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1978 Ford F150 Custom long bed pick up. <br />
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300 cubic inch 6 cylinder with 3 speed manual column change.<br />
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Very original truck in good all-round condition.<br />
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Only two previous owners with mileage at 102800.<br />
Still has its original Ford paint, in Wimbledon white, with original Ford dog dish hubcaps. <br />
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Really nice survivor" condition, unmolested with factory door pillar decal, engine decals, vin plate, engine bay metal info tag etc. still present and in good condition. <br />
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MOT and tax exempt.<br />
Engine runs strong and has obviously been looked after well. Oil is very clean [ I have recently changed with new filter], starts every time with no smoke on start up. Uses no oil or water and no leaks. Looks nice too with its original blue Ford paint, stickers and clean condition. The 300 ci six is a lovely driveeffortless torque, and one of the strongest and longest lasting units to come out of America. Is a gear cam engine, stronger than chain cam, and known for doing very high mileages.<br />
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Gearbox is the Ford 3.03 Toploader 3 speed, which are very strong units. This has a column shift, which shifts very nicely. <br />
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We have just fitted a new clutch, new pressure plate and thrust bearing ready for new owner [Rhino Pac by AMS Automotive] Also adjusted the shift control rods for a perfect gearchange while doing this. Together with new gearbox oil should give new owner many trouble-free miles. Pulls away smoothly with no judder.<br />
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Truck has a limited slip differential, rare to find with this, and great for extra traction when needed. There are no whines or noises from back axle.<br />
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This is the 6th Generation of the Ford F" series pickup -This generation is noted for the body panels" durability as Ford used extensive amounts of galvanized sheet metal, zinc coated steel, zinc rich primer and fender liners, to fight corrosion. <br />
Was built in the San Jose plant in California, then spent most of its life near Reno in Nevada, so has benefitted from the dry climate, with no rust in body/chassis, bar some very light surface.<br />
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Has two speed wipers with washers, good heater and fan, which all work well and make it a bit more user friendly than some older trucks.<br />
Power brakes with discs at front, work well and pull you up straight.<br />
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Good tyres all round with spare underneath at back.<br />
Glass is good with no chips or scratches of note. <br />
Body is really good with light marks/scratches and light patination. Paint polishes up well. First owner was a farmer who apparently used mainly for shifting hay bales around, so the bed is good with only a few light dents and light surface rust on the central non-galvanised steel part. [I clear coated this too stop the surface rust spreading].<br />
The inner wings in bed are galvanised so not even surface rust where scratched. Second owner was an Immigration officer [ICE] in Reno, who had the truck for doing the Hot August Nights cruise. UK registered with correct S plate for 1978.<br />
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Has the 8 foot long bed, is 18 feet long overall.<br />
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Front bumper chrome, and other brightwork is good.<br />
Have done a few other smaller jobs recently including stripping out the rear tailgate mechanism and fitting new tailgate rod retainer clips plus lubricating it so it all works well. Also fitted a new door striker bolt and new chrome door knobs. I have the original key and a couple of spares.<br />
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Bench seat has a saddle blanket seat cover that fits well, vinyl worn underneath. The foam is good and seat is firm and comfy. Bench folds forward to give access to space behind. Windows go up and down fine and opening quarter windows function properly. Original plastic door trim panels are in good condition. Dash top is original and has a couple of light cracks from sun. Rubber type floor cover is worn/missing on driver"s side. On the dash the indicator lights, back lights, temp gauge and idiot lights all work. Fuel gauge does not at present. There is an old Sony cassette player with working radio and cassette.<br />
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The F150 drives really well. I use it locally and for some longer trips [have done a couple of 130 mile round trips recently]. It holds the road well and the six makes for really effortless driving, it is so torquey you don"t need to change gear often as it pulls so well. The [non-power] steering is very direct for an old American truck. It is very happy cruising at 70, either on motorways or windier A roads. MPG is pretty good, especially compared to the bigger V8"s and 20mpg is possible on a run.<br />
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So overall a nice tidy old truck in good original condition, that has been looked after well and is still being used regularly [so mileage will increase]. I would drive anywhere in this, and should continue to be a reliable vehicle for the next owner.<br />
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Test drives and reasonable offers welcome.<br />
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More info on the 300 below;<br />
https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-the-ford-300-inline-six-is-one-of-the-greates-1795351528<br />
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Date written: 03-Jun-2019
Price: <td><strong>£7900 Offers invited
More about this vehicle on carandclassic.co.uk
ID: 15893
