I currently have a 92 F-150 with the 5.0 and auto tranny. I found a 77 F-250 Highboy for sale near me for $600. It has the 400 and a 4 speed for the guts. The body needs some work on it but thats to be expected. Does anyone have any advice on what major areas i should look for problems on this truck? I want to lift it 2-4 inches and build the engine up a little bit. Let me know what you guys have to say
Thanks
~B~

 

If that 400 has a lot of miles on it, it's going to have low oil pressure. 335-series motors are notorious for having oil pressure issues once the odometer flips over. But, if you're going to tear down the motor anyway, more power to you. $600 is a steal. Welcome to FTE!

 

If it runs it's worth $600 easy. You might look for a leaking steering ram, worn u-jounts, suspension components, brakes, etc. All the usual stuff. But it's all easier to fix than some of the stuff on your '92,That's part of the beauty of these old trucks, i.m.o. They're simpler than the new stuff, and cooler, too! I just paid $500 for one with a dead 351m, and I think it was a great deal. (Should be starting the 460 swap on Sunday)

 

Let me start off with welcome to the site!

whats your plan? selling the 92 F-150? or trading it?

and things to look for, let me start with the basics

-Look for body fill (sheet metal will appear wavy or possibly body lines will be smoother since the body fill is making the body thicker, if you suspect a area run a magnet over, but use a cloth to protect the paint, if the magnet loses its attraction that means there is heavy body fill) also some people use body fill to hide rust, don't ask me why, but they do!

-Rust ( Rust is the prime evil in these old trucks, make sure you give the truck a once over, the front window seam is a common rust area, so is the back window seam, and so is the door drip rails, and the lower doors are common for rust and rot, also look at the door pillar and the inner rocker panel and its corners, then look at the cab corners, then go to the box, and check around the gas door, and then check up in the wheel well and then under the bed, then check out the tailgate, make sure it actually opens and check the hinges, that is a very common rust spot, check the inner bed and then you can also check the mounts for rot, and the front clip, the hood, and the inner fenders are galvanized steel so they hold up well, and check the rad support and its mounts, and then give the frame a once over, the mounts are common rot spots on these trucks, and so is the rear back of the frame, also check the fire wall corners, that's where the cowl in front of the windshield drains, that is a very common rot spot, since leaves and moisture build up in there, also check the floor for patch panels, the drivers side floor rots out first than the passenger side does, basically rust never sleeps!

-Next go over the mechanical's of the truck, how does it idle? is there any engine noise? how does it drive? and give the transmission a once over, and make sure it shifts and is smooth, then test out the transfer case, does it actually work? does it make any noises? how does the front hubs work? test it in 4x4 as well, and is it actually a high boy? the f-250 part is right so far, is the transfer case attached to the transmission? if it is, its not a high boy, the high boys have 3 drive shafts, one from the transmission to the transfer case then one from the case to the front axle then one from the case to the back axle, make sure there is no diff noise, check this by shifting from reverse to forward, do you hear a clunk? this means the back lash is off, and it could be worn out, also check for noise at road speed

- then go over the brakes, (this is not as important as the basic drive train and axles, because you can generally replace brakes on the cheap compared to motor work or transmission work or even a worn out transfer case or rear or front axles/diffs which cost big bucks at times)

-suspension and tires are another thing to look over, how worn are the tires? and how worn out is the suspension and steering? does it have power steering? check the pump over and make sure it works, also check over the power brakes if it has it, does it make any noise driving? keep a ear out for bearing noise and suspension noise, and check how the steering is down the road! also you listen for and check over the u joints in the front axle and the drive shafts

key areas to look over and check for

-Rust ( in the cab and floor and bed/tailgate, and cab and bed mounts)
-Body filler (bondo) and body work done
-Engine
-Transmission
-Transfer case
-Suspension and steering
-Engine accessories (power steering pump, alternator, ac compressor, water pump)
-Brakes
-Wiring harness (look for chopped up wires or backyard electrical work, and dangerous splices)

basically give it a good once over and even the interior, (make sure you can live with it, some trucks have really worn out interiors) but make sure you like the truck, and make sure its a real highboy, a lot of people add that to just make a sell, and don't buy it on a wim, i am sure some people can ring in and help you id it as a highboy, hope this helps, its just some basics, i think i covered a lot

i know its only 600 bucks but its best to look it over, you might be buying more than you can handle, but i am sure it will be a nice truck, keep us updated! and pictures and more info would be great! and good luck!

-Brent

 

double post sorry

 

your so correct these old trucks are so easy to work on, and the parts are cheap, and any one can do the repairs, unlike modern plastic which needs computers and special tools to fix them, and these old 73-79s are super cool looking! and the last of the true trucks!

please don't let my 100 point inspection comment discourage you, i just over payed for my truck, and had way to many surprises, so i tend to go to the extremes! 600 bucks sounds like a steal of a deal if it runs, please post some pictures of it! and more info, and keep us up to speed on it

-Brent

 

That was one comprehensive check list! I was gonna say all that stuff, but I'm too lazy. P.S. I clicked on that link and got a video with soldiers, flags, and politicians, but no truck.

 

sorry about that, i used to have my truck's video up as the featured video, here is a link to my trucks video

also that was my Youtube channel

YouTube - My 1977 Ford F-150 4x4 Restoration

enjoy

-Brent

 

Thanks guys!! This should help me alot!!! The Vehicle description said this "is a 77 ford f-250 high boy, it has a 390 that im sure will run again, it needs a carb and probably a coil, 4 speed, divorced np 205 t-case. dana 44 HD in the front and dana 60 in the rear, lots of good parts for a mud truck, the body is totally shot" Here is a picture of it
Not the best looking truck but its going to be a monster! Do you think this is worth the $600?
~B~

 

i would say its worth 600 bucks, and it looks fine to me! and if its actually a 390 and not a 360 with the 390 title on it, (a lot of people will hype a truck up with a bigger engine), the 360 and 390 look like the same engine, there is internal differences, a decode should figure out if its a 360 or 390, and someone on here might help you id it by vin codes other wise they both look the same

how does it shift?
also the NP205 is basically the best transfer case ever made, its gear to gear vs. the NP203 which is chain drive (chain stretches and brakes), but i hear you can convert the NP203 to gear to gear, which is stronger, but you won't find a gear to gear NP203 factory

the axles sound good and of course its a f-250 so its heavy duty, overall sounds and looks nice! i would say buy it, the transfer case alone can be worth 500 bucks, at least around my area it would be, and the repairs it does need sound minor, i would like you to see if it runs, but other than that sounds like a deal to me! keep us updated and if you get it post some more pictures! and good luck it looks like a nice truck, and it has potential

-Brent