BoxheadTim buys a box of rocks

Well, something roughly as complicated as the proverbial box of rocks...

I've been looking for a truck for dump runs, DIY-related transport and track car towing for a while. I really had my heart set on a Diesel, but the ones I want run $6k-$7k out here minimum and I can't justify that kind of expense after buying the MR2. So today, I went to look at a gas engined truck that looked promising in the CL ad. It was promising, 'cos that's it sitting in our driveway after the seller kindly agreed to drop it off:

It's a '93 F-150 extended cab/long bed 4x4 with the 351 and just a little more than 150k on it. It's as clean as it looks in the pictures, drives straight with no odd front tire wear I spotted and the engine bay is as clean as the rest of the truck.

So far it needs a service just in case and one of the seams on the drivers seat restitching. It also cost me less than what I got for the Miata, and even though I may have overpaid a little I was tired of looking at junky trucks.

Looks great!

Nice. It looks like a damn fine truck. Does it have trailer wiring? What gears? 2 or 3 pedal?

Nice! And you can probably fix that seat with a Mexi-blanket.

I miss my 1992 F150 Flareside 4x4. It had the ever-so-stylish "Nite" package, and looked real sharp. The 5.0 under the hood seemed like it would run forever. I don't miss how much of a PITA it was to replace the brakes, and the rust. Looked like this one:

Two pedal truck, which has the advantage of my wife being able to drive it if need be. Not that she wants to.

It's already got some sort of trailer wiring and hitch, but no brake controller and I don't think it's got the factory towing package, so I'm budgeting for a bigger transmission cooler.

The seats are in pretty good shape so the standard saddle blanket would be overkill, I think. Mind you, they all have them out here so I probably just have to fit in.

Once I had a chance to go through it, I'll get one of those roll up tonneau covers. I specifically didn't want a truck with a camper shell as they always seem to be in the way, but a tonneau cover will come in handy for the odd Ikea run.

It does have a couple of very minimal rust spots, but I figured if that's all the rust after 21 years, it'll probably last me a few more.

I also liked the fact that it doesn't have a 6+ in lift on it, which seems to be de rigeur for trucks out here, but also makes them less usable for road bike transportation and a pain in the bum to load when you're actually trying to use them as a truck.

Man that's clean.

Shucks, I would have traded you my 86 f250 diesel for part of the miata! That one looks nicer though...mine has the typical mid 80s paint peel going on.

Nice score.

Nice. I like those, when they aren't 50% rust. "Mine" was the same but with the 300/6, a 5 speed, and all the rust one would expect from 15 years of NY road salt.

That said, the title had me thinking this

i have a 93 bronco with the 5.0, E4OD, 4x4 and 31's. i berkeleying love it! it gets horrid mileage, even after the 6litre mod (google it, it helps with power and mileage), but i still love it.

-J0N

Thanks for all the kind words!

I didn't exactly buy it for the mileage, I'm guessing it'll do something like 3000 miles a year so mileage isn't that relevant fortunately.

still, an upgraded coil (MSD Street Fire works best), 8mm or 9mm wires, cap and rotor, new, plain jane NGK copper plugs (trust me on this part, no iridium crap, NGK copper PERIOD), and set base timing, spout unplugged, to about 13.5-14.0* adv. plug the spout in, go for a drive, and see if you don't thank me tomorrow.

-J0N

That's a nice score. Those are some long-ass trucks. I once drove the same thing, but F-250.

I always like traveling to states that don't salt the roads. Then you get to see vehicles like this. Nice truck!

Well done, a much better choice than an earlier F-100 for your particular needs.

Nice score! The '92-'96 is my favorite generation of Ford trucks. I had a 1995 F150 for a little while a few years ago. I had the 351/E4OD combo. I bought it for a winter 4x4 beater. Mine was a $2000 farm truck so it was pretty beat. The bottom half of the body was returning to the earth but it ran great. With the 351 it was pretty sprightly considering in weighed over 1k lbs (!) less than the 2006 F150 that replaced it.

And I second what jmthunderbirdturbo said. Fords of that era seem to prefer Motorcraft ignition components and copper plugs. They love the cheap stuff haha.