AGrimArtist

Hi, I'm buying my first car out of college. Was looking for a truck and found a 1977 F150 for $500. Seems like a great deal for a first car. I don't know much about cars, I'm hoping this community can help me figure if this is worth it.

Car situation:

Some tenant left their truck after they moved, it was siting there for 5-6 months unclaimed and now the landlord is selling it. It's going to be sold through a lien sale. The guy is old and seems nice, I'm going to help him figure out the paperwork. Not sure how to go about that since he has no idea where the original owner went to.

Mechanical issue:

The guy says that he's driven it, that in his opinion it is mechanically sound with only one electrical issue. Says the car drives for only 20 minutes, then shuts off and has to sit before it will start again.

He says there's a small electric box on the distributor- the brain box- that needs to be replaced. Something to do with the electrical ignition. Once that part is replaced, he says the car will drive fine. He even offered to help me install the new part.

He doesn't recall the term for the part, but says if I ask any mechanic they will know as it is a standard part on all F150s. Does anyone know what they part is called and advice on places I can get one? How much should I be paying for this?

DMV Fees:

He has the original DMV paperwork for the truck, was in the glove compartment. So I was able to do a DMV registration fees calculation on the DMV website. Registration ended Feb this year, but the fees to re-register are about $260.

DMV History:

The DMV calculator revealed that the car is a salvage title. I've read that for older cars, some owners can ask the DMV to put salvage on the title. Not sure if that is true?

I've also read that salvage doesn't always mean the car will be horrible, but you have to be careful and do research on the car's history. Unfortunately, due to the car being pre-1981, I can't find a website that will do the car report. The VIN number is only 11 numbers/letters long, so each site I go to says the number is invalid. From what I've seen, there's not going to be any website with information on this. Do you have any advice on where I can find history on this car?

Would I have to just take this to a mechanic to do a diagnostic before deciding to buy? I've read the DMV has to do a full inspection before they will issue a new registration for a salvage title.

Plan:

I'm planning on taking a friend who has more mechanical knowledge than me and has a history with Ford trucks to look at the truck this weekend. I'll see if maybe there's a local mechanic I can drive the truck to have a look, but I'm unsure how much they should charge for that kind of thing.

So.... advice please! And thank you in advance.

Marc D

The only thing electronic on that year truck's distributor is the pickup-coil inside the cap. It's possible for it to get hot and stop working but I'm not sure 20min. would be enough time for that to happen. It's a good place to start.
The DMV issues are always more of a concern. The "Salvage Title" means the truck was sold to a wrecking yard at some point or was wrecked then paid off by the insurance, then repurchased by someone and put back on the road.
This may be nothing but I'd crawl under the truck and give it a good look over for any frame damage or welded repairs. I certainly would invest a few bucks for a mechanic to look at it before buying. If the DMV has a pre registration inspection in your state, they will look at the entire truck and check brakes, steering, tires and many other operational items. If it doesn't pass, it can't be registered for the road until ALL the items are fixed. You would only receive a title of ownership. Once all the items are repaired you would then have to take it back for another inspection.
This may be a great buy on the truck but only if you are willing to invest some cash and time up front. Good Luck.

JayzDaddy

The box on the dizzy is called an ignition module. Symptoms sound about right. Roughly a $40 part, 2 minutes to swap although you need a special tool to remove the screws. Parts stores have this for about $6. The rest im not sure about. To diagnose these old trucks is pretty easy. Swap the module , check the fluids, and let it idle. Keep a check on the temp and oil pressure. 10 min or so. If it all good hold the brake and give it gas, if they hold the truck back they should stop it. Keep it easy for a couple minutes cruising. Listen to the shifts for clunks. This would probably be bad u joints. If it drives well, floor it. See if it bogs, how does it pull. Lastly do a panic stop. Stand on the brakes while driving 35 or so. Obviously with no one behind you. It may lock up. This is normal. Lastly go check all the lights.

Good old Bill

I agree with Marc on the pick up coil inside the distributor, the Dura spark ignition system had the ignition module mounted on the fender. Go to a reliable Auto parts house for the replacement. They were color coded and are not interchangeable. Look at the colored grommet where the wires come out of the box, red, blue, black, white, yellow are the ones I remember. Buy the correct one the first time. The pick up coil is delicate and challenging to change, you might consider a whole distributor.

ilovefords31

Just to make sure check the inline fuses. If they are blown it will run off the battery until it is dead and then it can run again after it sits. Just a thought.

AGrimArtist

Hi! Turns out it was the ignition module. Thanks for your help!

As for the truck, ended up needing more work to be road worthy than the guy initially told me. So I didn't buy it.

fringe_remnant

They are out there..