By the 1970s, not every pickup truck buyer was looking for a beefy ¾-ton truck for his/her projects. Chevrolet got into the small transport game with the LUV (Light Utility Vehicle), an imported and rebadged Isuzu. Ford responded in kind in 1972 with the Courier, which was also an import, but supplied by Mazda. The seller has a “salvage” Courier from 1976 that may be better as a donor than a restoration project. Located in Camas, Oregon, this rusty opportunity is here on craigslist and priced to move at $750.
The Courier was Ford’s small pickup for about a decade before it was finally replaced by a U.S.-built successor, the Ranger. Ford fans will recall that they also used the name in the 1950s as a commercial vehicle, which was station wagon-based. Under the hood of this truck lies what’s left of a 2.3-liter inline-4, whose missing parts may or may not be in the parts bins the seller will throw into the sale.
If the 73,000 miles are to be believed, this Courier worked hard for its pay. That’s especially obvious in the floorboards and truck bed, where the latter has an ample amount of surface rust. If you were to dig at it, you might find daylight. The interior doesn’t look much better, though the bench seat seems to be in usable shape. A floor-shifted 4-speed manual is still in place.
We don’t know why this little truck was sidelined, but we’re guessing the 4-banger developed serious issues at some point. The seller isn’t interested in selling parts off this thing, so you’ll need to take it all as a parts truck or spend a small fortune putting this pickup back on the road. What’s your call? BTW, this is another tip from reliable “Curvette”!
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