Is there a website out there that I can plug in my truck's info and it will tell me what it would have cost when it was originally sold? I visited my insurance agency and told them that I bought another truck (which I still don't have yet), and they asked me if I knew what the truck originally sold for when it was new. I had no idea. That got me curious.
So let's just say I was able to hop aboard some kind of magical time machine and travel back in time to early 1979. For those of you who aren't old enough, this was a little after Van Halen's first album came out, shaking us out of the disco era once and for all. Yes, I said "album," big round black things you played on a "turntable." So, I walk into a Ford dealer in my corduroy pants, wide belt, and OP shirt with my long hair parted down the middle and teardrop-shaped sunglasses on top of my head, and order me a '79 F350 Supercab 4X4 Lariat with just about every option possible (bedside toolbox, dual tanks, dual batteries, Camper Special, flip-out rear side windows, sliding rear window, cruise control, security group, etc.). What would the sticker price have been back in 1979?
BTW, just for comparison, I was recently in an automotive distributorship facility where they unload new cars and trucks from rail cars and put them on the semi-trucks to go to the dealers. I checked out an F350 crew cab 4X4 diesel "King Ranch" edition parked in there. The sticker price? $73,000!!

I'm still a new guy here, but I'm really enjoying this website! I've been soaking up information like a sponge. Every time I see one of your project trucks, I get more and more anxious to get mine!
Andy

 

Here is the order form for my 78 4x4 lariat shortbed. $7,110.00 Yours being a 79 supercab lariat I think it would have been more than mine, might give you an idea.

 

Thanks. That is so cool that you still have that! One of the first things I'm going to do when I get my truck is search under the seat and carpeting to see if I can find the build sheet.

 

found mine under the seat.

 

Contact martiauto.com for the info. There is a fee, and it varies, as it depends on what info you want.

Marti obtained all the data in the late 1980's that covers all 1967/79 FoMoCo vehicles when he discovered that Ford was planning on throwing all of it into the TRASH!

You can contact FoMoCo and receive some info for free (like a copy of the original build sheet), but it takes weeks, because Ford has to get the info from Marti.

 

I know I've read that on here many times but any idea why Ford even bothers? Does Ford pay Marti for the info? I would think Ford would just tell anyone asking for it that they no longer have that info because aparently that is true. I contacted Ford for this info on my truck and they sent it. Amazing really. I could be wrong but I doubt all manufacturers do that!

 

I called Ford in June to get two reports, and I had trouble with one, and I was told I would get one then the other due to the vin ussies. Well, I got the one with the trouble first, and have yet to see the other, which I am doubting I will unless I call them back up again.

The one I did get has some errors, but for free it's ok. Anyhow, here is mine,..............
PS: I looked all through the truck and there is no build sheet.

 

The NADA website gives you the "Original MSRP" values and will at least give you an idea. I don't know where they get their info or how accurate it is, but it's there for what it's worth. Good luck. I, too, am new here and am soaking up all this info as you say, like a sponge.

 

If that's the truck you got, it's probably only worth a couple hundred today, so I'll save you the trouble of searching for the orignal price, and I'll give you $500 for the truck and I'll endure the burden. As ND said, marti will be your best bet. Why does your insurance company care about the original sell price? I'd think they'd be more worried with a more current appraisal.

 

Can you email them your vin and they will send you the build sheet? This is cool and I wonder why they wouldnt just copy all this info onto discs and put in storage?

 

Welcome, from a fellow newbie. That's what I'm looking for. I know about Marti and contacting Ford for a spec sheet, but I'm curious as to the price of these trucks and their options back in the 70's. I'll check out the NADA website.

704 dentside man... nice try!
I don't know why my insurance agent asked me what the original sales price was.
Oh, and by the way, I don't have any hair left on top of my head to part down the middle like I did back in '79
Andy

 

The insurance company asked for my selling price so they had an insurable value. State Farm does this unless you pay for an appraisial, which has to meet their specifications to agree to insure a stated value. It's a racket, comparing NADA from back then and today, our trucks have appreciated considerably, if they'r ewell taken care of or restored.

 

I have State Farm, too. I did learn one interesting thing from them. My truck has a flatbed on it, and I'm undecided whether to keep it on (it has some really nice looking diamond plate toolboxes above and below the bed and a gooseneck hitch) or find an original bed and have a body shop fix it up and repaint it. Anyway, they told me that my truck is old enough to classify as a "classic" vehicle, but it has to be close to original condition. They said if I take the flatbed off and put a regular bed on it, my insurance premium would be cut in half.
I'll have to wait until I get the truck before I make that decision. I'll be flying down to Texas to get the truck when I go on vacation in 2 weeks. As for finding an old bed, I've done body work before, and I've always hated it. I'll pay someone else to do all that sanding, etc! I'm a mechanical guy and I like working on trucks, but body work? No thanks.
Andy

 

I also had to do this with several vehicles with State Farm.

Specifically my ATV, which they had listed as $5999... well I had receipts for parts that totalled over 14k... so yeah make sure you tell them you want either an appraisal, or if you have receipts for any restore work, etc, they will accept that along with pictures of the vehicle.

 

you might also want to check nada it tells the price.