Occasionally a classic will appear on our desks at Barn Finds that seems to rewrite the rules. That can be the case for countless reasons, and this 1968 Ford F-100 Ranger could be one such vehicle. There’s no denying it presents beautifully and that it is unmolested. However, the secret to its rule-bending status is only revealed when we open the doors and check the odometer. This F-100 has a claimed 1,360 genuine miles on the clock. If this is verified, it could be the lowest-mileage example in existence. It isn’t perfect, but a preserved survivor needing a new home. The seller has listed this Ranger here on eBay in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Bidding sits below the reserve at $27,100, but plenty of time remains for interested parties to assess this classic and decide whether to join the bidding party.
Deciding where to start with this Ranger is difficult because there are many factors to consider. It is frustrating that the seller sells us short of information, making it unclear how this classic has accumulated so few miles. Its original owner ordered it in Rangoon Red, and when combined with the bright trim and chrome, it makes a bold visual statement. The paint shines beautifully, but I would describe it as “honest.” The seller indicates that a close inspection will reveal the occasional tiny flaw and some checking due to age. However, it doesn’t deserve criticism if it is considered purely as a survivor. The panels are laser-straight, and I doubt the bed has seen anything more hazardous than a feather pillow. There are no scratches, scrapes, or evidence of abuse. Exterior rust is non-existent, and the underside shots paint a similar story. The floors sport the correct red oxide, and the frame wears consistent Black paint. The damage-prone hubcaps are perfect, and the same is true of the glass.
The Ranger’s interior condition suggests the mileage claims made about this Pickup could be plausible. However, it isn’t foolproof evidence with replacement trim and upholstery readily available. The Red vinyl and cloth upholstery looks perfect, as do the carpet, headliner, and pad. The dash is spotless and retains some of the original advisory stickers from the factory. The seller admits that a few faux chrome plastic items are peeling, but the interior would still receive favorable comments at a show or a Cars & Coffee. There are no aftermarket additions, but the winning bidder can enjoy life on the road with their favorite tunes belting out of the AM radio.
Lifting this Pickup’s hood reveals the original 360ci V8. It should send 215hp and 327 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission. There is no assistance for the steering and brakes, meaning the driver will be genuinely engaged in the motoring experience. The combination would make it an accomplished load carrier or tow vehicle, which was how most of these Pickups justified their existence. That wasn’t the case with this survivor, but there is no information on how or why it has a four-digit odometer reading. The seller states it runs and drives, but whether it has been appropriately maintained is unclear. Therefore, a thorough inspection would be a wise first move if the winning bidder intends to return it to active duty. They supply this YouTube video which features a walkaround and allows us to hear the engine running. There is no evidence of smoke or odd noises, boding well for this Ford’s mechanical health.
Classics like this 1968 Ford F-100 Ranger leave me torn because it is impossible to predict what the future holds. If the odometer reading can be confirmed beyond doubt, it is an extraordinary find. Part of its inherent value rests in the mileage, and every extra one will negatively impact its future value. That makes me believe it will probably find its way to a museum or be trailered around the show circuit. I find that sad because that was not its creator’s intention. Would you follow that path if it were in your garage, or would you find the lure of the open road irresistible?
Good write-up Adam.
I mark the late 60’s Ford Ranger pickups as the beginning of the “luxury” pickup, which is very popular today. The Ranger package brought such niceties as the bright exterior trim, whitewalls and full wheel covers, nice vinyl upholstery, door panels, headliner. If you owned a business you wouldn’t have been embarrassed taking a client out to lunch in your ‘truck.’ Though this example still sports the three-speed manual.
Not often do we see an old pickup with such low mileage that one has to wrestle with the “should I drive it or not” question.
Right you are, Bob. These, Adventurers and CSTs were the start of where we are today. Would love to have this as a summer driver. My needs are few and this is just enough.
My neighbor had a similar one 360 – 3spd – beautiful short bed. It ending up needing a driveshaft and finding a replacement was a looooonnnng journey. They just didn’t make that many “shorties” and finding one took many many months.
Any machine or driveline shop can build a driveshaft of any length, no problem.
This truck is beyond assume! I would love to have it and then reality sets in. The responsibility of keeping it safe, is over whelming. There is no way I could enjoy this truck, if I was the owner/ caretaker. It’s not that it is worth so much money, the problem it is very doubtful that there is another one, anywhere like this one. I couldn’t deal with being the one responsible for having something happen to it.
What a beautiful example of a great truck, pleasant surprises seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days, even that hood ornament is an ultra rare and seldom seen dealer accessory, although reproductions are available. I definitely wouldn’t use it as a truck, but I would drive it, and enjoy it, only on sunny summer days, of course. Some folks may not know, but the Ranger option first appeared in 1965, which in 65-66 added bucket seats, console, and full carpeting to the Custom Cab option. Just a little tid bit for those interested.
Read my comment above, I said the hood ornament was a dealer accessory, nobody said it was factory. And I’ll betcha the door panels and seat cover are correct.
My wife’s 68 all original has the same seat as this right down to the chrome emblems in the seat back.
I don’t understand with that mileage why the door panels and seat upholstery have been changed? The door panels are 71-72 and the seat upholstery, although nice, doesn’t appear correct. Also, these did not have hood ornaments from the factory. It still appears nice, but definitely not completely original…
My father in law had a nice 68 Ranger although black interior it was the same as this..possibly the ranger had a different interior then a std F100 model…Too bad it doesnt have a 390 engine…they
got better performance and better mileage.
My wife inherited one like this only it has 8′ bed. Her dad bought it new. Same color same interior with ranger package. Has 360 and C6 and drives and cruises at 70 effortlessly. You cannot drive any where that you don’t get a compliment on it. For the times it was the elite pickup.
It’s a gorgeous truck. I don’t buy into
The mileage or total originality, though. Why would the air cleaner have been repainted? Valve covers, too, possibly. The ford corporate blue is a darker shade snd the bolts holding the snorkel on were not supposed to
Be painted. The decals look like they were masked. The paint peeling/ missing/non matching, off the driver’s side head and the head gasket tab (not painted) between the block and head look like the head has been off. Valve cover gaskets not original. The 360s of this era were notorious for needing a valve job at low miles. But not at 1300 miles. Super nice truck, but I’m not convinced. Sorry to nitpick.
This is a beautiful truck! Very rare with the low miles indeed!
I understand your skepticism on the originality of the mileage because I own a 68 F250 Camper Special with only 4500 miles and even though I am confident it’s actual, I know if I ever try to sell it with that claim I’ll garner the same skepticism because of the work I did on it before I discovered it was actual.
I bought the truck because it had zero rust, it was exactly what I wanted and it was all original and cheap.
I drove it onto the trailer, running poorly and discovered when I got it home that it had a burnt valve. I disassembled the engine to have the head worked on and thought since I had it down that far I may as well have the engine machined and freshened up since it obviously had 104,500 miles on it.
After dropping the engine off at the machine shop, my wife and I went to work disassembling the truck, pressure washing and painting the frame and working on some minor dings here and there while waiting.
My engine guy called me and asked what year the truck was so I said 68 and he verified the date on the block to be the same. Then he asked what kind of shape the king pins were in and I said they seemed right. Then he asked if the brake and gas pedals were worn and air said they looked new. Then he asked how many miles is showing on the odometer and I said 4500 but I figured it had rolled over.
At this point I asked him why all the questions and he said because there’s less than .001” I’d wear in the cylinder walls and the factory hone marks are still there so there’s no way it has more than 20k miles on it. At that point we agreed that since the inside of the bed was flawless, it must have had a camper on it it’s whole life, sat most of the time and the mileage is indeed actual.
Currently I am restoring it to as original pay state as I can, and figure I will just have to tell the story over and over again.
That’s a hard one I questioned the missing paint on the head and a socket has definitely been on the nut to the thermostat, its possible they took the valve covers off to lube the top end before turning it over and whatever chemical they used took the paint off, I do know that the camera can change the shade of paint based on lighting if the mileage isn’t original this is one of the better examples I have seen in trying to hide it.
I am completely wrong on interior; my apologies. My 69 Ranger Explorer has woodgrain door inserts, and I think this door panel looks nicer, which is why I thought it was later.
My dad bought a new white1968 F-100 kept it for 10 months and traded it for a new red and white 1969 F-100. The ’69 had carpeting and all the accessories available at the time. Both came with the 360cu engine. The ’69 had 3-speed automatic trans. One thing I remember is the grill on the ’69 had the red line in the center of the grill. The grill on this truck is definitely a ’69 grill. I was twenty years old at the time. I remember it quite well. The ’69 was the best truck by a long shot.
You may be right on the grille, although the 69 Ranger grille was accompanied by blacked out headlight bezels, maybe the original owner decided to replace grille with a 69 version, who knows, a lot can happen in 55 years. And does it really matter, the truck is picture perfect.
I bought my first new vehicle , a 69, 360, 4 spd, Christmas 1969 for $3,600. Not a Ranger nor 4wd. Put 100k of Navajo Reservation miles on it in a year, just replaced shocks, tires. Tough truck.
I restored my dad’s ’69 Ranger (LWB) and was fortunate to find the NOS cloth for the seat. It has the Explorer Spring package, which added the fabric-insert seats, as well as the texture-painted black roof and bed rails, plus special wheelcovers that were made from repurposed 67 T-Bird tooling. Even the bed rails were repurposed wagon roof rack tooling. It is one of the two Spring colors – diamond aqua – and per the Marti Report is 1 of 10. She has 187,000 miles and still going !
I would love to see photo that has to be a gorgeous truck.
The 68 brochure does show that the verticals should be blacked out on a ’68, as mine are on my 68 Mercury M100. And no red stripe – true. But that red stripe does pop with the truck color!
Nice truck at a decent price.
Now at $44,000
GH, I would share a photo if I could figure out how. It’s a consistent show winner. According to the Marti Report, out of a half million F Series, there were only a few thousand built in Diamond Aqua.
I am technology challenged as well.
Dad bought a new one pretty much like this except his was an auto. We rode the bus from Dallas to Grand Saline,Tx to Richie Motor Co – guess it was cheaper in the country ?
I’m going to question it as well…I see some things – who puts a new radial spare on a truck that’s never driven ?
Dry rot, probably.
Beautiful truck I had the same truck nut a 1969 6cyl 3 on the tree red Ranger XLT was my first truck in 1980 wish I would have kept it
last year of jr high, 1977, a guy living in my neighborhood just transferred from a catholic school, and his older brother had one of these, same red/chrome trim, all us youngsters thought it was the coolest truck around