According to the 1971 Ford Trucks brochure, the swanky Ranger XLT shown above was the Ford truck that was driven by the foreman, or perhaps the guy in charge of engineering who’s looking at his watch because he’s such a busy guy. You don’t have to be in charge of the jobsite or the blueprints to own this 1971 F-100 with a purported 24,209 miles on it. Whether or not the odometer has rolled, this looks like a solid, original truck with the biggest engine available in the pickup line in 1971. Bind Finds reader Mike F. spotted it here on craigslist in Florence, Colorado, with a pretty decent asking price for a truck that the current owner has been using as a daily driver: $7,500.
While the 335-series (351C/400) and the 385-series (429) engines had replaced the FE big-block in Ford’s car lines by 1971, trucks continued using them up through 1976, and this F-100 has the big 255-horsepower 390. The seller says that the truck has been treated to “new belts, hoses, radiator, thermostat, timing chain, water pump, carburetor, tires and transmission service,” in addition to new brakes. You can see that the Ranger has power brakes (new booster, too?) and power steering with an oil cooler. For a minute, I questioned why the owner would have replaced the timing chain when there were “24,209 original miles on the factory motor,” but then I remembered that Ford (along with other OEMs) used plastic cam gears in the timing set, and 55 years have certainly made them brittle. If that’s the case, it’s no evidence that the mileage isn’t original.
Honestly, if I were thinking of buying this truck, I wouldn’t even care about the mileage. Look at how solid those doors, rockers, and cab corners are. An FE will run for a long time, but rust is forever.
That seat cover will have to be thrown away, burned, or some combination of the two, but underneath, you can see the factory cloth-and-vinyl seat, which has some torn seams but is still recognizable as having factory upholstery. You can also see the Ranger XLT’s full carpeting in this picture, but just out of frame is the missing clutch pedal: This truck has the optional Cruise-O-Matic. The Ranger XLT, as the line-topper, had woodgraining on the dashboard, along with extra bright and woodgrain trim on the exterior.
Not to belabor the point, but look at this solid bed. Who cares if it has 124,000 miles on it?
The one thing missing that I see is the woodgrain accents on the bodyside molding and the tailgate. (Here’s an example of a restored Ranger XLT.) It’s completely possible that they’ve been removed after they started fading or peeling, but I kind of like the truck without them. This isn’t a Country Squire, it’s a truck, and its original paint (one of three greens available in 1971), along with the dings and bruises of time, give it the exact vibe that I’d want in a truck. What do you think would be a fair offer for this one?
If that only has 24k miles on it, it was an awful hard 24k miles. As we used to say… looks like she was rode hard and put away wet.
That said, she’s in decent shape for the age and price.