 years. I used to be able to buy, in my area of Ontario, Canada, reasonably decent trucks in the $1,500 - $2,500 (CDN) range. These were typically in OK shape body wise but had not been on the road or even running for several years. To me they are like abandoned pets - I like to take them home, clean them up, tune them up, and then find good homes for them. But these days it is almost impossible to find a parts truck in that price range.

So is $3,500 a good price for that truck TODAY? I'd say yes, but I would certainly try to negotiate a better deal. However even at that price, even not running, as long as the body was good, I'd say you can't go wrong. Rebuilding or replacing the engine, transmission, rear-end, etc? Not that big a deal.

Sure there may be some areas of the US of A that these trucks are still common and cheaper, but those areas are getting smaller and smaller.

Thanks for listening, er, reading.