Your eyes aren’t deceiving you and no, this isn’t another one of my oddball Photoshop exercises for fantasy vehicles that were never produced. This 1969 Ford F-100 Explorer pickup really does have a custom low box/bed for some reason. The seller has it listed here on eBay in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona and the current bid price is $3,550 but the reserve isn’t met.
I know that old truck prices are maybe crazier than old car prices, in general, but I had no idea that Hagerty was so bullish on the 1969 Ford F-100. They list a #3 good example as being worth $19,700 (!), a #2 excellent condition truck at $36,800 (!!) and a #1 Concours condition truck at a blood-curdling $51,800!!! Holy man, really? I guess maybe that’s why the reserve isn’t met on this one even with the crazy almost flatbed-like box on the back.
There it is in all its glory or all its… something. I have no clue what this bed was cut down for and the seller doesn’t mention it at all so they may not even know if they didn’t do the work. It’s certainly interesting and truthfully, even an actual flatbed pickup would work for me for motorcycle hauling duties. Some of the details could be tinkered with a bit more but it sure is different. It looks like a fairly nice job overall but it sure would be nice to know why they had a need to do this.
The short-wall bed is jarring and so is the red dash and red bench seat in an orange truck. The seat looks perfect but I would change out the seat and dash color asap if it were mine. We had a 1969 Ford F-250 in orange so I have a strong urge to get another one someday and I actually like the unusual custom short-sided bed since I like unusual vehicles or unusual features on otherwise normal vehicles.
The seller has provided a lot of good photos, including underside photos, and it looks solid. The engine is Ford’s 360 cubic-inch V8 which would have had 215 horsepower and they think it may have been rebuilt at some point. There has been a lot of other work completed and this just looks like it would be a fun truck to own. Any thoughts on this unusual pickup?
I’m picturing the owner driving this truck home with his new bed mounted camper only to discover it wouldn’t fit in the garage.
“Well dammit, I’ll make it fit!”
Ha! You may be onto something there, Z.
nope.. the campers rest on the floor.. not the bedsides. A buddy of mine cut his bed like this to accommodate a gooseneck trailer. the truck was lifted a bit and the trailer came within 3 inches of touching the bed.. so he cut the bed down.
Maybe it looked less goofy with the camper on it.
His wife was like, “You know that the top of the camper folds down, don’t you? That’s why they call it a pop-up camper…”
The description reads that a film studio had it; that makes sense on the cut down bed. Better to get the shot from straight across from the filmed car, rather than pointing camera downward, with an unrealistic angle. Makes great sense!
As for the bright colors and chrome- it was in Hollywood!
That’s a great point, Big_Fun. I saw that but didn’t mention it, thanks for bringing that up.
Camera cars are generally matte black with no chrome so that no reflections end up in the shot.
That’s why the roof is painted matte black.
All the clues were there, wasn’t hard to figure out 🧐! Thanks Big_Fun for clarifying and debunking the camper conspiracy!
Are those ’67 Thunderbird wheel covers?
Must of been a short owner. My 5’2” wife has a hard time reaching anything over the side rails of my truck. Easy access.
Bed mount/ slide in camper sit on bed floor would change hieght there fellows.
Would not change hieght
Factory 5TH wheel conversion? I’ve seen the newer Fords like this a few years back. Wasn’t quite as noticeable on the newer trucks, the lowered tailgate was a dead giveaway.
You know Doug your prolly correct, but regardless there should be a picture of bed floor.
Perhaps a previous owner was vertically challenged and had the bed cut down for easier access.
I have a HD2500 Silverado for carrying heavy stuff.. I also have an 87 El Camino for carrying lighter loads. I am short so I have to do what I gotta do.
With all the speculation about this truck, I think I’m going to apply Occam’s Razor on this one and I think CATHOUSE has nailed it.
360 in a 69 ? Not when I worked Ford !!
I think Big-Fun has it, it was professionally cut down ( top rails grafted to the cut down side) and a platform was probably laid across, and a camera crew rode along. I’ve seen 1st hand, camera vehicles, and it takes literally an army of people in all sorts of vehicles to get the “right shot”. We’ve come a long ways in animation, but back then, Hollywood literally created those scenes, and trucks like this to film it. It looks corny, but I agree, to a short person ( oh, get over it, I’m FINANCIALLY challenged then, it’s silly) it could be very handy. I don’t think the all terrain tires are needed on the front of a 2wd truck, however. The “AA” Glass may have used it to load large plate glass, and didn’t have to lift it too high, I guess.
Now, it just shows how bakocked this hobby is today. Here you have a really nice vintage pickup, ALLEGEDLY, all the rage, and just because it has a non-standard box, nobody wants it. Here’s a clean, AFFORDABLE California vintage Ford pickup, boxes for these are stacked in someones back yard, if that’s a real issue, heaven forbid you may have to paint the dang thing, sorry. The fact only 4 bidders for a really nice truck, tells me, people today just don’t see a great deal when it’s right here.
I bet you’re closer to the real story, Howard! They may have had those A-shaped glass racks in the back?
Many would rather begin a restoration with a rust bucket or wreck rather than consider for a minute that here is a solid example that unfortunately has a non-stock box. Good grief!
On another note, this would or did make a great truck for stacking and hauling hay, just ask any farmer or horse gal. But I still think Big_Fun nailed it.
Whoever buys this should chop the rest of it to match the bed .
That cut down bed looks like hell and definitely not something I’d want. The paint isn’t the best either with lots of scratches and chips, the trim is fairly rough, the rear bumper needs fresh paint and the red bench seat and dash pad look too out of place. The truck has possibilities, but you’d have to throw some money at it to correct all its issues. I’d for sure replace the bed with a standard box; that cut down bed looks awful. Scotty claims the 360 has 215 hp but the pictured factory tag states 175 hp.
That’s a good point, FordGuy1972. I was going by Wiki and Hagerty, both of which list the horsepower at 215.
Also has a 69 Ford-F250 listed with the bid being $17,100 and reserve not met.
The military used to do weird stuff to pick up beds also…just a thought
No, not a military truck, lol.
My guess is it was cut down either for film duties as previously mentioned or to ease gooseneck towing. Lots of wrecked bedsides from off camber turns with a gooseneck.
Well,I was not going to comment since there are so many already. This truck just dont look right. It looks like there had to have been a valid reason.as far as making a camper lower,it looks like just the top was cut down. If I wanted it that bed is gone asap and source a regular bed, paint to match. The interior color i would do a black seat,door panels and dash. What a goofy truck in this form. I live in spokane,and just a few miles west get a picture of it. you can see it from I-90. It is Butt ugly. Its around a late 60s. It been sitting for the 6 years ive been here.Try to picture this! Chopped top, shorten bed like 1/2 the bed was removed and dual stacks that stick a foot or more above the roof.It looks like the chopping was done now just miss color and surface rust. it looks like the chopping was ok-its just so mixed up looking. Trust me,its a sight.Any readers in spokane seen it? its hard to not see it.
All of you people guessing (incorrectly) that, perheps, the sides were cut down so they could tow a gooseneck trailer are silly. Who would tow a gooseneck trailer with a 175 hp F-100, lol??? Oy vey.
Horsepower doesn’t tow anything, torque does. 325 ft lbs of it, oy vey!
Owner took it to a body shop and in a hurry said “I want this lowered” and left before he could explain what he meant. So body shop guy took him literally. LOL
Vegetable delivery and display truck , they were common in the 40 a thru the 60 a my market had one