Some things never change, do they? Among them, truck enthusiasts’ love of special decals and trim options to set their ride apart. Trucks like this 1977 Ford F-150 with the Free Wheelin’ package were major trendsetters when introduced, with the Big 3 continuing through to the present day with so-called limited edition models that exist purely because the manufacturer placed some special badges or upholstery onto the options list. This F-150 doesn’t have quite the same luster it once did, but that thick body stripe leaves little doubt that this is a real-deal Free Wheelin’ model. Find it here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $6,000.
Now, despite the marketing for these trucks indicating they were perfect for an active lifestyle, you didn’t get any upgraded hardware under the skin. No skid plates, or firmer shocks, or even bigger tires. However, you could get a set of unique alloy wheels, which this F-150 appears to have. The Free Wheelin’ package is also commonly associated with the Bronco, but incredibly, you could get a similar treatment on the Courier pickup, a fact about the Free Wheelin’ kit that I didn’t realize until just recently. That has to be one of the rarer Ford trucks out there, if you can even find one. The seller’s truck is cosmetically tired, but doesn’t appear to be rotten.
One other key detail of these limited-run trucks is the orange decal stripe across the dash, which is still present and accounted for here. The carpets have been pulled, with no explanation given. The seller reports that the air conditioning was said to work, but the blower fan doesn’t work, so he’s not been able to test it. The bench seat is tired underneath the standard blanket covering, but the floors are said to be solid. Overall, the seller claims there are no major rust issues to worry about, which isn’t surprising for an Oregon truck. While many of these F-150s had two gas tanks, the side tank has been removed from this one – and the fuel gauges doesn’t work.
Those are minor gripes overall, and the 300 c.i. inline-six is said to run well. It’s paired to the NP435 manual transmission, and the only issue the seller notes is a “finicky” third-gear syncro. As an added bonus, it comes with the optional “cactus smasher” push bar and real bullet holes! These Free Wheelin’ trucks are fan favorites pretty much anywhere they go and well-loved whether in pickup truck or Bronco body form. The seller’s asking price seems reasonable for a solid drive, especially with a drivetrain that is near impossible to kill. Have you ever owned a Free Wheelin’ truck? Would you restore this one or leave the patina as-is?
“Free Wheelin”, you know what’s fun about being old, these model names, in this case, Free Wheelin’, may go right over many younger folks heads, but I always thought, the Free Wheelin’ series, and it was across the board, from Pintos to vans, and while Ford would like to forget these heavily influenced druggie years, Free Wheelin’ Franklin was a very popular comic character in the 70’s, whose catchphrase was “Dope will get you times of no money better than money through times of no dope”. His laid back style and wild graphics of the time, and before the anti-drug campaign came out, appealed to someone at Ford and thought this was a good idea, and it was. All the car companies had some sort of rendition for that era. Chryslers “Mod-Tops”, GM too, and eventually, that kind of “look at me” attitude faded to non-descript black and silver blobs.
It’s a good ol’ truck, the 6 was, I feel, the best motor Ford ever made, but a little weak for todays driving, especially in a full size pickup, and don’t say” well it’s a 6, therefore must get better mileage”,,,not so. A 302 will get the same or better, and you have the power on tap. Great find, and “Far out, man”,,
Id be interested in this one all day long
At least the seller is honest enough in the description to say its probably 200k miles
That six is good for at least another 100,000.
I Agree with you on that, and will keep on like the Energizer Bunny i believe.
No doubt! A friend of mine had one with this same drive train and he called me from a farm 10 miles outside of town saying it seized up coming home from the lake. I drove out there and after checking the dip stick, realized it was dry! I went and got oil for it, dumped it in and it ran like it always did! He drove that truck for another couple of years before he got another one. The Ford 300 straight six is indestructible!
I’ve seen the Marti report and as I suspected finding a freewheelin’ edition with the base 300 I6 has to be rare. First the buyer had to spring for the option package and a/c, but then stuck with the base engine. Unusual to say the least. Secondly the wheels on this truck appear to be steel, not alloy wheels. Ford offered a slotted style aluminum wheel as an option on these F150s.
Lastly my teenage son keeps saying he is bored, so today we dug out of hibernation my 78 Ford F250 supercab. My dad actually bought my pickup when I was a kid and it was our family pickup growing up. He sold it in 1985 and it was down the road. A couple years ago I happened to come across my dads old pickup so I knocked on the door. I explained that it was my family’s pickup growing up and I’d like to buy it back. The owner said they periodically had people trying to buy it. We parted ways and about a year later the owner called and said I could buy it.
I took some cash over and brought it home. It’s been in non running condition for a couple years now so we changed oil. flushed the fuel system and the old workhorse fired right up.
As a side note ours is F250 8400 over package, supercab long box, yet it has the standard 300 I6, and the small 4 speed OD transmission. Cant be many heavier duty pickups with the base driveline.
8400 GVWR package. Doggone spell check
My dad bought two of these for work trucks for his company which had Rainbow in the name. Both were F250’s, dad’s silver one had a 460 and his business partner got black and a 400. I remember them as being more Roy G Biv in their coloring than this faded example, but they had the push bar and that 460 really got with it.