Those of you that are familiar with me know I love bumpside Ford pickups. “Bumpside” is a nickname given to 5th generation Ford trucks from 1967 to 1972. They (obviously) feature a raised area running down the belt line from the headlight to taillight giving them their name. This particular truck is a 1969 short box. For sale here on craigslist in northwest Oregon with an asking price of $2,500. This truck is poised to be a great project for someone. If I didn’t already have two of these trucks, I might be a prospective buyer. That and the fact that my wife barely tolerates the two I already have.
There aren’t very many pictures in the ad and the description is fairly brief, so it’s a little hard to put the whole story together. The ad does state that the truck is not currently running and driving. It does feature an inline 6 cylinder and 3-speed transmission. The build trend over the past few years for these specific trucks has been swapping in suspension components from Ford cars. Specifically, Crown Victorias and more specifically, retired police cars. With slight modifications to the frame and other components, you can go from stock twin I beam suspension with drum brakes to rack and pinion, independent suspension with disc brakes. It appears this project includes a separate frame that has already had quite a bit of work done to it.
The rear end is a Ford 8.8 out of an Explorer with disc brakes, positraction and drilled & slotted rotors. It’s hard to tell exactly what work remains in making the chassis ready for a new body. Certainly the suspension needs completed. Any classic truck really benefits from conversion to a four link suspension from the stock leaf springs. With not as much weight over the rear end as a sedan, pickups can have severe wheel hop and traction issues.
The deal also includes a set of 20″ wheels and tires. While 20’s are not everyone’s taste, they appear to be in decent shape and could be sold or traded to get wheels and tires of the new owners liking. In my opinion, these trucks look good lowered tucking large wheels into the fenders. They also look good with more traditional 15″ wheels and white letter tires. Either way, if you have the skill to finish this project, there seems to be a bargain here.
I worked at the local pickyourpart for a few months this year and was surprised at how many of these trucks are still being scrapped. Mostly longbeds but some shortbeds, and a few were even driven in
Where is that?
The short bed fleetside’s might be worth buying, if the price is right, then flipping them.
Steve R
Southern Cal, especially the 2 Wilmington yards. I stop by during the 40 percent sales and there’s usually at least 1 there
They’ve all but disappeared from the yards here in NorCal. My FIL has a ’67 F100 shortbox he’s had forever and parts used to be super easy to find. Now nothing in the yards…
I hear you, Montana. My wife isn’t all that fussy about some of my toys but she doesn’t say as much as the majority out there; she IS responsible for bringing a couple of cars home herself. This is a good project although I don’t have any problems with the original suspension. I drove lots of these and thought they rode and handled just fine. Just run good heavy duty shocks and you won’t scoop out the front tires. That said, since someone has gone to the effort of changing the suspension you might as well finish the job. Personally I do NOT like trucks with huge hoops with thin rubber bands on them and see them slammed so low that they can high-center on a cigarette paper. Those hoops would last about 20 miles on a typical western prairie road before they ended up shaped like a Stop sign.
A BIG “AMEN” To That geomechs, I am with you that the original suspension on these older trucks are just fine, especially if that is what you grew up driving. One of the first trucks I redid while still in HS was a 69 short box, I found it setting in the back of a farm field near Steelville, Mo. on Rt 19. Randy and I pulled it from the weeds and loaded it up and brought it home, for 2 years I would work on it when I had bay space, could not use a bay that car could not be put back in when done for the day at Dad’s shop, as he put it that bay with a paying customers vehicle in it pays the bills, mine didn’t.
I left it as stock as the day I found it, including front and back drum brakes, my power steering was a steering knob, it had a 300, 6 banger, which was overhauled do to a busted piston because of a valve failure, 3 on the tree. I have had that truck for 38 years and for the first 15 years it ran around primer color, until day about 15 years ago while I was gone My Wife had talked Dad into having his shop paint it for me, and redoing the interior to stock, and rebuilt the engine and tranny, Man I Love that truck, it is the only Ford I currently own, I think I keep it because of the memories and that it was one of the last vehicles my Dad had worked on before he sold his shop.
It’s unfortunate that nearly everyone feels the need to improve the ride, performance, stance, etc… of older vehicles. Not every car, truck, motorhome, boat, Go-Kart, etc… needs an LS motor in it. Not every old Ford truck needs to ride like a Crown Vic. It makes me cringe when I see someone take a long bed truck and section it, so that it becomes a short bed. The long term affect of butchering all of these older vehicles is that the market price for a stock condition one goes way up. Look at the going price of an original condition first generation Bronco. The prices are crazy, simply because everybody out there cut the fenders out for massive tires and stuffed a V8 into it. Ok, rant over….
This truck should be 99% rust free for that kind of money?
Yes this truck has great potential,but for about 5g you
can buy a nicer one,if you shop around!These are
now becoming semi collectable,and are
only going to go up in price,That said,
This seems to be a great
deal if one was to resto rod it,It could be really sweet!
These were rugged and great looking.Grease the kingpins often and that front end will serve you well,add disc brakes. like one of the guys said,good hd shocks. would love to have one of these.
These bumpsides are tough as tanks! Dad bought one new in 71 and served him well for Many years. I built a crew cab and have enjoyed it for awhile now. Really cool trucks!
Nothing else even came close to the ole Fords.