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buying tips?

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Old Jun 30, 2010 | 09:09 PM
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buying tips?

hi yall, im happy to say im looking into my first dentside. its a 78 f250 supercab 2wd. the craigslist ad wasnt very desciptive but i called him and asked about it. he clamed it has a 390 but the VIN will tell that, ill give you guys that once i see it. i was in a hurry so i forgot to ask about the transmission, to be honest it doesnt matter much to me anyway. he said it was in decent shape but his definition is probably differant than mine.

but anyways on to my question, what would be some major problm areas to look at closely? i know the real obvious ones like the floorboards, cab corners, wheel wells and frame. im talking anything, not just body.

the truck is located in iowa so it was definatly enjoying the 30+ years of rusting heaven.


thanks in advance!
 
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Old Jun 30, 2010 | 09:33 PM
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Make sure the brakes have been done recently, they are spendy!
 
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Old Jun 30, 2010 | 09:33 PM
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The last year 390s were put in trucks was '76. Either it has had a motor swapped in or the owner just doesnt know what hes talking about.
 
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Old Jun 30, 2010 | 10:11 PM
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ive read multiple, multiple times that all 360s turn to a 390 on sale day lol. the engines not a big concern to me either, in my area it is much harder to find a decent body, especially the supercab, than it is drivetrain components.

maybe ill be really lucky and the guy really wont know what hes talking about and this "extended cab" is actually a crew. thatd definatly be worth the $750 hes asking
 
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Old Jun 30, 2010 | 10:59 PM
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Just wanted to say if it ends up being in decent shape don't pass it up just b/c of rusted out floorboards.
 
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Old Jun 30, 2010 | 11:15 PM
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There were no 360s in 1978 either, both 360 and 390 were from the FE engine family which were discontinued for '77. If an FE is in there, your vin wont tell you that because its been swapped in.
 
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Old Jul 1, 2010 | 12:21 AM
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Just a tip for looking at any used truck - keep an eye out for how much the wiring harness has been hacked up. This can be an indicator of how much troubleshooting you'll be in for later on down the road.
 
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Old Jul 1, 2010 | 12:44 AM
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Look at the cab mounts from the botom..
 
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Old Jul 1, 2010 | 01:14 AM
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Something else to pay attention to, especially on the super/king cabs, is the drip rail and the roof. The longer rails tend to rust pretty badly, and would require a re-skin. Search this forum area for more info on that.
 
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Old Jul 1, 2010 | 06:29 PM
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ive been lurking here more than you guys know... lol

yea ive read about the drip rails but i thought that was mostly a crew cab problem
 
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Old Jul 1, 2010 | 10:00 PM
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Originally Posted by 95stepside
ive been lurking here more than you guys know... lol

yea ive read about the drip rails but i thought that was mostly a crew cab problem
I believe you're right, but it never hurts to check.
 
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Old Jul 1, 2010 | 10:07 PM
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Originally Posted by DansBBF250
Make sure the brakes have been done recently, they are spendy!
And a big PITA if you do 'em yourself.
 
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