I think I may have fallen for an old truck and I need some advice on what to ask about and look out for. You guys know everything there is to know, so what would your concerns be?
So far I know it has a 302, and has about 150,xxx miles on it. Looks sharp, had a repaint some years ago and the interior was redone. I have a call out for more info and I am awaiting a call back.
simple enough....
engines runs on 8.... trans shifts properly. No drips... Check for rust in cab and bed... Check door hinges, door striker/latch, and window operation
small things... the more trim in good shape, the less you have to find/buy.
They call them 'dentsides'. Rust is the biggest issue. Lots of repro parts now available. They are really starting to grow on me, but around here, they all have riveted patches over the rear wheel and no cab corners.
I agree that rust is the main concern. They don't have any particular mechanical issues, other than stuff that's simply worn out, but replacement parts aren't a problem.
In North Carolina it's not a problem, where it snows the short wheelbase may find you turned around or scratching for traction.
You got sandbags there, right? 
I like it.
Dan
Yep, we got sandbags.
Awesome. I figured they must be pretty reliable but I didn't know if they had any quirky-ness i should be aware of. Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. As always, this board ROCKS! 
OK, I just got the call back and it sounds like the automatic transmission is starting to slip but they said "not that bad, still driveable". The asking price is $5000, negotiable because of the slippage, I'm not sure how negotiable though. They apparently get notes about buying the truck left on the truck whenever they park it in a public place, and they don't have to sell it, so they are screening for "the perfect next owner". Sounds like they are pretty attached to it.
I can tell Chuck isn't excited about tearing into a transmission rebuild, and I don't know what a shop would quote locally or if they even would quote without seeing it first. Also, a few spots on the roof and hood need repainting. Should I walk away or bargain them down? How much do you think I should ask them to come down?
Also, is it even a good idea to drive it like that? The truck is about 70 miles from me. If I didn't absolutely love this particular body style Ford truck I would have scratched it off the list as soon as transmission slippage came up, but I am a sucker for these. Gah!
That seems high for a well-used truck that has tranny issues.
Yep. Too high for a truck with tranny issues.
Those are more like $1500-2000 around here...$5000 seems pretty high.
that's a lot of money for a $2500 truck...
It's not worth much. Nice trucks for sure, but they do not have residual value like an older chev would. I have a very nice 1970 f100 4x4 (bump side)and I would put it at maybe $5000.00 and the dentsides are not worth near as much.
$5000 is fair if you don't have to do bodywork and upholstery.
Add another $750 for a good junkyard 302 or 351 with a 5-speed or AOD and you're all set.
Shawn
I'd love for you to buy it, but 5 large does seem a bit steep for one that's not turn-key. I ran into a similar phenomenon when i was shopping for my mid-60s Ford. Those southern folk love their trucks. Some love them a bit too much. You just have to wait for one of those that is a fire sale "I need the money NOW because the wife and girlfriend are both pregnant" situations (that was an actual ad I saw).
EastCoastMojo wrote:
Because of constantly changing camber of the "twin I beam" swing arm suspension they are hard on front tires, especially when fitted with wide ones like it looks like this truck has. With age and wear they tend to get pretty loosey-goosey in the front. The key areas: 1) they have kingpins that have to be rebushed periodically 2) the rubber bushings at the rear of the trailing arms wear, dry out and crack allowing the swing arm to move fore & aft 3) they use a two piece cross over tie rod/drag link with 4 ball joint ends. A little wear in any combination of these components adds up to a whole bunch of diconnect between the rapidly wearing front tires and the steering wheel! The good news; parts are plentiful and cheap and they aren't difficult to work on. When everything is tight in front they don't drive too bad (relative to other 40+ year old pickup trucks!).
Not much to add, but I love those trucks.
Transmission trouble and $5000 do not go in the same sentence.
I think that price is more than a little high. $5k should buy a very nice "turn the key and go" example with NO rust.
OTOH, if the body and paint are nice, you're a junkyard trans away from a "turn the key and go" kinda truck.
I would pay $3k max if it's clean, straight, and rust-free.
<thread hijack>
Are these and their F150 brethren any good at towing in places where you actually would benefit from working brakes? 4x4 versions seem to pop up on CL out here fairly regularly and I've always liked the looks of them. Nearly bought one with a 390 a couple of years ago but that was a manual and the wife doesn't drive those...
Not sure I understand the brake question. I tow my race car and steel trailer with a '65 that has '79 brakes on the front. Though I'm beginning to see the wisdom of adding a power booster (I didn't), I have no complaints. But if you expect them to stop like a 2008 truck, they won't.
About the Twin-I-Beam suspension: What JKleiner says is true. However, it does depend on the maintenance the truck has had when it comes to the kingpins. My '65 with 100,000 miles on it has zero slop in the originals thanks to regular greasing by PO's. It's fairly easy to check. The bushings aren't bad to replace. The Rube Goldberg steering arms do need to be kept after, but parts aren't expensive. I don't feel they are any more trouble than the multiple moving parts and bushings on the competition's trucks.
ddavidv wrote: Not sure I understand the brake question. I tow my race car and steel trailer with a '65 that has '79 brakes on the front. Though I'm beginning to see the wisdom of adding a power booster (I didn't), I have no complaints. But if you expect them to stop like a 2008 truck, they won't.
I drive a 79 CJ at the moment as I'm working on the Miata. so I'm kinda used to old school brakes. I don't expect them to stop like a 2008 truck, but I also live in the Sierra Nevada and at least some of the towing would have to be through those mountains. That's where the though of "can I expect to safely tow with one of these around here or should I just bite the bullet and buy a newer truck" comes from.
I'd think we proper high temp pads you'd be okay, but I don't really tow much over hills/mountains to tracks around here. Most are just a few miles from highways for me.
Cut the price in half. If I missed it, I applogize. Probably a 302, C6, 9" rearend. Great American hardware. Just too much money.
I used my 65 f100 for year to haul my race car around (4 wheel drum brakes) Never an isue as long as you remember its drum and manual brakes you drive it like it should be. If you drive it like a modern truck your in for a world of hurt. I had the disk set up sitting waiting to go in but it was one of those things never got around to it.
JKleiner hit the nail on the head above.
Price is way to high for me too as other have said.
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