With a 460 cid V8, standard transmission, four-wheel-drive, and nearly immaculate original appearance, this 1983 Ford F-250 in Santa Ana, California checks many boxes for truck shoppers looking for a Ford of this vintage. Bidding here on eBay has eclipsed $4000 and will no-doubt reach a higher number before the auction’s end.
Picking nits, it appears the cap’s rear window is missing and the truck may or may not have air-conditioning. The gas-thirsty 460 and standard transmission will scare off economy-minded and lazy buyers, respectively. The rubber fender flares and aftermarket wheels and tires improve the overall look, though there is something attractive and industrial about the 16″ white steel wheels and “dog dish” hub caps this truck probably wore from the factory.
I’ve owned a truck like this, an ’85 F250 4×4 with the fuel-injected 302 and a four-speed manual. Mine had the interesting combination of a “creeper” first gear and an overdrive fourth gear, resulting in only one usable traffic gear before shifting into the 1:1 ratio third gear, which was effectively the road-going second. Can you say “wide ratio?” Still, I could get 0-60 in 10 seconds and (just barely) 20 MPG on the highway, which seemed like a good compromise. This 7.4 L V8 will make abundantly satisfying torque, though a mileage score of 20 is unlikely measured as instantaneous MPG while descending into an Arizona valley or just after launching off a butte.
Like mine, this Ford features the ever-practical rubber floor mats, perfect for muddy boots, wet hound dogs, and the remnants of hastily-consumed Thickburgers. Air conditioning is neither mentioned nor visible, so assume there is none. Used primarily for desert camping, this pristine Ford dodged the rough duty that leaves many work trucks looking like they were rode hard and put away wet. This one should have plenty of life left to give, though hopefully the new owner respects its cleanliness with a future of similar care. The listing makes no mention of it running or operating, though it is described as “Super tight,” and that’s good, eh? If you found this Ford in a pole barn, what would you ask for it?
Nice truck Todd. Reminds me of the ’91
F-350(?) 3/4-ton long bed currently parked under my carport. It belongs to a
family member that traded us the use of
said beast for letting him store it at our
place while he considers whether or not
he wants to sell it. Like this truck, his
has the 460 V-8 and OMG is it thirsty!!!
Suffice it to say we don’t use it all that
much. A trip to Lakeland and back will
set you back at $30 in gas! This truck
is also an automatic so that explains
the really crappy MPG. Maybe if we
converted his truck to a 4-speed, that
might help a little bit. Anyway, I really
like the looks of our feature truck here.
Even though lightly modified, it still
looks sharp today. That dark blue
paint still looks great and gives me a
great idea as to what color our cousin
should paint his ’91–if he decides to
sell it. Nice truck!
Not sure if u can put a quadrajet on this motor – some torinos had em for emissions reasons. The smaller primaries give u better mpg as long as u don’t put your foot into the floor too often.
I don’t think this truck will see much over 6K, if you don’t own oil stock or a gas station it would be a bad decision to try and win the auction. It has been stored for 30 years because the owner couldn’t afford to drive it and I’m a Ford truck man. If you lose the cap and maybe take it to 4 wheel and off road shows you might be OK but as a DD work vehicle I think not.
Jimmy, I don’t know if you have been watching the trends, but the bigger the motor, the bigger the price.
People buying these old rigs don’t think much about how much they pay for gas.
“Super tight” could be a euphemism for “seized”.
It looks barely used. I think you can thank the 460 for that.
Bought this truck’s mechanical twin new back in 1983 and pig is an understatement. The best gas mileage it was ever able to achieve was about 11 mpg taking it easy on the highway empty and when pulling my car trailer it would drop to about 8 mpg. While a good looking truck having owned one is plenty.
It just looks like a used truck to me.
They are everywhere.
Will pass everything but a gas station, Brutal mileage, Good luck to the new owner!!!
Cheers
Gaspumpchas
Why is it that everyone gets so excited when they see a 454 powered Chevrolet/GMC pickup, yet all they do is complain when they see a 460 powered Ford pick up? Obviously the original owner needed this combination to fit his needs. This is not something the average dealership would order for stock to sell on the lot.
This is a great truck from the days when trucks were workhorses and not plush SUV’s with a bed Crank windows, rubber mat, vinyl bench seat…I love it. Not sure if this is a granny gear transmission but if it is, 4-Lo and 1st with 460ci of monster torque production would have this thing climbing straight up a wall.
And 11mpg isn’t scary when my reference is a 12 years of Full Size Jeep ownership lol
I would gladly own and drive this at 11 MPG, trucks are made too fragile today. Agreed that modern trucks return better mileage, but; there’s a reason why owners dump their small engined, turbo charged modern trucks before the warranty expires…and unless you put significant mileage on a diesel, the return on investment simply isn’t there.
I am the buyer after the first 2 wimped out. I have bought 2 others from “Jim” and they are all FANTASTIC California NO RUST vehicles. My 96 F-150 ext. cab with a 351 is a WIMP in the Colorado Altitude and Mountain Passes, I NEED the power of the 460 if I want to haul anything but myself. Gas mileage on any truck SUCKS !!! If you want gas mileage buy a Prius… My 94 F-150 302 – 5 speed 4×4 only get a couple miles to the gallon than the 351 and I expect this one to be close to the 351, since it is an auto and this one has a stick. And YES it runs – he did $2,400 worth of work to get it driveable. Eat your heart out, I stole this one, he made me a KILLER deal after screwing around with several NON-PAYING BIDDERS… It should be arriving at the ranch in a day or 2. Mike in Colorado.
Hey Mike in Colorado – Thanks for the update! Sounds like you’re the perfect buyer for this super-clean truck. Let us know how it works out!
Here is another one I bought from him.
It is PERFECT – I love it !!! Suits my needs to a “T”. Lot’s of POWER and I have never seen a truck that gets Good Gas Mileage…