1982 ford f150

[Harlow]

I got a chance to buy one for $500. Running not sure on the engine but its got a manual transmission. I know its not a mopar but I want a cheap truck to use as my daily driver, since I think it will be cheaper to buy the truck than fix the collision damage on the old volvo 240 wagon. Anyone know anything about these, are there any major problems with these that anyone knows about? It seems like a great deal, it just had a new clutch put in and new timing gear. I'd love to drive my Sport Satellite but its really not ready, plus I don't have a truck and it would be nice to be able to haul stuff/my satellite. Anyone got any idea on how the fuel economy is on these trucks?

- Scott

[dkn1997]

buy it and flip it.  silver will give you 5 grand for it.  he likes those

[Charger_Fan]

Which engine does it have? Is it a 2x4 or 4x4?
If it's a 300 6-banger, they will run forever as long as you keep oil & coolant in them.

[Charger1973]

Take the hood off your volvo and stomp on it til its flat.  Get a set of hoodpins.  Duct tape the headlights back in, and drive it til its dead.  Save your money for the Mopar.   

[Steve P.]

Years ago I maintained a fleet of them.  6 cyl. 3-OD and 4 speed granny.  They were good trucks and put up with tons of abuse. I just hope you don't end up with one of them.. haha....   

They only complaint I had with them was weak factory shocks and rust.. You probably won't find anything that old with factory shocks.....      

If the body is good and it runs fairly decent, buy it.. $500 is nothing for a running vehicle..  If you don't like it after driving it for a while, resell it.

There is an ass for every seat..

[Silver R/T]

as long as it runs I dont see why not buy it. How bad is the rust on it?

[mikepmcs]

BUY IT!!!!!!!

[Harlow]

as long as it runs I dont see why not buy it. How bad is the rust on it?

I've only seen bad pics of it but it doesn't look like its got much rust issues. I'll be talking to my dad about it more tomorrow and I'll let you guys know if I buy it or not. The thing is I really want/need a truck and the price is right. I also wanted something that was older looking but didn't get too bad fuel economy, anyone know what I should be getting with this truck, that is if its a 6 cyl.

- Scott

[is_it_EVER_done?]

You will probably only get about 10 MPG whether it's a 6 or 8. If it's an 8 it will more than likely be a 351M which though durable, don't have much power. However even the new trucks only get about 14, which seems to be a brick wall for gas mileage even with EFI etc. My 75 F250 390 gets a touch over 14 MPG which is excellent for what it is, and is nearly equivalent to friends that have new trucks.

On the plus side, Ford trucks are near bulletproof from a component strength standpoint and are one of the last great values left given the cheap prices that the older ones sell for.

[bigblock4speedman]

If it runs good and is not in terrible shape, buy it! It's a good deal, they are good old trucks, had many of them.  If it's v8 it's probably a 302 2brl carb.  they usually get 12-15 mpg. 302 and 300 6 banger are good engines and get about the same mpg.  Sounds like a good deal, good luck.

[rt green]

i had an 83 for a a lot of years. millage was so-so. had the 302. auto. was a good truck. when i got my '88 f 150, i sold it to my brother so his kid could drive it to  school. what he did was take the intake and crab off, and all the plumbing involved, put on a edelbrock intake and carb. 4v .  gas milage improved alot!  why didnt i do that?  he did it because what ever he did, it would always run lean.  didnt do it for the performance. 

[Charger_Fan]

I got about 12 mpg in my 81 F150 4x4 300 6-banger. If the one you're looking at is a 2 wheel drive, it might get 1 or 2 mpg better. My 4x4 was sorta low geared & the engine was always spinning pretty fast on the freeway. A higher geared rear end (around 3:08) would get better mileage.

Here's my truck the day I sold it about 5 years ago.