Don’t let the snow on the ground fool you: this is a California truck that has made its way up the Pacific coast to Washington State, where it remains in rust-free condition wearing a very rare factory paint job. I can’t recall ever seeing an F-Series truck in yellow, and this Ford – with its rust-free panels and seemingly original condition – looks like a must-have if you’re a Ford truck fan and seek out versions with rare options and colors. The F-250 4×4 is listed here on eBay with 138,000 actual miles and has attracted bids to $13,000 with no reserve.
We don’t often think of vintage domestic trucks as the sort of vehicle you’d find in a rare OEM color scheme. The seller reinforces that this is original paint with a decent dose of patina, which we’d certainly be fine living with if it meant having a truck in a color like this. The long-bed design won’t be as favored as a short-box pickup, but the stance is pretty much spot-on, so there’s still plenty of eyeball appeal. The tailgate shows plenty of dings and scratches and I doubt that rear bumper is original; the turbine-style wheels may be aftermarket but there also very period-correct.
The interior appears to be in good shape overall, with a standard cloth bench and black carpeting in clean condition. The black door panels are a nice contrast against the sunflower yellow exterior, and while we don’t often grade pickup trucks on this combo, yellow over black is definitely a sharp look if you want a truck that stands out from the crowd. There are no signs of rust inside the door jambs or the rockers. This F-250 is equipped with a 6.6 liter V8 and automatic transmission; the seller confirms the four-wheel drive system works as it should.
You love to see the old-school California blue plates, which help reinforce the origins of this truck, along with how long it has potentially been off the road. It’s amazing to think that a rig like this could have been languishing in a backyard somewhere, especially as values have been picking up steam for old-school trucks for some time now. If this had been a short-bed pickup, I imagine the bidding would have been even higher, but as it stands right now this is still a great value for a well-optioned F-Series that will not likely lose any value in the short term.
“If this had been a short bed pickup”. No such thing with an F250 regular cab. Those wheels, that rear bumper, and that stupid steering wheel need to go away. The tailgate needs attention, and the “R” is missing from the hood. These were great trucks, the price will go up, and they will certainly never lose value.
I can see alot of rust in the photos top of bed, license plate area, tailgate area
Rust-free, or does it come with free rust? The eBay add states ‘absolutely no rust’; I wonder what else is untrue. It does look good in yellow though.
That would be surface rust, every pickup that’s ever been used as a pickup has it.
It probably depends where you live and how you care for your vehicles. I don’t like rust, so I treat scratched with wax or touch up paint. Rust never sleeps.
It’s just my opinion, but I’d much prefer a long bed pick up like this over a short bed. The 78 is a special truck in the custom trim; they had the round headlights, which I personally prefer. Yes, these models do hold their value.
Yep I drive an 08 f150 STX short box step side. The bed has surface rust from my using it to haul things.
Nice truck ,but I hate when they drill holes in the roof of the cab for the ugly sun visor.
I had a friend whose father had an identical yellow truck purchased new from Caribou (Maine) Ford. It had a 351 and its first stop after it left the dealer was a local speed shop where it got an after-market 4-bbl carb, dual exhaust, and a then fancy Pioneer cassette player. That was a great rig for driving around in The County. Thanks for the memories and GLWTA
My Dad ordered a 79 bronco , manual trans,no radio ,the cheapest tire option steelies with dog dish, rubber floor, within a week it had 12-15 Ground Hawgs on turbines and a Cobra AM/FM 8 track CB combo.
A friend of mine has a yellow 79 1/2 ton that his dad bought new, had the graphics on it with the extra push bar on the front, good looking truck when new, lotsa rust in it now
I had the same, only a camper special, in 1979. Rebuilt the Cleveland once and drove it to death. Sold it in 94 for $600 and that same guy traded it for 8 horses. Wish I had kept it but it would have needed an entire repair. Oh, same exact color.
Cleveland? Not in a truck, must’ve been a 351M or a 400
Near my fav vehicle (yup over manya supper coup) BUT…
Short bed for off rd. 4/9L’n my most dreaded vehicle color. Long bed B fine for st truck (haul, tow). Man… so close, still looks fine, super fine