So I'm pretty new here too and I hope its okay i post here because unfortunately I don't know very much about my truck and this thread seemed like a good place to get answers. I was just given a 1979 Ford Ranger 4x4 Supercab by my 80 y/o grandfather. It's a automatic and I believe he said it has a 350 in it and it has 40k miles on the original engine and about 39k was from two trips he took to Canada and Alaska in it and the other thousand miles was put on it over the span of 30 years in very light driving to ensure it stayed in good mechanical condition. He was the original owner and serviced it and started it up regularly. It has a few extras that I know of including a grill protector with fog lights, off road tires, police style spot lights on the driver and passenger side, two gas tanks and a CB radio, haha! So I was wondering what the distinction between was between and what i have a F350 of the same year or are they the same. I also asked him how much he thought it was worth, though I wouldn't in million years sell it and I think thats part of the reason he gave it to me, so I was also wondering if anyone had any rough educated estimates on its worth. As a bonus it has a camper on it with a shower/oven/fridge and all the other camper necessities but I assure you that I will be taking it off immediately. Beside that I was just hoping to gain to any useful information/advice from anyone who might know about my truck to keep it in good running condition and maybe some advice on where i could further spend some money on it as I'm pretty sure the engine is completely stock. I've never owned a truck before but this one seems like it's a pretty good place to start. I also upload the only pictures I have of it so far into a photoalbum on this site. Thanks so much. Sorry if I wasn't supposed to post here.

 

Well I would say with certainty that it doesn't have a 350 in it unless it was swapped in at one point. I would say it has the 351M but i could be wrong.

It is worth whatever a buyer would think that it is worth. But I would say around 6 grand with the camper if it's in good shape, 2 or 3 without it. but that's just me.

 

Looks like a nice truck! 4x4 and only 40k with a clean body make a big difference in selling price. If the interior is also really nice the truck alone would be worth 6-8k to the right person around here, the old camper might fetch a grand by itself here if its really nice. Does it have the lariat interior pkg? Engine would most likely be a 351M. I've got a newer truck camper that I put on my superduty for camping, If you upgrade it with electric jacks it makes loading / unloading a breeze. Enjoy your new toy!
Tim.

 

If it is a V-8 and the factory engine, it has a 351M or 400. It will have a sticker on the left valve cover(dirvers side) that will tell you engine size.

Value....that is anyones guess, and that is what you get here unless the guesser has a wad of cash. If the interior and body match a 40,000 mile well cared for truck, it will be higher. Ultamately it is worth what a buyer will pay and the owner will take for it.

The difference in a F250 and an F350 is weight rating and the front axle. Unless special ordered a F250 has a Dana 44HD front axle. A F350 has a Dana 60 front.

 

The supercab/camper special F250 should have come with a HP Dana 60 front and sway bars front and rear. Also overload springs on the rear. Definately a heavy duty set-up very similar to a F350.

 

As far as value, like everybody else has said, it depends on the purchaser. From what I've seen, a Supercab in good shape especially with super low original miles should easily be worth $5,000 - $6,000. The front axle alone is in the ballpark of $1,500, not to mention the married NP205 TC.

 

thanks guys and yeah the interior is super clean, no stains or tears, and maybe even a hint of the new car smell still. He must have said a 351 engine, is the '79 351 a good engine? I'm not sure about the lariat package though, how would i know? about what kind of gas mileage can i expect both with and without the camper and is there anything i can do to improve the gas mileage? thanks again

Jason

 

so i just did a bunch of reading and i'm sure its the 351m engine. does anyone know about the 351m's camshaft and valve train? i read somewhere else that the stock ones are garbage and ANY aftermarket ones would make a significant difference.

 

I just had my 1979 2wd supercab appraised at 8,000.....

 

its not a 350 for sure unless he did mods and put on it because thats a chevy motor but maybe a 351

 

The 351M is a good reliable engine, but is not by any means a performance engine. You should get between 10 and 12 MPG empty. These trucks have the aero dynamics of a brick so don’t expect too much better. Check out the 335 series forum on this site, there are guys there that can give you more help and ideas on what to do to wake up your engine. An aftermarket cam and timing set will defiantly help the 351M.

 

A stock 351m with good spark plugs and wires should 15-19 mpg on the highway depending on speed and how you drive it. Mine averaged 15 mpg on the highway doing 70 mph. Remember these trucks were designed during the 70's fuel crisis when the speed limit was 55 mph. Gradual acceleration and deceleration and highway speeds of 55-60 mph will net the best gas mileage but that's no fun!

 

thanks again guys and I actually have another question. The truck is also a "camper special." So what does that mean?

 

I dont know if it's because it's a camper special or because its a supercab but like my '78 which is a supercab/camper special the main differences with the camper special are: high pinion Dana 60 front axle (most 3/4's came with Dana 44 front), sway bars front and rear, overload springs on the rear, and a camper plug-in on the back of the cab on the drivers side.

 

thanks Nka.... I really can't find much on the internet on my truck especially when it come to the camper special. How many miles are on your truck? It looks really clean and the lift is BOSS.