I found a '78 F-150 XLT Ranger 4x4 locally for, what I think, is a good price.

The body is solid, with the only exception being some paint bubbling around the rear window. Doesn't look to be anything serious, and it seems to still be solid.

Other than those rust bubbles, there is no more rust on the truck.

The carpeted interior is in good shape, along with the dash.

It has the factory 400ci in it, with a documented rebuild a little over a year and 5,000 miles ago.

The truck, however, is not exactly factory...

It is a long-wheel base frame, fitted with an 8ft custom-made flatbed with a pine-board floor. Also, the truck has chrome straight-pipe stacks exiting each side of the bed.

Also, the rig has newer Ford "bullet-hole" aluminum wheels, glued to a brand-new set of 31's. They look sharp on the truck.

He's throwing in a set of long-tube headers, an extra complete instrument cluster, along with several other parts and accessories, for $2k.

I really don't think that's unreasonable, considering the good condition of the truck and the recent professional motor rebuild.

The truck runs and drives excellently, and stays straight in the road. The 4x4 works flawlessly.

My plans are using the truck as my daily driver. I only live 5 miles from work, so the 10mpg or less that the 400M gets won't be that hard of a hit.

Some things that I have planned for this truck are--

- Moving the fuel filler neck from the flatbed floor to the side of the bed.

- Remove the rear window, sand, prep, and etch the bubbled paint areas to prevent any move progression of the rust.

- Install the provided headers, and running true duals with glasspacks to the stacks.

- Extending the sides of the bed about 4in to cover a dual-wheel conversion in the near future.

- Converting the truck to a 10.25" 8-lug rear axle and 8-lug front spindles.

- Adding Alcoa 8-lug aluminum wheels, along with dual-wheel adapters.

- Adding clearance lights to the cab.

- In the somewhat-distant future: Completing a frame-off restoration, coating the entire cab, frame, fenders, flatbed, and anything else that's metal with RattleGuard or Armor Coat to permanently rust-proof the truck.

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I do have one question, though...

The truck has dual-front shocks, and I have heard of some years being considered "Heavy-Half Tons". Is this the criteria that describes a heavy-halfer?

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Also, is there anything specific on a 73-79, or 78-79 as it may be considered, that I need to check for or be aware of?

And last but not least, how does the deal that I'm getting sound to ya'll?

I look forward to being a part of this section of the GREATEST FORD FORUM ON THE NET!

Thanks, ya'll!

Nightrain

 

id say it sounds like a pretty good deal with new tires and a pretty freshly rebuilt engine, especially if the body is as good as you say

 

I would say jump on it I gave 1800 for mine with brand new 33in tires. Mine just has a little rust on it. But overall a pretty good truck.

 

The term "Heavy Half Ton" is a generic term for the F-150 (Gvwr 6050lbs ) as opposed to the F-100 which is a reg half ton.

 

Thanks for the replies, ya'll.

BTW, does anyone know the basic factory horsepower of the 400M?

Thanks, again!

Nightrain

 

No such thing as a 400M

Just 400

The 351 is the M engine as in 351M.

They made the 351M out of the 400 by de-stroking it.

In 1978, the 400 was 156 HP

 

Oh, okay... I thought it was still the 400 "M".

Thanks, Mil1ion.

I can tell right now that there's a 460 build-up in this truck's future...

Nightrain

 

That figure was at the rear wheels, correct?

I seem to recall advertised HP figures on 400's were over 200.

 

It's commonly referred to as the "M" block



142 HP for the 351M at the rear wheels
158 HP for the 400 at the rear wheels

The 1971,1972 400 put out about 200 hp

 

Well I was curious, so I looked it up. Figures are "net" horsepower...aka rear wheel hp.

Ref: Standard Catalogue of Light Duty Ford Trucks, 1905-2002

The dreaded M def is given there too...LOL ..I promise...I won't refer to that here again!

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~bubbaf250/specs/specs02.html

The following table lists Ford advertised power ratings for M-block engines from MY 1971 through MY 1982. Horsepower figures are not available for some years, and torque figures are not available for many years. Ford did not always advertise M-block torque figures, and I have not yet been able to find reliable horsepower figures for the last two years of M-block production (1981 and 1982).

Model Year
Engine
Horsepower @ RPM (SAE net, except '71)
Torque (ft/lbs) @ RPM

1971*
400 (car only) 260 @ 4400


1972
400 (car only) 172 @ 4000
298 @ 2200

1973
400 (car only)
171 @ 4000
—

1974
400 (car only)
170 @ 4000
—

1975
351M (car only)
148 @ 3400
—

1975
400 (car only)
158 @ 3800
—

1976
351M (car only)
152 @ 3400
—

1976
400 (car only)
180 @ 3800
—

1977
351M (car/truck)
161 @ 3400 / —
—

1977
400 (car/truck)
173 @ 3800 / 158 @ 3800
—

1978
351M (car/truck)
152 @ 3400 / 156 @ 4000
— / 262 @ 2000

1978
400 (car/truck)
160 @ 3800 / 158 @ 3800
— / 276 @ 2000

1979
351M (car/truck)
151 @ 3400 / 156 @ 4000
— / 262 @ 2000

1979
400 (car/truck)
159 @ 3800 / 159 @ 3800
— / 276 @ 2000

1980
351M (truck only)
138 @ 3400
263 @ 2000

1980
400 (truck only)
163 @ 3600
275 @ 2000

 

One of Henry's best looking trucks. 4x4, SWB XLT. arrARRR AHRRR. I hate the 351/400 M. FE or Windsor only for me. To hard to put in a Y block but I would if I had one to spare. JMO. Still a great score.

 

Sounds like a sweet deal your getting congrats

 

Sounds like a nice truck to me too. By the way, the 400 can be nicely built and do very well for you with out the hassle of the 460 swap. Yes I say hassle. I have done it several times. It's not technically tough, just parts and money. Good luck and have fun. -Dale

 

Thanks for all of the replies, ya'll...

But, sadly... I had to pass the truck up.

The guy didn't reveal the whole truth about a few things, and I just figured that the money would be better spent on a newer truck.

He couldn't get the dash lights working (after supposidly installing new bulbs), he couldn't get the windshield wipers working (after supposidly checking the fuses and installing a new switch), the transfer case popped out of 4-low, among many other things...

I found a cream-puff '98 4WD F-150 for $7k, and I grabbed it.

Thanks again for all of ya'lls help. I look forward to being back again, as someday, I WILL get me one of these trucks.

Nightrain