OK, the time has come to get myself a work truck, and it needs to be able to be a DD for my family (2 GROWING boys)

I'll be ready to sell my Explorer by the end of the month, can't ask much for it, and I'm gonna be putting my 76 Highboy up for sale by the end of the week, chatting with a friend of mine over lunch yesterday, he brings up a truck I never knew he had, and offered to sell it to me for $1000, all it needs an an M5OD transmission, "The ol girl runs i'll tell ya that" so I go to his house, and he pulls a tarp off of the truck, and it's a 1994 Ford F150 XLT, for $1000 i was expecting a mid 80's clunker, but this truck is beautiful (with some obvious wear and tear), i wanted to rip my checkbook out right there, but I'd like to see what you guys think, wife said to refrain from conducting an "Impulse Buy" to the best of my abilities.

It's a 4x4, 300Inline 6er, 5-spd.
it's got a few accessories, a lighted visor for one, and a few things you can live without but good to have around.

It does run, I started it when I was there, ran smooth, and no problems i could find, leaks or otherwise.

My brother flipped at the sound of 300 from my mouth, told me if I didn't get it he would buy it himself and lynch me for being so foolish.

Ideas? Comments? OPINIONS?

 

Put a ZF in it and you will have a very reliable work rig. Its a blot in swap just find one out of an F250/350 4x4 and your transfer case will bolt right too it all the drive shafts are the right length, heck the wiring has even plugged right in when I have done them. If your work involves towing or hauling of any kind the ZF is a good upgrade, it has granny low and OD.
-John

 

You didn't say but I'm guessing it's an extended cab since seating 4 in a regular cab is difficult at best? Be prepared to do a gearing change on it, most of the I6 trucks were saddled with lincoln town car gearing which quickly destroys the clutch or transmission if the vehicle is used for what it was intended.. hauling stuff. The good news is the gear ratio you need(3.55) is stupid common in the V8 trucks so finding a complete rear donor axle and front 3rd member won't be hard. Otherwise you will likely have to deal with the common wear and tear issues like U-joints, brakes, tunup stuff, but once that is all out of the way you'll have a reliable daily driver.

 

The 300 is a great great motor with lots of torque and still gets great gas mileage. I get around 22-23 on the highway with mine and I have the 5spd as well.

 

22-23 mpg is not believable, on highway or not.

even with the 5 speed.

 

Buy the truck. The 300 is one of the best Six Shooters ever built. They're really tough an will pull a load pretty decent.

 

Buy the truck you wont regret it

 

well most of the reason (ie Gearing) has never posed a problem lol, I have a 1976 F250 High Boy I've been using for the past 5 years, with the 360/390 Hybrid it's got, and the 4-spd, it's just a nasty beast, will outrun everything when you need it to, but will pull Satan off his throne when you desire.

I can honestly say, as much as I love the power the 300 offers, and my confusion behind why ford was stupid enough to make it's gearing the way it is, I'm in need of more of a turn key and go, I told the wife today that my High Boy stays, drove her around a bit after she'd been sitting for a while, can't part with her.

I am thinking of saving for a diesel.
seems more logical, they are just EXPENSIVE here.

i'll still think about it, see what I can find in terms of a donor truck, my neighbor offered to sell me her 95 F150 for $1500, but I've never EVER had good luck with the E4OD, gonna bounce back and forth and decide later, would still like some ideas, I had already considered the ZF swap.

 

You can believe what you want, but my dad gets 22 mpg easily on the highway with his '92. It has a 300 six, 2.73 rear end gear, and the Mazda 5-speed. His truck has over 180000 miles and is still going strong. The 300 is a great engine.

 

if highway speed is 55 mph maybe with those gears but not going 65 or 70 mph.

and we are talking us gallons not imperial gallons i hope.

 

People don't know how to do the math to figure out their fuel milage. They also don't take into account how much wind resistance plays into part.

I'm not buying it. The best I ever got was 18 mpg following the draft off a big Uhaul truc, going 60 mph and below.

 

all i know is the guy told me it got 15 on the highway, and that was with a full tuneup, you gotta pay for ***** man, if you ARE getting 22mpg, you aint pulling a DAMN thing.

and your doing a lot of down hill shift her to neutral coasts, I know my High Boy gets 10mpg with downhill coasts, 8mpg IF I AM LUCKY otherwise.

 

That's right. "Muscle" costs in fuel.

 

I have a Edelbrock 650CFM Avenger 4bbl carb on my 360/390, and when I romp it, you can hear my gas needle scream, or maybe it's my wife, no matter it still hauls, i talked with a guy today who had a 300 6er, and he said he was averaging 13-14mpg on the highway, he's owned his truck for close to 12 years, so I think he has perfect basis to tell me what I were to expect, I've decided to stick with my High Boy, she's been too reliable to let her go, still trying to see why mileage was such a big deal, anything meant to pull isn't going to make your wallet happy in gas, but if your smart and know how to bide your time, you can make some serious $$$ and balance it out.

Personally fuel mileage means nothing to me, c'mon lol, i drive a truck that should be running methane or alcohol with how loud it is and the power it's got.

 

my 302 did better on gas then my 300 i think my foot got heavier with this truck every take off i force it to rap lol