The Ford F250 4×4 Highboy, or Hi-Boy, is unquestionably a popular 4WD truck right now, but really, is there an unpopular vintage 4×4 pickup? This rugged Candyapple Red 1971 Ford F-250 4×4 “Highboy” can be found listed here on eBay in Monaca, Pennsylvania. There is no reserve, and the current bid price is $6,500 with three days left to get your bids in.
This has most likely been covered here on Barn Finds many times, but it never hurts to bring up what can sometimes be head-scratching terms associated with popular vehicles, just to know where those terms came from. Ford F250 4x4s from this era (1967 to 1977) always seem to be higher than what a factory pickup typically is, that’s because these models have a divorced transfer case, as in, it’s not connected to the transmission but connected to the subframe further back. As such, it has a longer front driveshaft from the engine to the transfer case and another one from the transfer case to the rear and they had to be a bit higher to make that system work.
The fifth-generation Ford F-series pickups were made from 1966 through 1972 in the U.S., and longer in Argentina and Brazil. This example may look rough but if you look at the many photos that the seller has provided, it looks pretty solid to me. It has much less rust than our brand-new 1969 F-250 had in 1980 when I welded in a zillion patch panels and that truck had been Ziebarted! Remember Ziebart? Is there still such a thing? I’d paint these rims white in a heartbeat, there’s nothing like a Highboy with tall, skinny tires and white rims for me.
The interior could use some love but it would be fun to tinker with this one on weekends as you drive it. Don’t expect an easy time steering this beast as they didn’t have power steering. The seat has been redone and I’m sure it’s more comfortable than what I’m guessing would have been vinyl, but I’d want to do a funky plaid pattern or something. I know, I’m weird. The bed looks overall, which basically describes this whole truck. The VIN shows that this truck was built in August of 1970, just for the record.
The seller refers to this engine as a 390 and it could be, but the VIN decodes to it being a 360-cu.in. OHV V8, which would have had 215 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque. It sends power to the rear wheels or all four wheels through a four-speed manual transmission and two-speed transfer case. The seller says it runs and drives perfectly and it sure looks like a nice update-as-you-go truck to me. Hagerty is at $8,500 for a #4 fair-condition truck, how much would you pay for this example?
Patina aside, this truck is in phenomenal shape for being a PA owned vehicle. I would go out of my way to find one with the 4 speed like this one has, and I think the interior is pretty darn nice for, once again, being owned and driven in Pennsylvania for over 50 years. Honestly, I wouldn’t do anything to this bada** pick ‘em up other than replace any worn out parts and fix any rust I could find as I enjoy driving it. If anyone gets it for not a lot more than the current bid I’d say they got an awesome workhorse of a truck for a really good price. I’d be proud to drive this one to work every day.
No more than 8K and this is worth putting another 10K into it. This truck will have no problem absorbing that 10K.
The 4speed was the only transmission you could get in the 67-72 4×4’s… no automatics or even 3 speed manual trannys to the best of my recollection.
i had a 1972 in 1980 in the rust belt and put a 1978 cab, bed and front end sheet metal on. I was in the rust belt. Every bolt hole was the same. All the experts stated it wouldn’t fit.
Guess I’m getting old but I would definitely have to add power steering other than that the old Ford looks good.
Correction: This body series ran from 1967 through 1972, it did not include 1966.
Nice catch, AKRunner. I normally say, “…from late 1966 for the 1967 model year…” but neglected to do that this time. Burned and learned.
I looked at a ’76 Highboy, around 7 years ago. Supposedly from Oregon, with stated “no rust,” and the floor looked like a planetarium when I drove it out of the guys garage. Even with the Rino Shield sprayed all over it. Look it over carefully.
Looks like a very solid ride with little to do except use it as was intended!
The word “Highboy” gets thrown around a lot. Seems any F250 4×4 had that distinction. I never knew about the divorced( separate) transfer case making them so, to us it was just a 4×4 F250. Great trucks, but look at the difference from the ’77 posted earlier. This was an in your face truck, truck, for pulling feed wagons through the muck, and such, where in just a few years, look how they changed.
This truck? Mount a plow on, and park it next to the shed. This truck as is, would be downright dangerous to drive at anything above 15 mph. Don’t think so? Just try it. Plow truck, tis’ the season.
We ran a Ford high boy like for plowing out our parking lot at my office it had a 390 with a manual trans. It truly was a great pickup for its application and did a terrific job of moving vast amounts of snow. Rust was extremely prevalent and led to my decision to sell it to a commercial snow removal company.
Auction update: this one sold for $9,000!
Plaid seats are not a weird choice. My dad had a red 1970 F100 with the tan plaid-ish seats. I had a rust riddled Scout with plaid seats. Definitely period correct to go with plaid!
Never seen a four wheel drive ford with 3 drive shafts transfer case always connected to trans this one must be a hilbillytruck
The highboys have a “divorced” transfer case. So a front, rear and small 3rd drive shaft. After 77.5 Ford changed to a “married” transfer case and which allowed a lower factory height. I have a ’75 highboy that I absolutely love. Great tough pickup, although the ride is just as rough as it is.