Greetings from the Yukon,

I have just put down a deposit on a '76 f250 located about 1200 miles from where I live. Bad idea I know to buy without looking but it is the year I want and has some features I like and I am willing to work with any shortcomings I find.

Here's my question; I have owned a '71 f250 previously and I trashed it mercilessly with great success. (Ice travel, wood hauling, mountain goating, etc.) This truck was tough. What can I expect to find under the truck when I get down to pick it up. (rear and front end, xfer case , tranny) What would be desirable to find under there. What is likely to have come stock?

It is supposed to be a 4 speed 390 unit but the vin indicates 360 2bbl (would prefer 390 but like i said I'll work with it )


Also I have seen references around this site to 76.5 model year. What is the scoop here? Is there a preference in this year from an enthusiast's point of view or was there some major running gear change?

Real can of worms here but if you had your choice of trucks from 73 - 79 what is the most desirable year in terms of running gear?

TIA

Bob

 

most likely dana 60 rear, dana 44 front (or HD dana 44 with 60 axles and hubs) - maybe a dana 24 divorced transfer case and a t-18 or NP435 4 speed tranny- Everybody sells these trucks with a "390" in them, when you actually measure the stroke they turn out to be 360's - Great truck though, I'm looking for one for my teen-age daughter to drive. She thinks there cool.
Most desirable? I like the '78-'79 with the dana 60 front ends.

 

Its a 77.5 model year that was the big change. They switched over to the wider 38" frame. There is no real preference as Ford never intended to call them a 'highboy'. They do share more things with the 67-72 body style though.

Good Luck and welcome to FTE.

 

It could have a np 205 or The np 203 Fulltime case Also. I doubt it has a 390 as i believe all of the 4x4s only came with the 360 with a 2 barrel, now some of the 2wds came with a 390 4 barrel. I personally like the looks of the split grill myself. My 76 F250 , has been converted to the 78/79 style steering which i like alot better, plus its cleaner looking. I just but a Dana 60 Front end under mine as i only paid a $100 dollars for it, but with the new gears, bearings , that put it up to $400 dollars in parts. I saved the labor as i did it my self. I plan on sticking a locker in the rear of mine before winter and next summer it will get an actually 390 as it only has the 360 Fe but i've already installed a 4 barrel , headers, cam. But it still could use some more power, but one things for sure it does run, haul and pull like a tank.

David

 

They are pretty tough. The sore spots seem to be the power steering and whether they had drum or disk brakes. The only weak point in the drivetrain is the small driveline between the tranny and t-case. It has smaller u-joints than the rest of the drivetrain.

For what you are after as long as it runs reliably and it's all there I think you might have just what you need.

 

76's came with disc brake as standard eqipment open knuckle front d44 , other wise they are pretty much the same as your 71 was if the engine is stock it'll have an EGR valve that a 71 wouldn't and eletronic ignition instead of points imo the 76-early77's are the best looking of the 73-77 trucks the late 77-79 have better steering and the 79 has the chance of having a d60 front end but they lower and require a lift kit to put anything taller than a 33 under the but if you can find a clean 76 get it you can put the good steering on and 35 inch tires

 

Thanks for the reply's,

Have been away for the week working so I am just reading these.

The truck is a ps, pb, 4 speed unit. 3" body lift, 33" tires with 4" pipe front bumper heavy plate steel rear bumper, diamond platework in the box and the box rear sides have been heavily reinforced so as to be able to run without tailgate if I so desire.

The interior is ok with ripped seat but otherwise good. I plan to keep this unit for a long time as I am tired of plastic, computers, and crazy complicated (not to mention expensive) running gear. I want to get back to something that i can change my plugs in a couple hours at the outside as opposed to the five hours it took me in our '97 f150 4x4 4.6l for example. Hell if I blow the 360 in the '76 I can come up with another big block to replace it and have it done in a weekend. The warranty is up on our f150 and the prospect of having to replace a major running gear component is technically challenging as well as really expensive.

anyway thats just my reasoning however flawed it may be. I like tough and simple solutions.

thanks again for the good responses

Bob

 

Howdy,

Just a little update on the 1200 mile highboy saga. fly down to city then bus to truck. under the gun to catch the insurance before it closed so forked over the cash and sent off the paperwork.

started to really have a good look around and also started to get that "oh crap!" feeling in the pit of my gut. frost plugs leaking, wiring that looks like the thing is going up in flames at any moment, heater not working and this is important in canada (especially the yukon). thought i found the problem as the ground to the motor was loose but this didn't help, then i thought i'll attach the ground to the stud that holds heater assembly to the firewall and it broke off as soon as i touched it. trouble here was it was the last stud holding the whole schmere to the firewall, now the whole mess is hanging loose under the dash.

it was dumb of me to get into this bind, and i was really feeling like crap thinking of trying to drive this beast home. i was willing to deal with problems and had expected some but this thing was over the top for me. the fenders were hanging down over an inch from the cowling, the lift was a home job and the mounts were badly rusted and poorly patched, these problems were not serious to me but then all the other thing started to add up.

another night in a hotel room that reaked of beer and cigarrettes and no sleep to be found thinking of what an idiot i was for getting into this bind. in the end the folks gave me back my money and tore up the bill of sale (kept my deposit though). a big relief. now i'm on a bus back to the city with an auto trader. hotel rooms, buses, planes, money flowing through my fingers like water, this was starting to turn into the trip from hell!

ok, enuf. in the end i found a 1978 bronco that was real intact for the same price as the '76 f250. the bronco has some bondo but is in pretty good shape overall, most everything works and drives real well. 1200 miles (overnight) later and gaping holes in my pockets i'm home with my new ride exhausted but happy to be home and the bronco pulled the trip without a hitch.

anybody know how to change my username without starting a new registration?

anyway there it is

see ya

Bob

 

Glad to here you didnt screw yourself on that truck. Not saying they are bad trucks but with all the little things going bad its good you didnt take it. So, tell us more about the new Bronco and what is going to be done to it.

 

Hey tom,

ya, i'm glad too and i think they're great trucks. used to have a '71 f250 4x4 that was tough as nails and dependable too.
i mean there was so much wrong on that '76 it was unreal that that folks would let me travel 1200 miles to pick it up and not tell me more about what was wrong. i guess they were just trying to get their investment back from it but still. the fuel line was jb welded to the carb for goodnes sakes!

anyway i really like the bronco and it's in not bad shape for a 25 year old stocker. it's an xlt that everything works on, right down to the dash lights and factory guages. interior is in nice shape with all paneling intact, dash pad new, seats reupholstered, factory roll bar, new flooring front to back. it's got new poly radius arm bushings, recent shocks all around (trailer package so four in front), new ebrock manifold and carb, recent paint (has some bondo though), even still has the factory jack and stuff under the hood. even has a cd player and decent speakers, this was nice for the trip home.

it's got a few things wrong too. famous ford wandering steering (tracks straight and doesn't follow ruts but is sloppy), a vibration at nuetral throttle i have to chase down, and a tick / knock while driving that i hope is not bottom end.

overall though a very intact unit and i don't really have any mods planned as i need to pin down the troubles it has now. after that maybe a small lift, 33" tires and matching 3/4 ton trailer as in truth i need a truck for hauling tools and such.

anyway thanks for the interest.

see ya

Bob

 

Bob,

I know this is pretty overdue, but I just picked up your thread. There are lots of Ford guys on the boards in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, or wherever you bought the truck who would probably take the time to go take a quick look at it for you before you travel 1200 miles from Whitehorse or wherever only to find a total piece of crap. Of course, I'd suggest that you still come yourself for the final inspection, but this could save you a real nasty surprise next time, and a lot of enthusiasts would snap digital pics for you of anything they don't like the look of so you can see it for yourself.

I hope things work out with the Bronco though, and I'm glad you got your money back. I personally looked at over 25 Canadian trucks before I bought my '75 F-250, and while they all ran good, almost all of them were junk piles, or not really heavy enough for my application!

-Matthew

 

thanks for the tip, i kind of knew i was taking a chance and i have the bad habit of taking people at their word (knid of a denial thing i guess ). i would still like to get another f250 though and maybe i'll be a little more patient next time.

25 trucks?? wow i don't think my patience is up to that level. i hate to wait for things, sometimes i won't even order stuff because then i have to wait for it to arrive. not the recipe for finding deals i know but there it is.

anyway thanks for the interest.

see ya

Bob