Some of the old time members here will remember that almost 10 years ago I bought a really nice 1975 F-250 4WD. I didn't have it long when I sold it (for no really good reason) and parlayed it into the purchase of a newer 9th gen OBS Ford (which I subsequently sold about 2 years later). Despite my brief ownership of the '75, the truck left a strong impression on me; of all the vehicles I have had that have come and went, it was the only one I ever regretted sending down the road. Incidentally my late father bought a '73 4WD F-250 brand new, and always had a fondness for them, which is where I think my connection to the 6th gen "dentside" Ford comes from.
My most recent truck was a 2014 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4WD. White was the perfect color for it because it was very suitable as an appliance. I only used it for truck duties, made some small modifications to it, and it served me very well. The lack of a connection was pretty apparent though, and I decided that after 5+ years of ownership, I would unload it and look for the dentside that I really wanted.
Since I sold my '75 in 2015, the price of vintage trucks, especially 4WDs, has soared. I started perusing the auction sites about a year ago, and it was really looking like I was going to have to spend about $25K to get something that met my criteria:
*1973-79 F-250 4WD
*0 Rust
*Original paint
*4 speed manual (although I would consider an auto, and then swap)
After I had sold the Ram, an acquaintance of mine that is very familiar with these trucks sent me a link to the truck you see here, listed on Facebook Marketplace in Spokane, WA. Quite a ways from my home here in northeastern CT. I initially passed over it, as it wasn't an F-250 (no leaf springs in the front), although the condition had me very interested. I messaged the seller and he told me he had an interested party, but would put me in line. I dismissed it, and went about my search. Almost 2 weeks had passed, and I kept going back to the link because everything else I looked at was nowhere near as clean. Out of the blue on a Sunday night the seller messaged me and said that the interested party had bowed out, and it was mine if I wanted it. I called and talked to him on the phone. The owner was my age, and a real salt of the earth type guy. I told him I would need to look into a flight, arrange the funds, and finalize things with my fiancé. Her exact words were: "you have been talking about one of these trucks since I met you, I think you need to go and get it!" This was in the beginning of May; we were getting married at the end of month, and I was traveling for business the middle 2 weeks of the month. Its never a good time when opportunity knocks.
I booked a flight the day after the seller and I chatted, and was on the ground in Spokane, cashiers check in hand, the following afternoon. The inspection exceeded my expectations, and we made a deal. I had the truck shipped back east via enclosed carrier about a week later; it was delivered to my brother while I was on business, and as soon as I got home I made a few minor repairs and my wife and I used it in the wedding. It hauled all of the decorations and supplies to the venue, and was featured in our photoshoot.
This is a 1976 F-150 4WD. It has 104K documented original miles, the original 360 FE V8 (rebuilt at 86K miles), a New Process 435 4 speed, NP 205 transfer case, and D44/ 9" axles with 3.50 gearing. The F-150 uses coil springs in the front, a married transfer case, and integrated power steering, as opposed to the same year F-250. This initially deterred me, but has ironically made the truck better suited for my needs. The truck wears its original Hatteras Green paint and lime green tape stripes, has its original green vinyl bench, and is 100% rust free. It is also a factory A/C truck.
I am only the third owner. The gentleman I bought this from acquired it from the estate of the original owner, and really cleaned it up, put the newer wheels and tires on, and brought it back to life.
I really appreciate the back story on this truck. The original owner was a a US Forestry Ranger in Pendleton, OR (talk about a red blooded American). He bought this truck new off the showroom floor in 1976, the day after Christmas. He was 50 years old. The truck was his "Greenie" for 46 years until his passing. He and his family camped in it, and used it for hunting and anything else he needed it for. Initially, he was dead set against 4WD (interesting given his line of work's reliance on 4WD trucks) because of the additional moving parts; he knew he would own this along time. The truck was never garaged, and despite this the paint is in very good shape, and after steam cleaning the red primer is still very much in place on the original floor pans and truck bed.
If you've never driven an old truck and you consider yourself an automotive enthusiast, you need to. Maybe it is just some weird part of my make up, but old trucks have a charisma that I can not explain. I can appreciate modern vehicles and amenities, but there is nothing like sliding behind the wheel of an old truck and taking it for a spin. I find it slows me down and takes me to a simpler time, immersing me in a sensory experience of how things used to be. The feather light power steering, heavy clutch, whir of the 4 speed, sketchy brakes, rumble of worn out glasspacks, and bumpy ride are exactly what I need in a truck.
This truck will perform the truck duties I need, and serve as a project that I will upgrade as time and funds allow. It will never be painted, although I will entirely restore the undercarriage and drivetrain at some point. For now, here is the "completed list":
*Complete tune up and fluid change
*The rear axle has been completely rebuilt, and upgrade with a nodular center section and trac-lok
*The center section of the D44 front is original, but the outers have been entirely rebuilt
*All new brakes
*New Springs (4" lift)
*Bilstein shocks
*Driveshafts entire rebuilt with Spicer Life Joints
*Polyurethane suspension bushings
*Polyurethane cab mounts
*New transmission and polyurethane transfer case mounts
*Valve covers and air cleaner painted, new silicone VC gaskets
*Later model T style steering conversion
*New rag joint
*17x9 US Indy Mags slot mags
*35 12.5 17 BFG A/Ts
*Floor pans painted with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator
*New "loop" style carpet
*Old school chrome tach mounted on the column
*New solid rear glass and gasket (old slider leaked)
*New door seals and lock bushings
*New OEM emblems and lenses
I am currently bleeding brakes and waiting for an alignment before installing the new wheels and tires. Slot mags to me are the iconic wheel for one of these trucks. I will likely eventually also do a set of white steel wheels, but for now they are my go to.
Plans for spring/ summer:
*Fix the A/C and blower motor!
*The exhaust on the truck is old school cool, but very tender. I am going to retain the exhaust manifolds, but have a local shop go from the manifolds back with 2.25" stainless and new hangers. Porter mufflers are iconic on a low compression FE, and will definitely be what I use.
*I have new Dennis Carpenter dash bezels to install
*New window runs and anti rattlers
*Chrome rear bumper (Bronco style)
*Retrosound radio
*Considering a 3 spoke steering wheel from an earlier '61-70 truck. The 2 spoke wheels are notirious for the horn pad falling out, and I really like the look of the earlier wheel with the small center horn button. Still not for sure on this.
This will get me to a point where the truck is pretty much mechanically restored, and cosmetically how I like it. The engine, transmission, and transfer case have a couple small drips, but I have no intentions on addressing those in the near future. Those will wait until I do a full chassis restoration!
My most recent truck was a 2014 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4WD. White was the perfect color for it because it was very suitable as an appliance. I only used it for truck duties, made some small modifications to it, and it served me very well. The lack of a connection was pretty apparent though, and I decided that after 5+ years of ownership, I would unload it and look for the dentside that I really wanted.
Since I sold my '75 in 2015, the price of vintage trucks, especially 4WDs, has soared. I started perusing the auction sites about a year ago, and it was really looking like I was going to have to spend about $25K to get something that met my criteria:
*1973-79 F-250 4WD
*0 Rust
*Original paint
*4 speed manual (although I would consider an auto, and then swap)
After I had sold the Ram, an acquaintance of mine that is very familiar with these trucks sent me a link to the truck you see here, listed on Facebook Marketplace in Spokane, WA. Quite a ways from my home here in northeastern CT. I initially passed over it, as it wasn't an F-250 (no leaf springs in the front), although the condition had me very interested. I messaged the seller and he told me he had an interested party, but would put me in line. I dismissed it, and went about my search. Almost 2 weeks had passed, and I kept going back to the link because everything else I looked at was nowhere near as clean. Out of the blue on a Sunday night the seller messaged me and said that the interested party had bowed out, and it was mine if I wanted it. I called and talked to him on the phone. The owner was my age, and a real salt of the earth type guy. I told him I would need to look into a flight, arrange the funds, and finalize things with my fiancé. Her exact words were: "you have been talking about one of these trucks since I met you, I think you need to go and get it!" This was in the beginning of May; we were getting married at the end of month, and I was traveling for business the middle 2 weeks of the month. Its never a good time when opportunity knocks.
I booked a flight the day after the seller and I chatted, and was on the ground in Spokane, cashiers check in hand, the following afternoon. The inspection exceeded my expectations, and we made a deal. I had the truck shipped back east via enclosed carrier about a week later; it was delivered to my brother while I was on business, and as soon as I got home I made a few minor repairs and my wife and I used it in the wedding. It hauled all of the decorations and supplies to the venue, and was featured in our photoshoot.
This is a 1976 F-150 4WD. It has 104K documented original miles, the original 360 FE V8 (rebuilt at 86K miles), a New Process 435 4 speed, NP 205 transfer case, and D44/ 9" axles with 3.50 gearing. The F-150 uses coil springs in the front, a married transfer case, and integrated power steering, as opposed to the same year F-250. This initially deterred me, but has ironically made the truck better suited for my needs. The truck wears its original Hatteras Green paint and lime green tape stripes, has its original green vinyl bench, and is 100% rust free. It is also a factory A/C truck.
I am only the third owner. The gentleman I bought this from acquired it from the estate of the original owner, and really cleaned it up, put the newer wheels and tires on, and brought it back to life.
I really appreciate the back story on this truck. The original owner was a a US Forestry Ranger in Pendleton, OR (talk about a red blooded American). He bought this truck new off the showroom floor in 1976, the day after Christmas. He was 50 years old. The truck was his "Greenie" for 46 years until his passing. He and his family camped in it, and used it for hunting and anything else he needed it for. Initially, he was dead set against 4WD (interesting given his line of work's reliance on 4WD trucks) because of the additional moving parts; he knew he would own this along time. The truck was never garaged, and despite this the paint is in very good shape, and after steam cleaning the red primer is still very much in place on the original floor pans and truck bed.
If you've never driven an old truck and you consider yourself an automotive enthusiast, you need to. Maybe it is just some weird part of my make up, but old trucks have a charisma that I can not explain. I can appreciate modern vehicles and amenities, but there is nothing like sliding behind the wheel of an old truck and taking it for a spin. I find it slows me down and takes me to a simpler time, immersing me in a sensory experience of how things used to be. The feather light power steering, heavy clutch, whir of the 4 speed, sketchy brakes, rumble of worn out glasspacks, and bumpy ride are exactly what I need in a truck.
This truck will perform the truck duties I need, and serve as a project that I will upgrade as time and funds allow. It will never be painted, although I will entirely restore the undercarriage and drivetrain at some point. For now, here is the "completed list":
*Complete tune up and fluid change
*The rear axle has been completely rebuilt, and upgrade with a nodular center section and trac-lok
*The center section of the D44 front is original, but the outers have been entirely rebuilt
*All new brakes
*New Springs (4" lift)
*Bilstein shocks
*Driveshafts entire rebuilt with Spicer Life Joints
*Polyurethane suspension bushings
*Polyurethane cab mounts
*New transmission and polyurethane transfer case mounts
*Valve covers and air cleaner painted, new silicone VC gaskets
*Later model T style steering conversion
*New rag joint
*17x9 US Indy Mags slot mags
*35 12.5 17 BFG A/Ts
*Floor pans painted with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator
*New "loop" style carpet
*Old school chrome tach mounted on the column
*New solid rear glass and gasket (old slider leaked)
*New door seals and lock bushings
*New OEM emblems and lenses
I am currently bleeding brakes and waiting for an alignment before installing the new wheels and tires. Slot mags to me are the iconic wheel for one of these trucks. I will likely eventually also do a set of white steel wheels, but for now they are my go to.
Plans for spring/ summer:
*Fix the A/C and blower motor!
*The exhaust on the truck is old school cool, but very tender. I am going to retain the exhaust manifolds, but have a local shop go from the manifolds back with 2.25" stainless and new hangers. Porter mufflers are iconic on a low compression FE, and will definitely be what I use.
*I have new Dennis Carpenter dash bezels to install
*New window runs and anti rattlers
*Chrome rear bumper (Bronco style)
*Retrosound radio
*Considering a 3 spoke steering wheel from an earlier '61-70 truck. The 2 spoke wheels are notirious for the horn pad falling out, and I really like the look of the earlier wheel with the small center horn button. Still not for sure on this.
This will get me to a point where the truck is pretty much mechanically restored, and cosmetically how I like it. The engine, transmission, and transfer case have a couple small drips, but I have no intentions on addressing those in the near future. Those will wait until I do a full chassis restoration!
Attached Files
I liked it, but we later found our/her first Ford truck, a 1990 F-150 with a straight six and a five speed. She loved that truck.
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