wasteland_jack Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 Hi, folks! I would appreciate if you would take a look at this truck and tell me what I should be cautious of when going to look at it. I don't care about what the body looks like, but I want the important bits to be in good shape. This seller claims that everything mechanical on this truck is in good condition. He said that he bought it for a father/son project, but that his son is no longer interested and the project is falling on him. I have to drive 2 hours to see it, so I want to have a good idea of what might disqualify this truck before I set out. He claims that the exhaust is new from the manifold back. New carb, new transmission, and "many other new parts" that I haven't seen yet. They installed these themselves. Thank you in advance! https://corvallis.craigslist.org/cto/d/albany-1983-ford-f150-4x4/7744389414.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 Evaluate the frame, especially between the side tank and channel. Also check the brake & fuel lines hidden in there. Check where the end of that brake line turns down to meet the rear axle brake hose/splitter. (They like to rot in that corner of the cross member) Check the rear spring hangers, from the top, into the pocket formed by the shackle mount. Check the frame mounts, body bushings and especially the 'horns' that the radiator support mounts too. Look on top of the gas tanks (use a mirror or endoscope if you need to) Gas tanks rot inside from water bottom, but they rust out on top -especially the sender bungs- from mud and grime holding water and road salt up where it's hidden. If you can bring a floor jack raise each wheel and feel for loose bearings and tie rods/ball joints in the front. Check for grumbling bearings and dragging brakes in the back. Those are the things I'd look at if I were buying one of these trucks, that I had no history of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 Evaluate the frame, especially between the side tank and channel. Also check the brake & fuel lines hidden in there. Check where the end of that brake line turns down to meet the rear axle brake hose/splitter. (They like to rot in that corner of the cross member) Check the rear spring hangers, from the top, into the pocket formed by the shackle mount. Check the frame mounts, body bushings and especially the 'horns' that the radiator support mounts too. Look on top of the gas tanks (use a mirror or endoscope if you need to) Gas tanks rot inside from water bottom, but they rust out on top -especially the sender bungs- from mud and grime holding water and road salt up where it's hidden. If you can bring a floor jack raise each wheel and feel for loose bearings and tie rods/ball joints in the front. Check for grumbling bearings and dragging brakes in the back. Those are the things I'd look at if I were buying one of these trucks, that I had no history of. Jim's suggestions are good ones, but here are some observations just looking at the pics: The grille is black, which doesn't look to be right as the truck doesn't have the other black things to go with it. So it might be a nice replacement. Or, it could be a spray painted piece of junk. The mirrors are serious. You might not like them, but someone might. The engine has an HEI ignition system, and if done correctly that could be good. But few people understand the need to put a very large wire to the HEI, so I'm doubting it was done properly as the air cleaner yells "kid" to me. Over all the body doesn't look bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco638 Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 Jim's suggestions are good ones, but here are some observations just looking at the pics: The grille is black, which doesn't look to be right as the truck doesn't have the other black things to go with it. So it might be a nice replacement. Or, it could be a spray painted piece of junk. The mirrors are serious. You might not like them, but someone might. The engine has an HEI ignition system, and if done correctly that could be good. But few people understand the need to put a very large wire to the HEI, so I'm doubting it was done properly as the air cleaner yells "kid" to me. Over all the body doesn't look bad. Just a few observations in addition to Jim's & Gary's: The grey carpet is not original. I know rust isn't an issue but I'd take a good look under the carpet to see what the floors look like. The engine appears to have some work done to it. I see a new upper radiator hose but the heater hoses look old(er). Also, I believe this is a truck that had/has AC (based on the heater box protruding into the engine bay) but I don't see a compressor on the engine. If that's important, check for the condenser coil (in front of the radiator) and ask about the compressor. The carburetor appears to be new and maybe not correct. I also wonder where the PVC hose is plumbed. It should run to the base of the carb (and may) but it disappears between the engine block and the firewall. You might want to check that. It does have an HEI distributor, ask about it being wired correctly (as Gary mentioned). If you get a quizzical look, be prepared to address that if you're going to drive it home. I also see what appears to be a vacuum advance hose (black hose that runs in front of the carb, over the valve cover, over the top of the dist. cap and then to the vacuum advance pot). I don't think the HEI dist. requires that (and makes me wonder about the dist. wiring and other stuff the current owner may have done). Otherwise, the engine compartment looks pretty clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 Just a few observations in addition to Jim's & Gary's: The grey carpet is not original. I know rust isn't an issue but I'd take a good look under the carpet to see what the floors look like. The engine appears to have some work done to it. I see a new upper radiator hose but the heater hoses look old(er). Also, I believe this is a truck that had/has AC (based on the heater box protruding into the engine bay) but I don't see a compressor on the engine. If that's important, check for the condenser coil (in front of the radiator) and ask about the compressor. The carburetor appears to be new and maybe not correct. I also wonder where the PVC hose is plumbed. It should run to the base of the carb (and may) but it disappears between the engine block and the firewall. You might want to check that. It does have an HEI distributor, ask about it being wired correctly (as Gary mentioned). If you get a quizzical look, be prepared to address that if you're going to drive it home. I also see what appears to be a vacuum advance hose (black hose that runs in front of the carb, over the valve cover, over the top of the dist. cap and then to the vacuum advance pot). I don't think the HEI dist. requires that (and makes me wonder about the dist. wiring and other stuff the current owner may have done). Otherwise, the engine compartment looks pretty clean. overall, not a bad truck. 4wd, manual, 4.9 . all other suggestions are good ones. rust inspection is the biggest one for me. the odd door could have been due to rust or impact. look at the cab in that area. dripping paint in the door jamb could mean some paint cover up or even Bondo over rust. as to the hei. I don't mind them and have used a few. the dist does have a vacuum advance so I am more concerned with what it is connected to as to whether its connected or not. yes, it needs more amperage than the oem to get full advantage of the better coil. look at the tires well. they can tell a lot about front end cond. also tires carry a lot of weight "financially" as they may cost 40 percent of the asking price. an important place to look for hidden rust is the firewall. pull the carpet/firewall back a little to look for rust or water intrusion from a possible leaking windshield or cowl. this does not look to be an a/c truck. I don't expect any a/c parts to be found on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasteland_jack Posted May 10 Author Share Posted May 10 overall, not a bad truck. 4wd, manual, 4.9 . all other suggestions are good ones. rust inspection is the biggest one for me. the odd door could have been due to rust or impact. look at the cab in that area. dripping paint in the door jamb could mean some paint cover up or even Bondo over rust. as to the hei. I don't mind them and have used a few. the dist does have a vacuum advance so I am more concerned with what it is connected to as to whether its connected or not. yes, it needs more amperage than the oem to get full advantage of the better coil. look at the tires well. they can tell a lot about front end cond. also tires carry a lot of weight "financially" as they may cost 40 percent of the asking price. an important place to look for hidden rust is the firewall. pull the carpet/firewall back a little to look for rust or water intrusion from a possible leaking windshield or cowl. this does not look to be an a/c truck. I don't expect any a/c parts to be found on it Hi, all, and thanks for your input! Here is what he has said so far: "The PCV is just vented down the back of the engine rather than running through the carb. I've used a Haynes book for this truck and many other vehicles I've owned. I've grown up fixing and restoring vehicles with my dad, thought my son would enjoy it too, and that wasn't the case. Bearings, ball joints, and tie rods seem to be good. We have not dove into that, but there haven't been symptoms to suggest there is an issue. There are two tanks, we have only used the front tank, which has a new filler neck. I don't know the condition of the rear tank, that was on the top-do list prior to deciding to sell the truck. With the HEI distributor, it has a direct 12 v connection as required. The stock electric module for the stock distributor is still mounted, just not connected. I kept the stock distributor and you're welcome to it. Lastly, there is not a spare tire mounted to the truck." I plan to take a look at it around Noon PST on Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasteland_jack Posted May 14 Author Share Posted May 14 Jim's suggestions are good ones, but here are some observations just looking at the pics: The grille is black, which doesn't look to be right as the truck doesn't have the other black things to go with it. So it might be a nice replacement. Or, it could be a spray painted piece of junk. The mirrors are serious. You might not like them, but someone might. The engine has an HEI ignition system, and if done correctly that could be good. But few people understand the need to put a very large wire to the HEI, so I'm doubting it was done properly as the air cleaner yells "kid" to me. Over all the body doesn't look bad. I took a look at that truck today. - There was some serious blow by, as I believe it's called. The cap to the oil reservoir was a solid cap, and a significant amount of exhaust was wafting out of it. It would have flowed into the air cleaner if there had been a stock EGR setup and I probably wouldn't have noticed. How much silvery smoke should I expect to see? - The PCV tube hangs down behind the engine and the end of the hose is at the level of the oil pan. - The rear diff looks moist at the drive shaft. - The steering wheel had some play. - There are quite a few 1 cm or smaller holes in the cab floor under the new matting and carpet. The floor appears structurally sound, and there is no frame, radiator, suspension, or bed rust. What would be the best way to patch the holes in the floor? - The shifting was interesting. 1st gear almost touched the dash with the stick, and 3rd was a short throw by comparison. Those were the things I noticed I looked it over before we drove. The motor runs very smoothly and sounds great. I got it up to 60 or so. After I drove it and returned to the driveway, however, there was a lot of oil on the lower portion of the engine to the rear driver's side, and especially on the drive shaft. We revved the engine when the car was stopped but couldn't see any oil spraying. It was a quart low. I don't know if they cleaned the engine before I got there, but it appeared to my eyes that this leak had just started while I was driving it. Other observations: - They only use the front fuel tank. The metal fuel line for the rear tank was exposed at the end of the metal line, and fuel was leaking out of it after I returned from the drive. They said they would plug it before I came back. They have a lift and supposedly have the skills, so I told them that I was still interested and would come back if they fixed the oil leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 14 Share Posted May 14 I took a look at that truck today. - There was some serious blow by, as I believe it's called. The cap to the oil reservoir was a solid cap, and a significant amount of exhaust was wafting out of it. It would have flowed into the air cleaner if there had been a stock EGR setup and I probably wouldn't have noticed. How much silvery smoke should I expect to see? - The PCV tube hangs down behind the engine and the end of the hose is at the level of the oil pan. - The rear diff looks moist at the drive shaft. - The steering wheel had some play. - There are quite a few 1 cm or smaller holes in the cab floor under the new matting and carpet. The floor appears structurally sound, and there is no frame, radiator, suspension, or bed rust. What would be the best way to patch the holes in the floor? - The shifting was interesting. 1st gear almost touched the dash with the stick, and 3rd was a short throw by comparison. Those were the things I noticed I looked it over before we drove. The motor runs very smoothly and sounds great. I got it up to 60 or so. After I drove it and returned to the driveway, however, there was a lot of oil on the lower portion of the engine to the rear driver's side, and especially on the drive shaft. We revved the engine when the car was stopped but couldn't see any oil spraying. It was a quart low. I don't know if they cleaned the engine before I got there, but it appeared to my eyes that this leak had just started while I was driving it. Other observations: - They only use the front fuel tank. The metal fuel line for the rear tank was exposed at the end of the metal line, and fuel was leaking out of it after I returned from the drive. They said they would plug it before I came back. They have a lift and supposedly have the skills, so I told them that I was still interested and would come back if they fixed the oil leak. The way Positive Crankcase Ventilation is supposed to work is that there's a line from the valve cover to the carb or intake, which puts a vacuum on the crankcase. And on the other side of the engine, the other valve cover on a V8, there's a line from the oil filler to the air cleaner, so that air sucked in there is filtered. Without that system there's positive pressure in the crankcase and blowby escapes, like you saw at both the filler and the hose at back. Even new engines have some blowby, but old engines may have a lot - and still perform quite well. So the oil leak may just be the blowby? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 14 Share Posted May 14 The way Positive Crankcase Ventilation is supposed to work is that there's a line from the valve cover to the carb or intake, which puts a vacuum on the crankcase. And on the other side of the engine, the other valve cover on a V8, there's a line from the oil filler to the air cleaner, so that air sucked in there is filtered. Without that system there's positive pressure in the crankcase and blowby escapes, like you saw at both the filler and the hose at back. Even new engines have some blowby, but old engines may have a lot - and still perform quite well. So the oil leak may just be the blowby? He's describing a road draft tube... How old is this engine, or the guy working on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 14 Share Posted May 14 He's describing a road draft tube... How old is this engine, or the guy working on it? Yes, that's effectively what it has - a road draft tube. And those went away in the mid to late 60's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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