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Hello guys, I recently had a truck find me and doing research on it I discovered this web site. I’m out of South Carolina. I’ve never owned a ford until now. Everyone seems knowledgeable on this site and if answers need to be found you guys seem to have the resources. So with that being said, the research I have done on my little truck concludes that I may have a rare truck??? Was hoping for in put on it and possibly a round about value of the truck. This is something that is not sentimental as would possibly get rid of. It is a 1981 f-100 custom explorer LWB. Everything seems to be original. It has   300 CID and 3 speed transmission. No rust. Clean little truck for the year and all. It was sold to me with 80,000 3254E057-AAB7-43AF-B49C-499582BD7673.jpeg9EF5E469-697A-49CF-BA60-FCDC259D218F.jpegA66C9153-937A-4A2C-A350-5870CBDA6B2C.jpegoriginal miles, but who knows if that’s true. I will attach pictures and you guys let me know what you think. It has been converted from 3 on tree to floor shifter. And door panels and dash cover along with head liner.5C8630A5-5F1B-4DC4-B0AF-F19E0C32A52C.jpegA8877560-49F3-4F9C-BF1E-55EADF76C0B5.jpeg

Welcome to the forum!

I am partial to the six cylinder engine. From the photos [links] you included, the truck appears to be a good starting point or perhaps can be driven as is.

What has led you to wonder if it is rare?

Allen - Welcome!

I've edited your pics to load properly on here, and you can read about that on the page at Bullnose Forum/Forum FAQ's.

What part of SC?  We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map) and I'd be happy to add you if I had a city or zip code.

Nice, clean truck.  Love the headliner, which is a Highliner.  We've been talking about those and I'm thinking of adding one to Big Blue.

Yes the high liner is pretty nice looking. The truck runs and drives great. I drive it 30 miles to work every day. The reason I ask about it being rare is bc I can’t find any just like this for sale anywhere. I googled this truck and none of the photos at just like it. The he only pic o saw that was just like it was in the brochure on this sight. If they were common wouldn’t they be photos of them. Another thing was that most 80s models had 4 speeds right??

Yours is a “stripper”, meaning that it has no options. And, since many of the trucks back then had options, yours is unusual as opposed to rare.

The term “rare” is usually reserved for options, like the extremely rare power mirrors or the somewhat rare underhood toolbox. And a truly rare truck would be one with the XLS package.

My theory is that the base or stripper trucks were frequently bought by a company to be used in a fleet, or by a farmer to be used on the farm. As such, they were USED and sometimes abused. So while many of them were bought back then, fewer of them have survived than those which were purchased by a family, which added some options, and took care of them.

Call me crazy but I’m not to sure. It doesn’t have Underhood tool box or anything. It doesn’t have AC or anything. So what classifies it as a stripper? I honestly want to know all I can about it.

I forgot yours is an Explorer. That was a once-a-year package and they are only show in the Explorer brochures, which might explain why you don’t see them.

But they aren’t really strippers, so I was wrong there. Go look at the Explorer brochures.

Yea I checked out the brochure it was exact match! Paint, stripes, and bench seat colors! According to my research on the vin this truck is all factory ( excluding the floor shifter, head liner and dash door kit. Just looking to put a price on truck. NADA saids 4-13k Median was 7600 or so. With you saying mine being an explorer custom being the reason I can’t find one would that make it more desirable??

Some of the other guys need to chime in here, but I'm afraid your expectations are way too high.  I sold Rusty, an '81 F150 regular cab, for $2500 a few years ago.  Granted he had engine problems I wasn't aware of, but he had a strong 351M w/an Edelbrock intake and 4bbl carb, C6 automatic transmission, and operable 4wd.  The tires were 32" mud & snows in good shape, and it was a strong performer.

So, I personally think the $4k is optimistic.  But let's see what the other say.

Welcome!

Ok! Yea I’m not trying to make a fortune off of the the or anything. Yea I wish some others would jump in and let me know something!!

I didn’t say anything because I mainly look at 4WD’s.

If I wanted the truck I would be in the $2500-3000 range.

Welcome! It's a sharp looking truck for sure. Fan of the paint and stripe colors.
As far as value, aside from the Explorer badging it's pretty limited on options as was mentioned. That will impact the potential buyers wanting to pay a premium. Here in the Midwest, the lack of rust is the strongest selling point. I agree with the $2500 range as a general average. I would expect it to sell for 2 around here but that's just based on the kind of trucks that people around here look for and is region specific.

I don't see many around here without rust so that would be a nice, fun daily driver to take pride in. These trucks just aren't up to the high dollar collectable status yet. Blame it on them being so well made they are still on the road going strong

grumpin wrote

If I wanted the truck I would be in the $2500-3000 range.

I think that's where I'd be too. If not in a rush to sell, one could start higher like at $3500 or $3750, and see what shakes loose from there. If I'm not in a rush to sell something I start high and decrease. There is always a magic market price...and once you hit it, the phone starts ringing like clockwork.

It is a nice looking truck though, and the 3-by-the-knee floor shifters were a common conversion for the 3-on-the-tree trucks back in the day.

Awesome guys! That’s somewhere in the ball park of what I was thinking. Just out wondering why NADA has it so high... I’m mean Toyota’s we’re low value on NADA and outrageous in our he real world. So I can see the difference. So it runs and drives good drive it all day today. I don’t have much in it at all... but I did purchase some stuff to replace on it already only 150 dollars worth of stuff though. Valve cover gasket, side valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, stuff like that. Motor was leaking oil (and apparently had been for years) from a few spots but im going to fix it up! So anyone know why you don’t see the explorer in this year much?? Still haven’t seen one. Would changing anything change the value? Motor is original. If I swapped it with a (performance 300) would that hurt the value of it?

Amcclurejr wrote

Would changing anything change the value? Motor is original. If I swapped it with a (performance 300) would that hurt the value of it?

As far as resale is concerned, the more original they are, the more the value goes up (in my opinion, and in what I've watched). There was a member on here very recently selling a three-on-the-tree column for cheap...in case you wanted to return that to original?

http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/Three-on-the-Tree-tp60806.html

Those 3spd floor shifter conversions were usually done because the 3spd columns were broken (and they're kind of a wonky set-up anyway).

Hotrodding the 300 would be fun, but I don't know if it would do a lot of the value of the truck. The 300 has a cult-like following, and there are a lot of people that appreciate them.

How is the interior? There is a lot you can do to spruce up the interior for a small amount of money and make it look like a million bucks. Install LED's in the instruments, paint the needles in the gauges, paint the dash and door panels, new seat cover, etc.

Unless you are planning to do a matching numbers type restore and try to reach that portion of the market, I can't imagine it would hurt the value. To me, if it makes it more fun and more reliable than it would increase the value in my eyes.
Good question in the Explorer trim. I've seen a few beds around here with the emblem but haven't ever really looked into what it offered vs non. It sounds like a Marti report might be right up your alley. I've never got one so don't know how well they cover our trucks but might be worth a call to see if it's worth paying for.

Edit: just saw Corey's post and he makes a good point on the 300 fans. That's where different tastes come in I guess. I am a fan of well done, justified improvements vs keeping something purely stock. Well done being key. But that's me and what I put a value on.

Welcome to the forum and nice looking truck.

If I understand the "custom" was the base model truck and some options could then be added to that but you get to a point where you are now in the next model say "Ranger" that would have the options you wanted so it would be better to go up a model.

I had 2 81 F100 trucks both with the 300 motors & sticks, a Custom & Ranger.
The Custom is a SB flare side with a granny 4 sp. and just P/S.
The Ranger was a LB style side like yours with a 3 sp. over drive, P/S, P/B, AC, dual tanks and radio with I think door speakers (no doors when I got the truck).

I see you have a clock, neither of mine did and cant remember if it is part of the light group or not?
Do you have under dash lights that come on when both doors open?
I don't have under dash lights but cab light does come on with both doors.
I added a clock to my flare side along with power brakes and AC.

I did not see enough of the door panel but that speaker "grille" did not look factory, where is the lock placed on the panels? 81 should have the "slider locks" that work oh so great .... NOT!

With the High Liner do they fit in trucks with out a head liner? I ask because I don't know how they would finish the edges to look nice and did not think Customs came with head liners, neither of my trucks had head liners.

It sound like you don't plan on keeping the truck so I would not go making a lot of changes. I think a buyer (me) would pay a little more for something that has not been changed a lot or if changed had the parts that could be put back like factory, but that's me.

I planed on keeping my flare side so have done a few mods that can be changed back like the bumpers & EFI exh manifolds, motor looks factory stock.
Or look factory and would not tell other wise like metal ribbed bed floor (in place of wood), rear dual tank (not a factory option) using factory parts and I had to swap firewalls for AC in my truck.

As they say when building a car or truck it's yours so build it your way but if looking to sell the buyers may not like how you built it so keep that in mind, think more so with the motor.
Just my .02
Dave ----

ps I love my 300 six

So where does the EXPLORER come in at?? And mine does not have the under dash lights. Door locks are on top of door panel. Push down Manual locks. But came factory with power brakes.

This will give you some good info: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/1981-explorer-brochure.html

Reads like it's one step above the Custom with its own package options.