Got a pickup...back on track again

[clm2112]

Another item on the checklist completed... Found a pickup truck. Suitable for pulling the boat and handling life on the farm (Pennsylvania snowstorms.)

Been looking on ebay for a while, checking auto-trader online, and the local paper's online classifieds. Saw one this morning over at a Kia dealer in DeLand. 1995 Ford F-150, auto transmission, 302 V8, 4 wheel drive. Called the dealer, they wanted $4500 for it. Salesman described it as in rough shape. Figured I'd go take a look after work.

Got there at 5:30 this afternoon. Took a look at it for a while. Not as bad as I expected. Frame looks good (surface rust, but no twists, wrinkles, or signs of repairs). Body looks good as well, Dent in the cab roof, but didn't see any rust in the fender wells, no signs of repainting or body work. Little exhaust smoke on the back of the head (looks like the air injection pump fitting). Motor doesn't looked dicked around with. Interior is so-so. It was somebody's work truck and the bench seat is worn and torn. Inside is all base model, which is a plus from my perspective, as that is easier to refurbish with a can of vinyl dye.

So, offered $4000 for it, settled at $4250 (taxes, title, and tag included.) and I can bring it home tomorrow after work. Pictures to come.

[00Beast]

Cool, but $4250 for a beaten up old truck? FL's market must be a lot different than around here. In MN that truck wouldn't be worth more than $2500 if it was in mint condition. How many miles?

[clm2112]

Cool, but $4250 for a beaten up old truck? FL's market must be a lot different than around here. In MN that truck wouldn't be worth more than $2500 if it was in mint condition. How many miles?

Milage is unknown, odometer is out to lunch, vehicle is over 10 years old so the title already has "Exceeds Mechanical Limits" by default. Based on the condition of the underside of the truck, I'd guess about 100k to 150k on it. It might be more, but if so, it was regularly maintained.

Maybe I paid too much..I dunno. I've been looking for about two months. Chevy C/K 1500's and Ford F-150's. At the $1500 to $3000 level, everything I looked at were rust buckets (holes in the beds, holes in the cab floors, etc.), bastardized by being lifted or dropped, or they were 2 wheel drive. This was the first I've come across that was none of the above, so for better or worse it's mine now.

[00Beast]

Hmm, yeah. Around here, decent shape trucks of that era are a dime a dozen, but I guess each area has a different set of vehicles it sells.

[clm2112]

Hmm, yeah. Around here, decent shape trucks of that era are a dime a dozen, but I guess each area has a different set of vehicles it sells.

Yeah...you should have seen some of the rolling wrecks I've looked at. If it was in my price range (i.e. $4000 and under) it was either out of state (would need to be shipped), rusted out, bastardized, or obviously customized by collision. I was faced with a choice of raising the upper limit of my budget again for a 1997 model year or newer, or taking the best I could find for my budget. Of course, now that money has changed hands, they will start coming out of the woodwork.

[PRD2BDF]

At least you have a truck to tow some stuff to PA when you move.

Looking forward to the pictures.

[clm2112]

At least you have a truck to tow some stuff to PA when you move.

Looking forward to the pictures.

That will be it's first long trip. I've got three months to go through it by driving it to work on a daily basis. Come August, I'm taking it to PA along with the trailer, motorcycle, and odds & ends. That's the first load of stuff going to PA for good.

Mod list is pretty short: Stainless headers, bed-liner (probably spray-on), and a cover for the bed. I'll climb under it this weekend, clean and paint the frame, and fix the exhaust leak. Somebody else did the suspension recently, it had new ball joints, tie-rod ends, and shocks.

If it needs any motor work in the coming year, I've got the spare roller-cam 302 in the living room (rational for sticking to pre-1997 models). About the only thing that could go wrong would be in the drive-line..which appears to be pretty cheap to work on.

[Jrs3800]

Thats a Decent find here.... all of the Ford trucks I have seen of that Era here are phucked with... I have yet to see one that didn't have some hard core unfriendliness going on..

What i don't like is the mileage... And the question becomes " whats really on this motor ".... I have not seen too many of the 302's exceed 250k, great stout motors but the bearings seemed to get tired over the long haul... I do like that you have another 302 sitting at bay waiting....

I too await pics...

a friend had a 93 F150 JMC Custom truck... Black Flare side Loaded... Had the 302...... I wish I could have gotten that truck before his dad did and took it to NY.... The Salt ate the truck to bits....

[sandrock]

Good. I might need to borrow said truck. My outside AC unit took a

[WhiteArrow3800]

How heavy is your boat? Meh, It's more than capable of pulling it I'm sure. Our '95 F-150 has the 5.0 as well. We used it to tow the '67 Cougar around one year and dad wasn't impressed (Which lead to getting the Expedition). The F-150 could do, but she struggled. Now that I think about it, It didn't help that the trailer was another 1500-2k lb. too.

Other than that it's a great truck, 125k+ on ours now. No real issues besides regular maintenance things.

[clm2112]

Only got a minute to post a picture before going to work. Got it home, started going through it last night. Got a couple of things to fix (exhaust leak, vac leaks, and the speedometer/odometer issue...which is looking like a botched stereo install.)

[dpcookson]

Nice truck! I'm liking the rims too. I probably wouldn't change too much on it aside from a box liner, tonneu cover, and maybe a little more aggressive tires. I like the BFG All Terrains they are a good all around tire with not too much road noise.

[clm2112]

Got the first batch of parts on order. Mirror for the driver's side, stainless headers, headlights & tail lights (plastic covers are hazed over, new ones are cheap enough to get before trying to polish the old ones clear.) Kinda handy that Ford reused many parts with the Bronco and the length the the production run...finding stuff so far has been pretty easy and relatively cheap.

Spent a few hours last night under it checking over the suspension and looking for the exhaust leak. So far everything looks good. The rubber body mounts are rotted, but the mounts for the engine, trans, transfer case took good. U-Joints and slip joints look good too. So, while it's got it's collection of paint chips, little dents and busted trim, the basic chassis and sheetmetal is in good shape. Going to wire brush the frame and scrub down the underside of it, then put a coat of paint on. It's going to end up back in PA, so while salt is not an issue down here (except for the beach crowd) it will be an issue up north in a few years.

Going to make a run to LKQ either this weekend or next to see if I can snag a cheap bench seat or a pair of buckets with a center console. Plus some odds & ends from the interior.

[PRD2BDF]

Must be nice not having to jack up the truck while inspecting underneath....lol

[clm2112]

Must be nice not having to jack up the truck while inspecting underneath....lol

Yeah, my daughter and I were joking about that last night. This is the first vehicle I've had with enough ground clearance to just slide right under it. The '90 Dakota and Torrent were both lower to the ground and needed jacked up to get under them.

Which also means running boards are on the list too... sortta explains why the bench seat is torn up on the driver's side, you sortta slide out and down from the cab trying to get that foot on the ground. No plans to lift the truck any higher than it is now. But I'm already thinking of adding a winch bumper/brush guard to the front. The gas company keeps the gravel roads pretty clear up on the farm, but branches and tree limb clearing is a regular activity.

I also need to fill the truck up with gas tonight. Going to be a treat...dual 20 gallon fuel tanks

One other thing I didn't mention. At some point, probably 5-10 years from now, the engine is getting pulled and a carb 302 motor installed. The truck is going to run on gasoline/natural gas sooner or later, since we get a free supply as a royalty from the gas company for having the wells on the farm. The Dodge dad has been using as a farm truck is on it's last legs...rusting out beyond all recognition. By the time I move back, it may be time to call the local scrap dealer to come get it.

[Jrs3800]

Are you going to have room on the farm for a guest so I can see this truck.... PA is not far from WV...LOL... Hint hint.... ha ha ha

[clm2112]

Are you going to have room on the farm for a guest so I can see this truck.... PA is not far from WV...LOL... Hint hint.... ha ha ha

Sure Don, I can even toss you the keys to the Ford 2000 tractor so you can go play in the muddy field or pull over a tree The farm is only about 30 miles from the WV state line near Morgantown.

[Jrs3800]

Dang... My cousin used to go to school in Morgantown.... Might just have to take you up on that....lol

Truck is coming together... We had this running joke for a long time... Takes a Ford to pull a Chevy out of the Mud...LOL

[harofreak00]

Free supply of natural gas, and you haven't converted all the vehicles you drive yet?!?!?!

[clm2112]

Free supply of natural gas, and you haven't converted all the vehicles you drive yet?!?!?!

Um..because I live in Florida for the moment...the tap is in Pennsylvania

Dad has been trying repeatedly to get Honda to sell him a natural gas fueled Civic. They will sell him the darn "Phil" refueling equipment, but they will not sell him the car. The Honda's are only for sale in New York for some reason. I suggested converting the Dodge pickup to dual-fuel, but he's not the tinkering type. He was more than happy to convert the heating systems on both houses to natural gas, but drew the line before farm vehicles.

I'm more of the tinkering type and wouldn't be opposed to trying to use a generic "kit" to run the truck as a dual fuel. Start on gasoline till it warms up, switch to natural gas to drive around, then back to gasoline when the cylinder is empty. I've got a carb intake manifold from an '85 Mustang GT set aside for doing this.