Considering buying a 79
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Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2007
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Considering buying a 79
My uncle has had a brown '79 F150 for years. It has been garaged for the last 10-15 years and he never drives it. In fact it has a bad engine but he bought a new one for it from Jasper Engines and I think he even has a new carb. The new motor needs dropped in. I know he wants to sell it because he will never finish it. And Im looking to find a cheap pickup that can pull a race trailer. It is a 4x4 and has the taller suspension and big tires, reg cab and long bed. Definitely has less than 100k miles. I really dont know anything about carburetors or old school V8's so it will be a learning process. But the body on this thing needs nothing and I dont think it has any rust anywhere. No clue what the mileage is but since its not running I might be able to get a deal. Im just looking for pointers of possible things that would need fixed or normal things that wear out so I can inspect it good. Does anyone have any recommendations or advice about this model pickup and how well it would pull a 4800 lb trailer? I think I can get a good deal, definitely less than $2000. Any thoughts? 
Elder User
Joined: May 2007
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From: Northern Colorado
Is it 4800 lbs. empty, or with your load - might make a little difference here. In any case, a trailer like that will have brakes, and pulling it with a V8 is no problem. In fact, pulling any amount of weight is usually not the issue - stopping it can be. Sounds like a great deal and Jasper is a good builder. Just make sure all the usuals are up to snuff, i.e. brakes, cooling system, all gearbox fluids, etc. Everything else can be dealt with, and all of us here are around to help out!
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The brakes are the main thing Im worried about since it hasnt been driven since the 80's lol. The engine will be good obviously tho Im not sure what size his new one is. I think its a 360. But they did say it was a half ton so that means F150. But a 250 would be awesome.
The trailer would be 4800 with the car on it. Most open trailers like I plan to build are 700-1000 lbs at the most and the car will be ~3200 so with tools and an extra rim or two 4800 is about the max.
The truck is a rusty brown color, which Im not in love with. If I get ambitious or get a good enough deal I will buy some nice 15" AR wheels and tires and maybe get a paint job.
Thanks for the help/support, I'm curious to see how much he wants for it. I'll report back if I decide to go for it.
The trailer would be 4800 with the car on it. Most open trailers like I plan to build are 700-1000 lbs at the most and the car will be ~3200 so with tools and an extra rim or two 4800 is about the max.
The truck is a rusty brown color, which Im not in love with. If I get ambitious or get a good enough deal I will buy some nice 15" AR wheels and tires and maybe get a paint job.
Thanks for the help/support, I'm curious to see how much he wants for it. I'll report back if I decide to go for it.
