78 Fords trucks had round & square headlights ! I read in a old Ford Truck Bible saying that the first half of 78 had round and the second half had square headlights, to use up the round headlights from 77 ! What's Your Take on That ? Love your Videos on the Ford 73-79 Trucks ! Been a Ford truck owner for 44 yrs. My every day driver is a 1979 Ford F150 short bed 4x4 with a 351m400 C6 auto trans , NP205 transfer case . Keep the Great Videos Coming ! Stay Safe & Healthy ! God Bless !
@@Steelhorse814 The customs had round headlights and the rangers had square ones. I really appreciate you watching my videos, that would have been a good one to mention. The reason that occurred is the big 3 lobbied the federal government in 1977 to allow for square sealed beam headlights to meet road standards. The only reason they did this was for the look of the lights, even though they said it was for safety purposes. This is why cool cars like the 77 trans am and 78 fords phased in the square lights all at the same time.
During the 70's Ford & GM weren't allowed to use their big block engines such as the 460 or 454 in the 4 wheel drives, because Dodge owned Dana/Spicer, if you wanted a big block 4x4 you would have buy a Dodge, it was offered thru them
I had a 76 f250 trailer special with a 4bbl 390(and a low fuel economy dash light), dual saddle tanks and a high output heater, to this day I've never seen another HO heater. You could run around in the winter with your windows rolled down and it would still chase you out of the truck on high.🤣
The vanity mirror actually makes perfect sense if you remember the time. A lady driving,or more importantly owning a Lincoln would not have been that unusual. However, a women driving/buying a pickup truck would have seemed less likely. So the mirror was there for the farmers wife/girlfriend.
My senior year of high school ordered a 1976 F150, 4 x 4 8 foot box 360 4 speed with the granny gear had the Ranger package. Added 3 inch suspension 4 inch body lift and 36 inch tires. The funny thing is you couldn’t get the 390 in a four-wheel-drive? To this day still my most favorite vehicle I ever had and I’ve had a lot of them.
I had a ford of this vintage and found that the 360 Ford V8 would have a hard time outrunning the 300 6CYL. Never really understood why a 360 FE was such a dog as a 352 FE would bury it every time.
@@JamesReilly-d7oMy 1972 F250 Camper Special would sick the needle on the far right edge of the speedo at 110 MPH and keep accelerating. It had a 360c and a 4-speed. The 300ci wasn’t gonna touch that.
A co-worker of mine had a 79 F-250 4x4 300 6 cylinder 4 speed stick. It was a very basic farm truck he bought at a rural dealer. It had standard axels and lock out hubs 16" wheels 8' box. He absolutely beat it to death doing crazy off road stunts. I've never seen another 3/4 ton 6 cyl 4x4 but wish I had one now. I had a 78 F-250 300 6 cyl 2wd it was a great truck but wouldn't off road at all. The late 70s pickups were great work trucks unlike what is out there now. My 78 F-250 cost $3300 new. Thanks for the video.
My dad had a 78 f100. He paid 1800 for it new. I think...pretty sure it had the receipt in the glove box when he gave it to me. It had a 6 cylinder. Drove the piss out of it. It was pee green. Yuck
They did not like pulling hard at low rpm . I have seen a lot that were wore out at 30,000 miles . If you kept the revs up to pull heavy loads they were fine
The later models also had the plastic inter fender liners that went a long way in saving front cab mounts and floors. Here in the wintery part of north American.
To this day, I can remember dad ordering his 78 truck over the telephone and going through the options. When I heard him say “short bed” 5 year old me thought it meant to sleep in. I said “No dad, get the tall bed”. What can I say, I was 5-6.
Great video, thanks for posting! My father had a '76 F-150/130/long bed, 360, green with Explorer trim. Until your video, that was the only one I had ever seen like it. You are very well versed in these trucks! I have owned quite a number of the pre '77 1/2 Highboy trucks in years past, but you taught me a few things today. Now I must go and not return to your site, for fear that it will reignite the passion I once had for these jewels!
I remember the radio thing. When you bought an aftermarket tape deck (a good one like a Pioneer Super Tuner) - they'd have adjustable knob spacing and spacers to accommodate that. BUT, we were broke, young, and tried anyway. Lots of filing and disappointment.
With the options like radios and vanity mirrors you need to remember that almost all of these were primarily work vehicles and business owners didn’t always care whether the truck cabs were all that pleasant..
Fantastic video so much of what you've stated I already knew. I had spent close to 15 years working on and specifically restoring these trucks love them they're the best trucks ever made thank you for a great video
Working on fixing up a 1978 F-250 Ranger with the Custom Camper Special package. My dad took it all over Alaska. Really love your videos. I want to get the cassette deck in it working again.
I know he wasnt going back in the 60's, but I had a 3/4 ton, 2wheel drive, with a 390, automatic, camper special with the tow package. It had just been sitting in a friend of my dads driveway with four flats, straight body but very faded and degraded dover white paint. This was 1982, they didnt have any use for it anymore. I was 13, I had a farm hardship license and it was my first vehicke to own. I gave the guy $250 for it and with the help of another friend of my dad's who had been a racing mechanic, restored it from the ground up, rebuilt the motor with a tuned cam and pistons, tranny, suspension, interior, rechromed all the trim and four coats of dover white and two coats of clear, custom wheels. That was a sweet ride and I loved it, and had it until I was 16, but I had a guy with more money than brains offered me more than triple what I had in it, parts and labor, so I sold it. I found out about two months after that that the guy had totaled it about a week after I sold it to him, ran it in to a telephone pole. 😢
Chevrolet and GMC also in 1976 produced what they called a heavy half ton. The GVW was raised by 200 lbs to 6200. This exempted the vehicles from specific smog items. They had a TAC, smog pump and maybe an evap canister, don't remember and no catalytic converter, burned leaded fuel. Wish I still had that truck, 76 Sierra Grande, 350, 4 speed, iron box transfer case.
The reason for the small gas tank is for the spare tire. If the tank was any larger you could not have a spare. Broncos spare was located inside behind the rear seat I do belive. You could also not get a 390 in 4x4 although everyones grandfather, uncle, brother and various family members had one or owns one. 360 was the biggest power plant for 4x4s until 1977 when they offered the 400.
But they also offered in an in bed spare tire mount. Not the super camper special, a regular in bed mounted spare. That could have been offered as a package.
This was also during the “gas crisis” when you could only buy gas on even or odd days based on your license plate number. Ridiculous of course, but may have also played a factor in fewer tank options.
Another variation I just remembered, on right hand drive Australian Cleveland powered trucks, at least the r/h exhaust manifold was unique due to clearance to the right drive steering shaft and box, although both exhaust manifolds appear different to Mustang or Torino /Cyclone type Cleveland manifolds. Also, from 1974 Australian trucks had a plastic trim under the steel dash for leg injury protection, on all trucks there was a small indentation just to left of right-hand steering wheel on this panel, if a 6-cylinder engine, there was a T type carburettor choke lever/cable fitted. Also due to the unique gauge console on the Aussie F trucks it could be swapped with an Australian Ford Cortina sedans sports cluster that incorporated a Tacho, oil, temp, alternator and fuel gauge replacing the simpler speedo, temp and fuel guage with idiot lights for oil and alternator.
I believe they were 16.5 wheels and I am not certain on the floater or not. Another person in the comments said hes putting up videos about it I am going to check it out and try and learn a couple things myself.
Anything back then is possible! In 68 my dad had a D-100 Dodge with a straight axel and heavy duty suspension with 16 inch 5 bolt wheels. My uncles sat an old 262 Cummins engine on blocks in the bed and it didn’t squat.
My dad bought a new 82 f100 with a 300-6 and a 3spd O/D. The trans went out in a short time and had it replaced with a granny 4 spd. That truck would pull anything after that. Wish I had it now.
I had a 1980 Full-size Bronco in high school. It took forever to fill the tank. I was at a gas station filling up, my girlfriend pulled up to the pump next to me, filled her tank, went in and paid, and I was still pumping 🤣
I have a '75 Highboy with a warmed up 460 and 4:10 gears, if I can hook to it, it's leaving with me! I've had that truck over almost 30 years. It even has the enclosed knuckles on the front differential.
I had a couple of the 7978 Ford f-150s and f250s with the 351 M's in them I'd love to those trucks they had plenty of power was great for mud running I had them both automatic and manual
You mentioned the F130...a guy near me advertised his truck for sale saying it was not an F250 it was an F260. Was there such? I assumed he thought this due to the vin
I have one , not seventies, it's a ninety six . F-250 4x4 , but the rims , hubs and suspension all come back as one ton parts . I know the guy who bought it new and he said it came like this
@@outinthesticks1035 I only doing 6th gen Fords, with those trucks 79 was the only year for the 1 tons. You would have to consult an expert on the 60s trucks, I don't want to give you bad information. Even then, the only difference between a 3/4 and 1 tone truck when equipped with a dana 60 front is the gvwr, everything else is identical its really just semantics
Per James K. Wagner in the Ford Trucks Since 1905 book, published by Crestline: "One of the 1976 offerings, the F-150 Special - a regular cab 4x2 fitted with F-250 running gear, including wheels, tires, and rated at 6,150 pounds GVW - was developed to relieve a component shortage. By producing this model for a limited time, Ford was able to build sufficient light-duty rear axles to meet F-100 and E-100 and 150 requirements."
Oh and I also had a 79 Ford F150 four wheel drive short bed four-speed on the floor 300 6 cylinder jet black with no Chrome on a highboy suspension from the factory
Very interesting video - thanks! I always thought the "Camper Special" meant a full blown heavy truck camper (or TC) and not just a shell or canopy. Is that wrong?
Those days whenever i was riding in a pickup truck, they usually smelled like sweaty men. Pickup trucks were used for work only. They were never used for liesurely activity or even longer trips whenever the family car could do the job. They had AM radios, vinyl seats, and no a/c (that would have been a waste when you are just going to get out of the truck and perspire anyway while you are working). Camper Special was equipped to handle more weight on the bed. So was already assumed to be up to capacity (similar for trailer special). Those were simpler days when riding in a car was considered more of a privilege, than riding in a pickup. These vehicles were for work only. Extended.super cabs were vary rare in those days. Full 4 door cabs were even more rare, usually reserved for tasks that required extra men for the work. One more thing - gas tanks were behind the bench seat inside of the cab during those early years (including '72). I think it was the Pinto gas tank scandal that caused Ford to move it out of the cab only during those later years. Hope this helps.
i wish there was someone like you for 5th Gen Fords (bumpsides) it'd be nice to know what my 69 f250 is. it has camper special tags, maybe the appropriate steering box and that seems to be it.
With the Lincoln vizors, were they the same shape and size as the truck vizors or was it just the mirror insert that was the same? My 79 F-350 4x4 has the bars that are mounted behind the front fender. The truck was a cab and chassis from the factory and has a flat bed, used for farm use. I have heard that the police, bush trucks and F-350 trucks as well as cab and chassis all came with the bars. My truck is in Canada. Great videos!
I wish I still had my 77 F-250 camper special with the 460 built with a 4 barrel high-rise manifold and Edelbrock carburetor with this and that I could do a one tire fire burnout all the way up the road well into 3rd gear I miss that truck.
Cool had a 79 f250 camper special it had a cheap JC Whitney dully conversion used a huge 8 inch spacer used stock steel wheels it had a 460 with 69 429 cj heads and intake and exhaust manifolds a very small RV cam 3 54 pos rear and would light up all 4 at will was a c6 auto went through 4 different auto for some reason used the c6 Lincoln with extra clutches but it was hard on them
Good stuff. But….I had a ‘77 F250 with a 460 and I noticed at least one other commenter says he had one too. You said the 400 was the largest offered. I was unaware of the other things you mentioned. Thanks.
@@ThisShitDontFlush Probly one off dealer installed 460 item, as no factory oilpan existed back then to clear front diff. Put plenty of 460s in 70 ford 4x4s later on with 1980s 460 mid sump 4x4 oilpan tho!
If you were ordering a truck, you could go to the fleet color catalog and get just about anything you wanted...... for a price. I believe some colors may have been trademarked and could not be ordered. Something like Caterpillar yellow or John Deere green for example. I ordered an 86 F-250 and really wanted a specific color that wasn't in the brochure and the dealer found it in the fleet catalog, but it was PRICEY. I decided I didn't need it that bad.
How about the weird period of the 77.5 year change on narrow frame 4x4s to wide frame 4x4s and the switch to 400 motors on some and older motors on others!
A couple other weird things, my father purchased a new '79 F-350 4x4 which had 16 inch rims and a naked 16.5 rim hanging in the spare holder. This almost injured the tire tech in our local co-op when he tried to match up a spare for the new pickup. It blew off the tire machine when he tried to mount it. This pickup came with an am fm cassette radio and an internal CB radio mounted in the dash. The cb may have been dealer installed, only the mic was showing. We also later got a new '93 F-250 4x4 with the IH diesel, it had one hub with left hand thread lugs, I think on the right rear. A conundrum for unsuspecting tire men.
My dad has a f250 300cid straight 6 with a stick. 2wd. It wasn't fast but it was strong as hell ! I think some of these mysteries just come down to trucks were work and farm vehicles not used as passenger vehicles as most trucks are now.
The camper special and trailer special actually makes sense. The thought process was probably if you were putting a camper shell on you wouldn't need to tow a trailer. Also if you did want to tow with a camper shell back then you would probably need to have a custom hitch fabricated as a standard hitch wouldn't work with the overhang of the camper shell. Also have to take into account the GVW with one of those camper shells on and fully stocked for a camping trip you couldn't legal tow anything much heavier than a row boat.
My buddy had an F13 truck, with a 360 engine, a base model painted in a one year "bali blue" color with a 4 speed manual. Havent seen another one since, it was purchased by the state electrical company as a work truck, which was odd because most sce&g work trucks back in the 70's were crew cab short bed f250's
appreciate it bud, i love old fords, but its one of the great mysteries of life why they do crazy crap.especially mid year changes.their famous for thier inconsistancies.
@@bigslim492BUY cash in the country. I live in Pittsburgh. I buy my cars from people outside of my county. Outside of Allegheny County, there are few people. When an owner puts their car up for sale, there are few people within 50 miles.
I had a 77 F-150 with the weird manual power assist steering, the truck had a manual steering box, a standard power steering pump that provided fluid to a hydraulic cylinder on the track bar /drag link. Strange set up imop.
I have multiple Ford trucks in dent side and the earlier bump side. A few have a second battery but, I’ve never seen a battery tray under the second battery. They’re just bolted to the fender skirt with no support brackets??
I bought a new 77 F 100 and the AM/FM stereo radio was $ 125.00 dealer installed option. They also offered two-tape player options cassette and 8 track with the AM/FM feature. As my two previous cars had tape players and I found unless you wanted to carry around 30 tape cassettes you seldom used it. So maybe the dealer had adaptors to use any Ford radio .
Very possible, I honestly don't know. The OBS trucks were basically the same and they got them. The bed floors are identical and the frames are very close although a little wider.
I imagine a lot of changes were happening in 1976 with the auto industry and fed regulations. I remember going to the Plymouth dealership with my dad ( I was 11) and him ordering a new 1976 Volare station wagon. When the salesman was going through the options he asked my dad if he wanted a catalytic converter or not on the car.
If we look outside the USA or Canada there were a number of variations on 'dent-side@ trucks. Australian assembled trucks from 1974 had different dashes. First of all the steering is on the Right side. Padded dash was standard from 1973/4. The guage cluster was a Ford Cortina dash adapted to the F100 - F350. Engine options were different, The 240 and 300 cu 6 cylinder engines were replaced on all models except the A' series High Boys that were still fitted with the 300 cu 6 cylinder from 1973 here until 1977. The reason for this was that the 4WD High Boy F250's were directly imported from Canada in right hand drive with steel Canadian dash boards out of the F500 600 series. The Australian engine options became an Australian Ford 250 cu 6 cylinder 'crossflow head engine that in my experience pulled similarly to the 300 cu engine. Also the V8 options became the Cleveland 351 and 302 cu engine, these were Australian cast blocks and heads that in some ways were different to the now terminated (1974) USA Clevelands. The 302 was a Cleveland however fitted with 6@ rods rather than the 351 Clevelands 5!/2"
Sorry, continuing, the engine options after late 1973 became a 250 cu 4 inch stroke 6 cylinder Australian engine fitted with a more efficient cast iron crossflow engine that in my experience pulled similarly to the 300 6 cylinder USA 6 cylinder. The other two engines were a 351 cu inch Cleveland engine and yes a 302 cu Cleveland engine manufactured here in Australia. Initially fitted with 2 BBL Motocraft carbs or late 1976 a 4bbl Carter Thermoquad 850 cfm unit that performed very well, my preference over 650/750 Holley's I have used. The 302 heads were unique to Australia with 59 cc quench chambers very similar to the USA Boss or 4V heads but with the 2V exhaust and inlet sized ports. These swirl flow better than the open chamber 2V Clevelands and if bolted directly on to a 351 Cleveland are about 10.5:1 comps and with then better swirl patterned chambers are less predisposed to pre detonation on low octane fuels. Intake manifols for the Australian blocks with 4 bbl carbs were spreadbore pattern 2 v chambers not common in the USA and flow very well. Steering wheels were Australian Ford Falcon issue nand steering columns from !974 were also Ford Falcon style with headlight dip switchn on the indicator stalk and horn button on end of stalk. Australian trucks were always supplied with amber indicator lenses to meet ADR's, (Australian design rules). Dent sides were manufactured here until late 1980 when the 'Bullnose Bronco's and F trucks appeared in 1981 also fitted with 351 Clevelands until 1985 when the fuel injected Windsor was reintroduced after the Australian Cleveland ceased manufacture around 1982/3. Just a few variations some Northern American enthusiast may not have been aware of. I may have missed a couple of variations, I'm sure some Australian owners will add to this. Incidentally a unique late 1976 dent-side F250 High Boy I own, is an ex Royal Australian Airforce ambulance with a fibreglass body behind front doors but retains the original recognisable LWB style side shape with high roof and dark shaded side glass, not a separate box on a cab chassis as in US models. It is a walk through with original bucket seats from Bronco I think and has the later American padded dash, with the complete steel dashboard as fitted to F500 and 600 truck models from the 60's. also the open knuckle Dana 44 HD front end. trust this is of interest!
Thats weird the discontinued the bucket seat option in the dentsides. You could get buckets in the bumpside trucks. They had special mounting brackets, used mustang seats, and came with a molded carpet and chrome trim that covered the in cab fuel tank. Must not have been a big enough seller to keep the option around.
Interestingly the vanity mirror would have been on the driver's side due to our trucks being right hand drive, however they were never an offered option that I know of here in Australia.
Grandfather had a 77 F150 Custom 351M 3 speed on column. Mom had a 79 F100 Ranger 302 automatic. The 77 had all kinds of solenoid, distributor cap, and mystery black box issues after I inherited it in 83. Many times I was left on the side of the road with a $100 repair waiting on me.😂
Late 76 early 77 chassis GVW changes in the Ford F series trucks were driven by federal emissions and fuel requirements. The F100 to F150 received small changes to spring rates, brake shoe etc., in order to raise the GVW above the unleaded gas and catalytic converter requirements those years. At least that was what was explained to me on the showroom floor of Lakewood Ford Land in Lakewood, Colorado in 1977 while I was looking at a new pick up. Also big blocks such as 390s 429 and 460s or even four barrel carburetor options throughout the sixth generation Ford weren’t offered in 4 x 4’s to reduce warranty drive train failures.
I agree, my father’s F250 4x4 Crewcab came with a 351W and it was a gutless pig. He spent half his time cursing the engine and often had to drop down into second gear and crawl up hills as it had no power.
@@chuckwhitson654 This is all just further evidence as to why its so strange Ford never just dropped in the 460, especially considering regular passenger cars got them.
My '78 F250 crew cab 4x4 with the 351m did just fine as long as you flat footed it. They also really wake up with a different cam, timing set and a 4bbl.
@@halfmil6467 I’ve heard that of the W,C, and M models of 351 the W was the poorest performing but I don’t know how much difference it made. I certainly remember on steep hills him being down in 2nd gear holding traffic up behind us and he had his foot through the floor. This ‘77 engine would also start preigniting like crazy if lugged so the revs had to be kept up. This was a stock truck with a guy who wasn’t into modifying anything, he just needed a truck.
It's possible that a Ford built for a fleet customer could have an engine/drivetrain option that wasn't available to the public. One of my uncles worked for Ford's commercial division back in the day, and I heard some stories of some of the things that they built or tried to build in order to get some sales--they made a dually Ranger for U-Haul, but it wasn't stable enough and Toyota got the contract instead. My grandpa worked for GM back in the day, and in the 50s he was installing some non-factory options on cars for special customers, including one he special-ordered himself: a Pontiac with Oldsmobile tailfins. I also personally have an ex Frito-Lay 1980 Chevrolet step van with the factory-installed Cummins 3.9L . . . if you were gonna sign a contract for a bunch of trucks, they'd put the engine you wanted in it.
Different axles and gas tank volume may have had something to do with GVWR. Also, the whole 4x4 thing is a little bit of an outlier in that just not many 4x4 trucks of any brand were made back then. My grandfathers farm was over a thousand acres, northeast of Colgate, Ok, in very remote country and he always drove a red Ford, not one of them 4x4. Farmers and ranchers were usually older guys and they didnt want that climb into a 4x4 when they night have to get out and open several gates to get to the back pasture. The lack of a bucket seat in the pickup in that era was because there wasnt much demand for it. Extra cab trucks were new, double cab trucks were a very special order for like a fire department, so most all trucks were single cab. That middle seat was valuable as a seat for 1-3 kids(yep, saw it done all the time as everyday was a no seatbelt adventure back then). The bronco had the back seat option and was considered a sport vehicle and the pickup was a work truck, even in the Lariat trim and was not the luxury vehicles they have transformed into. The market research teams have talented people but dint know it all. For example, people used to wonder why Ford never made a competitor to Chevys suburban before the expeditionnin 2000. The answer is they did, but made it and sold it in Mexico and other markets in the world but not in the USA because they thought GM had such a stronghold on that market. I was selling Fords from 96-2000. When they came out with the 97 rounded front end in 96 on the F150, they had a regular cab and the extended cab. I got to meet a Ford factory R&D guy that came to the dealership sometime in 1997. He showed me a photo of the prototype double cab that he told me was in development. He told ne that it was not for sure and that if it did gi into production, it would probably be five years before it was on the lots. I told him that was a mistake and they should be working nonstop to get the double cab truck to market ASAP. I told him that as soon as that thing would hit the ground, they would not be able to keep up with the demand. In a nice but condescending way, he said, "hey pal, how about you stick to selling trucks and I will stick to being the expert at knowing what buyers want, because we arent sure that there will be enough demand to sell that many double cab trucks." I then told him that I stood by what I said and that research may may him think he knows what the buyers want, but as a lowly salesperson, customers tell me everyday what they want to buy. Ford came out with the double cab truck in, I believe 99 and couldnt meet demand fully until about 2003. The double cab F150, 250,350 configuration was and still is one of the most proditable platforms in their history.
One thing that got me was the Highboy only had a 360. From what I understand, the 390 wasn't offered for the Highboy. It's a simple and popular upgrade and offers better torque. I'm guessing it had something to so with smog and engine pinging under load which was a big issue back in the day.
@@karljay7473 I'm currently looking for another one. But I may be building my own. I just found a mint 73 2wd f250 for 12k and a trashed 75 hi boy for 3500 and thinking I wanna do a body swap. Growing up always had one. Until I was 24. Now at 38 I'm really wanting another
Bracket inside of windshield that holds windshield gasket. My 78 bronco ranger has one and my 79 f250 custom has one also. My other 78 bronco custom and my 76 explorer do not.
Here's another fact you wouldn't know you can add later. Every SuperCab truck ever made, still to this day is made at the Kansas City MO plant. (Plant code K)
@@76f350 I don't know where you got your information, but ALL 1999-up Super Duty trucks are built either in Louisville KY or Avon Lake, OH, with a few in Mexico for the Central/South American market. No 99-up Super Duty was ever built in Missouri.
The 400M is how Ford justified the investment in the Cleveland block...as if manufacturing 85% of the 351C blocks as boring 2V models, which got worse mileage than the 351 Windsor block (due to heavier internal components and the beefier block). The 351C 4V was a thing of beauty, it made high revving horsepower. The Aussies knew what they were gifted when Ford gave them the Cleveland block casting machinery 😅
@@DentsideDepot the Cleveland block was supposed to be Ford's engine of the future, but the tightening emissions regulations and the 1973 fuel crisis killed it. Ford had built a huge facility (Flat Rock) to build the anticipated demand for V8's, but it ended up sitting idle and mostly empty, until it was repurposed for the Ford-Mazda joint venture in the late 1980's
An Australian 351 Cleveland fitted with the 2V 302 Cleveland (Australian also) quench chamber heads make gobs of power and swirl flows better than the open chamber 2V heads but still has for street use the more desirable smaller intake and exhaust ports. 302 and 351 Clevelands were original equipment in Australian 1974 -1980 dent-sides and 1981 -1985 Bullnose, Dent-sides were bult in Oz until late 1980.
I had a 1976 F-250 XLT Super Cab, with a 460 and automatic. Two wheel drive. It had Camper Special badges on the fenders, but this was the lightest duty F-250 I've ever seen. While it had 16.5 inch wheels, with large 8 lug brake rotors and drums, the wheel bearings were that of an F-150. It didn't have the stack of rear leaf springs that a F-250 would normally have either. Maybe this raised the gross vehicle weight rating up enough to get around emission control laws at the time. Camper Special in name only, I'm guessing.
In my experience dually's were used to haul things like horse trailers on pavement and short stretches of dirt road. If you needed 4wd, then that was another vehicle used for a different purpose.
Hey dentside depot, I have a question so Im about to get this truck and it has a weried color pattern that I have never seen it’s black with blue and red stripes is that rare and did it come factory?or did just someone paint it like that?
I have a 1979 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4. It has a 300 six with four speed manual. It has an 8 foot bed which I prefer and dual tanks. It drives great and is happiest around 45 mph. 😊
I bet I have owned 50 of the 70s era trucks. Chevy Ford and Dodge, but I remember my friend having an f-100 with a 3/4 ton suspension. With a 360 automatic. It was a 76 and I know it was a 1976 because I had a 1975 at the time and his was a year or newer than mine. Anyway his was jet black with the chrome package and it had the camper special package with the little compartment in the bed the dual tanks I had the 75 camper special with a 390 in it and I could pull him around backwards and yes we hooked them chain the chain and I pulled him around backwards. Both trucks world 2 wheel drive. But we always thought that somebody had switched his suspension or his cab or something to make it an f-100 what's a 3/4 ton suspension but now I don't know.
The F-130 was to circumvent new pollution rules which applied to light trucks and passenger cars with less than a 6000lb GVWR. The 1/2 ton axles weren't rated for that much load but the 3/4 ton axles were. This allowed Ford to use up the already-built engines they had which wouldn't meet the new rules, and the process fit smoothly onto the production line. Their other option was to rebuild those old-style engines to meet the new rules. That would have disrupted the new engine assembly line, and they needed all that production capacity to make new engines compliant with the new rules for all their other cars and light trucks. Since the F-150 was listed as under 6000lb and the F-250 was different, they needed a new name, and F-130 was it. As soon as the old-style engines were gone they dropped the model. It was all about corporate profits and IMHO a smart solution. You'll find that 'break' at 6000lb GVWR also applied to some required safety standards, CAFE fuel economy standards, and manufacturing taxes right up to recent times- maybe even through today. I don't know why they chose 6000lb but that's the government for ya.
I’m working on Part 3 in a series about the F130 on my channel now, comparing it to an F250 to see what components are the same, and what are different.
@@DentsideDepot thanks brother! When I make my video, I’ll give your video a shout out. I’m learning people really love these automotive mysteries, so they’ll love this video of yours.
Had 3 dentsides....`74 F100 4x4, `75 F250 4x4, & `77 F250 2 wh dr. Never had to get inside a `70`s T-case and was told they were sturdier gear-driven vs GM & MOPAR chain-driven ones at the time.
Yep, they were NP (New Process) 205's. GM used the NP 205 up to '73, then GM switched to the NP 203, chain-drive and "full-time 4x4". NP 203's weren't bad, IF you converted them to part-time 4x4, but the NP 205 was "bullet proof".
Great video! I have a lot of experience with Bump-Sides, '72-'93 Dodge and '67-up GM trucks. Dent-sides a little bit. As for 460's in 4X4's, the story I heard was the weight and torque was too much for the New Process 203 transfer case and Dana 44F front axle. Chevy didn't offer a 454 in their 4X4's, but Dodge would let you have a 440 in a Power Wagon with the same transfer case and front axle. So, who knows what the real reason is? The 'F-130' was supposedly made because Ford was running out of 1/2 ton rear axles at the end of the '76 model year. F-130's were F-150's with 8 stud front hubs and an 8 stud Dana 60 floating rear axle. No other modifications, the trucks were all long bed 4X2's built late in '76. Can anyone verify that? The craziest bit of Dent-Side trivia is the F-250 4X4 narrow-frame Highboy/wide-frame Lowboy thing. The Highboy basically rides on a stretched F-250 4X4 Dentside chassis which required an in-cab gas tank. The Lowboy was on an all-new chassis that they only built for 3 years. And then there was the Super Camper Special. What a weird truck that was!
One mystery is why the 6th gen trucks rusted out so bad. My dad had a white 1974 F-100 that looked just like the one Uncle Jesse drove on the Dukes of Hazzard. That truck was rusted out so damn bad by 1980 that dad stepped through the bed while he and my uncle were loading a freezer into it. I have no idea why it rusted so bad because he bought it new from a dealer in central VA and never drove it up north where they heavily salt the roads and it was never around any salt water. Years ago someone claimed that that Ford bought the sheet metal from Japan and it was brought over in deck loads on cargo ships and exposed to sea spray. No clue if this is true or not but it would make sense because I have never seen a vehicle rust out that bad in less than a decade.The previous truck he traded for it was a 1968 F-100 and it did not have any rust when it was traded. Needless to say it was the last Ford truck he ever owned. After that rust bucket he swore he would never own another Ford pickup and started buying Chevys.
My brothers 78 F150 SC 4x4 with 8' box had front leaf springs vs short box trucks that had coil front. Story was the longer wheelbase used the F250 frame.
The reason for an f-130 is by having those bigger axles they get around emissions control requirements because it was considered a medium duty truck or some such. It's the same thing as a Chevy's Big Ten truck. By '77 that loophole was closed.
Good information video, only really like a couple fords, the f-150 and the mustang! I think it’s their best made models! Seems like they don’t put as much effort into the rest!
Pretty sure the Camper Special was for huge slide in campers not just a cap. I was under the impression from 4WOR magazine that there were a few rare 1979 only F350 4x4s with the 460 D60 front D80 rear.
Yes, either a slide in or a top. There were no F350s with 460s or Dana 80s, that is a fact. If you check out my channel, we have those items swapped in, its pretty simple. They probably swapped them in back in the day too.
I would take a wild guess about some oddities with F-250 crew cabs and standard cabs NOT getting the Dana 60, trailer tow package and camper special packaging....the 400 had no power to operate it all.
The “F 130” mystery (F13 was a VIN designator only, Ford marketing these as - I think - F 150 HD”), was the result of supply chain shortages. The factory spec F150 running gear was unavailable at the volumes needed. Whether this was the result of a strike or something else I don’t recall. It is documented in the book Ford Trucks Since 1905, by James K. Wagner.
Other “mystery” stuff happened on a one-off basis… When I was installing rear springs at Michigan Truck in 1979, a 150 4x4, 117” WB, came down the line with no rear spring code on the build sheet. I hollered at the foreman asking what to do (I had a minute and twenty seconds to do my job, and axle deck was just a few work stations down the line). He yelled “What’s the heaviest spring that will fit?” It was a spring that I only ever installed on a 250 HD. These were very heavy! The LAST THING an assembler (or a foreman) wanted to do was stop that line! Unless an inspector caught it and flagged it for rework, that owner got a truck rode like a tank…
460 was supposed to be cancelled for the sixth generation. Emission laws brought it back. The F130 laws changed the requirements for the catalyst mandate. All 1/2 tons had catalyst mandate in 1977 and the worry was that would be the case for HD trucks as well. It wasn't so we could say bye F-130. I found out the radio issue the hard way. I had an 8 track from a Lincoln. It would not fit.
I loved my 79 and 80 f150 ranger xlt 4x4 both with the 400 both with dule tanks the 79 has 2 19gal the 80 had 26 gal tanks. The 79 got 12mpg tge 80 got 6mpg My dads f100 classic 4x4 full time with a 360 got 9mpg all with c6 at
Vanity mirror seems pretty normal to me. Most of my older cars only have the vanity mirror on the right side. I think the logic is two-fold: (1) It's cheaper to only put one in, and (2) the driver should never need it, because, well, they are driving. Honestly, I don't think I've ever used a vanity mirror in the driver's seat of a car. If I ever needed to look at myself for some reason, I just leaned over a couple inches and looked in the rearview mirror. Easier, faster, safer.
My first car was a 1978 Ford Bronco 4x4, put 300k miles on the 351M (same block as 400) then put in a 460 from a 1976 Thunderbird. Yep fits right in, just custom motor mount and exhaust. No issues with driveshaft. The 1978 brakes were terrible. You could barely skid on a gravel road with the 33's. I put on 76 Thunderbird brake calipers which have a bigger piston than what was on the bronco, made a big difference in stopping power especially with the 33 inch tires on it. I also put the 1 ton slave cylinders on the back drum brakes and put a 1 ton dual diaphragm booster + 1 ton master cylinder so the system all matches.
I had heard the F130s were a fleet order with the semi float 8 lug dana 60 and a 300 six engine. I don't think they had much if any higher GVW than the regular F150. I think it was so they could have a 1/2 ton truck and standardize on 8 lug wheels and tires for the fleet. It makes sense but I have no way to know if it's true or not. You could always get strange things from Ford if you bought enough of them. The F150 was to get around the new emissions by having a GVW over 6k lb. I think they were all like 6,050 GVW. The Ranger would eventually replace the F100 in 1983 and mark the only year you could get either an F100 or Ranger. Growing up my cousin had an 79 F350 Super Cab, 400 - 4spd 4x4 with the D60 front and rear axles. He had it lifted on 38's and had heavily modified the 400. It ran 14.60's in the 1/4 mile and would get stuck on a wet road with the slightest hill... He took it apart in 1986 to make a show truck out of it and it's never been back together since. He sold it a few years ago and the guy who bought it hasn't finished it either. The truck had about 48k miles and was garage kept since 86. Last I saw it around 2010 it looked like a clean 6-7 year old truck today would look. It was an amazing time capsule. Silver with red interior.
Do you have another mystery? Feel free to post it below!
78 Fords trucks had round & square headlights ! I read in a old Ford Truck Bible saying that the first half of 78 had round and the second half had square headlights, to use up the round headlights from 77 ! What's Your Take on That ?
Love your Videos on the Ford 73-79 Trucks ! Been a Ford truck owner for 44 yrs.
My every day driver is a 1979 Ford F150 short bed 4x4 with a 351m400 C6 auto trans , NP205 transfer case .
Keep the Great Videos Coming !
Stay Safe & Healthy !
God Bless !
@@Steelhorse814 The customs had round headlights and the rangers had square ones. I really appreciate you watching my videos, that would have been a good one to mention. The reason that occurred is the big 3 lobbied the federal government in 1977 to allow for square sealed beam headlights to meet road standards. The only reason they did this was for the look of the lights, even though they said it was for safety purposes. This is why cool cars like the 77 trans am and 78 fords phased in the square lights all at the same time.
During the 70's Ford & GM weren't allowed to use their big block engines such as the 460 or 454 in the 4 wheel drives, because Dodge owned Dana/Spicer, if you wanted a big block 4x4 you would have buy a Dodge, it was offered thru them
I had a 76 f250 trailer special with a 4bbl 390(and a low fuel economy dash light), dual saddle tanks and a high output heater, to this day I've never seen another HO heater. You could run around in the winter with your windows rolled down and it would still chase you out of the truck on high.🤣
The 1976 F130. I’m working on Part 3 of getting to the bottom of what is a F130 on my channel now. The F130s are weird trucks!!
The vanity mirror actually makes perfect sense if you remember the time. A lady driving,or more importantly owning a Lincoln would not have been that unusual. However, a women driving/buying a pickup truck would have seemed less likely. So the mirror was there for the farmers wife/girlfriend.
I see your point. If a gal was driving a truck back at that time, she probably wasn't the type who would use a vanity mirror anyway!
That is the only plausable explanation, I did think of that as well. But, the Lincolns were also for men, so I am still not sure....
@@DentsideDepotalso they don't want people staring at themselves in the mirror and driving dangerously.
Looking back to my childhood, in the '70s and '80s, I remember SPECIFICALLY NOTICING MOST older vehicles didn't have driver's side vanity mirrors.
@@jeffhutchins7048all I’ve ever driven is so old there’s only a vanity mirror on the passenger side 😂
I thought I knew a lot of things about 70s Ford trucks, but a couple of those things were new to me!
nice!
My senior year of high school ordered a 1976 F150, 4 x 4 8 foot box 360 4 speed with the granny gear had the Ranger package. Added 3 inch suspension 4 inch body lift and 36 inch tires. The funny thing is you couldn’t get the 390 in a four-wheel-drive? To this day still my most favorite vehicle I ever had and I’ve had a lot of them.
I had a ford of this vintage and found that the 360 Ford V8 would have a hard time outrunning the 300 6CYL. Never really understood why a 360 FE was such a dog as a 352 FE would bury it every time.
@@JamesReilly-d7oMy 1972 F250 Camper Special would sick the needle on the far right edge of the speedo at 110 MPH and keep accelerating. It had a 360c and a 4-speed. The 300ci wasn’t gonna touch that.
A co-worker of mine had a 79 F-250 4x4 300 6 cylinder 4 speed stick. It was a very basic farm truck he bought at a rural dealer. It had standard axels and lock out hubs 16" wheels 8' box. He absolutely beat it to death doing crazy off road stunts. I've never seen another 3/4 ton 6 cyl 4x4 but wish I had one now. I had a 78 F-250 300 6 cyl 2wd it was a great truck but wouldn't off road at all. The late 70s pickups were great work trucks unlike what is out there now. My 78 F-250 cost $3300 new. Thanks for the video.
My dad had a 78 f100. He paid 1800 for it new. I think...pretty sure it had the receipt in the glove box when he gave it to me. It had a 6 cylinder. Drove the piss out of it. It was pee green. Yuck
That inline 300 6 was an absolute pulling beast.
I was a kid in the 70's. Grew up in a 74 F100 and a friend's parents had a 78 F250 2WD w/300 six and 4 speed. The 300 six seems to run forever.
They did not like pulling hard at low rpm . I have seen a lot that were wore out at 30,000 miles . If you kept the revs up to pull heavy loads they were fine
300 could be had in an f700!!!
That was pretty optimistic!!!🤣🤣🤣
The later models also had the plastic inter fender liners that went a long way in saving front cab mounts and floors. Here in the wintery part of north American.
To this day, I can remember dad ordering his 78 truck over the telephone and going through the options. When I heard him say “short bed” 5 year old me thought it meant to sleep in. I said “No dad, get the tall bed”. What can I say, I was 5-6.
Great video, thanks for posting! My father had a '76 F-150/130/long bed, 360, green with Explorer trim. Until your video, that was the only one I had ever seen like it. You are very well versed in these trucks! I have owned quite a number of the pre '77 1/2 Highboy trucks in years past, but you taught me a few things today. Now I must go and not return to your site, for fear that it will reignite the passion I once had for these jewels!
I remember the radio thing. When you bought an aftermarket tape deck (a good one like a Pioneer Super Tuner) - they'd have adjustable knob spacing and spacers to accommodate that. BUT, we were broke, young, and tried anyway. Lots of filing and disappointment.
Even some of the cheap ones had them. I have one now.
haha nice
With the options like radios and vanity mirrors you need to remember that almost all of these were primarily work vehicles and business owners didn’t always care whether the truck cabs were all that pleasant..
Fantastic video so much of what you've stated I already knew. I had spent close to 15 years working on and specifically restoring these trucks love them they're the best trucks ever made thank you for a great video
Hey thank you!
Working on fixing up a 1978 F-250 Ranger with the Custom Camper Special package. My dad took it all over Alaska. Really love your videos. I want to get the cassette deck in it working again.
I know he wasnt going back in the 60's, but I had a 3/4 ton, 2wheel drive, with a 390, automatic, camper special with the tow package. It had just been sitting in a friend of my dads driveway with four flats, straight body but very faded and degraded dover white paint. This was 1982, they didnt have any use for it anymore. I was 13, I had a farm hardship license and it was my first vehicke to own. I gave the guy $250 for it and with the help of another friend of my dad's who had been a racing mechanic, restored it from the ground up, rebuilt the motor with a tuned cam and pistons, tranny, suspension, interior, rechromed all the trim and four coats of dover white and two coats of clear, custom wheels. That was a sweet ride and I loved it, and had it until I was 16, but I had a guy with more money than brains offered me more than triple what I had in it, parts and labor, so I sold it. I found out about two months after that that the guy had totaled it about a week after I sold it to him, ran it in to a telephone pole. 😢
Chevrolet and GMC also in 1976 produced what they called a heavy half ton. The GVW was raised by 200 lbs to 6200. This exempted the vehicles from specific smog items. They had a TAC, smog pump and maybe an evap canister, don't remember and no catalytic converter, burned leaded fuel. Wish I still had that truck, 76 Sierra Grande, 350, 4 speed, iron box transfer case.
The reason for the small gas tank is for the spare tire. If the tank was any larger you could not have a spare. Broncos spare was located inside behind the rear seat I do belive. You could also not get a 390 in 4x4 although everyones grandfather, uncle, brother and various family members had one or owns one. 360 was the biggest power plant for 4x4s until 1977 when they offered the 400.
But they also offered in an in bed spare tire mount. Not the super camper special, a regular in bed mounted spare. That could have been offered as a package.
This was also during the “gas crisis” when you could only buy gas on even or odd days based on your license plate number. Ridiculous of course, but may have also played a factor in fewer tank options.
Another variation I just remembered, on right hand drive Australian Cleveland powered trucks, at least the r/h exhaust manifold was unique due to clearance to the right drive steering shaft and box, although both exhaust manifolds appear different to Mustang or Torino /Cyclone type Cleveland manifolds.
Also, from 1974 Australian trucks had a plastic trim under the steel dash for leg injury protection, on all trucks there was a small indentation just to left of right-hand steering wheel on this panel, if a 6-cylinder engine, there was a T type carburettor choke lever/cable fitted.
Also due to the unique gauge console on the Aussie F trucks it could be swapped with an Australian Ford Cortina sedans sports cluster that incorporated a Tacho, oil, temp, alternator and fuel gauge replacing the simpler speedo, temp and fuel guage with idiot lights for oil and alternator.
Thanks for the long video. Very interesting facts.
absolutely! I thought it was a fun one.
Re: F130 ,Where those 8 lug wheels 15 inch?
I've not ever seen this variant, also was the Dana60 a semi-floater or full floating axel hubs?
I believe they were 16.5 wheels and I am not certain on the floater or not. Another person in the comments said hes putting up videos about it I am going to check it out and try and learn a couple things myself.
16.5 wheels with full floater
Lotta Beef for a 1/2 TON truck. Thanks
Anything back then is possible! In 68 my dad had a D-100 Dodge with a straight axel and heavy duty suspension with 16 inch 5 bolt wheels.
My uncles sat an old 262 Cummins engine on blocks in the bed and it didn’t squat.
My dad bought a new 82 f100 with a 300-6 and a 3spd O/D. The trans went out in a short time and had it replaced with a granny 4 spd. That truck would pull anything after that. Wish I had it now.
I had a 1980 Full-size Bronco in high school. It took forever to fill the tank. I was at a gas station filling up, my girlfriend pulled up to the pump next to me, filled her tank, went in and paid, and I was still pumping 🤣
I had a 1975 F150 woth a 460, 2 wheel drive. Beautiful truck. Wish i still had it.
I have a '75 Highboy with a warmed up 460 and 4:10 gears, if I can hook to it, it's leaving with me! I've had that truck over almost 30 years. It even has the enclosed knuckles on the front differential.
@@Randy7th Highboy, very nice.
I had a couple of the 7978 Ford f-150s and f250s with the 351 M's in them I'd love to those trucks they had plenty of power was great for mud running I had them both automatic and manual
The answer to any question “why” is speed and ease of assembly.
Not always, but in many cases yes.
You mentioned the F130...a guy near me advertised his truck for sale saying it was not an F250 it was an F260. Was there such? I assumed he thought this due to the vin
A quick google says kinda, It means factory 4WD. Apparently for title purposes.
Correct, F26 indicates a 4x4 F250
@@yeetbeam2273 that is correct
I have one , not seventies, it's a ninety six . F-250 4x4 , but the rims , hubs and suspension all come back as one ton parts . I know the guy who bought it new and he said it came like this
@@outinthesticks1035 I only doing 6th gen Fords, with those trucks 79 was the only year for the 1 tons. You would have to consult an expert on the 60s trucks, I don't want to give you bad information. Even then, the only difference between a 3/4 and 1 tone truck when equipped with a dana 60 front is the gvwr, everything else is identical its really just semantics
Per James K. Wagner in the Ford Trucks Since 1905 book, published by Crestline: "One of the 1976 offerings, the F-150 Special - a regular cab 4x2 fitted with F-250 running gear, including wheels, tires, and rated at 6,150 pounds GVW - was developed to relieve a component shortage. By producing this model for a limited time, Ford was able to build sufficient light-duty rear axles to meet F-100 and E-100 and 150 requirements."
Thats great info thanks for sharing that. I have that book amd never saw that passage in there
Oh and I also had a 79 Ford F150 four wheel drive short bed four-speed on the floor 300 6 cylinder jet black with no Chrome on a highboy suspension from the factory
Very interesting video - thanks!
I always thought the "Camper Special" meant a full blown heavy truck camper (or TC) and not just a shell or canopy. Is that wrong?
Those days whenever i was riding in a pickup truck, they usually smelled like sweaty men. Pickup trucks were used for work only. They were never used for liesurely activity or even longer trips whenever the family car could do the job. They had AM radios, vinyl seats, and no a/c (that would have been a waste when you are just going to get out of the truck and perspire anyway while you are working). Camper Special was equipped to handle more weight on the bed. So was already assumed to be up to capacity (similar for trailer special). Those were simpler days when riding in a car was considered more of a privilege, than riding in a pickup. These vehicles were for work only. Extended.super cabs were vary rare in those days. Full 4 door cabs were even more rare, usually reserved for tasks that required extra men for the work. One more thing - gas tanks were behind the bench seat inside of the cab during those early years (including '72). I think it was the Pinto gas tank scandal that caused Ford to move it out of the cab only during those later years. Hope this helps.
Sweaty ass and cigarettes or dip 😂. They didn't make 1ton 4x4 till late 79 I believe. Special order forestry trucks and fire trucks
i wish there was someone like you for 5th Gen Fords (bumpsides) it'd be nice to know what my 69 f250 is. it has camper special tags, maybe the appropriate steering box and that seems to be it.
Sorry to say I know very little about 5th gen trucks. Owned one 66 F100 and that was it.
I had a 79 F350 with the 351M. what a great truck that was.
With the Lincoln vizors, were they the same shape and size as the truck vizors or was it just the mirror insert that was the same? My 79 F-350 4x4 has the bars that are mounted behind the front fender. The truck was a cab and chassis from the factory and has a flat bed, used for farm use. I have heard that the police, bush trucks and F-350 trucks as well as cab and chassis all came with the bars. My truck is in Canada. Great videos!
my 78 wrecker and 75 flatbed have no bars
I wish I still had my 77 F-250 camper special with the 460 built with a 4 barrel high-rise manifold and Edelbrock carburetor with this and that I could do a one tire fire burnout all the way up the road well into 3rd gear I miss that truck.
Aka, the one wheel peel…..
@@Boxpokaaka one legged dog
Cool had a 79 f250 camper special it had a cheap JC Whitney dully conversion used a huge 8 inch spacer used stock steel wheels it had a 460 with 69 429 cj heads and intake and exhaust manifolds a very small RV cam 3 54 pos rear and would light up all 4 at will was a c6 auto went through 4 different auto for some reason used the c6 Lincoln with extra clutches but it was hard on them
I daily a 79 f250 camper special with a 460. Absolutely love it.
Good stuff. But….I had a ‘77 F250 with a 460 and I noticed at least one other commenter says he had one too. You said the 400 was the largest offered. I was unaware of the other things you mentioned. Thanks.
I also know someone with an F-250 4X4 with the 460.
Now I have to check on what year it is.
460 was awesome.
@@ThisShitDontFlush Probly one off dealer installed 460 item, as no factory oilpan existed back then to clear front diff. Put plenty of 460s in 70 ford 4x4s later on with 1980s 460 mid sump 4x4 oilpan tho!
If you were ordering a truck, you could go to the fleet color catalog and get just about anything you wanted...... for a price. I believe some colors may have been trademarked and could not be ordered. Something like Caterpillar yellow or John Deere green for example. I ordered an 86 F-250 and really wanted a specific color that wasn't in the brochure and the dealer found it in the fleet catalog, but it was PRICEY. I decided I didn't need it that bad.
How about the weird period of the 77.5 year change on narrow frame 4x4s to wide frame 4x4s and the switch to 400 motors on some and older motors on others!
What white wheels are those on the teal f250
@@Eighty8Fitter wheel smith billet aluminum. Custom made.
A couple other weird things, my father purchased a new '79 F-350 4x4 which had 16 inch rims and a naked 16.5 rim hanging in the spare holder. This almost injured the tire tech in our local co-op when he tried to match up a spare for the new pickup. It blew off the tire machine when he tried to mount it. This pickup came with an am fm cassette radio and an internal CB radio mounted in the dash. The cb may have been dealer installed, only the mic was showing. We also later got a new '93 F-250 4x4 with the IH diesel, it had one hub with left hand thread lugs, I think on the right rear. A conundrum for unsuspecting tire men.
My '79 F-350 reg cab 4x4 Ranger XLT wishes it were a SuperCab, but she's still cool with her factory locking hood release handle and HV two tone..
@@govtfunded sounds like a great truck to me
I think 1 ton 4x4 didn't come out from factory till 79
My dad has a f250 300cid straight 6 with a stick. 2wd. It wasn't fast but it was strong as hell ! I think some of these mysteries just come down to trucks were work and farm vehicles not used as passenger vehicles as most trucks are now.
The camper special and trailer special actually makes sense. The thought process was probably if you were putting a camper shell on you wouldn't need to tow a trailer. Also if you did want to tow with a camper shell back then you would probably need to have a custom hitch fabricated as a standard hitch wouldn't work with the overhang of the camper shell. Also have to take into account the GVW with one of those camper shells on and fully stocked for a camping trip you couldn't legal tow anything much heavier than a row boat.
My buddy had an F13 truck, with a 360 engine, a base model painted in a one year "bali blue" color with a 4 speed manual. Havent seen another one since, it was purchased by the state electrical company as a work truck, which was odd because most sce&g work trucks back in the 70's were crew cab short bed f250's
appreciate it bud, i love old fords, but its one of the great mysteries of life why they do crazy crap.especially mid year changes.their famous for thier inconsistancies.
The biggest mystery about modern cars is why the hell do people keep buying garbage on purpose
Because the lenders won’t lend on the old good stuff only on the newer crap stuff
@@TheEerieMaster another bizzare mystery!
@@bigslim492BUY cash in the country. I live in Pittsburgh. I buy my cars from people outside of my county. Outside of Allegheny County, there are few people. When an owner puts their car up for sale, there are few people within 50 miles.
What the fudge??
I stopped restoring a 78 F150 because it was utter junk.
Buy a poster of one of these POS it will last longer.
Is there really a choice?
I had a 77 F-150 with the weird manual power assist steering, the truck had a manual steering box, a standard power steering pump that provided fluid to a hydraulic cylinder on the track bar /drag link. Strange set up imop.
I have multiple Ford trucks in dent side and the earlier bump side. A few have a second battery but, I’ve never seen a battery tray under the second battery. They’re just bolted to the fender skirt with no support brackets??
I bought a new 77 F 100 and the AM/FM stereo radio was $ 125.00 dealer installed option. They also offered two-tape player options cassette and 8 track with the AM/FM feature. As my two previous cars had tape players and I found unless you wanted to carry around 30 tape cassettes you seldom used it. So maybe the dealer had adaptors to use any Ford radio .
Possibly the reason for the smaller gas tank behind the rear axel was for ground clearance under the rear of the pickup and spare tire location?
Very possible, I honestly don't know. The OBS trucks were basically the same and they got them. The bed floors are identical and the frames are very close although a little wider.
I imagine a lot of changes were happening in 1976 with the auto industry and fed regulations. I remember going to the Plymouth dealership with my dad ( I was 11) and him ordering a new 1976 Volare station wagon. When the salesman was going through the options he asked my dad if he wanted a catalytic converter or not on the car.
Thanks for all the cool info, subscribed!
@@iddddaduncan awesome thanks!
If we look outside the USA or Canada there were a number of variations on 'dent-side@ trucks.
Australian assembled trucks from 1974 had different dashes.
First of all the steering is on the Right side.
Padded dash was standard from 1973/4.
The guage cluster was a Ford Cortina dash adapted to the F100 - F350.
Engine options were different,
The 240 and 300 cu 6 cylinder engines were replaced on all models except the A' series High Boys that were still fitted with the 300 cu 6 cylinder from 1973 here until 1977.
The reason for this was that the 4WD High Boy F250's were directly imported from Canada in right hand drive with steel Canadian dash boards out of the F500 600 series.
The Australian engine options became an Australian Ford 250 cu 6 cylinder 'crossflow head engine that in my experience pulled similarly to the 300 cu engine.
Also the V8 options became the Cleveland 351 and 302 cu engine, these were Australian cast blocks and heads that in some ways were different to the now terminated (1974) USA Clevelands.
The 302 was a Cleveland however fitted with 6@ rods rather than the 351 Clevelands 5!/2"
Sorry, continuing, the engine options after late 1973 became a 250 cu 4 inch stroke 6 cylinder Australian engine fitted with a more efficient cast iron crossflow engine that in my experience pulled similarly to the 300 6 cylinder USA 6 cylinder.
The other two engines were a 351 cu inch Cleveland engine and yes a 302 cu Cleveland engine manufactured here in Australia.
Initially fitted with 2 BBL Motocraft carbs or late 1976 a 4bbl Carter Thermoquad 850 cfm unit that performed very well, my preference over 650/750 Holley's I have used.
The 302 heads were unique to Australia with 59 cc quench chambers very similar to the USA Boss or 4V heads but with the 2V exhaust and inlet sized ports.
These swirl flow better than the open chamber 2V Clevelands and if bolted directly on to a 351 Cleveland are about 10.5:1 comps and with then better swirl patterned chambers are less predisposed to pre detonation on low octane fuels.
Intake manifols for the Australian blocks with 4 bbl carbs were spreadbore pattern 2 v chambers not common in the USA and flow very well.
Steering wheels were Australian Ford Falcon issue nand steering columns from !974 were also Ford Falcon style with headlight dip switchn on the indicator stalk and horn button on end of stalk.
Australian trucks were always supplied with amber indicator lenses to meet ADR's, (Australian design rules).
Dent sides were manufactured here until late 1980 when the 'Bullnose Bronco's and F trucks appeared in 1981 also fitted with 351 Clevelands until 1985 when the fuel injected Windsor was reintroduced after the Australian Cleveland ceased manufacture around 1982/3.
Just a few variations some Northern American enthusiast may not have been aware of.
I may have missed a couple of variations, I'm sure some Australian owners will add to this.
Incidentally a unique late 1976 dent-side F250 High Boy I own, is an ex Royal Australian Airforce ambulance with a fibreglass body behind front doors but retains the original recognisable LWB style side shape with high roof and dark shaded side glass, not a separate box on a cab chassis as in US models.
It is a walk through with original bucket seats from Bronco I think and has the later American padded dash, with the complete steel dashboard as fitted to F500 and 600 truck models from the 60's. also the open knuckle Dana 44 HD front end.
trust this is of interest!
Thats weird the discontinued the bucket seat option in the dentsides. You could get buckets in the bumpside trucks. They had special mounting brackets, used mustang seats, and came with a molded carpet and chrome trim that covered the in cab fuel tank. Must not have been a big enough seller to keep the option around.
Interestingly the vanity mirror would have been on the driver's side due to our trucks being right hand drive, however they were never an offered option that I know of here in Australia.
The 390 FE engine wasn't available in 4X4 trucks either. I my the 360...no explanation why.
I wish ford had continued the belly box for the jack and misc tools.
I had a 76 3/4 T 4×4 with it .
It was very handy.
Grandfather had a 77 F150 Custom 351M 3 speed on column.
Mom had a 79 F100 Ranger 302 automatic.
The 77 had all kinds of solenoid, distributor cap, and mystery black box issues after I inherited it in 83. Many times I was left on the side of the road with a $100 repair waiting on me.😂
Late 76 early 77 chassis GVW changes in the Ford F series trucks were driven by federal emissions and fuel requirements. The F100 to F150 received small changes to spring rates, brake shoe etc., in order to raise the GVW above the unleaded gas and catalytic converter requirements those years. At least that was what was explained to me on the showroom floor of Lakewood Ford Land in Lakewood, Colorado in 1977 while I was looking at a new pick up. Also big blocks such as 390s 429 and 460s or even four barrel carburetor options throughout the sixth generation Ford weren’t offered in 4 x 4’s to reduce warranty drive train failures.
Where did you get the manual listing the options ?
most of us have bought them off ebay of photocopied them of the internet
I agree, my father’s F250 4x4 Crewcab came with a 351W and it was a gutless pig. He spent half his time cursing the engine and often had to drop down into second gear and crawl up hills as it had no power.
The emissions really killed these trucks
My papaw bought a chrome valve covered 390 for his 76 f250 because the 360 was trash
@@chuckwhitson654 This is all just further evidence as to why its so strange Ford never just dropped in the 460, especially considering regular passenger cars got them.
My '78 F250 crew cab 4x4 with the 351m did just fine as long as you flat footed it.
They also really wake up with a different cam, timing set and a 4bbl.
@@halfmil6467 I’ve heard that of the W,C, and M models of 351 the W was the poorest performing but I don’t know how much difference it made. I certainly remember on steep hills him being down in 2nd gear holding traffic up behind us and he had his foot through the floor. This ‘77 engine would also start preigniting like crazy if lugged so the revs had to be kept up. This was a stock truck with a guy who wasn’t into modifying anything, he just needed a truck.
It's possible that a Ford built for a fleet customer could have an engine/drivetrain option that wasn't available to the public. One of my uncles worked for Ford's commercial division back in the day, and I heard some stories of some of the things that they built or tried to build in order to get some sales--they made a dually Ranger for U-Haul, but it wasn't stable enough and Toyota got the contract instead.
My grandpa worked for GM back in the day, and in the 50s he was installing some non-factory options on cars for special customers, including one he special-ordered himself: a Pontiac with Oldsmobile tailfins.
I also personally have an ex Frito-Lay 1980 Chevrolet step van with the factory-installed Cummins 3.9L . . . if you were gonna sign a contract for a bunch of trucks, they'd put the engine you wanted in it.
Different axles and gas tank volume may have had something to do with GVWR. Also, the whole 4x4 thing is a little bit of an outlier in that just not many 4x4 trucks of any brand were made back then. My grandfathers farm was over a thousand acres, northeast of Colgate, Ok, in very remote country and he always drove a red Ford, not one of them 4x4. Farmers and ranchers were usually older guys and they didnt want that climb into a 4x4 when they night have to get out and open several gates to get to the back pasture. The lack of a bucket seat in the pickup in that era was because there wasnt much demand for it. Extra cab trucks were new, double cab trucks were a very special order for like a fire department, so most all trucks were single cab. That middle seat was valuable as a seat for 1-3 kids(yep, saw it done all the time as everyday was a no seatbelt adventure back then). The bronco had the back seat option and was considered a sport vehicle and the pickup was a work truck, even in the Lariat trim and was not the luxury vehicles they have transformed into. The market research teams have talented people but dint know it all. For example, people used to wonder why Ford never made a competitor to Chevys suburban before the expeditionnin 2000. The answer is they did, but made it and sold it in Mexico and other markets in the world but not in the USA because they thought GM had such a stronghold on that market. I was selling Fords from 96-2000. When they came out with the 97 rounded front end in 96 on the F150, they had a regular cab and the extended cab. I got to meet a Ford factory R&D guy that came to the dealership sometime in 1997. He showed me a photo of the prototype double cab that he told me was in development. He told ne that it was not for sure and that if it did gi into production, it would probably be five years before it was on the lots. I told him that was a mistake and they should be working nonstop to get the double cab truck to market ASAP. I told him that as soon as that thing would hit the ground, they would not be able to keep up with the demand. In a nice but condescending way, he said, "hey pal, how about you stick to selling trucks and I will stick to being the expert at knowing what buyers want, because we arent sure that there will be enough demand to sell that many double cab trucks." I then told him that I stood by what I said and that research may may him think he knows what the buyers want, but as a lowly salesperson, customers tell me everyday what they want to buy. Ford came out with the double cab truck in, I believe 99 and couldnt meet demand fully until about 2003. The double cab F150, 250,350 configuration was and still is one of the most proditable platforms in their history.
Kool stuff thanks for sharing with us my favorite year is 1971 F250
Absolutely!
One thing that got me was the Highboy only had a 360. From what I understand, the 390 wasn't offered for the Highboy. It's a simple and popular upgrade and offers better torque. I'm guessing it had something to so with smog and engine pinging under load which was a big issue back in the day.
Yes that is strange.
390 wasn't in any 4x4. Unless swapped in. Was common for the 360. In late 60s you could find the 352 tho.
@@MichaelZorn2 One of the common things back in the day was to convert the 360 to a 390. I found a 428 crank and used it for my build years ago.
@@karljay7473 yeah. I had a 75 hiboy. Dad bought a thunderbird with a 390 we put in it. Then later I replaced it with a 390 from a 70 2wd
@@karljay7473 I'm currently looking for another one. But I may be building my own. I just found a mint 73 2wd f250 for 12k and a trashed 75 hi boy for 3500 and thinking I wanna do a body swap. Growing up always had one. Until I was 24. Now at 38 I'm really wanting another
Bracket inside of windshield that holds windshield gasket. My 78 bronco ranger has one and my 79 f250 custom has one also. My other 78 bronco custom and my 76 explorer do not.
@@VAbow78 yes that was a part of the front end collision parts with the hood support pieces
Here's another fact you wouldn't know you can add later. Every SuperCab truck ever made, still to this day is made at the Kansas City MO plant. (Plant code K)
Not if it's in the Super Duty line.
@TheREALJosephTurner Every SuperCab I've ever checked was built at KC even SuperDutys.
@@76f350 I don't know where you got your information, but ALL 1999-up Super Duty trucks are built either in Louisville KY or Avon Lake, OH, with a few in Mexico for the Central/South American market. No 99-up Super Duty was ever built in Missouri.
@TheREALJosephTurner Yeah I'm sorry you're right I think I checked an F150. I should see if the 24 F150 SuperCab is still made there.
@@76f350 That, I couldn't tell you. I just do SD's and Excursions. LOL
The 400M is how Ford justified the investment in the Cleveland block...as if manufacturing 85% of the 351C blocks as boring 2V models, which got worse mileage than the 351 Windsor block (due to heavier internal components and the beefier block). The 351C 4V was a thing of beauty, it made high revving horsepower. The Aussies knew what they were gifted when Ford gave them the Cleveland block casting machinery 😅
@@brentboswell1294 we were talking about this today it is strange how many engines Ford made in the 60s-70s
@@DentsideDepot the Cleveland block was supposed to be Ford's engine of the future, but the tightening emissions regulations and the 1973 fuel crisis killed it. Ford had built a huge facility (Flat Rock) to build the anticipated demand for V8's, but it ended up sitting idle and mostly empty, until it was repurposed for the Ford-Mazda joint venture in the late 1980's
The M400 with the Aussie 2v's is a beast. Solid 500tq
An Australian 351 Cleveland fitted with the 2V 302 Cleveland (Australian also) quench chamber heads make gobs of power and swirl flows better than the open chamber 2V heads but still has for street use the more desirable smaller intake and exhaust ports.
302 and 351 Clevelands were original equipment in Australian 1974 -1980 dent-sides and 1981 -1985 Bullnose, Dent-sides were bult in Oz until late 1980.
I had a 1976 F-250 XLT Super Cab, with a 460 and automatic. Two wheel drive. It had Camper Special badges on the fenders, but this was the lightest duty F-250 I've ever seen. While it had 16.5 inch wheels, with large 8 lug brake rotors and drums, the wheel bearings were that of an F-150. It didn't have the stack of rear leaf springs that a F-250 would normally have either. Maybe this raised the gross vehicle weight rating up enough to get around emission control laws at the time. Camper Special in name only, I'm guessing.
the questions i always had was why were the F-350 duallys only offered as a 2wd cab and chassis
To maximize the tow rating. Even today the highest tow rated trucks are 2wd reg cab duallys.
In my experience dually's were used to haul things like horse trailers on pavement and short stretches of dirt road. If you needed 4wd, then that was another vehicle used for a different purpose.
@@RaymondRiddell-vf8sf I would agree. Dually 2wd offers greatest gvwr for towing
Also I had a 76 Ford supercab with a 460 in it
Hey dentside depot, I have a question so Im about to get this truck and it has a weried color pattern that I have never seen it’s black with blue and red stripes is that rare and did it come factory?or did just someone paint it like that?
Explorer stripes or free wheeling option?
@@RichClark-fk6qwvery likely. maybe a indy pace unit
I have a 1979 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4. It has a 300 six with four speed manual. It has an 8 foot bed which I prefer and dual tanks. It drives great and is happiest around 45 mph. 😊
I bet I have owned 50 of the 70s era trucks. Chevy Ford and Dodge, but I remember my friend having an f-100 with a 3/4 ton suspension. With a 360 automatic. It was a 76 and I know it was a 1976 because I had a 1975 at the time and his was a year or newer than mine. Anyway his was jet black with the chrome package and it had the camper special package with the little compartment in the bed the dual tanks I had the 75 camper special with a 390 in it and I could pull him around backwards and yes we hooked them chain the chain and I pulled him around backwards. Both trucks world 2 wheel drive. But we always thought that somebody had switched his suspension or his cab or something to make it an f-100 what's a 3/4 ton suspension but now I don't know.
The F-130 was to circumvent new pollution rules which applied to light trucks and passenger cars with less than a 6000lb GVWR. The 1/2 ton axles weren't rated for that much load but the 3/4 ton axles were. This allowed Ford to use up the already-built engines they had which wouldn't meet the new rules, and the process fit smoothly onto the production line. Their other option was to rebuild those old-style engines to meet the new rules. That would have disrupted the new engine assembly line, and they needed all that production capacity to make new engines compliant with the new rules for all their other cars and light trucks. Since the F-150 was listed as under 6000lb and the F-250 was different, they needed a new name, and F-130 was it. As soon as the old-style engines were gone they dropped the model. It was all about corporate profits and IMHO a smart solution.
You'll find that 'break' at 6000lb GVWR also applied to some required safety standards, CAFE fuel economy standards, and manufacturing taxes right up to recent times- maybe even through today. I don't know why they chose 6000lb but that's the government for ya.
I’m working on Part 3 in a series about the F130 on my channel now, comparing it to an F250 to see what components are the same, and what are different.
Also, what’s your source on this? I’d love to pick your brain for Part 3 of my F130 video!
I have to agree, this is the only explanation that makes any sense.
@@RustBucketRescue Im going to check this out!
@@DentsideDepot thanks brother! When I make my video, I’ll give your video a shout out. I’m learning people really love these automotive mysteries, so they’ll love this video of yours.
I got a 9 th gen f2fiddy ex cab 4x4 460 bought new in 95 still kicking ass !!!
Had 3 dentsides....`74 F100 4x4, `75 F250 4x4, & `77 F250 2 wh dr. Never had to get inside a `70`s T-case and was told they were sturdier gear-driven vs GM & MOPAR chain-driven ones at the time.
Yep, they were NP (New Process) 205's. GM used the NP 205 up to '73, then GM switched to the NP 203, chain-drive and "full-time 4x4". NP 203's weren't bad, IF you converted them to part-time 4x4, but the NP 205 was "bullet proof".
@@abn82dmpthe New Process transfer cases were actually Chrysler units . New Process was chrysler's gear division .
Great video! I have a lot of experience with Bump-Sides, '72-'93 Dodge and '67-up GM trucks. Dent-sides a little bit. As for 460's in 4X4's, the story I heard was the weight and torque was too much for the New Process 203 transfer case and Dana 44F front axle. Chevy didn't offer a 454 in their 4X4's, but Dodge would let you have a 440 in a Power Wagon with the same transfer case and front axle. So, who knows what the real reason is? The 'F-130' was supposedly made because Ford was running out of 1/2 ton rear axles at the end of the '76 model year. F-130's were F-150's with 8 stud front hubs and an 8 stud Dana 60 floating rear axle. No other modifications, the trucks were all long bed 4X2's built late in '76. Can anyone verify that? The craziest bit of Dent-Side trivia is the F-250 4X4 narrow-frame Highboy/wide-frame Lowboy thing. The Highboy basically rides on a stretched F-250 4X4 Dentside chassis which required an in-cab gas tank. The Lowboy was on an all-new chassis that they only built for 3 years. And then there was the Super Camper Special. What a weird truck that was!
One mystery is why the 6th gen trucks rusted out so bad. My dad had a white 1974 F-100 that looked just like the one Uncle Jesse drove on the Dukes of Hazzard. That truck was rusted out so damn bad by 1980 that dad stepped through the bed while he and my uncle were loading a freezer into it. I have no idea why it rusted so bad because he bought it new from a dealer in central VA and never drove it up north where they heavily salt the roads and it was never around any salt water.
Years ago someone claimed that that Ford bought the sheet metal from Japan and it was brought over in deck loads on cargo ships and exposed to sea spray. No clue if this is true or not but it would make sense because I have never seen a vehicle rust out that bad in less than a decade.The previous truck he traded for it was a 1968 F-100 and it did not have any rust when it was traded.
Needless to say it was the last Ford truck he ever owned. After that rust bucket he swore he would never own another Ford pickup and started buying Chevys.
From 73 to 87 GM did not offer 454 in 4x4 trucks.
Oh wow, I've never heard of the Ford F-130 until now!
You missed at least one option that was only available between 73 and 76 and that was the extended wheel base. Pretty dang sexy.
I had the exact same green truck lift kit and all. Totaled it in a wreck and it burned to the ground . I dropped a Lincoln 460 in it also , ran good
My brothers 78 F150 SC 4x4 with 8' box had front leaf springs vs short box trucks that had coil front. Story was the longer wheelbase used the F250 frame.
the supercab does Indeed use a f250 frame and steering
Yeah, I have a Ford F-150 1990 Enline engine. 4.9.
XLT. And I love my FORD. ❤
You cant mount your spare underneath a 33 gal tank...the Bronco spares were tsilgste mounted.
Or internally mounted if they didn’t have the swing gate option
The reason for an f-130 is by having those bigger axles they get around emissions control requirements because it was considered a medium duty truck or some such. It's the same thing as a Chevy's Big Ten truck. By '77 that loophole was closed.
Good information video, only really like a couple fords, the f-150 and the mustang! I think it’s their best made models! Seems like they don’t put as much effort into the rest!
Pretty sure the Camper Special was for huge slide in campers not just a cap. I was under the impression from 4WOR magazine that there were a few rare 1979 only F350 4x4s with the 460 D60 front D80 rear.
Yes, either a slide in or a top. There were no F350s with 460s or Dana 80s, that is a fact. If you check out my channel, we have those items swapped in, its pretty simple. They probably swapped them in back in the day too.
I know a guy that ordered a brand new 79 F-350 four-wheel drive and he ordered a 460 with it
@@carlpreston1680 unfortunately that just isnt true.
@@carlpreston1680 Probly one off dealer installed!
I would take a wild guess about some oddities with F-250 crew cabs and standard cabs NOT getting the Dana 60, trailer tow package and camper special packaging....the 400 had no power to operate it all.
The “F 130” mystery (F13 was a VIN designator only, Ford marketing these as - I think - F 150 HD”), was the result of supply chain shortages. The factory spec F150 running gear was unavailable at the volumes needed. Whether this was the result of a strike or something else I don’t recall. It is documented in the book Ford Trucks Since 1905, by James K. Wagner.
Other “mystery” stuff happened on a one-off basis… When I was installing rear springs at Michigan Truck in 1979, a 150 4x4, 117” WB, came down the line with no rear spring code on the build sheet. I hollered at the foreman asking what to do (I had a minute and twenty seconds to do my job, and axle deck was just a few work stations down the line). He yelled “What’s the heaviest spring that will fit?” It was a spring that I only ever installed on a 250 HD. These were very heavy! The LAST THING an assembler (or a foreman) wanted to do was stop that line! Unless an inspector caught it and flagged it for rework, that owner got a truck rode like a tank…
Thr 68 F100 with Three on the tree, over drive pull, and a 289 were Great.
460 was supposed to be cancelled for the sixth generation. Emission laws brought it back. The F130 laws changed the requirements for the catalyst mandate. All 1/2 tons had catalyst mandate in 1977 and the worry was that would be the case for HD trucks as well. It wasn't so we could say bye F-130.
I found out the radio issue the hard way. I had an 8 track from a Lincoln. It would not fit.
I loved my 79 and 80 f150 ranger xlt 4x4 both with the 400 both with dule tanks the 79 has 2 19gal the 80 had 26 gal tanks.
The 79 got 12mpg tge 80 got 6mpg
My dads f100 classic 4x4 full time with a 360 got 9mpg all with c6 at
So what is that canned food container atop the left inner fender?
vacuum resovoir
First view and you got my sub. Not a ford guy and dont own a single one.
how about the 390 non 4x4 optional alsso. and the non camper special highboys. or the longbed crew as 2wd only. or non 4x4 supercabs before 78.
Unleaded gas requirements were based on GVWEIGHT /spring rating. Hence the 150 came to bypass the requirement
Vanity mirror seems pretty normal to me. Most of my older cars only have the vanity mirror on the right side. I think the logic is two-fold: (1) It's cheaper to only put one in, and (2) the driver should never need it, because, well, they are driving.
Honestly, I don't think I've ever used a vanity mirror in the driver's seat of a car. If I ever needed to look at myself for some reason, I just leaned over a couple inches and looked in the rearview mirror. Easier, faster, safer.
Had they installed the 460 these trucks would have screamed 😂! My cousin's '71 Lincoln had that and it was insane power!
Does anyone have info on my narrow frame 1975 F250?? Frame is 3" narrower than standard.
Up to year 77.5 f250 4x4s had narrow frames [hiboys]
My first car was a 1978 Ford Bronco 4x4, put 300k miles on the 351M (same block as 400) then put in a 460 from a 1976 Thunderbird. Yep fits right in, just custom motor mount and exhaust. No issues with driveshaft. The 1978 brakes were terrible. You could barely skid on a gravel road with the 33's. I put on 76 Thunderbird brake calipers which have a bigger piston than what was on the bronco, made a big difference in stopping power especially with the 33 inch tires on it. I also put the 1 ton slave cylinders on the back drum brakes and put a 1 ton dual diaphragm booster + 1 ton master cylinder so the system all matches.
The 351M and 400 use the same mounts as the 429 - 460 .
@@HowardJrFord correct , zero transmission mods were needed.
I had heard the F130s were a fleet order with the semi float 8 lug dana 60 and a 300 six engine. I don't think they had much if any higher GVW than the regular F150. I think it was so they could have a 1/2 ton truck and standardize on 8 lug wheels and tires for the fleet. It makes sense but I have no way to know if it's true or not. You could always get strange things from Ford if you bought enough of them.
The F150 was to get around the new emissions by having a GVW over 6k lb. I think they were all like 6,050 GVW. The Ranger would eventually replace the F100 in 1983 and mark the only year you could get either an F100 or Ranger.
Growing up my cousin had an 79 F350 Super Cab, 400 - 4spd 4x4 with the D60 front and rear axles. He had it lifted on 38's and had heavily modified the 400. It ran 14.60's in the 1/4 mile and would get stuck on a wet road with the slightest hill... He took it apart in 1986 to make a show truck out of it and it's never been back together since. He sold it a few years ago and the guy who bought it hasn't finished it either. The truck had about 48k miles and was garage kept since 86. Last I saw it around 2010 it looked like a clean 6-7 year old truck today would look. It was an amazing time capsule. Silver with red interior.