offthewallds

Hello all,

I'm looking at getting my first F150, heading out tonight to look it over. Specifically it's a 1990 A/T 4x4 with a rebuilt 302 (bored over, new crank, tranny and transfer case seals replaced). The truck was willed to the seller and he had the work performed three years ago. It hits the road a few times a month and he's put less than 1k miles on it since the rebuild.

I've bought and sold many vehicles over the years, but each platform has its quirks to look out for. I'm wondering if there are any electrical or vacuum gremlins to watch out for with these trucks. I'll be carefully looking over suspension and brakes as well as any rust/rot.

Also, what would be the best way to check the transfer case is functioning smoothly? Should be pretty wet tonight so I figured I could shift into 4wd and make some slow turns to feel it tense up on the pavement?

Thanks in advance for your input!

Martian

Moved to 1987-1996

offthewallds

Thanks man. I was debating whether or not to post in introductions or the '87-'96 subforum.

Martian

No worries. It fits in both places, but you'll get more answers for your questions here

BLDTruth

Howdy and welcome,

Luckily with these trucks almost everything is replaceable - what you want to look for is a clean, straight, rust-free frame and body. Ideally crawl under the truck and check for rust and cracks if you can. When you take it for a test drive get it up to speed and look for any major vibrations or rattles. Make sure to drive it enough to let it warm up to operating temperature as some times it won't throw the Check Engine Light until then. In 4WD on my truck I can feel the difference in the drivetrain thru the floorboard but it is subtle.

I would budget a few hundred dollars off of the top to do a basic refresher tune up - plugs, wires, cap, rotor, coil, fluids, replace plastic vacuum lines. Other common failing points with these trucks specifically are the radius arm bushings and axle pivot bushings. If you live in a rust belt state, leaf springs hangers, shackles, spring buckets, even gas tanks - everything can be suspect.

What is the mileage and asking price?

offthewallds

Thanks for the info. My biggest concern with it having sat is bushings/suspension/brakes. Seller said he was setting it up for longer drives so hopefully those components are in good condition. We'll see tonight.

Approx 77k for $4.5k.

offthewallds

Looked at the truck and went on a ~30 mile drive with the owner last night. The drivetrain was smooth as silk and the body/interior were in impeccable shape.

My two kickers that made me walk were an uncomfortable amount of slop in the steering wheel when driving down the road (about 3" either way from center) and a camo paint job (it was a pretty nice camo, but that isn't my style). For the price point, I'd be putting too much money in to the truck to get it where I'd want it.

Thanks for your input and time, guys. Hopefully I'll find something farther down the road.

David Young

Good. $4,500 is for a 'great shape', 'perfect condition' truck. A lot of times a camo paint job is to hide quick fixes on rust repairs.