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Worth Rescuing? 1971 Ford F100 SWB

There’s nothing quite like a farm-fresh pickup to get my attention! Peeking out from a dark lean-to in Cibolo, Texas, this fifth-gen Ford F100 is a real diamond in the rough. According to the ad, it’s been sitting since around 2004 and unfortunately doesn’t have a title. It is from 1971 and can be found here on eBay with a current bid of just over $1,000. For a running/driving truck of this vintage, that is a pretty good bargain even without a title. The other bonus about this truck is it has a short-box. If the new owner is going to make this truck into a performance/street machine, starting with a factory short box is a big advantage. Let’s take a closer look at this truck and let us know what you think.

If Texas were a dash pad, I imagine it would look like this one. It reminds me of the dry, dusty desert of West Texas and will definitely need to be replaced or removed. This generation of truck actually has a really nice metal dash under that large pad. Along with no title, the truck doesn’t have keys either, but those are easily replaced as well. You can tell by the inner doors the truck was probably Prairie Yellow, to begin with, but with the patchwork of sheet metal, it’s hard to tell for sure. A quick decoding of the VIN tag would tell the real story. The engine is a straight 6 and is said to run. It looks like the factory engine, but another quick check of the VIN tag would tell you for sure.

The ad says there is some rust in the bed and the floor pan but says it’s “nothing too terrible.” With the prices of these trucks going up consistently, it is certainly a bargain at the current bidding. How high do you think it will go?

Comments

  1. Avatar geomechs Member

    Gotta love it. A nice relatively plain pickup that could be fixed up and used/enjoyed. Reliable to a fault. That granny 4-speed will last through a couple of engines. I would do the whole restoration route on this right back to the stock rims and dog dish hubcaps…

    Like 5
    • Avatar bob

      Ebay ad says tranny is 3speed on the floor ( not granny 4 speed). Cab mounts probably rotted away allowing cab to settle and bound up the 3 on the tree linkage . After market floor shifter was the easy fix .

      Like 2
  2. Avatar Classic Steel

    Well lets see here on question “worth rescuing”?

    A.). It’s in a barn
    B.). It’s a patina older truck with the short bed preferred
    C.) It’s still in a barn
    D.). Wait don’t tell me ..whats the name on this rescue site 😜

    Still thinking 🤔 ………..

    Why yes..I do believe its a barn find worthy of rescuing….😉😜👍

    Leave the six banger in it for mileage and drive it like it was “never stolen “ 😮

    Like 5
  3. Avatar Stangalang

    Classic Steel got it…nuff said

    Like 4
    • Avatar Chris M.

      He’s never heard of the old saying, “less is more.”

      Like 1
  4. Avatar Evan

    “For a running/driving truck of this vintage, that is a pretty good bargain even without a title.”

    There are no keys. If it’s running and driving, was it hot-wired?

    Like 2
  5. Avatar FordGuy1972 Member

    If you can get it for a decent price, this F100 looks like a nice one to restore. It’s the more desirable short bed and the rust doesn’t seem to be too bad. The interior needs everything but at least it runs. If you just want a daily driver pickup the straight six will do but I’d be inclined to go with a small V8. After a re-paint in it’s original Prairie Yellow, you’d have a pretty sharp short bed.

    Like 3
  6. Avatar TimM

    My 71 should be here in a couple days!! It was an orange 3 speed with a 302 that was listed at the beginning of the month!! He took my bid even though it didn’t meet his reserve!! I’m excited like a kid on Christmas!! I’m looking forward to getting under that hood and starting to work on it!! This one looks good too but I’ll have to find another place to sleep if I get another one!! She wasn’t happy but she’ll get over it!!! You only live once!!!

    Like 7
  7. Avatar CanuckCarGuy

    Very worth saving, and looks to be a solid starting point. Aside from the ’71 specific grille inserts, everything is readily available. These old bumpsides are growing in popularity…would love to see this restored to original as too many of these are getting caught up, and cut up, in the resto-mod wave.

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Bob_in_TN Member

    I like to travel rural two-lanes when I’m not in a hurry to get somewhere (but nowadays, with the interstates busy and clogged, sometimes the parallel two-lanes are almost as fast… but I digress….). One thing I look for is old cars and trucks sitting out and about. It is not unusual to spy a 25-50+ year old Ford pickup. Sometimes you can see it well enough to realize that most are rusted out messes. This one, on the other hand, looks like a decent project.

    Like 1
  9. Avatar Boatman Member

    I’m curious. Why don’t sellers apply for a duplicate title before selling? It would bring a lot more than the title costs! And why not show the VIN so we can see for ourselves that it’s clean?

    Like 0

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