The owner of this 1968 Ford F-100 Ranger says that it is no trailer queen, but that it is a tidy survivor. This Raven Black beauty would benefit from a light cosmetic restoration, but if the next owner didn’t feel inclined to undertake that sort of work, then it could be driven proudly as it currently stands. With classic pickups continuing to grow in popularity, I’m not surprised that the bidding has been quite strong. However, it does still remain in the sort of territory that makes it an affordable proposition. The F-100 is located in Holiday, Florida, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has made it to $7,100, and with the reserve now met, a new home isn’t far away for this old beauty.
The F-100 looks quite good from a distance, but when you get closer, you can see that the Raven Black paint is really showing its age. This is particularly obvious along the body-line just above the side strips, where there is also some evidence of corrosion beginning to form. It would probably be a smart idea for the next owner to address this quite quickly because, in overall terms, this old Ford is too nice to let go to wrack-and-ruin. There is some rust in the bottom of the tailgate, but this would appear to be the only penetrating rust in the entire vehicle. Even this should be pretty easy to address with patches because it hasn’t advanced too far. The panels themselves look to be nice and straight, with no signs of any significant dings or dents. The underside of the vehicle wears a coating of surface corrosion, but it still looks solid. There is some corrosion visible around the door hinges, so it might be worth the effort to inspect and treat this before it can deteriorate. The owner has had the good sense to fit a plastic bed-liner to the vehicle, and while I am a strong advocate for these, I would still be inclined to remove it just to check that all is well beneath it. If everything looks okay, then it is an easy matter to refit it. The condition of the trim and chrome is well above average for a workhorse of this age, while the glass also appears to be in good condition.
With a 360ci V8 under the hood, this old Ford has 215hp at its disposal. That should make it a pretty respectable sort of tow vehicle, and easily able to cart its intended ½-ton payload. Backing the 360 is a 3-speed manual transmission, while there is no power assistance for either the steering or brakes. The engine bay looks nice and clean, but this isn’t all about appearances. The F-100 has recently received a new fuel tank and sending unit, a new aluminum radiator, and 4 new tires. The fuel pump has been replaced, while the engine also wears a new carburetor with a manual choke. The shifter for the transmission was a bit baulky, but a new set of shifter bushes has fixed that issue. With that list of work completed that leaves nothing for the next owner to do, because the F-100 is said to run and drive well.
The interior of the Ford looks to be in really good condition and is free of the sorts of wear and tear that can afflict a workhorse. There is a radio/cassette player fitted to the dash, but otherwise, the interior remains original. There is some wear on the rim of the wheel, but there is little else in the way of wear inside the vehicle. Some of the plastic is showing the sort of discoloring that comes with age, but there really is nothing for the next owner to do but to vacuum the carpets, give everything a wipe over with a cloth, and then hit the road.
This 1968 F-100 Ranger isn’t perfect, but it does appear to be honest. There is no doubt that it would respond really well to a light cosmetic restoration, but it is a vehicle that has no immediate or urgent needs. Even as it currently stands, it is a classic pickup that is sure to attract plenty of attention wherever it goes. The popularity of these pickups is continuing to grow, so if this one stacks up when given a personal inspection, it could potentially be quite a good thing to own.
Major rust on left side drives door top hinge, how could you is that…..
This truck reminds me of a day in about September 1966. I was 10 years old and a “car nut”.
My experience with pickups to that point was that they were exclusively work vehicles; construction crews, oil field workers, and farmers drove them. This was reinforced by my dad’s work truck, a stripper F-100 short wheelbase Flareside 6-cylinder 3-speed manual. But things changed that day.
I made my regular visit to the local ma-and-pa Ford dealer in my small town to check out the latest inventory. On the lot was the first of the restyled 1967 models. It was a Ranger, like this one, white with a red interior. I was mesmerized by what I was seeing. Not only the new styling, but everything about this particular truck was different: outside, the bodyside and rocker moldings, the tailgate trim, whitewall tires, full wheel covers. Inside, nice vinyl upholstery, door panel trim, headliner, instrument panel trim. V8, automatic, power steering and brakes, it might even have had air conditioning. The option list was very long.
This truck was worlds away from what I was used to seeing. It was even more unusual given the lower-middle-class blue-collar area. A F-100 equipped and trimmed like an LTD?
I brought it to my dad’s attention, and I seem to remember forcing him to take a look himself. His comment was something along the lines of “well I hope no one is going to take it offroad.”
I never learned what happened to the truck. It wasn’t at the dealer very long, it must have been a customer order as opposed to being for dealer stock. I don’t remember seeing it around town.
In hindsight, it is amazing to realize what evolved over the next 50 years. Now, nicely equipped and trimmed pickups are the norm and are a very large part of the automotive landscape.
There’s a near-identical twin to this one in my hometown. I remember seeing it on the showroom floor in all its original glory. The first thing that caught my attention was the ‘390’ badge on the fender; it was quite a novelty to see anything other than the standard engine in a pickup back then. The guy who bought it was a good friend of my dad’s. I think he merely gave in to the pleadings of two of his boys who happened to be with him at the time. They bought the truck and proceeded to drive it home, then immediately returned with the hood in the bed. The latch broke and the hood flew up. Fortunately, they had tools with them and were able to remove the hood so they could at least see where they were going. Ford and the dealership made good on all damages and they were able to bring it home and use it for the next 52 years (and counting). It went through five boys and a girl on the farm and is now enjoying semi-retirement…
This is on my short list but not in black. Nice truck if the money stays right. Prefer a manual and because it would not be a work horse, for once, I would prefer the short bed.
I think that truck is Swiss cheese and the seller is not being completely honest. He mentions that the only rust is a little on the tailgate which is clearly not correct. The bed seam rust forms where the top and bottom halves of the box side are bent and spot welded together and the only way to fix that is to separate the two halves or find a new box. And I see lots of other rust. Been there and thrown the box away.