This 1953 Ford F350 has been in the hands of the current owner for 20 years. It resides in Alaska and has some mechanical and cosmetic woes to sort out – unfortunately, the kind that make you question paying to ship it out of the The Last Frontier. The F350 has a cracked block and is listed here on eBay with a $3,160 Buy-It-Now and the option to submit a best offer.
The thought of buying a vehicle from a place like Alaska or Hawaii always intrigues me, if only because it seems so mysterious to an East Coaster like myself. Plus, diving into its history is always the proverbial rabbit hole for me, as I want to know how it got there and what is was used for. This one has a wider track thanks to its sidestep bed and wider wheels and tires.
Surprisingly, for such a rough exterior, the F350 is tidy on the inside and highly original. The rust the seller mentions isn’t tied to specific location, but the floors look good from the inside. However, underneath is where the secrets may lie, especially for a truck residing in a harsh climate like Alaska. As mentioned earlier, the flathead V8 does has a crack in the block, but the seller mentions the engine and accessories “…were professionally dismantled and packed in oil cloth.”
In addition, all of the original shop manuals and books will come with the sale. Despite looking like something vying for a part in the next Mad Max movie, the F350 seems largely straight with some care taken in its initial steps towards restoration. The extent of the rust needs to be addressed before any conclusions can be made, but the option to make a best offer may alleviate some of the risk for the next owner.
Looks like a good project. I would’ve liked to see some pics of the engine though; that would give the potential buyer a little more information. Going to be a costly proposition getting it shipped back south but it won’t be impossible.
There were a few of these out west in the Chinook Belt, but farms were increasing in size and the demand for 3-tons was growing with them. The ones I remember actually kept pace quite well, especially when compared to the ‘stump-pullers’ from a few years before. The T-98 transmission featured synchros and was somewhat quieter than the tried and true T-9.
What a great truck. Hopefully, it is saved. I understand why they didn’t provide pictures of the engine. It’s already nicely wrapped and you couldn’t tell much from the pictures of the pieces anyway. For you “Mysterious East Coasters” Alaska, unlike Hawaii, is not an island. It is, however, actually further west than Hawaii. It’s a long drive up the Kenai Peninsula from Homer to Anchorage, but it is a really nice drive. There is a lot of barge traffic between Seattle and Alaska by folks like Alaska Marine Lines. It will be expensive, though, so someone is really going to have to want this truck to spend the money to haul it home. Perhaps it will find a home in Alaska, perhaps on a farm over by Palmer.
Very cool truck, dually pickup a la 1953!!! You could find another flatmotor if you wanted to go that way. Would be a blast to leave as is!!
Good luck to the new owner. As the guys said, shipping would be a bear. Put it on a cargo ship and send to seattle???
Could always go on the cheap and throw any old 302 in.
So, living up here in Alaska, I can tell you cars don’t suffer from structural rust or any real detrimental rust for that fact. We don’t use salt on the roads (look up chemical ice) and it gets kind of dry in the winter despite the snow. Down here in South Central, the climate really isn’t that different from New England and is not as cold as the upper mid West. Come up here and you’re likely to see a few malaise-era cars that actually look nice. Shipping from here isn’t too bad with the best companies based out of Anchorage.
Those are very rare front fenders due to extra large opening for 17 inch wheels. Only school bus chassis cab and 17 inch wheel trucks got those fenders.
300 6,and change the gears
Love it!! Interestingand I would guess depending on what part of the country one was in pretty rare. I never remember seeing many 350’s in my part of the country in this form Long Pick-up bed and running board as opposed to a flatbed dually.I never noticed anything in reference to what engine was in it as to flathead v/8 or 6 as both I am sure were available though I don’t know how many larger trucks got 6’s as opposed to the v/8 and I don’t know how many 6’s were offered as I remember the base 6 was a 223 cid and I don’t know how popular that would have been in a large truck. However it is fascinating how workhorses were built in the day and much work produced with little horsepower by use of gearing combinations. I have been a Studebaker lover many years and always fascinated with what they could put out with that lille 169 cid flat 6 they pt into everything from the smallest pick-up tosome extremely large trucks especially until they came out with the v/8 in 51. Guess we owe a lot to engneers
Pretty sure this is original paint and suspect it will clean up nicely. My dad had a 56 this exact color that interestingly enough, he sold to a guy that was taking it to Alaska. It had the 6 cylinder that started every time even after sitting for many months. Learned to drive a stick on it. I would probably buy this in a second it if was closer.
looing at the pix again after others comments it is interesting to note somethingi have always been a fan of and that is accessories which weren’talways bought on work horses and that is it appears to have he delux factory radio. someone wanted to stay informerd where ever they were and the delux model probably wasn’t chosen oven i bet. neat!!
I have fallen in love with this truck!!! If I had the room for it I would leave the body as is but it would get a powerstroke! What an awesome survivor!!
Looks like it’s a dually without the inner wheels on. They are sitting in the back. This is a heavy duty one ton.
It’s actually not bad driving the Alaska or Cassiar highways. I’ve done it multiple times, a couple times pulling trailers. My sister moved down to the lower 48 a couple years ago. They found a guy that drives a reefer full of food up to Alaska from Seattle every week. He gladly loaded all three of their cars in the trailer and brought them to Idaho for a grand total of $3500. Most of the time those guys run empty back to Seattle. He was glad to make that much money on what is usually an empty run. Look for the shipping deals and you’ll find them.