Almost from the day the first car chugged and spluttered its way down the road, manufacturers have been producing custom or personalized vehicles and special models to suit an owner’s preferences. Whether this was a coachbuilt body or custom upholstery, the practice continues today. Ford came to the party with its F-Series trucks, and this is 1968 F-250 is a Camper Special. Created by the company to appeal to potential owners seeking a self-sufficient holiday experience, it proved to be a sales success. The owner refers to this one as a true survivor, and it wears its original paint with pride. It would benefit from a cosmetic refresh, but potential buyers may prefer to drive it as-is. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, you will find the F-250 listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has already soared past the reserve to sit at $7,000.
Finished in Caribbean Turquoise, the owner claims that this Ford’s paint is original. It has worn through to bare steel in a few places, which have developed mild surface corrosion. It is easy to believe the originality claim when you look at its overall condition. It would undoubtedly benefit from a cosmetic refresh, although if the next owner chose to preserve it untouched, I could fully understand that approach. The panels have a few minor bumps and bruises, but nothing is severe. Rust seems to be a minor consideration with this classic. There is a small repairable spot in one lower cab corner, but a simple patch would address that issue. The original bed timber remains intact, but it is pretty rotten and requires replacement. The glass looks good, as does the exterior trim. I will raise one question with this pickup, however. I’m not entirely convinced that it started life as a Flareside. The owner claims that Ford only offered the F-250 Flareside derivative to government departments and other authorities. I haven’t been able to confirm this, but my thinking stems from it being the only Camper Special I have seen with this bed configuration. My previous experience has been limited to Styleside versions, but I’m happy to be corrected on both facts if I’m wrong.
If you’re going to throw a camper on the back of an F-250 or use it to cart heavy loads, you probably need something respectable under the hood. The original owner shared that sentiment, so they selected the 360ci V8 that produced 215hp and 327 ft/lbs of torque. The power from that V8 feeds through a four-speed transmission to the rear wheels. Ford offered more potent combinations in this model year, but this one served many owners with no problems. The seller is this F-250’s third owner, purchasing the vehicle last year. He worked through the process of ensuring the pickup was in sound mechanical health by overhauling the fuel system, performing a complete service and tune-up, dropping in a new battery, and bolting on new tires. The F-250 runs and drives perfectly, with no vices or issues. The odometer shows 88,000 miles, and the previous owner claimed that the reading is genuine. There is no documentary evidence to confirm this, but the seller feels that the vehicle’s overall condition and mechanical health make it plausible.
Turning our attention to the F-250’s interior, the news is generally favorable. It appears that the cloth and vinyl seat upholstery, the carpet, and the dash pad are new. The fit of the carpet is slightly off, but it should only take some slight tweaking to fix that. The painted surfaces have a few marks and scratches, but it is acceptable when you consider this as a surviving workhorse. The seller indicates that the heater functions intermittently and that the buyer may need to invest in a new wiper switch. Otherwise, everything works as it should. If I were to buy this pickup, I would be inclined to complete an interior refresh but preserve the exterior largely untouched. I’ve seen this approach in the past, and the contrast it provides can be striking.
This 1968 F-250 Camper Special is a cool old rig, and if the next owner decided to leave it untouched, I could understand that approach. I harbor doubts about whether it started life as a Flareside because the only Camper Specials I have seen from this era were Stylesides. My experience on this front should not be considered definitive because you may have information that proves me wrong. If you do, I’m always willing to learn or be corrected. Have you ever seen a Camper Special like this, and are you tempted to make a play on this one?
I guess my question would be: Did anyone ever make a pickup bed camper that fit into a narrow flareside? This Ford looks like a solid truck, and it has a dependable drivetrain with decent power and a desirable four speed. Finish off the interior, repair the dings, dents and scratches and give it the fresh paint it deserves. The bed obviously needs a total re-do but not a difficult task to tackle yourself. Also, put a little effort into detailing under the hood but try to resist spray bombing any hoses; that just looks goofy. The original color is very attractive, too.
Actually, I’ve seen quite a few. I think they may be a bit tippier(?).
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/573434965032439119/
I pulled out my 1968 Ford Pickup brochure and did some basic research. It shows the F-250 Camper Special available for both Styleside and Flareside beds, plus a chassis cab. There also was a F-350 version. I’m pretty sure there were slide-in campers available for Flaresides; the brochure lists the maximum camper length as 10 1/2 feet.
Curiously, there is a Styleside F-250 pictured, and the “Camper Special” emblem is mounted on the cowl, between the hood and door. On this Flareside example it is mounted lower on the fender. There is no note in the brochure about any limits as to government use, but I suppose that is possible.
The Camper Special Package includes:
70 amp battery, oil pressure gauge, ammeter, dual electric horns, dual bright 6″x10″ mirrors, extra cooling radiator, extended tailpipe, camper wiring harness, rear shock absorbers for F-350, “Camper Special” emblem.
As for this truck…. pretty cool. In the oil fields a long wheelbase Flareside wasn’t an uncommon sight. This color was very common. A solid survivor which the new owner could take in multiple directions (refurbish, restore, just drive as-is).
Thanks, Bob, for providing the interesting info. I appreciate it.
The only Camper Specials I have seen were Stylesides, and had a second fuel tank with the filler neck in the left front of the bed. A buddy had the in cab fuel tank leak, so he removed it, leaving the filler neck. A service station attendant (remember those) started to fuel up the in cab tank.
I have two 68 F-250 camper specials. The 67 had the C/S emblem on the cowl. 68 & 69 it was on the bottom of the fender and 70-72 they moved it back to the cowl.
This truck seems to be a good deal. I wouldn’t put a camper on it though, as I’m all through with that life style. I’m fully retired so I don’t need a work truck any more, so for me this would be made into a show piece. Kept original though, but no “patina” for me, no it would get a new paint job, all chrome redone, new factory correct interior, you get the picture.
God Bless America
I know F250’s were available with the stepside bed (called “Flaresides” presumably because of the angled tops of the bedsides on the earlier versions.) I had a ’68 250 4×4. Mine had the angled sideboard tops,, leading me to believe this bed came from a later production truck that had horizontal sideboard tops, which was poorer for farm use but better for mounting a cap or ladder rack. Fords of that era had the best tailgate latch chain mechanism for this style bed–the latch “cammed” over center, which pulled the tailgate firmly against the body while pulling the bedsides toward one another to counteract the tendency for the sides to splay out with a bulk load like grain. In fact, Ford in the ’50’s advertised this arrangement as making your pickup useful for hauling feed and grain in bulk. That was when trucks worked for a living. I have also seen these narrow bed trucks with a slide in camper. The space between the back of the cab and the rear fender on each side became useful space and often a storage box or a rack for a large cooler was mounted on the bed step in that area. In any case, a very desirable, cool old truck!
I like this truck so much that I don’t care if it’s factory original or was altered somewhere in the last 50 years.
My dad bought a ’69 F100 longbed fleetside that was this exact same color in the fall of 1991 for the princely sum of $500. We went searching for an old beater truck to clean out one of his rental properties after one of his tenants unfortunately trashed it. The paint wasn’t nearly as nice as this one as it was all oxidized, but the hood had a similar amount of surface rust. His truck had the 300-cube six with the 4 speed. In granny gear it was so slow you could get out and walk beside it. Ahhh the memories.
As mentioned, I’ve had several of this vintage Ford pickup, and drove several more for delivery jobs, none better. This truck is a composite of 2 Fords I had, a ’68 F250, regular box, 360, 3 speed, and the other was a 1970 F100 flareside, this green, 6 cylinder, 3 speed. It had been a county truck. We called ALL of these trucks “stepsides”, just because they had a “step on the side”. The green clearly indicates municipal duty, and the rear bumper for pulling equipment around. I don’t think that green was available to the public. It’s equipped like a municipal truck, no P/S or P/B, again, I have a neighbor with a F100 like this, no P/S, she’s afraid to drive it, the steering is that hard to turn, again, municipal trucks were bare bones. Great find, P/S will set you back at least $500 bucks plus labor, another $500, easy,( I checked for my neighbor) and you simply can’t drive this without it. Great find.
Howard A, I always enjoy reading posts from you, Geomechs and a few others that are apparently a bit older than my 53 years, I always learn something from you guys.
Is it just me or is the color of this truck very similar to that of the old Sears-Roebuck delivery/service trucks from years ago?
Long wheelbase stepsides have always looked ungainly to me.
I drove Army deuce and a halfs without P/S so if I were younger this should be a piece of cake.
I Like it and would leave it pretty much as is. Repair/service it mechanically, correct interior via SMS or similar. I do think adding PS and for the Florida heat, AC, but that’s about it other than cleanup. I dig the patina as long as no rust issues or major dings, so all good there for me.
Good dependable drivetrain. 360 wont win any races but they are long life engines although I’ve seen many of these FE series engines that leak oil from the valve cover gasket area. I will never understand why ford had the valve cover extend over the top of the head and over onto the edge of the intake. Just seems like they were asking for oil leaks to develop.
This particular pickup strikes me as pretty genuine. No frills, just an honest capable hard working vehicle. I’m glad it’s been saved. Hopefully it goes to an appreciative home.
I don’t recall reading the word patina in the write-up on this truck and, maybe it’s just me but, on this one, it looks a bit fake to my eyes. The side of the left front fender and possibly the left rear look almost like someone used a d.a. sander on them, then left the truck outside for a time. Either way, I’m not a fan of “patina” on vehicles, that’s something that belongs on antique furniture and bronze statues. The color actually reminds me of the trucks used by Sears-Roebuck on delivery/service vehicles back when I was a kid. If I was to buy this one, it would definitely be receiving a fresh paint job as soon as I made sure that it was mechanically sound and road worthy. After that, I’d drive it regularly.
Howard A, I always enjoy reading posts from you, Geomechs and a few others that are apparently a bit older than my 53 years, I always learn something from you guys.
Is it just me or is the color of this truck very similar to that of the old Sears-Roebuck delivery/service trucks from years ago?