I Accidentally Bought a CRANE at an Auction! 

Water in a cylinder or two I would say. That really rusty plug says it all. The air cleaner lid on those trucks is a perfect funnel for water down the carb. A friend of mine has the exact same truck with the same problem at the moment and we have the cylinders soaking in Marvel oil and Seafoam in hopes to break it loose. There is a rubber seal between the hood and cowl that leaks the water right on top of the air cleaner lid and right down the carb stud in the engine. We drained about 3 gallons of water out of the oil pan after pulling the plugs and finding two cylinders right full to the top. Put a Cummins in it and be done with it. Those old 370 and 429 gassers will empty your wallet feeding them, especially running PTO all day for hydraulics.

Next accidentally buy a running Cummins/Allison powered school bus and do a swap.

Try putting some diesel down the bores, friend did that on an engine that was siezed soild, left it for a day or two and it cranked free. Worth a shot for minimal cost, and if it cranks after that, it might crank over and fire up, though will smoke like hell for a bit.

I bet you could get it running with just a little time. Pull the heads and see if it’s seized or not. The crane alone is worth 3 times what you payed for it. If you got it going you’d use it move than than you think. Cranes beat the shit out of front end loads, forklifts, and your back for picks.

Fix her up. Videos about fixing junk equipment are pretty awesome 👍

Put a 460 in it, give her a good clean, and you'll find a thousand uses for her. Even with a decent second hand engine, it still won't have cost a lot.

Honestly I've been reading tapes for 8-9 years and I still like when the tapes have fractions 😂

I'd love to see you pull the engine and pull it apart. Who doesn't like an old big block?

Extend crane to its maximum height as part of The Diesel Creek Zipline attraction! Money back in no time.

you got yourself a good ole fashioned "will it start" project

Take it over to the church, because you will need an act of God, to get it running

That crane is like having a Vice on a table. Once you start using it, you keep finding other things that you can use it for, and as time goes by you wonder how you ever made it without ( the vice... or in this case, the crane

Im a simple man. I see crane, I click.

On such a truck you probably have to count hours, as on a tractor. They stand still and lift quite a lot.

Diesel Creek and Mustie1 are my 2 favorite channels .... love your great attitude towards fixing things

Keep up the good work.I enjoy the way you explain how things are done in certain situations.You make it easy for us lay people to understand what you're doing

Well, you're very up beat about the whole thing.... you definitely handled this better than I would have. Best of luck with er!

460 is the same block as that 429 and you can find a 460 easy enough they made tons of them and it will bolt right to that trans and you can use the motor mounts and all other accessories

Oh my gosh, that Darla comment was hilarious! I'm new to your channel and I love it! Love your sense of humor.

I’d love to see it all working, either swapped or fixed, either way. It’d be some good content, may even have yourself a cheap, workable piece of machinery also. Cranes are handy.

Can't wait for videos with this beast!

I was looking for a Crane truck 3years ago. Good going.😎

Put a diesel "crate" engine in it & tow a nice size Woodmizer sawmill & be able to load, haul & saw lumber. I actually saw a rig like that at the Cincinnati Woodcraft store years ago doing a demo.

It just brings back happy memories of when I actually did get bailed out at an auction and was so relieved, as I knew that I had made a mistake. However, you did OK.

I see a diesel engine swap in the future

Will be ideal for when you need to lift your roof trusses on your house build when you get round to the house build 👍🏼

Enjoy your content and enjoy your humor. “Anybody want to buy a crane?” You crack me up!

We love that your viewership is rising! Super fantastic

Never scratch your nose at an auction. From a recovering auction addict.

“Oh great, asbestos, I hope there’s a lot of that I here” 😂

Can't think of how many times I needed that!! Love your videos!!!

Importanter.... Good new word! 😀 Also , love the hydraulic fluid squirt in the face... Who hasn't done that with one type of fluid or another!!!

Ford had those 429s in everything, bet you could easily find a engine for it and get a lot more for it as a running working rig.

Look for a diesel engine to drop into this one, and sell it as quickly as you can! If that's a 429 fur barrel,..I'd bet somebody in the hot rod world would like to get his mitts on that engine for a quick and dirty rebuild hobby!

9:24 “Ugh, gassers!” That got a subscription from me! Hate the idea that such big old trucks used to be gassers but have a morbid fascination with seeing them worked on (probably cause I’m not buying the fuel they’re guzzling down at an alarming rate lmao)

Love your humor on this one, put you on improv. Thanks

If you want to fix it. That’s up to you.I will watch the videos. Hell you’re good at fixing shit anyway.

Talk to junkyard digs he can get everything running except diesels

That will come in handy with the next building build at the farm!! Maybe it needs a diesel motor in it😃

Repairs are always a good video series

Engine swap series!! Another project is always fun to cram in with the other 100 projects you've got going

I lost in when you pulled on the lights, and it just pulled right out LMAO

I'd keep it for the farm but that's me-- at under a grand, you really have something!!! BTW, you remind me of a fella I served with in the army named Sam Benson. You make good vids- keep up the good work!!!

i can see into the further, you are going to keep it with a smile. or i came in late on this video, so i have already seen the part that you fix and it's a sweet beast. so far.

I think I would find a Diesel to replace the paper weight that's in it then hold on to it. There are jobs waiting for it's use. One or two jobs would pay for it. You have plenty of parking.

Contact the previous owner and get some info on the old girl before ploughing money into her. 👍

Matt, you are a hoot on this video. You can always do stand up😂

Your patience is admirable

I don't know, a crane may be the kind of thing that you say you really don't need, but then you use it for a few jobs, and in the end you are glad you picked it up.

This title must be the same thing you said to your wife when you got home 😂

Old Blue whistling Turbo is sorely missed. God Loves resurrections.... He's with you brother

I was laughing my ass off . Great video!!

Hey buddy, I won't get in to ""why"", what I would do is change the motor. You do have the savvy to get this going. You have had a lot practise on getting things going, so don't quit now.

Just for grins and giggles. pull the starter and have a look. I've seen starter ends come apart on those old fords and lock the engines up.

The horn works -- it's a keeper! I'd tear the motor down to find the problem, and rebuild if reasonable, or replace (preferably diesel, but a similar engine would probably be a lot simpler).

I bought the wrong beer once.. but a crane ! 😂😂 Seriously though can't wait to see what comes out of it!! You must of had some project in the back of your mind when you bid on her. Darren (mustie1) bought one of those years ago - but it was on a crumpled up van and I think he paid about the same.. I don't remember what came of that project.

I can hear it now, "Honey, look what followed me home." Start hitting junk yards and find an engine, do the swap and use it until it's sold.. . . OR . . . Use the flywheel and a prybar to turn the engine. . . . OR . . . Pull the engine and see why it is seized. Might just be rust and will only cost gaskets to repair. Be a great project for some videos. Thanks for sharing.

The systemic issue here is too many lawyers and not enough engineers.

We have an 89 f800 boom truck as well! ours has a JLG 800 crane. The engine is the Brazilian 6.6 diesel. Great job bud !

It's kinda funny watching this for the first time,after already having watched you playing with the crane and realizing that you have a keeper.💪🙂👍

Do a series where you swap the motor and get her back into shape!

Fix it up! Im following you for exactly that reason ! Engine swap and get the crane going .. itll be fun ! ;-)

Good luck my friend

So I thought my auction experiences were bad - this guy wins.

before you do a swap or sale, do a good ole tow and clutch dump in 3rd to see if you can pop the engine free...

Fit diesel motor and use it 👍

You probably paid more for that tow then the truck 😂🤣 good video man keep em coming

This channels content is fantastic for viewing on a rainy day... however it’s a beautiful sunny spring day and I’m inside watching it while my batteries are charging on my motorcycle... lol I would love to hang with this dude for a little while...

For $700 get junk yard engine. Spend a weekend changing it. See what you've got. Might want to have available just in case, at very low cost. Next time start bid at $100.

I think you should torch the front half off and convert it to a crane trailer.

Love the video keep up with the great work and fix it up

Yep there it is. Got ya some lawn art. Lol. You can get your money back on, maybe? Good luck

Get it running. Would come in handy moving machinery. You said you planned on setting up a machine shop.

You could take the crane portion off and use it as a flatbed

Had a truck very close to this one. I see it even has the bracket for an add on jib extension. If it was like mine, it has pop out front out riggers in the front by the turret. There's a scissor arm that extends them out farther away from the truck. Made money with mine. Added a 2nd boom saddle over the cab to the front bumper so i could haul bigger loads on the bed. I moved a lot of signs and fuel tanks for a major oil company.

Yup, I'm sure most of us have a boat anchor purchase story. I know I do! Between selling parts and scrapping the rest, you might recoup some of your losses. The crane and flat bed should be worth something.

Can you put a diesel engine in it? Just for kicks pull the passenger head off and have a look-see You got any engines laying around? Good luck

Try turning the key and then pushing the button that’s how my truck works

This was a REALLY good video!

yup classics right we had a 1960's era rig with a similar crane on a 1963 M700 with a 312 Y block, unless it was really dark we had to "tow" it to job sites, it's amazing how much you can pull with 1/4" nylon rope (;

Make vids of restoring it a little get it working use it on the farm and when not using rent it out

I think you're going to be throwing some more money at it...

I would put a Diesel engine in it . Yes it might sit around a bit between jobs . But when you need it it's there ready n waiting . Mmmmm straight 6 Cummins . Yep I like diesels too . I have a V6 tdi VW Touareg here in the uk . It's one of the nicest sounding engines . Apart from the V10 tdi . Great to see you posting again . Hey back in 2002 / 2003 . Company I was working for took 2 Rolls Royce powered ERF Tractor units . One was sold to a guy in Jamaica . The other sat there . Until I got the job of converting it into a recovery Truck . One of my all time favourite jobs . Took me 10 months doing it along with other jobs building road tankers . It was Painted custard yellow . And so reliable . It had 3/4 of a million miles on it when we got our hands on it .

Been there, done that. Auctions can be a crap shoot. That was a pretty common engine back in the day, so you might be able to come up with a salvage one pretty easily, and not too expensive...all things being relative. Wouldn't be to hard of a swap out. Even with a motor replacement, if you get that thing running and operating right you should be able to make a little money on it.

That’s what I used to say to my ex-wife...”I accidentally bought it!” 🙄😬

Many trucks like that do have low miles, but actually has many hours of operation from being used as a crane.

It's a good job you have a sense of humor.

Those are good ratchets. If a 3/4" impact won't budge it, that ratchet will.

Did ya have the wrecker see if it would break loose with it in gear when it was on some pavement?

The brakes if I remember right are a air over hydraulic type brakes than can be a real pain in the a$$

20:11 "Darla"? Darla Crane, one of the best.

May the engine Gods be with you

"Special BS" = Pilot operated Check Valve ...AKA "Holding Valve"

Pull that motor out and switch it over to a diesel engine.

My dad just sold his 1989 ford 700 hooklift diesel . It was a really nice truck. He had it for 13 years. Very reliable

Those engines are tough, should run again.. we had one similar with the 370 and it was seized.. motor oil and diesel in the cylinders and bump it from behind every so often it freed up.. ran like a top after that..

Someone's been watching too much vice grip garage

fix the old girl up and make yourself some cash

I was hoping this was going to be one of those easy fix deals like you've been finding. I guess the streak has to come to an end sometime. I'm all for getting her going and making a few dollars back. Those cranes in running condition, around here, go for around $15,000 but we are in a construction boom. The big city has sprawled to the country thanks to gentrification.

Thanks for the fascinating story! I learned a lot. Keep it up. Regular old brake fluid is the best bolt buster for the money. You need to put 8 quarts of brake fluid into the engine crankcase and let it set 24 hours. A 36" chain type pipe wrench will grip the outside of the crank pulley and give you the ability to reverse the rotation. That spark plug with the white crap looks like there is a blown head gasket letting coolant into the cylinder. An engine with the plugs left out indicates to me that it failed a compression test and was left to be overhauled or scrapped. The truck as scrap metal is worth $700 if you can get it to the recyclers.