ptharris4990

Hi All,


I just joined the forum as I am looking at an 86 F150 with a 300/C6 in it and as I have never owned a Ford before I have some questions I'm hoping to get guidance on before I pull the trigger. Also, just a disclaimer, I'm mildly handy under the hood and not afraid to pick up a manual and but I'm no mechanic by any possible definition. Just as context I'm looking at this as a hunting/firewood/drywall hauler not an everyday driver.


First off, I've read about the Dreaded Feedback Carb and am aware that one can't just swap it (and hope for good performance). However, the 300 in this truck is allegedly from a '79. It has what looks to be a stock/OEM carb and the original ignition in it but, there are disconnected wires and snipped vacuum lines everywhere. The truck actually idles fines (better than my 87 Ram did) and drives around at half throttle with no issues. However at WOT it will rev, not shift into 2nd and then kind of backfire. If you let of the gas it up shifts fine and keeps chugging. But it doesn't really want to shift up into 3rd even at ~50mph.


Other info: It has ~149K on it, the 4x4 works great, frame and bed are solid, it has a broken speedo/odo cable or gear, there's a pretty mean oil leak in the front of the engine, tires are decent. It's inspected for a couple more months and the guy wants $1500 for it. I'd be willing to put a couple hundred and some time into it but not thousands of dollars and a year.


I guess I'm looking for 1) thoughts on the old engine with the 86 ignition and 2) is that shifting problem related to a vacuum line not properly hooked up or something more serious that may require a new/rebuilt tranny 3) does it sound like a money pit or good investment.




Any and all input is appreciated, thanks!

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

You can hope for a solid dependable no issues truck for 1500.00, but you can't realistically expect it.
Trucks that have been gone through and had all the major issues taken care of are usually worth quite a bit more.
That said, a truck that runs, drives, turns and stops, with working 4x4 and a body that isn't rotting off the frame is easily worth 1500, I would think.
How close to perfect condition you want to get it to from there will determine whether it's going to be a money pit or not. You will no doubt have to spend some money on it to make it dependable enough to go off hunting and have a reasonable expectation of getting back home in it.
I would think from your description that the scariest issue money wise is the transmission - but they are vacuum operated and if there are vacuum line issues it's very possible that the problem is related. It might be worth the effort to take it to a trans shop for an opinion before you drop your money on the table.
But if the truck is in halfways decent condition overall (especially the body) it's still worth going to be worth money to someone even if the tranny were blown. So you wouldn't be stuck with a worthless pile of metal and be out the 1500 - you can probably get most of it back from someone else if it becomes a bigger project than you were planning for.

1967 Tempest

Most likely a vacuum issue or a leak in the fuel/air system under carb etc...

I have an 86 with a feedback carb and have zero issues.

Broken speedo cable is like a 20$ 5 minute fix.

Join the club on oil leaks on a 300. The oil pan gasket leaves a lot to be desired. I paid $800.00 for my truck and have around another 3K in repairs and upgrades.

E-Fans, new tires, rims, exhaust (Single with cat as I am in NJ), Hood, fenders and doors. I should paint it, but it runs great and after I did a brake and suspension replacement, rides awesome.

That said, I put a lot of time into the truck. Which is technically free. So if you have time, you cant go wrong with a 300 4 speed. My clutch is most likely not original and she shifts fine.

P.S. I have an exhaust leak at the point where the cat meets the manifold. It popps a little on decel.

ptharris4990

Thanks guys. I got him down to 1250 so I'm hoping a few cases of beer and some vacuum lines will do the trick on that tranny. I'm not looking for a show truck or some 400+ HP beast so I'm hoping a little TLC goes a long way.

1967 Tempest

i got mine from a farmer. The last emissions sticker was like 1990. I should have made HIM bring it threw emissions!!!

That said, mine has 117K on it and most likely is 217K. It is still a baby. Change the oil every 3 months or 3K and do REGULAR MAINTENANCE and you be surprised how long you can run that engine.

I was in the same boat on this Ford. buy or not. Best $800 Ive ever spent. He needs cab corners and either a new bed or some sheet metal repairs. then I can paint it. I use a lot of single stage enamel with killer results.

Everyone I know, literally, everyone has used, borrowed or reaped the spoils of this truck. He is basically free at this point.

Got any pictures?

ptharris4990

Going to transfer the title on Saturday then I'll get into the meat of it and probably be right back here posting some more question lol. Apparently the last/first owner was a bridge painter and painted the entire frame with some industrial bridge paint so it's pretty solid underneath. Not the prettiest but as stated above, way low on my priorities.

burnthelight88

What part of southwestern PA? Get the vac lines fixed up first and your tranny issue may disappear... $1200 isn't bad.

That 300 will run forever, just gotta get the rest of the truck to keep up.

ptharris4990

I'm in the Greensburg area.


I've had it out a couple of times now and it's in desperate need of some new gaskets (intake, exhaust and carb all leak). If the weather holds out this weekend that's where I'm starting. That being said I hauled about full load of manure yesterday and made it home with only two stalls at lights lol.


Also I came across another issue I'd like input on if anyone has thoughts. The lights, turn signals and hazards work but the brake lights do not work. I looked around and the wire harness was disconnected from the switch on the pedal so I hooked it back up. But instead of solving the problem this turned the brake lights on all the time, even when the truck was off. Bad switch, fuse, some messed up redneck wiring job???

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Probably the brake light switch. All it does is connect or disconnect the 2 wires (more conveniently than reaching under and doing it, which seems to work)

burnthelight88

Brake light switch is threaded and adjustable. If you look at it long enough it should become obvious how to adjust it. You may need a new one which may explain why it was disconnected. They're cheap at auto stores, like $5. I've had to adjust mine before, no biggie.

Rebuild the carb first, it'll make the biggest difference. Should be a tag on it to identify it, order the parts and a rebuild is pretty easy and fairly cheap. Doing mine made the biggest difference of everything I've done to the truck thus far.