My 1972 Ford F-250

[sasquatch]

I'm going to get some better pictures of her, but these are what I've got from the person who had her last:







Let's see.. ( 360 - edit/strike that, I just found out that it actually has a 390 )engine, 4 speed manual with 1st being a very slow, uphill-pulling-a-trailer kind of gear. Cost was $700 from the last owner who hadn't a clue that cars needed upkeep, so with buying parts to fix breaks and shocks, it'll end up being a $950 truck or so. Still need to figure out what's going on with the carb probably running lean, but I love it! (At least I get to learn about working on her in the process.. )

Learning to drive stick on this thing, I'm told, is kind of a mission, since it's old and isn't in top shape, but I've had few problems so far outside of being short and sitting up a bit closer to reach the clutch in all he way, but I got used to that fast. The car at some point in its life was a dark blue - someone who cared about it quite a bit did their own red - and white stripe paint job on her what looks like a long time ago.

Interior isn't so grand, gonna head to a pull-it-yourself place and grab some stuff for the innards soon! I'll post more when I have better pictures or if she's lookin' more beautiful.

[AHTOXA]

I like her! You should name her something. Perhaps Bertha or Magdalen or maybe something similar? That would fit her personality kinda - not in a bad way.

[94Corolla5Speed]

I love pickups...and that is one awesome truck. Good luck with it and more pics!

[ihartmacz]

I like it!

[theholycow]

That looks great. One does not expect a 38 year old vehicle to look that good. You should probably find a replacement for whatever's missing in that hole on the bed side at the rear.

What are your plans for the interior?

How many miles are on it?

[sasquatch]

/\ /\ It's got just about 88,000 miles on it - she's unfortunately gonna pick up a whole lot more being owned by me, but I aim to take care of her and keep this as my main vehicle.

The interior I'd love to restore it to like-new status, with some updates. I'd like to put a tape player in there that works, make it so the inside light works again (it may just need a bulb, but we'll see), small stuff like that. It needs a dash that isn't so cracked and doorhandles that match, because apparently this car was nice and cushy - and the cushy bits are now cracked and falling apart a bit. I'd like to get nicer seats, over the shoulder belts to replace the lap belts just for safety's sake, yada yada.

I'm thinking to basically make this a safe-running old car for now, and eventually make her really nice and pretty, but that'll take some money over more time... I'm excited about it, though!

Looking at pictures it seems like that hole in the rear is for a light or reflector or something? I'll have to go to a junkyard and see what I can find...

I like her! You should name her something. Perhaps Bertha or Magdalen or maybe something similar? That would fit her personality kinda - not in a bad way.

Haha! Not bad suggestions.. but we'll see... Magdalen/Maggie wouldn't be so bad at all..

[ColJessip]

Name it Magneson, then put a maggie s/c on it!

[sasquatch]

haha! We'll see, maybe Maggie it is..


I'll just post a few more pictures of it as-is now that I have 'em...


From the front,


From the side, and me acting severely mentally impaired:


...Don't be fooled by the surroundings, though. Poor truck barely makes it up the slightest hill in the snow.

[ElectroGhandi]

...Don't be fooled by the surroundings, though. Poor truck barely makes it up the slightest hill in the snow.

Does it have 4WD?

[theholycow]

Considering how the tires look in that pic, it's no wonder it can't get around in snow.

Get some winter tires. Drive on them all year, it doesn't matter since that thing isn't going to handle well no matter what tires are on it, but at least it can get reasonable traction in snow with winter tires.

[AHTOXA]

Considering how the tires look in that pic, it's no wonder it can't get around in snow.

Get some winter tires. Drive on them all year, it doesn't matter since that thing isn't going to handle well no matter what tires are on it, but at least it can get reasonable traction in snow with winter tires.

I wouldn't do it that way. Throw some BFG ATs and call it a day. Excellent in snow, good road manners and wear like iron, unlike snow tires. And they are rated for severe snow. Best all-around truck tire you can buy. I ran a set for 35k miles and loved them. Switched to mud terrains only because they fit my offroad use much better than ATs did.

[sasquatch]

Does it have 4WD?

Blaaagh, no, it doesn't, unfortunately.

I wouldn't do it that way. Throw some BFG ATs and call it a day. Excellent in snow, good road manners and wear like iron, unlike snow tires. And they are rated for severe snow. Best all-around truck tire you can buy. I ran a set for 35k miles and loved them. Switched to mud terrains only because they fit my offroad use much better than ATs did.

Hmm.. all-terrain tires, yes? I'll look into that - I'll be going to New Orleans for a while and won't even have to think about snow for a while, but in a few months I'll be taking this up to Massachusetts - and never want to have as much trouble in the snow as I just did with my truck. (I mean, this was a tiny, tiny hill with some slick snow on it, and there was no going up, but I also had no weight in the back at the time.)

[AHTOXA]

Yep, BFG AT. BG Goodrich all-terrain tire.

Those could be fairly pricey at times so check out the Bridgestone Dueler Revo AT. It is also and All Terrain tire but just a tad milder than the BFG but it does even better in the snow.

Ultimately, those are your two best choices as far as having a better tire on your truck. You can drive it any weather, any day, any terrain and it will do great.

[theholycow]

Weight in the bed will make a huge difference, even with crappy tires.

Snow makes great ballast. It's free, you can dump it anywhere, and if you just wait it will disappear when you don't need it anymore.

When snow isn't enough, I fill gallon jugs and 2 liter bottles that I've saved from spring water, iced tea, and soda. Water is 8 pounds per gallon, so it's pretty easy to put a few hundred pounds in the back. If I urgently need bed space, I could cut them open and dump the block of ice anywhere, then crush them and leave them in a nearby trash can or a corner of the bed.

Ballast complements good tires as well as crappy tires.

[Rope-Pusher]

Weight in the bed will make a huge difference, even with crappy tires.

Snow makes great ballast. It's free, you can dump it anywhere, and if you just wait it will disappear when you don't need it anymore.

When snow isn't enough, I fill gallon jugs and 2 liter bottles that I've saved from spring water, iced tea, and soda. Water is 8 pounds per gallon, so it's pretty easy to put a few hundred pounds in the back. If I urgently need bed space, I could cut them open and dump the block of ice anywhere, then crush them and leave them in a nearby trash can or a corner of the bed.

Ballast complements good tires as well as crappy tires.

"I love your siping" & "Siping is over-rated. Makes a tread look too busy"