I can’t figure out why this great combination truck/camper hasn’t already sold. Lucky for us we still have a crack at it, despite the seller listing it six days ago. Here on craigslist is a 1979 Ford F250 Camper Special with a nifty camper that’s been attached to it from new, for $8,900. The vehicle is located in Strasburg, North Dakota. Thanks to Mark K. for this great tip! This is no beat-up farm truck. It looks like it’s been coddled all its life. It has new tires, and a fresh tuneup. The seller says there’s no rust. Seems almost too good to be true, but the photos bear this out. Here’s the front, showing a very straight shiny grille and a very straight shiny bumper, and those classic rectangular headlamps.
The lack of a sale isn’t due to an underpowered vehicle either, as this beauty is running the 400 cu. in. V8. Ok, that big motor is only going to dish out 170 bhp, but it’s better than the smaller block versions. This is a four-speed manual. The odometer reads 96,000 miles. These motors don’t last forever, but gee, it’s not a Ferrari engine with scarce parts and a $35,000 rebuild price. Plus, if you have to pull it, after-market upgrade options beckon. At the moment, though, the seller indicates that the truck runs “excellent”.
The interior has been cared for as well. This is the last year of the fifth generation of this F-series, benefitting from a slightly redesigned interior that gave passengers more space thanks to a relocated gas tank and curved door glass. The interior of the camper is a bit hard to see thanks to the angle of the photos, but this one gives a taste of the condition. The original tailgate is back there, nearly factory perfect!
The matching paint on the camper is a nice touch. If I lived anywhere nearby, I would snap this up for overnight hiking trips. It would also be great for short hunting trips, hanging out at auto swap meets, carrying parts, and supplying shelter at your local vintage race event…. What’s your idea for putting this camper to work?
No wind resistance with that camper, hahaha.
Obviously the writer doesn’t know what even Ford fanboys think of the 400M engine.
Does not look safe.
The wood in the camper is spectacular, but the sever lack of bigger windows makes it more like a prison cell. Yuck
Our own Scotty G. put in a lot of miles peering out that front camper window,( much bigger window on his folks camper) as a lad, if he wasn’t fighting his brother for the view, that is. His folks had a similar unit, traveled all over creation. Certainly where he got his “traveling Jones” from. Not sure why this isn’t gone. It’s nice enough, and price, for any camper, is right, maybe $5 boxes of crackers are taking it’s toll on stuff like this. To be clear, the 400 is a small block, and a small disagreement, a stout motor and DO almost last forever, but thirsty in this configuration. Local jaunts only. People, from what I’ve seen in “RV Land, USA”, want ultimate behemoths with slide outs and tiled bathrooms, not cramped campers on old pickup trucks, crapping over a log in the woods. Seriously, these have all but faded from view, save for being up on blocks behind the thrift store. Considering what vintage trucks are seemingly going for, I’d pull the camper off, and have a nice pickup.
Here in Canada, that engine was sold/marketed as a 351M. 400 CI block but shorter con rods which brought the displacement (and HP) down to 351 CI. I had one put into my 1972 Montego MX when the original 351C packed it in. Good motor, lot’s of power and I got about 25 MPG with a Holly 2 Barrel Economizer carb.
A 351/400M will not bolt in where a 351W/351C was unless you also change the transmission. The bellhousing bolt patterns are different. The W and C are small block pattern, same as a 289/302. The M engines use the same pattern as the Lima 429/460.
If I remember I got the engine and tranny as a complete package. It was a long time ago!! LOL
Like you said in the write up I’m surprised this is still available this is a good clean truck the only thing I can think as to why its still available is its not a 4×4 I already have a decent truck or I would strongly consider this one. Still thinking I might even be able to flip it for $10k in my area