New farm truck
 

I am thinking of purchasing a 1985 f350 from a local guy for $400. It has no bed, but has a Chelsea PTO and hydraulics due to it having a previous flat bed. It has a 351W and a 4 speed manual trans. It is a dually and 2wd. Im just looking for a truck for beating on and using around the farm. Do you think it will last for a little while? I dont know how much mileage it has due to a 5 digit ODO and it has a slight rod knock, but i figure i dont care if it will rarely see pavement. What do you guys think?

i bought my 81 250 4wd with the 351M auto long scab for 600. It had 44k + however many rollovers :) and runs good though hard to start when cold. body is a little rough ... you can see a few pics in my gallery. sounds like a good little project.

With a rod knock you should plan on a rebuild or a replacement engine in the near future.

duallies are awesome ive had a dozen or so, mostly GM ones 67 and up and a 53 6400 2 ton one too, i miss them all, id have bought that one too :D

fix it up, keep it around, it will pull a house :D
make some money off it moving heavy stuff for ppl

only certain ppl like such trucks, most ppl just cut them up and waste them cuz they think they are too heavy and useless :-/


nice score :D

You might get lucky and find that rod knock is just a bad harmonic balancer. I've had a bad balancer on a 302 and would have sworn the bearings were shot from the sound it made running.

For the use you propose it sounds like a good buy. If you have to replace the engine it's not hard or terribly expensive to drop in a junkyard 351W.

400 bucks? I don't think you could possibly go wrong. Unless it's been sitting on its frame for 10 years or something, thats a steal...even with the slight rod knock.

I was able to take it for a test drive the other day. It started right up and I didnt even notice a rod knock. It seemed that maybe a cab mount rusted out because on uneven road, the cab rattle around. Also, did the first gear on these trannys have a synchro? I didnt think so because it was the only gear that had a slight grind in. Im probbly gonna buy this one. Ill keep ya posted.

get it home, change oil, filter, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel & air filters, flush radiator. who knows, it may run like a sewing machine after that. even if it doesn't you can't complain about $400 for a 1 ton truck. and it's easy to throw a bed on it. it's probably a granny 1st gear that you don't have to use unless hauling something, it's probably not sync'd.

I just bought her for a whopping $250 bucks. I figured id never need the hydraulic pump that was attached to it so i negotiated it out. Ill keep yall posted regarding the progress i make. Does anyone sell patch panels for the floor? It has a few holes and i dont like the idea of my foot falling out of the truck-although it is easy to dispose of garbage....

Try this link: http://raybuck.com/wsm/c-129_1980-19...kupbronco.html I think their paper catalog has more extensive listings.

Yeah for 400 bucks why not sounds like not bad truck to puts around the farm with

we alwasy recycled road signs for floor panels
" if you can find one "

road signs work for a beater, but i wouldn't recommend using aluminum to patch a hole in a steel floor long term. $250 for a running truck is great. the core on the motor is worth more than that.

So while im waiting for her to be delivered, i wanted to get some more info on the truck itself. It has a 351W and a 4speed manual. What kind of carb does it have, assuming its OEM? Is in 4BBL or 2BBL? What is the tranny code? What are common problems for these engines and is there anything you guys would recommend me doing for added reliability or power without being expensive? Any and all info is appreciated.

Well shes finally here! After driving her around there were a few things i noticed that i need to fix and any suggestions on how to fix these problems would be appreciated:
1. The carb has a really low idle and wont stay idling for more than bout 15 secs. is there an adjustment for idle speed? It doesnt blow any smoke and the only other possibly carbureted issue is that the throttle response is a bit lagging. I dont know if the 2 probs are related.
2. What are the ratios for the rear. all i can find on the case is the number 70 on the top.
3. What kind of oil should i put in the motor? Tranny? what weights?
4.Is there a manual choke or a electric choke? I havent ever needed it to start it with the choke but when it wont start isnt the time id like to find these things out.
5. I think the solenoid is going bad because sometimes the starter keeps cranking even after i turn the key off. The solenoid thats on there looks like it came off a lawnmower, and there is a blue wire with a yellow cap that is connected to the negative wire but not to anything else. Where does it go?
6. The old rusty muffler fell off while driving and im gonna need a new one (damn neighbors). Can i just get a universal muffler and mount it? Any brands you guys prefer?
7. At some point ill probably need to get a bed for the truck. Are ther any places besides junkyards that have beds for '84 duallies? Im thinking its not gonna be easy...

oh, and CORRECTION: ITS A 1984 MODEL. Whatever i said before aint correct.