There’s nothing quite like an honest work truck, and one thing that makes a work truck even better is the space to haul more workers. Located in Gadsen, Alabama, this 1969 Ford F-250 Crew Cab is up for auction here on eBay. At the time of writing, the bid has climbed to $5,000, with nearly five days left in the auction.
Ford began offering crew cabs from the factory in 1965. Prior to this, trucks were sent to coachbuilders to have the necessary adjustments made. 1965 also marked the introduction of the Twin I-Beam front suspension, which would continue to be a feature of Ford trucks for over fifty years. The fifth generation of the F-Series would be introduced only two years later, bringing with it a wider cab, more robust frame, and new engine, interior, and trim options. As the Sixties wound down, pickup trucks would gain many of the creature comforts of passenger cars.
One of these was factory air conditioning, first offered in Ford trucks in 1968, and, strangely for a base model truck, seemingly present in this example. This is not the last mystery in store with this F-250, though. The FE 360ci V8 under the hood was available in 1969 and should be good for 215 horses and 315 ft-lbs. of torque, but the door plate reports that this truck left the Ontario factory with a 300 cubic-inch inline-six. The door plate also reveals that the truck was (and likely still is) equipped with a Borg Warner T-18 four-speed and that it was a special order for the Dallas district office– special order number 0001, in fact.
What wood is left in the bed is shot, but that’s repairable. The tailgate has seen better days, but likely can serve for a few more. Surface rust abounds, but nothing seems rusted through. And while we don’t know if it runs and the title is not even a memory, what is here could be a very cool truck for the right money. It’s better than just cool, though– it’s a work truck. You don’t have to own a pickup in America, but you do kind of have to have access to one. There’ll be a time when you need to haul two-by-fours, or gravel, or a lawnmower, or that new sofa that your significant other just had to have because it matches the armchairs, you know. When that time comes, you’ll need a truck. It should be a truck that isn’t afraid to get dirty. A truck that didn’t cost forty grand. A truck you can scratch and not know you scratched it. If you don’t have a pal you can borrow that truck from, well, you know what needs to be done: talk your pal into buying this one.
Haven’t seen many of these on the road, but flying in and out of USAF and Navy airfields for 20 years they were in abundance as aircrew haulers to and from the aircraft with all of their flight gear. Ugly, uncomfortable, they did the job for a lot of years.
A crew cab Flareside, quite different. A long ways from what is preferred in the collector truck market, but I like it because it is unique.
I got a chuckle out of this…. so you want to mount a huge, heavy-duty rear bumper, one which looks to be made for the wider Styleside bed. But if you do so, the bracket holding the license plate, which is part of the left taillight assembly, would be in the way. The solution? Remount the taillight assembly higher on the bed. But why go to the bother of doing the same re-mount on the passenger side? The result is as shown.
I believe taillights were afterthoughts on these, would look better w a 2×6 wood bumper
I’ve been craving a late 70’s four door J20 Jeep pickup for a while now. Unfortunately it looks like I’ll have to build it myself.
Use to have these and Dodges in the Navy as Duty Trucks in the Navy. They got the piss beat out of them. I know a lot of guys who learned to drive a standard in these. We had one in Key West. GOT THE JOB DONE.
Something looks off kilter about the cab. I can’t figure it out.
As I waxed recently not so poetically I really like the step side bed .But these machines we have before us were NOT built for their looks .This is a great set up for easy access to what ever all those people needed to get to …tools ,grip or whatever ,just handy as a pocket on a shirt .I has a short dodge crew cab 72 I think and it had the most interesting home made “western hauler”style bed on it .I traded the truck off with a regular fleetside short box included and kept the flat bed Thats been over 20 years ago now and I pass it often as I wander around and to THIS day I can not figure why it has a bumper mounted atop the bed Perhaps Ill have someone shoot a snap so I can post that and some of yall can help me figure that out .
I was bemused by the statement of Mr.Parrish that should you not have a truck nor a friend with one ,you should encourage your friend to purchase one ….I have had friends try that one on me for specific need trucks
But it brought to mind a neighbor down the way ran a 90 some acre farm and had never owned a pick up or truck He had hung on much longer to the team and wagon set than most ,then he purchased an Jubilee ford tractor to work his fields and hay the cows off a wagon and he had a one cow trailer that he pulled behind his 54 Bel Air to the sale barn now and then when he needed to sell a pair off Other than that he would trade his cows in the pasture and hired his hay hauled to the barn or as one year he had a bumper crop to ours and then he came with his tractor and wagon hauled it back to his as he feed down Perhaps this is one of the purposes of this forum to prod us down memory lane …Works that way on me for sure
A 360 was available in 1968.
If this was faded red, it would strongly resemble the hi-rail trucks I drove on the D&H railroad back when.