I was incredible blessed to grow up in a mechanically inclined family. My dad had a 1973 Ford F100 4WD whose body deteriorated beyond repair, so he swapped the frame and drivetrain under a 1976 F150 Ranger body. He also swapped the crankshaft and rods out of the 360 cubic inch FE motor turning it into a 390. With a Holley carburetor it was a real stump-puller. For a while it was the nicest vehicle we had as a family - sleek, black, air conditioned, 4WD. Big comfortable bench seat for mom, dad, and 5 yr old me.
Props to the owner for going with an Autosound radio instead of cutting up the dash for a single-DIN. I have one in my classic because I didn't want to cut up an original dash. This is a truck the way trucks used to be. I don't know if this is lifted, 4x4s used to sit that high stock but the front axle looks like it's sitting slightly back which could be caused by lifting it with the stock driveshaft. The only thing that can kill these is rust. I like the very subtle custom touches like the LED brake lights.
My best friend in high school drove his dads 1978 Ford F150 to school every day. We went every where in that truck and it always felt so solid and tight. When I was about 10 years old the neighbor across the street bought a new 1975 Ford F150 Explorer, at the time the explorer package was a step down from the Ranger XLT trim. Anyway, the neighbors truck was two tone green and it had a hood ornament, I’ve not seen many F150s with a hood ornament.
My grandpa bought a 70 f100 new, it had 470000 miles of farm service and Midwest rust on it. A 2x4 on the frame was the only thing holding up the floor. Replaced it in 96 with a obs f150 he has to this day. He compared it to his dads 1950 f3 one time. He had bent the twin I beam suspension after hitting a bump with a load on. The f3 hit the same bump and didn’t care. Both trucks are long gone now. The f100 rusted and the motor was pulled. Went to scrap 1 owner. The f3 is a mystery. Hate to say I’m a Chevy guy but those were some rock solid trucks
My father owned a 69 F100, 300 6cyl, automatic, manual steering and brakes which I drove throughout high school. It was a beast. I own a 96 F150 partly because I missed that simple driving experience. It's more car like in that it has ps, pb, and ac than the one I grew up with, but still has the soul of a truck. These did not try to be the family car. You have to work to drive them, and that's part of their charm.
My dad had a yellow 73 F100 long bed that was his company truck. He put slotted mags on it with big tires. In the early 80’s my grandfather had a mint green 78 F150 Ranger Explorer long bed that he used to drive between his FL winter home and NC summer home. It had every factory offered option and polished aluminum embellishment including full wheel covers and the “Explorer” hood ornament. He kept it immaculate as he did with all of his cars. It also had a sliding rear window and a fiberglass topper on the bed. It had a wooden cot built across the front of the truck bed where I could nap/hang out. On trips as a kid I would crawl between the bed and the cab several times. Not safe at all but lots of fun. Traded it in on a Gorgeous! Burgundy 86 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. That car had a lot of problems but man it was sharp and he loved it.
I've owned 2 77's, 2 78's and a 79. The 351 in that truck is the 351M, its the black sheep of the 351's. Incredibly tuned down and from the factory loaded with emissions garbage that everybody pulled off of them. The 351C and 351W were much better engines but they weren't in these trucks. However there were good engines in some of these. The 360, the 302, and the 460. My 79 F150 4x4 short bed had a 460 and the original owner had put an auxiliary 60 gallon tank in it so he could drive it from Louisiana to Alaska to work on the pipeline. I wish I still had that truck.
These trucks are my favorite and have a special place in my heart. We have had many of them over the years. They are beautiful and tough as nails. I didn't grow up in that era but I do believe these trucks are better than trucks made today. They may not be as comfortable or have as many features but why would it need to. It's a truck. Nowadays they are disposable but these old trucks are built to take abuse and do actual truck things. And imo they just have better style.
One of the trucks in the fleet of the volunteer fire department I was with back in eighties was a '75 with a Reading utility bed and a 200 gallon water tank/Briggs and Stratton pump skid assembly in it. It was used as a "quick-attack" unit for car and brush fires. Had a beast of a winch on it, too. That rig was a veritable tractor; we all said it would pull a train. There's a guy in my neighborhood who has now acquired two of these (and I think part of a third) in "really-needs-restoration" condition.
I bought my 1977 F150 Flareside 4X4 new when I was 26. Now I'm 72 and about halfway finished with a frame-off restoration. I quit driving it in 1989 and have been hauling it around with me whenever I moved. Black with gold Walker Evans stripes. 400 cu. in. c6 auto. The truck was always a beast. Built Ford Tough! So happy I still have it.
Outstanding! I'd love to see it. I have a '77 F150 Flareside 4X4 I bought a few years ago, but haven't done much to it yet. Mine has the 351M/C6. I got the engine running pretty well from a gas can, tank's full of varnish from sitting before I bought it(still been sitting), and some electrical problems to iron out. Spring, and watching videos like this is getting me motivated.
My brother had a 1967 F 100 Ranger ,with a 390 ,automatic, no power steering or brakes. We all drove it,even I as a 12 year old. It was a bear to drive. But it was a tough truck that ran and ran. Now I miss it!!
My '77 F250 daily driver rides, shifts and sounds like a tractor. It's man & machine, a guy and his truck, and the truck was an extension of the driver. There's no computer aided anything. No cup holder, a/c or anything not needed to go down the road. You can hear the rpms, feel the vibration of the transmission gear to know when it's time to shift, and you can feel every bump as you roll down the road. It's not looking out the windshield watching the world pass by; you are part of the travel. It's not just where you're going, it's the journey that got you there
I think it’s just different than what we get now. Trucks today aren’t built for the same purpose as they used to be. People buy trucks now as almost family vehicles. People used to buy trucks because they needed to haul or they wanted to go off road. It’s just a different market. My dad had a 1970 F100 when I was a kid. It towed the camper and picked up lumber at the lumber yard. It wasn’t our family car.
That granny gear (1st gear) was used by farmers to walk alongside the truck a throw hay bales in the bed. It will just creep along with clutch engaged without the driver having to input any throttle. 4 low in 1st gear would climb anything at idle as long as it could get traction.
I had a 1974 Ford F+100, Ranger, XLT pick up truck that was as nice as they came, and it was a wonderful truck! It was 2 wheel drive so it rode very nicely. Wonderful truck that was very reliable. But, it lacked so many features that we take for granted now. I’m not sure I would want to go back to it.
It depends on what do you call best. Comfort, efficiency, long trips? or... simplicity of repairs without all the electronics involved. Personally I have a modern one, but I would restore one of these trucks with few upgrades for a week end fun driving around town and take wife and kid for an icecream.
My brother had a 1978 f100 with the stepside bed when he turned 16. He was driving to work after it snowed one morning and ended up hitting a telephone pole. A large sheet of bondo came off of the rear fender after it spun around and hit the bank. He only had the truck on the road for 6 weeks when that happened. This happened in 1995 so it's odd to me calling these trucks classics.
I'm 48 and I miss the days when trucks were, you know, TRUCKS! Meant for hauling things for work or hobbies and built to take the abuse. Now trucks are just glorified aluminum bodied luxury cosplay grocery getters/kids soccer drop off/pick-up toys, that can barley stand up to that abuse after 5 years let alone 40 or real truck hauling abuse!!
I have a car configured as such. It's a non-issue. You have to lift your foot pretty high to step on the brake, higher than it would ever be in normal driving. It looks low here because the brake is engaged and it's parked. The annoying things are about the floor switch is that I invariably need to turn off the high beams while I'm shifting because a car arrived and it's clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk to flash the lights.
