I am selling my 87 so that I can get a pickup truck, preferably something w/ 4wd. I was just wondering if anyone else had a preference on what make/model would be the best investment. My budget is about $1000. I don't do much towing, just the occasional furniture moving. I am kind of a ford man (duh) so I have been looking at the F series with the 300, 302, or 351. Manual or automatic doesn't matter, but gas mileage would be nice. Ideas? Pointers? As far as 4wd goes, I don't know much about automatic locking hubs vs. manual ones. Is one better than the other?
As die hard Ford as I am, I'm digging the C-1500 I have owned for the past four years.
I bought it with 252,XXX miles on it ...Now it has just over 282,000 and not one sign of any sort of issues.
I'd say it's been a good investment for 1800$ (including tax, title, and all that jazz).
my specialty, ford trucks lol
your best bet is a 86-96.. 86 was the first year for fuel injection on the 302 and 96 was the last year for that body style. the only major suggestion i'll make it do NOT buy a lifted truck unless you know the parts are 100% correct.. TTB front ends eat ball joints and wheel bearings if the lift isn't 100% correct. any kind of camber is a big no no.
a 302 is your best bet. 351's lack power in the trucks a bit because of low compression and the I6's like to guzzle gas because of their big bore/stroke, but have a lot of torque.
as for the auto locking hubs, they like to slip in and out if worn. but don't let that turn you away. you can simply pull them out and replace them with manual hubs, they should be a direct swap with no modifications needed. if you go that route, i recommend staying away from WARN Supreme hubs, i've gone through a dozen pairs of them. the cheaper WARN hubs are pretty good, but i like Milemarkers.
If you want something that will run forever, the 300 I6 is an animal.
depends how well the original owner took care of it.. i've seen a lot of them blown up before they make it to 120K
Youre saying youre gonna just be hauling things, like furniture and stuff? Why 4wd then?
You also said MPG is a plus.
4.9L 5sp, 2WD.
for 1000 bucks as your budget i hope its not going to be a daily driver.
x2 with the exception of a shortbed without those flare things this i a combo ive been considering for a decent truck to move stuff around(i dont tow anything), ive heard nothing but good things about the 4.9 I6 and have seen plenty of them with over 200k that run good.
if only i could find one that doesnt have huge dents and rot all over it i might be driving one.
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT 1! :laughing: almost all of them have rot at this point, especially in fords most notorious of spots, the rear wheel well.. and if they don't, you're spending 2K+.. unless you come across 1 with a blown motor, junk trans, etc, and even then you're lucky if you can get it for less than a grand
I'll trade the 'bird for the Silverado straight up, if the 'bird is daily drivable and doesn't have any hidden demons.
I cheated and went the ranchero route. I was getting surprisingly good mpg too with the 302 and 2 bbl, but forget about any sort of power LMAO. The motor is currently out and an 89 GT 5.0 with a 4 bbl going in ;)
I'd go old school f100 with the 300 i6 and a manual trans if I was going to buy a legit truck though.
i got my 90 f150 down south, reg cab short box 4 wheel drive lariat, paid 2400 for her. the money is still kinda good for these trucks. cause they ROCK!
That statement applies to basically any engine. :D
well that i know.. but if you don't keep up on the maintainence on a 4.9 regularly, they aren't so dependable.. a 302 and 351w are a little more lenient when it comes to lack of maintainence
The weather isn't always agreeable here and I cannot miss work for any reason -including the worst of blizzards. I want 4wd to get me through some serious snow if necessary. The 300's are very common around here, but I am not a fan of the 4 speed manual that they are often bolted to.
the 4 speeds really suck in my opinion.. 1st gear is practically useless unless your run bigger tires without changing gearing
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the F Series trucks. I've had I6's and the V8's, sticks and autos, and they all have their strong/weak points. I've pulled cars on trailers to from MN to CA, TX, FL, NY, etc and had awesome luck. Basically, like mentioned above, if you can get a truck that was reasonably well taken care of, you'll be fine with any Ford. Good luck!!
I have not dealt too much with the 5.8's, but they couple I have driven were good on power, even with over 250,000 miles. 5.0's are fine for a commute, but alittle bit lacking up steep hills, but still get the job done fine. Never driven a 5.0 4wd. 4.9's are perfect for towing, but alittle bit worse on gas then the 5.0. Never seen a 4.9 that didn't run...
I might be able to pick up an 85 I6/4spd combo for $500 tomorrow. It is going to depend on how solid the frame and box are, as well as the condition of the floorpans. If it runs and drives, I figure that I can't go wrong at that price, even if I have to put another 500 into it. Is there anything specific I should look for as far as known problems? Are there any rust pr0ne areas to check that aren't plainly visible?
if the rear abs light is on(if it has 1), pay no attention to it.. they NEVER work
Floor Boards, cab mounts, over top of the rear spring perches (stuff likes to sit in the valley on the perch and rott out the perch and frame). Thats just what comes to mind,.
The '73-'79's are more my specialty :D!
rear cab mounts seem to be the first 1's to go.. check the radiator support too. and if it's stock height, check to see if the front wheels have uneven camber.. that's the first sign of bad wheel bearings or balljoints. if you take it for a test drive, listen for a hum in the rear.. the 4.9's with a stick are typical of that from hard shifting with a load.. it's a sign of either a bad u-joint or the rear is on it's way out. 2 different tones, but still a concern
The five speed available in the 150 is perceived as one of the worst transmissions available in the F trucks. What must be realized is back when the F- series had the 4 speed available no one was driving a truck for leisure. That being said don't disregard a 300 / 4 speed truck. I have an 87 f-150 4x4 300I6/ 4 speed and occasionally I will drive it on the 120 mile round trip to work getting 20 mpg. Granted the truck only has 80k miles and runs remarkably well and $3k was given for it 3 years ago.
Now the big trucks are nice work trucks and all but why not a ranger? $1k around here and you could have a first gen 4x4 in pretty darn good shape.
Other things to look for on older f trucks are rusted brake lines, worn TTB bushings, cracked leaf springs on the half tons and more than likely the gas gauge wont work.
I am actually looking at rangers as well, but I would like the ability to actually tow home a parts car if necessary. I don't think a ranger would be up to the task, considering the likely donor car would be a lincoln of some sort.
The truck I looked at today was a TOTAL disappointment. He didn't even have the air cleaner on it and it had been sitting for quite some time. The shifter pulled right out of the socket and the ignition switch was an aftermarket rigging, as the one in the column was broken. The wheel wells were rusted through the bed and the bed was full of broken beer bottles and trash. His asking price was 700 and I wouldn't have paid 100. The search continues...
well that sucks.. if it was closer to me, i'd offer him 400.. i need a doner to build a ramp truck lol
I bought one today for 500. It's an f150 4x4. 302 w/ AOD trans. The bed isn't too bad since it had a topper on most of its life. The rust is isn't bad at all on the cab and the interior is in good shape. It will need some brake work and probably new u-joints on the front. It runs great and shifts smooth. The transmission fluid is squeaky clean and doesn't leak a drop of that or oil. It looks a little rough but I think I got a deal. Pics will be posted when I get a chance.
what year? ugly paint can be fixed easily with a bit of sandpaper and some satin black spray paint lol
Good deal, I'm interested in the year as well. Big difference in years with 302's and AOD's.
1986. First year for fuel injection. It is going to take more than paint to make it pretty. The rear quarter is crinkled up a bit.
Here are a few pictures. Nothing of the interior or under the hood yet.
One more
yikes.. looks like it side swiped a tree :hick: