Looking at a '71 Ford F100 - anything to watch out for?

Been looking for a pickup for yard work and general errands, and ran across what looks like a good deal on a '71 Ford F100. I'll be looking at it tomorrow. The truck is a pretty stripped down one (well, probably not by 1970s pickup standards): 302, 3 on the tree, and power nothing. It's a two wheel drive model. Anything in particular I should watch out for?

Rust.

I had a '79 F100 for awhile (Rusty Thunder), and it was particularly cheap and easy to work on. Water pump $30, stuff like that. I did bust a brake line once, not even an emergency stop. Make sure that stuff is okay before you take off across the country (or across the town).

Don't drive it fast.

I like the trucks that were more implements than commuters. Beyond the mechanicals, there isn't much else - rust in the cowl is a killer for these (dash top connecting to firewall. Cab corners are not as big of a deal. Other than that, worn shift linkage will bind up and hacked wiring...we had a 69. 71 was the beginning of the ranger and explorer trim packages.

Oh, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts will probably have everything you need as far as support and technical info.

Just in case you hadn't found it yet.

Other than the aforementioned rust, just be sure to drive it and be comfortable with the "ergonomics". A friend bought a similar old Ford pickup and it ended up that his wife was needing to drive it more than he did. With manual brakes, manual steering, and a clutch and gearshift to work, it did not suit her.

I'm not saying yer a girly man or anything...

The Fords of that era tended to phase in disk brakes. I'd want them if they aren't there already. The brakes up through 79 bolt on.

He is in Georgia, rust should not be too bad.

They are great trucks. I have had two and still have the 1970 I drove for 12 years. Watch for rust at the back cab supports and on the seam midline on the box. If it starts to rust there you can't stop it . Power steering is an easy bolt in from a newer truck, cab has lots of room with the three on the tree, rides really nice.

http://www.bumpsides.com/ is the website you need.

I have never understood why they are worth so much less than the chevs of the same vintage.

Thanks, everyone! My wife will need to drive this thing occasionally, so we're both going to take a look at this one.

btp76 wrote: The Fords of that era tended to phase in disk brakes. I'd want them if they aren't there already. The brakes up through 79 bolt on.

I'm not sure when they were phased in either, but it's a good idea. Put in power steering while you're at it, it's also a bolt on. I have a '66 F100 (which is basically the same chassis) and with manual steering it's a bear to park.

Also add a power brake booster if you don't have one. Makes the drums pretty tolerable.

stuart in mn wrote:

btp76 wrote: The Fords of that era tended to phase in disk brakes. I'd want them if they aren't there already. The brakes up through 79 bolt on.

I'm not sure when they were phased in either, but it's a good idea. Put in power steering while you're at it, it's also a bolt on. I have a '66 F100 (which is basically the same chassis) and with manual steering it's a bear to park.

Chevrolet went all in with disks on trucks in 71. All 70s are drum, all 71s are disk. A friend in high school had a 75 f100 (4x4) with drum brakes.

Not sure what the info about Chevy trucks has to do with the topic at hand, but I looked it up - Ford two wheel drive pickups went to standard front disk brakes in 1973. The four wheel drive trucks may have been later.

MadScientistMatt wrote: Thanks, everyone! My wife will need to drive this thing occasionally, so we're both going to take a look at this one.

Oh boy... hope she's not petite... my '71 F100 with manual steering was a bear to steer. It was a 4x4 with 31x10.5" tires, tho...

Crawl under and check the forward cab corner mounts. They love to rust there.

I always remember how the doors on that truck closed with a solid "thunk" that would put a Mercedes Benz to shame... last of the trucks Ford built "the old way..."

FTE is "meh". Never heard of the bumpside site before. My personal fav is Fordification.

I don't know why everyone thinks the manual steering is so bad. With a proper, original (big) steering wheel, radial tires, proper air pressure and everything greased nicely they don't turn bad at all. Slow, yes. Hard, not so much. I don't care for the numb power steering so am sticking with Armstrong steering.

Disc brakes are a direct swap. I did manual, but I may consider going to boosted even if I'm not a fan simply because I tow.

There are two reasons for them to be miserable to steer- If its just really, really hard to turn, the front cab mounts have rusted and collapsed, and the cabs firewall is sitting on the steering shaft. If its really, really hard to turn, plus requires intense concentration to keep it between the ditches ( as opposed to the normal Ford twin I beam wandering) you may have a seized kingpin. The most frightening vehicle I've ever driven, other than a Chevette I once got up to 70 mph, was a 69 F100 with a worn power steering box and one seized kingpin. "Wander" does not come even close to describing it...

I see the bumpsides site has kind of died. The content is gone and it has a different look. It used to be a very good place for info.

Update - Took a look at it today. Turned out it had been a Florida truck and had a bit of rust in the front quarters but nothing fatal. However, the three on the tree turned out to be a deal breaker - the linkage was worn out and tricky to deal with, and my wife couldn't handle that at all.

Thanks for all the tips! I just might see if I can track one down with either an automatic or a floor shift.

They make a floor shift conversion for them but it's a cut-a-hole-in-the-floor retrofit that winds up too close to the seat. The 4 speed is still fairly clunky with a really long 'magic wand' type shifter but it's at least easy to understand.