Having survived the hard life of a pickup truck, this unrestored 1968 Ford F-100 Ranger short bed is an unusual beauty to see. Trucks in general rarely survive as well as this Ford has, and really it doesn’t get much sweeter than this. Packing a rock solid interior and exterior, a stick shift V8, and a short wheel base, this Ford may even be a unicorn for some. With a whopping 76 bids, this Ford is currently bid up to $12,100. Take a look at this beauty here on eBay out of Woodruff, South Carolina.
Under the hood is a 360 V8 mated to a 3 speed manual. The truck is described as fully functional and capable of daily driver duty. The engine bay is reasonably clean, but there may be a chance to finely detail under the hood. One great thing about this truck is that it does appear to be original, and unmodified. So it is certainly a bit of a time warp.
Relatively clean, and in fair condition, the interior shows well with only minor details to make a fuss over. The biggest one being aftermarket speakers mounted in the doors. I am not a fan of cutting up doors and door panels, but this isn’t a Ferrari. Let’s face it, we all need some good tunes in our classics. There is some minor dirt build up on the door panel crevices that may very well clean up to lend more of a clean and orderly appearance. The seat may be wearing a cover, as I can see cording underneath of the seat bottom cover. You will find a couple of cracks on the dash board, but as a whole this truck is very nice.
Washed and waxed up, this truck looks like a “Million Bucks”. There are a few minor issues with the paint, that don’t really take away from the appearance of the truck. If you are seeking perfection, then a paint job would be in order. The body work is all very straight and damage free, minus the hood. There are a few minor dents and dings on the hood, but thankfully the rest of the exterior appears sharp. The interior of the bed has accumulated some patina over the years of service. You will find scratches, dings, and very minor surface rust. All of the exterior trim is in excellent condition, and the only real issue with the bright work is a slight bend in the rear bumper. If you are looking to be the caretaker of a not so common working survivor, then this ’68 Ranger may be for you. What would you do with this Ford F-100?
A 360? Sure you don’t mean 390?
The 360 was an FE engine used in trucks of that era. The owner says it’s a 360 in the ad, there is no reason to doubt that claim.
This is a beautiful looking truck.
Steve R
Strictly a truck engine. It replaced the 352 beginning in 1968. The 390 was also an option.
I would coyote swap it!
A nice solid survivor with the preferred short bed, a V8 and low mileage. The writer is certainly correct in pointing out that finding a 50+ year old pickup in good, original condition like this one is pretty rare. The Ranger package really dressed up these F100s and those wheel covers are a classy touch. Give it a thorough detailing, gas ‘er up and enjoy it.
Nice find. Price is only justified by it’s rarity today. Very few short boxes were sold, the reasoning there was, “what are you buying half a pickup for?” People bought pickups to load full of stuff, maybe even side boards for more yet, and used them until they broke in half. It wasn’t until trucks became suburban rides, that short boxes became more popular. This a great ride, however, the 1st thing the new owner will have to do, it put power steering on. I have a neighbor with a truck like this, little newer, 6 cylinder, manual steering, and you forget what a pain it is. With the V8, even harder to steer. And those manual brakes will take some getting used to. Amazing some yahoo didn’t order it when new, but that was very common. Being the driver of an older pickup, I’d never pay this much for one. It’s still a ’68 Ford pickup, and stops, handles and wanders like one. I can just imagine someone unfamiliar with these, pays their 5 figures, hops out of their 2019 F150 into this, with a rude awakening, and heaven help them if it’s snowing, they get stuck going downhill in the snow.
Howard A, I live in New England and have always had a 2WD pickup for winter driving; never felt the need for 4WD. I put real snow tires on all four corners (not all-season tires, they’re crap), put some weight over the rear axle and I’m good to go. Plus, my pickups have always had a stick shift which helps. I used to leave my house at midnight and drive about 10 miles to go snowplowing, quite often through heavy snow. Always got there and back.
I learned to drive on my dad’s 1967 F100. Manual steering and brakes, 352, 3 on the tree, no radio.
Very nice truck, I like it.
Howard makes some interesting points. I haven’t driven a pickup of this era in decades. If I jumped into one today, I would probably be shocked how crude they now feel. I admit I’m quite pampered by my modern F150.
Which leads to this thought: was the owner of this F-100 ahead of their time? Was this truck used like most trucks are used today (me included), as a “suburban” truck— in four-door form, great for hauling people; convenient for big box store runs; useful for the occasional chore involving moving stuff. But for the most part, they are commuter vehicles. With the limited wear and tear, it looks like this truck may have lived a similar life.
My first truck was a F100 4wd version of this, 390, granny low single speed t case, manual steering power brakes. Now you need the crew cab F150 just to fit the car seats, they need to be rear facing, and if you’re tall you can’t do it in a smaller car, SUV and still be able to fit behind the wheel to drive. Always wanted a crew cab in this body style though lol.
Nice pickup,always had a soft spot for the short ones. Speaking of ordering vehicles and power steering, last Sunday at breakfast a lady related the story of buying a new Fairlane from the local Ford dealer.Her husband didn’t like power steering and had the dealer remove it from the car setting on the lot to make the sale,my how things have changed.
Interesting little story, yes times have changed.
My power steering story: my dad was driving a 1966 stripper F-100 work truck (short wheelbase Flareside), no power steering or power brakes or much else for that matter. In 1970 it was time to buy a new family car, and he went to the local small town Ford dealer to order a new Torino. Being cheap, he did not order power steering, “I don’t have it on the truck, I don’t need it on the car.” Well, he soon realized the car drove very “hard” and decided a little bit of a modern convenience maybe wouldn’t be such a bad thing, and thus the car fell out of favor. Eventually it was traded for a 1972 Gran Torino, which had many conveniences… including air conditioning.
The 1970 Torino was purchased by a family friend, a widow lady…. who had power steering installed.
Figures, one of my most wanted vehicles but just can’t stretch to 18K CDN for this. Plus you’d need to own a corner gas station to afford the fuel for a 360, next to the 400M the absolute worst engine for consumption ever built…. ;)
Nice looking truck. They were plentiful in my era, but this would have been an undesirable, hard to sell unit. The 360 was an oil spewing, gas sucking pig of a motor. And the three on the tree with non power steering and brakes would have you running off to the next guy selling a better equipped one.
Whew, you are grumpy. The 360, and all these FE big blocks were just the best motors made. They all sucked gas, but they pulled many a camper, boat, equipment trailer, you name it, without complaint. I’ve had lots of trucks, mostly Fords, and I have to say, these motors were simply the best.
I guess I am a bit grumpy lol. I am a retired mechanic, I have probably worked on too many of them. I much prefer my newer truck with a 4.6 that doesn’t leak oil, knock or suck gas. As for looks, the older models are far superior in my opinion.
Talking FE, my 428SCJ was a good puller, but a lot more maintenance.
The 352 in my dad’s 1967 F100 never leaked oil and got decent mileage. At 20 cents a gallon nobody cared. Even when gas doubled in price it took a little less than 1/2 tank to go between Pittsburgh and Columbus.
Just what I need, another truck I can not drive in the winter. Here is my summer only truck a F100 Custom. Bought it new for less than 6 grand Canadian. But I really want this 68. I have the room, mabe I should. Boy this is a great truck
Is that a 1961 Chevy Impala in the background?
yes, Bob C, 1961 Impala Super Sport, 350 horsepower, 348, 4 speed Ford trucks and Chevy cars Does not get any better Morley
Wow, a 348 in its last year, also the debut year for the 409, right?
What a beauty!! I can’t remember the last time I seen a 60’s Ford pick up in this incredible, original condition. Sure, It’ll go for big money, but try to find another one.
Really clean nice truck!! I had a 360 in a 69 ford with the three on the column!! It was a torque monster!!! Great truck looks just like the one I had but my grill was painted white and the truck was red!! Brings back some memories!!!