A 4×4 short-bed F-150 with a straight-six and four-speed manual? Yes, please. V8 engines get all the glory, but a six in this 1986 Ford F-150 4×4 short bed should handle just about any situation this side of towing a big horse trailer or fifth wheeler. The seller has this nice but not perfect example listed here on eBay in beautiful Rutledge, Tennessee, there is no reserve, and the current bid price is $6,900.
What a nice truck. A perfect one could keep someone from using this one as an actual truck to haul things in the back. I know, any “real truck owner” would have a full-size bed for hauling, but most of us must not be real truck owners, as this short bed has more than enough room for the majority of humans to haul things. Not all of us carry 4×8 sheets of plywood around all day as we aren’t contractors; we just need a truck to haul an ATV, motorcycle, lawn mower, bags of mulch, etc.
I’m not sure what’s going on with the tailgate, but there are a few other issues with the body on this one. You can see the driver’s side rear wheel rust, and there are a few nicks and scratches elsewhere. The seller has provided two great YouTube videos, here and here, and you can see that the passenger side door and part of the front edge of the bed appear to be faded for some reason. But, check out the many underside photos they’ve included; it looks fantastic underneath.
Inside the short bed looks good, but with a heavy coat of surface rust, and inside the truck cab looks even better. A big thing with this truck is the four-speed manual, which I believe is a T-18 with a low “granny gear”, or as the seller says, a bulldog gear. This is a seventh-generation F-Series, and they were made from 1979 for the 1980 model year, until the end of 1986 here and longer elsewhere.
The clean engine is Ford’s 300-cu.in. OHV inline-six with 117 horsepower and 223 lb-ft of torque when new. Rolling through the manual transmission to the rear wheels, it’s said to start, run, and drive great, and the only things to tinker with are going to be the fuel gauge and maybe adding a new speedometer cable, or lubing the existing one as it bounces a bit. Are any of you fans of a six-cylinder pickup, or do you need a V8?
A staple for outdoorsmen for decades. The 4wd F150 w 300 and a manual. Hauled firewood, all the gear 🦌 🏕, pulled a trailer. Done at a bit slower pace… But with less power one could argue it’s easier on all the drivetrain, and safer 💁♂️
Back in the late 80’s early 90’s we had a towing account with a large bread company who had a fleet of the aluminum bodied bread trucks, all one ton dually chasis. They either had a 292 GM or 300 Ford and a 4 speed luggin them around. These are great for torque. This Ford is perfect for me. I totally agree with Stan. I think the drivetrains last a bit longer not being over powered
Sorry hit submit too quickly. I can’t get over how clean and well preserved this one is. This is going to be a great buy for someone. Especially if its bought at a reasonable price, which unfortunately in this day and age, nothing is.
👍 👍
Great 80’s Ford. Short wheelbase/bed is fine for many tasks. Classic drivetrain, will last forever. (I’ve read lists of all-time great engines which include the 300 straight six). Even has the stock wheel covers. Typical excellent Scotty write-up.
Great truck, give me the 300 any day. Owned three F150s with this engine. I had a Dodge with a 225, that was great too. Look at the base engine in GMs Silverado, 2.7l twin turbo 4 cyl, sure it makes a lot of power, but I doubt it’s durable. Too complicated. All the American vehicles built today, built with two tasks, run until warranty is up and meet the CAFE MPG spec. I have a 2003 F150, knocking on the frame returns a solid sound, a friend has 2024 F150, it’s boxed frame when knocked on gave more of a hollow sound. Don’t even start me on the GM 6.2 L V8’s with the exploding bottom ends.
Reminds me of the 83 2wd F-350 I had about 20 years ago, ex forces only had 45k on it S6 auto great truck should’ve kept it.
I had this same truck in a Flareside. First gear is great if you have a load in the bed or towing but otherwise is a waste of time. For regular driving I always started off in second and then shifted to fourth, making this essentially a two-speed transmission.
I had a 86 base long bed with the 300, but with a C 6 auto. My first new vehicle, had it 16 years until iron cancer killed the body to the point my wife told me to sell it. Damn I miss that engine.
Shortbeds are no prob for 4×8 plywood. Drop the tailgate and strap em down.
Also, that 300 Cid 6 banger will pull a house off of it’s foundation, with the proper tranny, rear end and tires.
Took my 1989 shorbed F100 with the 300 to Florida and Canada from my home base in Texas TWICE while pulling a 20 ft travel trailer, and she was well past 100K miles.
I took her into the Windsor CA Ford plant parking lot 50 miles after she spun the speedometer for the 2nd time. It was her victory lap. Wish I still had her.
BCB my buddy put a 5th wheel hitch in his 300 4wd shortbox 5sp. Was a 1995 model…. hauled his trailer all over the mountains of BC, WA, OR, CA.. no problems.
I had an 88 E150, 300, 5spd manual. It took me and family all over the US in comfort. We put 280k on it with regular maintenance. Gave it to my brother in law who promptly took a turn too fast and rolled it. The ONLY problem I ever had with that engine was the danged oil filler cap. It was made of a hard rubber and you could not always tell if it was completely seated.
I had 3 F-150s with 300 straight six cylinder, manual transmissions. The last one an ’86 the horse power was drained trying to meet clean air standards. My work truck was a Cheyenne with a 454 manual transmission which had the same mpg, with significantly more hp and torque.
It’s red though
Sold on 4/23/2025 for a high bid of $7,600.
Steve R