Howdy,

I am looking to buy my first truck, and I want it to be something relatively easy to work on. While I'm pretty confident in unbolt/rebolt repairs, my automotive knowledge past changing fluids and filters is virtually nonexistent, and I want a truck that will be somewhat easy to learn to work on. I believe I have narrowed it down to an 85' or before that sports a 300 i6 with a carb, but what years do y'all think are the best to go with / which years to stay away from? If I find a good deal on a mid to late 70s truck, is it worth it to hold out for an early to mid 80s truck? Also, when looking at a truck to purchase, what should I be on the lookout for that would make me instantly walk away from the deal?

Thanks y'all,
Duane424

 

I am a big fan of the 300 i6 I had one in my 1980 F-150 and it was a great reliable ride. Also plenty of room in the engine bay makes it easy to work on as well. I believe starting in 1983 the i6 had a feedback carb so that is something to keep in mind. If you want a super simple carb/dizzy combo to work on you'll either want to get pre 83 for the 300 OR look in to some of the walk thrus on this site for how to switch to a non-feedback system.

As it's your first truck (first vehicle?) I'd say think of what you want: 4x4? manual? long bed? short bed? Look? and let that guide you. If you find an earlier model truck you like I personally wouldn't shy away from it if I thought it was for me.

Things to lookout for do you mean in general? or bullnose specific? or yes?

Here's a checklist I usually go thru and things I consider red flags:

Red Flags:

• Ran when parked/should run with a little TLC/just needs a carb adjustment
  • When a carbed motor doesn't work EVERYONE says the above. Could it be something simple? sure. Could it be that the motor is corked? yes. Am I lucky with which of those it will be? never
• Engine not running and checking under the hood it is a wild partially messed with jumble
  • This means not only do you need to figure out what the original issue was but now you have to figure out what the PO did and how to fix that too
• Owner won't try to run the motor
  • Tells me he thinks it won't work but wants to sell it to me like it will.
• Sparkly/glittery motor oil
  • You have an engine rebuild in the future
• Brand new oil
  • Could be thoughtful or could be to hide the situation

Checklist:

• How rusty is the frame/undercarriage
• How much body work does it need (I dislike body work so I try to avoid it if I can)
• Does it have the stuff I want? Sure I can mod it but it's just easier (and usually cheaper) if it already has it
• What am I going to have to replace to get it roadworthy: tires, brakes, etc
• Clean title
• Bullnose (or really ford truck) Specific:
  • How rusted is the bed?
  • How are the cab corners?
  • Cab mounts?
  • How rusted is the cab roof (this is more pre-bullnose as far as I've noticed)
  • If manual with manual linkage how much play is in the linkage?
  • if manual with hydraulic clutch does the cab firewall flex?

I'd say as a rule when it comes to walking away most of the generic car buying advice holds. I also tend to trust my gut. I'm a pretty easy going guy and if I get a bad feeling from the seller I'll usually pass on the buy.

If you do end up going in to the mid 70s just know that every 360FE is a 390FE on the day of the sale.

Hope my ramble helped some. feel free to ping for more info. If you are shopping on Craigslist or the like you can likely post the link up here and you'd get more engagement with advice based on what the pictures show and the price point.

 

Also, some transmission options are a lot stronger than others.

The AOD gives you a four speed auto with an overdrive, but is not durable without modifications - compared to the 3-speed automatics C4 (medium duty} & C6 (heavy duty).

The NP435 & T18 manual transmissions are heavy duty 4-speeds with a creeper 1st gear; while the 4-speed OD manual transmissions give you better fuel economy, but not the same durability.

 

Like was said I would stay away from the later 300 sixes. Unless you want a steep learning curve right off the bat. They have a computer system that runs the engine and they are very complex and by now are not working correctly. If they are working correctly some of the parts can be hard to find. They can be converted but that is the steep learning curve I was talking about. But you might stumble on a deal, so you never know.

If you stick with the 1980-up trucks, you will find generally they have more standard features and options. Its very rare to not have power steering, while not having power steering is more common in the 70's trucks. A/C is more common, even power brakes are more common. Hurry up though, these trucks are becoming more popular and thus more expensive.

 

What are you going to use the truck for?
Hauling?
Towing?
Daily driver?
Highway?
Off road?

When you know these things it's easier to determine which trucks are best suited for you.

Also consider the 6.9l diesel engines. These engines typically last for 300 to 400k miles. Require very little work for 100 to 150 thousand miles between tune ups which are more expensive than gasser tune ups for sure. With the E85 fuel for gas trucks you run into many issues. With diesel you don't have any fuel issues. If the truck is going to be used infrequently you don't have to worry about fuel going bad or damaging your carb and other components or attracting moisture to the fuel system.

​​​​​If I were looking at Bullnoses I'd definitely consider the diesel.

I've been married to one for 36 happy years.

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