The seller claims this 1988 Ford F150 was sitting somewhere for years before it ended up at a local auction site where it no-saled. Given he ran the auction, he took it upon himself to grab the truck once he laid eyes on it and saw it was a rock-solid survivor that just needed some love. The Ford is equipped with the 5.0L V8, four wheel drive, dual gas tanks, and sports a driver-quality respray. Find it here on craigslist for $12,000 near Medford, Oregon.
It’s always interesting to me see where money gets spent on a project. I typically focus on the mechanical bits first before I worry about the cosmetics, but I’ve come across more than one seller that believes the opposite. I recently bought a Dodge Dakota R/T out of Florida that had an amateur respray done to address the clearcoat peel all of those Mopar products suffer from, but it had a misfire due to a failed crankshaft position sensor. To which I say: why was the paint job the bigger priority over solving poor running condition? The seller admits his truck should still be trailered to its next location yet wears fresh paint.
Now, I suspect most of the time this is due to knowing someone who will cut you a deal on the quick-y paint job. This is certainly what happened with my truck as the seller admitted it was a local guy who was looking to build up his paint shop business that led to the Dakota getting redone. But when I see a truck like this with a gorgeous interior, I wonder if it would appeal more if the paint had been left original. The seller has replaced the seat upholstery, but given how nice the dash and plastics appear to be, I wonder if you could have left the paint in place and just re-covered the seat.
The engine bay is nicely detailed as well, and the seller does claim it runs and drives well. That makes the comment about trailering it to the next location even more curious, as it would seem that this F150 was ready to rock and roll with all the work that’s been done. However, you’ll note he doesn’t go into detail about any mechanical repairs made, so perhaps it came back to life with minimal fuss but critical systems like the water pump, belts, hoses, and brakes have yet to be touched. Whatever the story is, it certainly looks like an excellent foundation for ongoing improvements.
Thanks Jeff. Since your write-up focused on paint, I’ll throw out this observation: I sure do miss the two-tone paint schemes of the era. Examples such as this burgundy/silver with the cranberry interior look good to me. Ford does offer two-tones on certain current models, but they are just simple and subtle tan or gray along the lower rocker panels.
Looks like a nice truck just waiting for some additional (unknown) attention.
Bob, not advertising or Ford, but they are now offering a special “Heritage” edition of the F-150 that has two-tone: https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/06/27/2023-f-150-heritage-edition.html
Agree completely on the two tone comment. There are some two tones, but only on the lower part of the body, and even then they pick the complimentary color. I would assume they got rid of them due to cost and production ease with all the robotic paint sprayers, etc., but that’s only a guest. I look back at all the two tone options available in the 70s and 80s and to me they look great.
Bob,
I’ve seen a newer Chevy truck in two-tone around our area a few times.
Refreshing to see one.
I’m still amazed at the prices on these.I got $5,500 for my ’95 F150
about two years ago.
Collapsed upper radiator hose. Bad head-gasket or worse.
Horrible engine to repair valve cover gaskets and manifolds my friend told me years ago who had one
Was he a Chevy mechanic?
This is a lot nicer 4×4 than that yellow roach that was listed yesterday.
In 2018 I took a one-way flight to CA (home in WI) to buy a sight-unseen 1989 F150 XLT Lariat 4×4 rust free for $3,000. Having never done a cross-country trip at age 27 with no wife, kids, or dog to worry about at the time thought I would make the adventure and challenge. At the time it was the 10th vehicle I owned (usually buy non-runner, get something running & reliable, then sell for a profit). This was the first time I was buying something that allegedly was a ‘no issues’ vehicle. I had owned a 1990 F250 300/6 with a manual, but being a michigan truck, the cancer became too much of a concern (even after the first restoration). Now, from a financial aspect, paying for shipping/towing would have been the right move. However, through the series of breakdowns, befriending strangers, and seeing the country albeit slowly, I don’t regret it. I loved that truck, ended up replacing just about everything on it through the 2 years I kept it (didn’t lose money on it) and received frequent compliments. When I did sell it, I wanted to ensure the next owner showed the same care as that particular truck was undoubtedly a “Christine”. Luckily, I still get to see it on the road from time to time. I do believe the fuel switcher valve which designates which tank to pull gas/fuel from still refuses to work. I finally quit throwing parts at that problem and just expected to top off every 100 miles (~8MPG). Every 100 miles to stop to fill up on a cross country trip was…oddly enjoyable although not the most entertaining at the time. The stories from that trip and that truck were/are incredible.
Collapsed rad hose can be a stuck vaccum valve in the radiator cap and can indicate the system doesn’t leak because it holds a vaccum .
Hmmm, I hadn’t heard of that before but makes sense; probably more sense than a head-gasket issue, as I posted. I was repeating something I had read somewhere.