Hello Everyone. Nice to have found this site. I have been looking for a F150 or F250 1965- 1979 for quite awhile. The most disconcerting thing is all the ones I have found to date that looked like nice deals are all on the other side of the country, priced out of my range or both. I found a 1973 F250 4X4 locally that looks promising. I owned a 65 F100 I bought in Washington St. when I was in the Army and fell in love with it. Why I no longer have it is a story for another time. Any how, I'm planning to take a look at this F250 and since I have never owned a 4x4 or a 73 I was hoping someone here could help me regarding things I should be on the look out for. What I should do to test the drive train, problem areas common to this year, etc...

What I currently know about the truck:
390 ENGINE
4 speed ( Probably a NP435 )
running and driving
needs rocker on passenger side
some rust holes driver side floor pan
Bed has rust
All electrical works

There is a parts truck that goes along with it
asking price is $2800 ( both ) but the guy said he is very negotiable.

Considering it is likely a New England vehicle I don't expect the body to be pristine.

Are they any issues regarding the chassis that I should pay particular attention to? Areas that tend to be weak spots?

This isn't something I plan on just using. I want something I can restore and make a dependable vehicle for it's intended purpose. I just don't want to buy something that I find I need to put more than I can afford or justify to make it dependable.

Thank you for any responses that will help me make a more informed decision

 

I may not be able to shed any light on this subject, or offer an opinion either way, but I can throw out some things to consider.
Early trucks used:
drum brakes
Some only had a single speed transfer case
Only came with a 360 not a 390
use closed knuckle front axles
used coarse spline rear axles
might only have manual steering
Ok, there is more, but this can provide you with a few things to consider.
Upgrading the brakes is a fun task, and can bring some enjoyment, but will cost some money. Add this to the price of your investment, and consider the other upgrades, and you might justify the cost of a truck that has the upgrade equipment already.

How much is an auto transport from So Cal to your area? I would be willing to bet that we could find you a nice clean rust free truck out here, ship it to you without headache for less than you intend to invest in a local truck with rust.

 

Don't know anything about shipping except someone said to expect about $1500. Most of the trucks in the year range I was looking at were minimum of $3000 for the truck and that's site unseen for me. Have a hard time getting my brain around that.

I'm open to looking further. My top dollar spending is around $5000 and that would have to include shipping.

Single speed transfer case: Benefit or drawback?
Can you explain what this term means? use closed knuckle front axles

used coarse spline rear axles: Benefit or drawback?

Thanks for the info, Todd.

 

All drawbacks. If I was looking, it would only be in the 1978-1979 years. Open knuckles, disk brakes, real power steering, and improved steering setup.

 

I would be happy to try to go into detail, but the best explanation is the availability of parts. See the early stuff is almost obsolete and finding replacement parts can often be difficult and expensive. I am sort of referring to the front axles, but this also pertains to the transfer case and other parts.

Ok a single speed transfer case may or may not have been used in this truck, but it is a possibility. This transfer case only engages and dis-engages the front output. This means that the truck is either in 2wd, or 4wd. No low range to assist with torque multiplication for added traction in severe low traction conditions.
This low range is a huge benefit during off road excursions, and without it, you have to rely upon the transmission gear selection only. You have few gear selection options.
The advantage goes to to a transfer case with at least a ratio of say 2:1.

Some early transfer cases were dual range and had a low range as well as a high range, but were small and not so popular. These are difficult to find parts for.

most fellas are looking for a truck with a Np 205 which is a dual range case and considered to be the strongest available t-case for our era trucks.


Just so you know, you can find this transfer case more commonly in later model 70's trucks such as the 78/9 truck. It gets better. Any f250 after 76 will already has disc brakes, and every one after this would have come with them.
As we move into trucks after 77, we can rely on them all having the integral power steering and very good odds that you end up with a better transfer case.
This truck will also no longer have the gas tank in the cab as it was moved to the outside of the truck.
A stronger high pinion dana axle would be in the truck and parts for this are more plentiful. This is opposed to the earlier closed knuckle, low pinion axle that more than likely had drum brakes.

The closed knuckle axle uses a ball and socket end what encapsulates the axle universal joint VS an open knuckle that looks like a more conventional axle, and exactly what we use today. The advantage to the open design is that the u-joint can now be larger for strength, and the dry axle design is not as prone to leaks like the "wet" design of the ball and socket. Turning raduis is much better on the open design, and once again parts are plentiful and less expensive.

Getting back to your budget, I believe that you might have a decent budget that can accommodate a decent truck.

Here is what I mean. This took me two seconds to find locally, and while it might be right at the budget, I can attest that this truck is worth a few bucks:


Clicj here!
79 ford f100 short bed 4x4


I have driven past this truck for years and it has some eyeball. decent parts for a 1/2 ton truck. While I probably would not pay this much for it, I can say that in the short amount of time I spent looking that others like this are out there.

Here is So California trucks are everywhere. Just gotta get out and look. I can even get my hands on F-350 4x4's if thats your desire. Just passed up on one for 3k dollars. Nice running truck and all factory with a dana 60 up front. I did not need one, so I passed on it. There are more.
hit me back and let me know if this is something that you might be serious about. I can PM you with more trucks for sale, and if the travel time is not so bad, I can physically look for you. I can snap detailed pics and inspect the truck and provide some advice.
I now these trucks fairly well, and can spot a winner in a crowd of these things.

 

Here is another one:

This will have all of the good parts already on it. Short of paint it appears to be a decent truck.
If you have your heart set on a truck that is not a half ton, there are still more.

This one is probably less expensive after shipping than the truck you are currently looking at, and this one already has the good brakes, good steering, better interior (shoulder belts) etc.

79 Ford F150 4x4 Truck

 

First, I want to thank you for taking the time to help. I'm open to F150- F350 and I really would prefer a 77 to 79 ( 4x4 preferred ) unless I can find a 65-66 in decent shape in the price range ( shipping included ). I fell in love with that truck. Best vehicle I ever had and I got it for 500 bucks! Pretty much rust free and everything worked.

I digress. Thank you for the education on the drive train issues. Like I said, I'm new to 4x4 and getting this kind of skinny on what to look for is invaluable.

Any idea on where I should go for shipping info? Again, something I am ignorant on.

One other thing, I would really like a 390 or 360. I rebuilt a 390 and put it in my 65 to replace the 300 and I really enjoyed the 390. I have heard more negative reports on the 460 than positive but have never really experienced one. What's your opinion?

As far as the 351's go All I have ever heard is they are dogs compared to the 390

I'll take you up on the offer of being my eyes out in Cali. I can't go on Craig's list ( blocked at work ) and I don't have a personal PC. so anything you can give me a heads up on or check if it's local would be much appreciated.

 

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/1731943160.html

This looks interesting and possibly promising. I am leaning towards a 250or 350 because I would like to put a slide in camper on it. I did it with my 65 F100 after I put the 390 in it and beefed up the suspension in the back with coils and air shocks but was always concerned the rearend was at risk. What's your opinion on this?

 

Ranger,

I grew up in Vermont and always had an affinity for High boy Fords. I bought a 1973 F-250 4x4 in Arizona when I was stationed there in the USAF. I still have that truck as well as a 1978 F-250 4x4 with the Snow Fighter package.

Having had experience with both the High boy (1973-1977.5) and non-High boy versions (1977.5-1979) I will tell you from personal experience I prefer the non-High boy trucks.

75F350 has hit the issues well. When you read about the differences they really don't seem like much. However there's quite a bit of difference in the way the trucks drive in terms of handling, braking, etc. The later versions are better, significantly better!

Let's talk rust for a minute:

This may seem like an extreme opinion, but it's based on experience. People in the rust belt consider money spent on shipping a vehicle from the southwest as a waste of money. I will argue it's the best money spent!

If a vehicle is in a rust prone area, rust attacks the whole vehicle. You may only see the floors or rocker panels as having problems, but rust is working on the whole truck.

I recently bought a Dana 60 front axle from a forum member in Wisconsin. This thing is hugely rusty. When I bought that '73 I mentioned above I didn't have a problem with a single bolt or nut on the whole truck in terms of rust. I started disassembling that axle and so far, on 25% of the bolts and or studs I've had to use an acetylene torch to heat them to remove 'em. It makes a relatively simple task an ordeal. My '78 came from the Steamboat Springs, CO area and its Dana 60 is comparatively pristine.

I strongly encourage you to take advantage of 75F350's very generous offer to find you a truck. Not only will he likely find you a rust free specimen, but you will get the benefit of his voluminous knowledge and experience.

 

came across this thread just looking at nothing in particular.
lots of good information, several things i didn't know. still learning.
as for shipping try ubid.com. i bought a parts truck in november and used it to have the truck trailered to my house. it was only about 100 miles but it was also only $146. the guy was cool and kept in constant contact. it is basically ebay for shipping. you put what you are trying to ship, where to and from and guys/companies will submit bids to you. worked great for me.
hope that helps in your search.

 

Thank you all for the very kind words, and I hope to have been able to shed some light on the subject of this dentside purchase.

Many will agree that buying a truck out here, in a rust free are is probably a real safe bet. Trucks are plentiful, and for the money, it is well worth the investment. I mean, heak, even if you were to sell the truck in a few years, I could almost guarantee that you could get at least your investment back. How valuable is a rust free truck worth? If the one you speak of will bring 2800 bucks and undoubtedly needs some work, how much more valuable would a nice straight truck be worth?

At any rate, if you are leaning towards the 78/9 F-250, then we are limited to the 335 series engine. This is the 351M and 400 engines. Few came with a 300 six cylinder, and I have only seen a hand full in my area. Most common are the 351 and 400 depending upon the transmission.
The 351 is not a bad engine, but is not going to set the world on fire. Its a decent engine that can get most jobs done. The 400 has some potential, and again, seems to be reliable, and a decent engine.
While there are many supporters of the FE engine, know that the 360 was the only available engine for 4x4's. These were only available for the early trucks, and since you are looking at the 78/9 we probably wont find one with an FE.
As far as a comparison to the 460? Well, its just my opinion, but I wont run any ford engine in a truck smaller than the 460.
Its is hands down the best (potential) performer dollar for dollar. Mostly due to its availability and aftermarket support.

Judging by your wants and needs, I think a 78/9 F250 would be more than adequate and will allow you to install this slide in camper. This will have more capacity than the f150 counterpart, and would be better suited for this type of hauling.
Since this truck will already have the integral power steering, power brakes, disc brakes, shoulder belts, gas tank outside of the cab, and all of the other bells and whistles that makes this truck more desirable, we will see what we can find out here.

Ill post some pics, and see what we have available. Perhaps with the help of a few buddies and fellow FTE members, we can help a fellow enthusiast find a real nice truck.

You will have to do the leg work for transportation, the pick up location will probably be from my shop. The zip code is 91766.

As a thought, the transport company is going to charge based upon weight and size of the vehicle, so my thoughts here are to fill the bed up with some desirable parts that might make you some money out there.
Bumpers, fenders, and other rust free items might bring a pretty penny in your area. If you can take some orders from local ford guys, we might be able to provide you with some desirable parts that could help offset the cost of this transaction.

Just a thought.

 

1977 Ford F250 4x4

Just an example of how cheap we can pick up parts trucks out here:

1978 ford truck work

 

Last December I bought a "donor" truck in southern California (from Craigslist) and had it shipped to Northern Utah. Shipping cost a bit less than $500.00. I used United Road and they were excellent; both in terms of price and customer service. Many yellow pages will list some vehicle shipping companies, but these are usually brokers. I got prices from them as well, but they were at least 25% higher and their estimated delivery dates were further out.

I agree (again) with 75F350 on the merits of the 460....

When I restored the '73, I pulled the stock 360 2bbl and replaced it with a pretty spendy blueprinted and balanced 428. That's the biggest of the FE series engines and it's a very easy swap because everything bolts up.

However the availability of FE parts is much less than what you can easily get for a 460, and they're usually more expensive, too.

When I had that 428 built we used 428 Cobra Jet heads. At the time I think I paid $400.00 for a set. Today those are probably worth well over a thousand. A few months ago I bought a set of D0VE 460 heads for $400.00 and they had just come from a machine shop with a valve job.

If you go with a 1977.5-1979 V-8 you'll get either a 351M or a 400 (assuming it hasn't been replaced). The bellhousing from either of those engines use the same bolt pattern as the 460, so that's another plus.

 

75F350
HICKFIED
BLACKFOOT BIG BLOCK
JB101
REYNARD101

I really can't thank you guys enough. All of this assistance and knowledge has really helped. Now I have a list started on what to look for.

Guess I need to reassess the 460 option. That said. I have heard that the fuel injected 460 is the only way to go. Is this true?

75F350, I will rely on you and anyone else who is willing to help on potential trucks out there AND your knowledge of what is a potential good buy.

I will look into shipping with the info Reynard 101 gave me so that can be factored in ( approx. )

I guess having extra parts thrown in the back will depend on my bottom line but it sounds like a good idea. Again I will defer to you 75F350.

Again, Thank you, Todd.

 

Welcome to the FTE sickness!! As I peruse CList often, I will keep my eyes open also for dents for ya, I am north of Fresno up in the mtns,