I found a F250 that I might buy. Body seems good, mine's shot. No bed, no engine or tranny. I'm mainly interested in the cab, fenders, and maybe the rear. Here's my problem: I have a F100, 300-6, C4 with a nine -2.75 with 31's. Not the greatest towing combination. I also need to have a hitch installed. Tow distance is 250 miles with a few hills. I'm barely turning 2300RPM at 65mph. What do you guys think? Seems like a pain the more I think about it. I'm not sure of the F250's engine/tranny-less weight. I guess it depends if the price is right?

 

i think your truck will pull it just fine. my dad had the same drive train you have execpt he had 3.54 gears,and pulled a 30ft bumper pull trl all over eastern oregon. he never had any problems execpt setting the land speed record.

 

The 300-6 is all torque so to speak..should work jus fine...

 

good luck. sounds like it will be a fun trip. dont worry about it, your truck should be fine. just make sure you brake early for obstacles and controll your speeds downhills.

1977 F250 460
C6 Hedman Headers
Dual 40 series
edelbrock performer
holley 4160
msd 6a and blaster coil

 

For more info check the towing forum.


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the 300 l6 will pull that easily. just be more cautoius driving, braking and turning

 

Derek , if there is a tractor supply near you they sell a receiver hitch for about 30 that you can weld some arms on too, to bolt to each side of your frame.....or you could probablly just buy the complete package for your truck if they make one that will fit.....fd

 

I have a 67 F100 with a 300. It pulls great BUT stopping is a different matter. My old drums always made slowing the big loads down interesting. Converting to power disks helped a lot.

 

Thanks for the posts guys. The seller wants an arm and a leg for a 79 F250 chasis. no engine, no bed. I offered him $350, he's stuck on $600. I really only want the cab...so I maybe holding on the purchase...unless the seller pulls the price down. I'm only %30 of the way completed with my fire breathing six. -I think I shouls just focus on my rebuild motor first....although there's a tilt column in that cab too. :-)

 

If the truck is that good, then the price ain't bad. Tilts are worth $100 - $200 alone. Also, keep in mind the price of replacement body panels.
As far as towing - I figure for the cost it is usually better to get a pro. No worrys for you with a possible accident and no chance of violating towing laws.
Just my two cents on this one.

Keep it Rubber Side Down!

 

The seller of the F-250 is way overpriced! Without drivetrain or box he should be lucky to get $100.The only way this truck would be worth $600, is if it is 4x4. Cruise a few country roads in your area and you should be able to find a few '73-79's quite easily for much cheaper. As far as body parts go, in my neck of the woods it is hard to find good used parts anymore. Check out an aftermarket bodyparts supplier. They are usually fairly cheap plus you'll have new metal with e-coat primer to start with.(excellent rust protection.)

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 04-Jan-03 AT 01:53 PM (EST)] Question time:
Why is it that people are posting that used trucks are only worth a few hundred bucks? Do you realize that this thinking only de-values your own truck?
Further more, we all know that new Replacement Parts are NOT cheap and these trucks are getting more scarce as the years go on - ergo good ones will be harder and harder to find.
I think that if we want to help our own cause, we should not be saying things are worth less then they really are.
This just my own two cents as I have seen similar things happen in other collectible markets where common and cheap things soon become the rare and expensive - due to the fact that people felt they were worthless and so just tossed them out (in our case the trucks get crushed). The Opinion expressed is just that of the writter and does not necessarily reflect those of the users here.

Tetraruby - it has tilt, correct? Is the rest of the interior intact? How good is the cab? How about doors and windows? What about bumpers and front fenders? Inside front fenders? What rear-end? Tires? Rims? Too bad it has no bed. I think if you could make a cash deal between what you are offering and what he wants you may be in luck. Also, find out if he needs any parts - that might help you make the deal. At the same time, with-out actually seeing the truck, I, nor anyone else, can make an accurate judgment.

Keep it Rubber Side Down!

 

Hey Quadiquizm, Do you have any idea how much it would cost to hire a tow truck to tow this truck 250 miles? Paying for the tow drives up the cost of the truck. My advice to Tetraruby was to try and save him money. Do you own the truck he's looking at or do you drive a tow truck? Your advice seems geared toward costing him MORE. And as far as devalueing our trucks by telling him what I think the one he is looking at is worth, I paid $200 for my current 79' F-150. All I did to get it on the road was give it a tune-up and change the brake pads and shoes so it would pass safety. It does need some minor bodywork and paint but I've been driving it for 2 years now and it's been a great truck. Now, If you judge by my truck, what would YOU tell him that this F-250 is worth? I just recently priced out complete sheetmetal for my truck. Prices are as follows: Fenders $75 ea. Doors 150 ea. box sides $180 ea. Cab corners 30 ea. If you do the math, it not much more expensive for all new sheetmetal than it is for the F-250 that is missing half of its parts. And last but not least, About your advice to try and make a cash deal. It's a 24 year old, stripped down truck that is basically for sale only for parts. Of course he's going to make a cash deal. Did you think he was going to take a cashiers cheque for the full amount!? Maybe you should think about what you say before you attack someone's advice again.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 04-Jan-03 AT 09:24 PM (EST)]Easy guys
The demand and scarcity both have a lot to do with price. I know I'm coming in a bit low for an offer, but I just talked with a new friend who just picked up an excellent appearing / running supercab for $600. It's the few hundred dollar deals I see quite often that make me loathe them - considering the restoration cost of a half way decent shape truck. I've put a lot more $$ than that into my rig and it still looks like an eye sore. From my experience there's three categories for these old trucks when they're for sale:
1) Completely shot, body gone, motor gone, plain old worn out -dirt cheap
2) Good body, maybe rebuilt motor, suspension, steering, and braking all need to be rebuilt -questionable price, realtive to what the BUYER NEEDS and SELLER THINKS it's worth***
3) Rebuilt all around, excellent body, seller doesn't want to part (one of us, seller knows its real value) -price: the same as a lot younger used truck, it has been kept up or already restored.

It's all about tradeoffs. Yes, the cost to get this chasis to my residence is a definite factor. I bet the guy selling this truck wouldn't get more than what I'm offering from a junkyard, yet the junkyard would make a killing parting it out. I also understand the thinking that these trucks should be valued, but why are the junk yards crushing the older trucks with excellent bodies, yet they keep the '80s minivans and what not. I remember someone posting here that some states have legislation that pays junkyards to crush these older trucks -just to keep them off the road (tree hugger thing). To sweeten the deal SUV owners can right off the cost of their petrol guzzling tanks as a business cost since they're considered "trucks."

Consider my situation: The truck was originaly listed on ebay for $800 where it sat for auction for ten days. I emailed the seller and offered $350 (not a final offer) -if he showed some interest, I told him I'd make the drive out just to see for myself its condition (I've learned not to trust ebay pics all the time). He responded with an attitude about how he could sell the front grill assembly for that much and if I really wanted it to paypal him $600 that day without looking at it. I didn't respond back. The next day he relisted the truck on ebay for $600. I WOULD have gone as high as $500 (seeing how it costs me to drive out to see it, it costs me to install a tow hitch, it costs me to tow). Without a bed and only wanting the cab, doors, and front fenders - this deal is over for me. The seller's flakiness shout out buyer beware to me. I'll just keep on working on my project 300 and wait for something a little more local. I appreciate all the input and the critical thinking that has gone on. One thing that's important is that we respect each other's opinions and take time to understand the context of each post/reply.
If anyone has made it this long in my rambling, here's the link to the truck in discussion:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33646&item=1876263 181
Regards,
Derek
FTE supporting member

 

Tetraruby,I agree with you.This is a buyers market when considering a trashed truck,and the added expense of HAULING the junker home shouldn't be a burden on the buyer.If the guy can get enough money to recoup what he thinks is a fair value for the whole truck then he shouldn't be posting it as a vehicle for sale but instead get off his can and part it out and list the parts individually,yeah he may get more but is the poor sop really gonna go through the hassle?If not he's a fake. John