I live in North Carolina, about an hour away from Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina, so I see this pickup truck’s particular shade of blue (and other reminders that the driver of the vehicle in front of me at a stoplight is a: 1. Tar Heels fan, 2. A proud alum, or 3. Has a kid that goes there) every single day. My wife went there and I also have several family members that “bleed” Carolina Blue as they say. That said, here’s a good looking survivor-category 1978 Ford F-150 Custom from further south (Alabama) that is for sale at No Reserve here on eBay. As of this writing, 28 bids had been placed with a top bid of $7,069. I’m sure that amount will go higher before the auction ends on Friday, March 10th at 11:43 pm.
The original owner. a Mr. Charlie Hughes, purchased this F-150 new with 6 miles on it from Collins-Quisenberry Ford in Birmingham, Alabama. He paid $6,057.38 for it. Charlie kept a lot of the truck’s original paperwork and documented servicing in a little notebook (which my dad also did with his vehicles and kept it in the glovebox). The seller purchased the truck from Charlie and says it’s in very “original” condition and has been used mainly for car and truck shows. The exterior and underside of the truck appear to be in good, solid shape and the seller says there is “a little bit of surface rust in a couple of places.” Based on a paint chart I found online, this F-150 is painted in Light Blue which is presentable but not perfect. In viewing the many photos, there are some noticeable scratches, surface rust on the tailgate, and a few dents around the headlight housing. The glass, mirrors, trim, bumpers, and bright stuff look good and the truck is currently sporting aftermarket wheels and new Uniroyal tires (the original wheels and wheel covers are included in the sale).
Ironically, the F-150’s original 45-year-old interior is an attractive combination of light blue and dark blue (the color of UNC’s neighbor and arch rival, the Duke Blue Devils). There are noticeable splits on the drivers side bench seat upholstery and the usual paint wear on the drivers upper door sill. The instrument panel, dash top, door panels and headliner look good and the truck came with an AM Radio and Air Conditioning (only about 40% of ’78 F-150’s were ordered with these). The seller says the Air Conditioning works but likely needs recharging.
The engine and engine bay could use a cleaning, but the seller claims the 351 cubic-inch V8 starts right up and runs great, has matching numbers, and the inspector’s number from the factory is visible under the hood and on the engine block. 74,000 original miles are on the clock. On the surface, it looks like a solid, unmolested ’78 F-150 and one of the better 45-year-old survivors we’ve featured here on Barn Finds.
This is a Custom with Ranger side moldings, kind of unusual, must have been ordered special. Looks like a very nice truck, needs a good cleaning under the hood. I had a 78 F250 Ranger, 460, great trucks, the best of the 70s.
I had a ’78 F100 shorty. The problem was, I used it like a truck. She’s long gone. But it ran like a beast. It’ll be interesting to see what this one goes for.
Had a 78 F150 with a 302 four-barrel. It leaked out of every seal it had but always took me from point A to point B without ever leaving me stranded. Started every time, even in the coldest weather. It had the most comfortable bench seat of any truck I’ve ever owned.
I’ve always liked the 1978 and 79 F150s. Never really cared for the 80 to 86 vintage. My 1988 kind of reminded me of this.
Nice Old Ride, My dad had a Two Tone Green XLT He had the cab roof painted White. The 400 wouldn’t pass a gas station or anything else, Put a 4 barrel and duels on it and it and it came to life, Still wouldn’t pass a gas station but it got there a lot faster. Dad took the tailgate off of it when it was 2 weeks old and put a camper shell on it. The truck got totaled and a few more came and went but it was always dad’s favorite truck. A few years ago after dad passed we were cleaning out the garage and wrapped up in a few old moving pads we found the tailgate.. LOOKED BRAND NEW. Took it to a swap meet and put BEST OFFER by the end of the day.. Called the guy and he said I’m on the way. 5 MINUTES later this TWO TONE Green with a White roof pulls up. I just stood there looking at it. He ask if something was wrong, I told him that he had my dad’s truck. He was about my age and said he use to always see a truck like that when he was a kid and liked the way it looked with the roof pained White, So when he got the truck it was Mint Green and he had the Dark Green added and then did the roof. We removed his old tail gate and put dad’s on and it was a perfect match. His offer was $999,99, I sold it to him for $499,99