Going to look at a 79 F250 soon.

[koda6966]

79 F250 dually 4x4 4 speed 300 cid runs great 4x4 and transmission work good as well .Frame very solid good suspension Stake rack with two sets of sides class 3 reciever good rubber.The only down fall the truck has is the cab has seen better days. I have owned this truck for seven years has never let me down I very seldom use it anymore that is my only reason for selling her. $875

Know of anything specific to this generation that I should look for?

Pictures.

 

[1badexplorer]

typical rust under cab on mounts. Another very common problem is 351-400Modified engines loose oil pressure when hot. Also check out how they got those dually wheels on the truck because they shouldn't be there. Make sure they have a decent looking adapter so it don't shake or fly off when driving.

 

[koda6966]

Well it doesn't have the 351, it's just got the strait six.

 

[metalmacguyver]

Did the front axle have ball joints or kingpins?

 

[1badexplorer]

Did the front axle have ball joints or kingpins?

doubtful its got a d60 if its got a 300. Most of the f250s with a 300 were a light GVW rating. But still possible. Boy that would be a sweet deal if it had a d60 and a nice flatbed.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Actually, i seen another F250 dually in the junkyard (1978 model) that was outfitted with a wrecker unit.

But i was wondering if it was some sort of a basterd cause it had a 360????

But anyways, just because it has a 300 doesnt mean its a light GVW. They used them in F700's....but anyways, if it has a D70HD rear end like my 78 1 ton dually has make sure you check for leaks, those big ol gears make alot of heat that dont like low fluid

Is it 4sp or automatic?

Should be a kingpin front end, ive never seen a 79 or older with balljoints

later,
Dustin

 

[1badexplorer]

Actually, i seen another F250 dually in the junkyard (1978 model) that was outfitted with a wrecker unit.

But i was wondering if it was some sort of a basterd cause it had a 360????

But anyways, just because it has a 300 doesnt mean its a light GVW. They used them in F700's....but anyways, if it has a D70HD rear end like my 78 1 ton dually has make sure you check for leaks, those big ol gears make alot of heat that dont like low fluid

Is it 4sp or automatic?

Should be a kingpin front end, ive never seen a 79 or older with balljoints

later,
Dustin

Ford never built a 4x4 dually untill 1984. So its either a single wheel truck with duallys on the back or a dually that someone put a 4x4 front axle in. A 79 an older 4x4 ford can have balljoints if it has a dana 44 front axle. Most f250s have the dana 44 front. Only a dana 60 has kingpins with the exception of the real old fords that had a ball&socket type dana 44 (closed knuckle) with drum brakes. They also had king pins.

 

[koda6966]

The cab is apparently rust free except on the top, which is common with older trucks that didn't see alot of salt. He also said that it is a newer (80's) cab that he put on the truck. Oh, and it has the 4spd.

Basically this will be replacing my fathers 1987 Dodge 150 Power Ram (W150) pickup that is rusted all to hell, has a bad carb, bad rear end, can't haul a pallet, and has a broken spring shackle.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The cab is apparently rust free except on the top, which is common with older trucks that didn't see alot of salt. He also said that it is a newer (80's) cab that he put on the truck. Oh, and it has the 4spd.

The truck in the picture does not have a 1980's cab on it.

80-86 looked like this, they played with the front clip and interior up until '96 but left the cab overall loking pretty similar:

 

[koda6966]

Maybe it was an earlier cab then. This is information I'm getting from my Father, who got it from my Mother, who called the guy.

 

[ZMan]

Thats definitely a 73-79 cab in that truck. Definitely not a D60 as they only came in F-250 Sno-fighter trucks (factory snow plow package).

he says the cab has seen better days, so I'm assuming is got rust in all the usual places, floors, rear cab wall where it meets the floor, doors are probably junk, from rust and those huge mirrors.

 

[68Mercury250Ranger]

From the pics, and the stance of the truck, I'm betting it has a 77.5-79 cab/front on a pre 77.5 "highboy chassis.
there are a few ways to identify the difference:
77.5-79 had integral PS box
highboy had a manual steering box with an assist ram.

77.5-79 chassis will not accept dual wheels on the rear dana60 without adapters 3" wide rear leafs
highboy chassis will take duals, but not recommended on the 1/2" studs
2.25" rear leafs

77.5-79 has a mated Tcase to trans. manual or auto.
highboy has a remote Tcase with 3 driveshafts.

77.5-79 has either a dana 60 open kingpin front or dana 44 open balljoint, both highpinion/Reverse cut diffs.
highboys were all low pinion/straight cut fronts, mostly drum.... 76/77 some disc brake 44 and 60s open knuckles but still straight cut gears


another thing is that on the highboys, there is a crossmember immediately behind the front bumper.

If I had more time I could think of more differences but that is probably enough

for the pre 1980 Ford trucks

 

[koda6966]

Thats definitely a 73-79 cab in that truck. Definitely not a D60 as they only came in F-250 Sno-fighter trucks (factory snow plow package).
he says the cab has seen better days, so I'm assuming is got rust in all the usual places, floors, rear cab wall where it meets the floor, doors are probably junk, from rust and those huge mirrors.

The huge mirrors will be gone after about a week of quarry work. The tight trails up to the quarry weren't too fond of the mirrors on the dodge and they were tiny. We will probably convert to smaller flag style mirrors.

Gonna go look at it either tonight or tomorrow. I'll check for that crossmember.

Oh, and I asked my father about the truck again, he said that he called the guy himself and the truck is a 79, with a 76 cab on it which is MOSTLY rust free except the top. Apparently, it has some roof rust and whatnot. He said the cab has seen better days because it is four different colors, has NO clearcoat, and is dirty and scratched.

Rust isn't a big deal if you have seen my Nissan or have seen the Dodge. I might have had pictures of my Chevy on here before.. I dunno. But my father drove that for a few years with no floor.

 

[koda6966]

Bought her. Pics to come when we bring her home. If I had the money I would have bought it myself, I managed to talk the guy down to 750 with my obsessive compulsive habit of meticulously scanning fords.

She's a 1979 F250 Highboy (Had the crossmember) with rust just like I thought and some body damage and rust. It has a narrower dual wheel axle on it. The cab is from an F250 Custom, and is in decent shape for the age. Were planning on painting it Camo. Has almost new tires on it as well, but we will be replacing the front ones because they are the wrong size.

The only bad things I could see was that it doesn't have a heater, needs exhaust work but the guy had some extra stuff he through in for it, and it needs a passenger side spring hangar on the back.

Oh, and I love the bed.

 

[68Mercury250Ranger]

If it has the crossmember right behind the front bumper its a highboy but not a 79, 73-76 had F#50 emblem on the fender and 77-79s had it on the cowl...... its probably a 76 chassis with remote mount Tcase and a 79 cab and front, that would explain a lot. if it has the 300 6cyl, it will be 4.10 ratios or even 4.56 so you lucked out with offroad gearing.

nice score