Hello all,
Been on the market for some time for a 73-77 highboy, and prefer all original. I think I found one that I am very interested in, but have some questions and could use some community help.
I found a 1973 250-bone stock, all original, with about 60k miles. It was purchased by a small municipality and used in the fire service (no major modifications). well maintained overall. With this said, it is a fleet-style truck with very few options: no power steering, no power breaks, no bed toolbox, custom trim, and no chrome trim along the bump or around the wheel wells (did they all come with that?). The truck is very clean overall but does have some minor rust around the rear wheel wells. Seller wants about 10k, and I am intrigued and love the truck, but this seems steep. is there anything I should be on the lookout for, and with it being such a base model, does that hurt value much? did they have a fleet option back then, and would that be noted on the vin? anything else I should be on the lookout for? thanks group.

 

Welcome to FTE flannelDan, first off, remember, on these old trucks, the odo rolls over, not saying it is, as I grew up in a small town and our volunteer FD had a 73 or 74 HB I always wanted, but alas, I went in the Marines and never knew what happened to it... anywhos, if you can get a picture of the VIN and door tag it can be decoded to tell you what it was ordered with... personally I'm ok with no PS or PB, the rust not so much, if in fact low miles, huge +
I would definitely crawl under it and look for more rust, it never sleeps, take pics of everything and share and we can give honest "opinions" as to what we think it's worth. It's not going to be a BJ collector item bringing high $$ anytime soon, the value will be if it's worth it to YOU, for what YOU want to spend your hard earned cash on. 10 seems a little steep but... depending on the rest of the truck, might be worth close to that, IMO.

Manual or auto? I'm assuming manual, as that was the base model "custom" standard option. For me, if it has the inline 6, 4x and manual, I'm a sucker for that combo.

 

If it's a fleet truck, especially from a fire district, the low miles wouldn't be surprising. They should have maintenance records to verify it, as well. That can add value if the condition is commensurate and not beat to crap anyway. If it's the truck you want and you're ok with the lack of options, then it's all good. If you think the price is too high, make them an offer. I think more people will look for the higher optioned trucks so take that into consideration for value and price. PS, PB, air, etc, are all things you can add if you want them. If you're interested in the history and the original order, Kevin Marti at Marti Auto Works has the info and can provide you with a report of the details.

 

Here is some photos of the truck. The bed under the wood is pretty rusted, as I understand it. Used to have the fire gear mounted here and it caused some damage.

 

Beds are easily repaired or replaced with a better one. If that's the extent of the corrosion, I wouldn't be too concerned. If everything else is a solid as it looks in these pictures, it seems to be a pretty nice rig.

 

One more of the interior. Very basic but seems solid.

 

I'm not sure where you're located, or if you're willing to travel, but around here that's 5k . it looks like there may be a lot of rust under that cheap paint job. remember, rust is optional. just say no. it's a base model with the low GVW and no options and it does effect value significantly.

Ranger trim is easy to find and XLT's are not super rare, those would be what I looked for unless I found a custom so nice I couldn't refuse. and the more options the better.

Any year high boy is good merchandise, but a '76 or early 77 gives you the disc brakes and open knuckle axle. not a huge deal, but highly desirable.

 

Thanks, everybody, I think the rust has me a bit too cautious and I'm going to pass. Back to the search!

 

Where are you located? if possible, search on search tempest outside of the rust belt, it searches craigslist and facebook. run away from rust screaming like your teeth are on fire, you don't need it.

 

Agree $10k is too much by a lot. I owned 4 highboys back in the day with varying degrees of options, one being a 75 bare bones no PS, no nothing, so had a good idea what I liked/wanted from those experiences. When I decided I wanted to relive my youth 5 years ago I set out to find a 76/77 (open knuckle frt axle/disc brake) Ranger or Explorer with low or no rot. I wanted no regrets after the purchase. Was searching nationwide but ended up finding a western transplant 5 hours away in Ohio. People falsely believe paying $1800 to ship a vehicle from a rust free area of US is a waste of money when in fact it will save you 2 or 3 fold in the end. It took 20 years of traveling the "rust road" with hobby projects before I figured out I wasn't worth dealing with rust anymore. Its not just body panel rust. When chassis is rusty every bolt you remove becomes a fight and frustration.
Having said that there is nothing wrong with a Custom, their simplicity has some attraction so its personal preference. Just make sure you won't be wishing for a Ranger every time you see one on the the road. If desired, certainly a Custom can be upgraded. I'd rather have a dry rust free Custom vs a Ranger/Explorer with rust! Rust free is the single most important criteria for me personally.

Buy Once, Cry Once, the Quality Remains Long After the Price is Forgotten

 

Thank you all for the great comments, and the search suggestion. I had never heard of it before, and it seems great. I'll keep looking for a better option.

 

What part of the country are you looking in ? and are you willing to travel or have it shipped? I see rust free ones all the time for sale. price depends on condition of course.

 

yes i am willing to have it shipped. I am in California, but I will ship or travel anyplace for the right one.

 

If you're in CA you're not going to have a hard time finding what you want. but you will find a lot more of them in OR , NV and ID obviously because 4x4's are more common.

Do you want a project, a driver , or something real nice?

 

A driver, I don't mind some minor things but would like a complete truck. I prefer mostly original. I am much more comfortable mechanically than with any bodywork. My father owned a mechanic shop (and a 6th-generation Ford, mostly why I'm looking), and I worked for him for several years, so mechanically, I am comfortable with really any repairs. I have no experience with body work. I would like to stick to a top end of around 20k. Let me know what you see, thanks man!