Welcome Jamie. Sounds like a sweeeet find. I'd love to see some pics!

 

Hey 74, thanks for the welcome. Yep, i'll get pics up asap. I was hoping to buff out the finish and take some pics soon - so pics will follow.

I guess we have almost the same truck - were there any big production changes from 74-75? I was looking at a 73 before I took the plunge - but it needed too much for restore so I went with my 75 in better condition. I liked the 73 alot though - really didn't see much difference design and option wise.

 

Jamie,

I don't think there was much difference between the 74 and 75 F350. For that matter, I don't think there was that much difference between the 73 and 74 other than the availability of the 460 and solid state ignition. Somebody might know other details.

 

You are correct, '74 is the last year of points.
Lucky for me the previous owner of my '74 F-250 Super-Cab converted mine to electronic ignition. (And yes, also the first year for the Super-Cab.)

Here are 12 things to know about the 1974 Ford Truck.

 

New to the site. Great thread. I just bought a 73 F350 Super Camper Special, 390, 4 speed (yes someone else does have a 4 speed LOL!). I didn't know that 73 was the only year the emblem said "Super Camper Special". Mine are missing with the exception of one that fell off and that I have. I've been looking all over the internet for another one. No wonder I couldn't find...must be pretty rare. Do you know where I could find one? Also the rear emblems are missing on both sides of the bed. It is a Ranger (not an XLT). Did it just say "Ranger"? Where those the same for 73-79? Do your or anyone know where I can get these. I also live in So Cal. Culver City to be exact. Thanks for your help.

 

I noticed that these two 73's don't have the trim/moulding across the side. Mine doesn't either. Mine was repainted. Until I saw these, I thought it was removed when repainted. Could it have came from the factory without the moulding?

 

Finally, another 4-Speed SCS! (390 to boot)
Post your VIN & your warranty tag info off the metal warranty tag on the driver-side door below the latch. I will decode it for you. It tells certain info, like gear ratio, trim level, DSO code etc...
Your VIN, since these trucks are F-350, Single cab, 2WD only, will start with F35. If it a San Jose, CA code truck the VIN will be F35MR (That's mine, 2WD, F-350 390 4v, San Jose Assembly Plant, as an example) Some '73 & '74 say Super Camper, without the special. I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to it. Some SCS have a GVW of 9,500 while some are 10,000. They are only called Super Camper Specials from '73-'76. After that they just F-350 Camper Specials. They dropped the name Super Camper Special because they didn't want the buyer to believe he was buying a Super Cab Camper Special. The Super-Cabs had come out in '74. I'd love to see pictures of it. Yes it was actually possible to get a truck with no trim, I believe my '74 F-250 Super-Cab was ordered with NO trim cept it's a Ranger, it says Ranger Custom on the build sheet.

 

Disregard this post. Tried to delete.

 

If I remember right (I took some of the pics Anthony posted) the brown truck had the molding removed before my pics. The silver truck I THINK had it removed before painting, but I'm not positive.

 

I got the VIN off of the title. Its F35HLS20886. Some moron removed the warranty tag. Probably when it was painted. What is the best way to tell if it is truly a 390? How can I tell what make the manual tranny is? The Haynes manual says it could be a New Process or a Warner TA 813. Thanks for your help.

 

Vin decodes as a 1973 F350 Pickup built at the Michigan Truck plant in June 1973 and powered by a 8 cyl 390 cid 2-bbl engine.

You have to see what the bore & stroke is. Since there is no way to tell the difference beetween a 360 & a 390 without some effort.

It's probably a NP 435, or a Borg Warner T-18.
Where is reverse? Is it near 4th, all the way over & down, or is it up near 3rd?
If it's beside 4th then it's a NP435 which is what my truck has. If it's beside 3rd, it's a T-18.
Your truck sounds like it's had all the trim & stuff removed, as well as the warranty tag.
Contact Ford & order a build sheet. I'll provide you with more info at a later date, I have homework to do.

 

Interesting. Thanks for your help!

 

Well, after much himming and haiiiiing, I went ahead and spent $200 for the Elite Marti report for my 74 F350. I figured it will be my 50th birthday present to myself! It looks like Ford doesn't produce the build sheet orders for free anymore and you need to order them from a Ford gear website. My son and I plan to show the truck and camper this summer at some local car shows so I thought the Elite package with matting and frame would look nice. I also plan to create another display board with the original brochure, owners manual as well as some original manuals to the 79 camper. The marti report website says it will take about 4 months to receive the report so I figured I'd better order one now. I'm really looking forward to getting it so I can see the statistics and comparison data, as well as window sticker, etc. I'll let y'all know when I get it.

 

74 F350 SCS, in the '80s, Ford was going to throw all that information away.
Kevin Marti, who was a Mustang nut from AZ, found out about it. He got all that information for next to nothing. So when you contact Ford for your free build sheet, they have to get the info from him. That's why it takes 4-6 weeks or so.
That E-Mail address is crcfmc@ford.com
They send you back an E-Mail saying:

My name is ____ and I would like to thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company
surrounding the build sheet you are seeking for your 1976 Ford F-350.

We would like to assist you; however, in order to process your request more
information is needed. Please include your original message with the following
additional information to allow us to proceed.

Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Cellular Phone Number:
Daytime Phone Number:
Home Phone Number:

If you would prefer to provide this information over the phone, you may call us
toll free at 1-800-392-3673 between the hours of 8am and 5pm, local time, Monday
through Friday. Hearing impaired callers with access to a TDD may contact us by
calling 1-800-232-5952.

We understand that this may cause inconvenience on your part however, this step
is essential for us to ensure that your concerns are addressed appropriately.

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,
Customer Relationship Center
Ford Motor Company

 

Thanks. That's interesting. I was told that just very recently, Ford stopped providing this free service and you now are referred to. Shop Ford Gear and when you go to that website, you can order a standard build sheet or deluxe. They send you the build sheet and it comes From Ford and is signed by Elena Ford, Director of Marketing Services. They can also provide you with recall letters, and other technical letters for your truck. Check the website out!