Vehicle Description
It's no secret that we love vintage pickup trucks, and clean honest
ones like this 1969 Ford F-100 Ranger are our favorites. Not
heavily modified, not slammed, not wearing goofy 20-inch chrome
wagon wheels, it's instead not too far from what you would have
driven home to the farm from the Ford dealer in 1969, and we like
that a lot. With a few updates for more power and comfort, this
truck is really dialed-in.
The familiar Wimbledon White finish is quiet and clean, just the
way trucks like this should be. Ford wasn't doing flashy in 1969,
this was a working man's tool, not a fashion statement, so it was
attractive but not over-done. It was repainted eight years ago, and
while it has a few minor signs of age and use, the truck has lived
an easy life in the South and presents very well today. Nice, but
not a perfect trailer queen. The bodywork is straight, the panels
line up nicely, and the bed hasn't been bashed. The chrome and
stainless trim gives the upscale Ranger its more sophisticated
look, particularly with the bright streak along its flanks. A
great-looking grille (a rare find for the '67-69 F-100s), shiny
chrome bumpers, and a tailgate with big bold FORD lettering all tie
it together quite neatly. And if you still want to put it to work,
the bed is protected with a spray-in bed liner and a set of chrome
rails.
Handsome tan upholstery is clean and elegant against the white
paint and it all looks fresh because just about everything inside
this truck is restored. The door panels and dashboard have been
replaced and look almost new, while the tan vinyl bench seat is
just about how it would have been when it was new, offering a
commanding view of the road and good comfort for longer hauls.
There are rather plush carpets on the floor and yes, that's a
4-speed Hurst shifter in the center, making this one a bit more
entertaining than the usual old pickup. It has also gained a
wood-rimmed steering wheel, a column-mounted tach, and nice-looking
factory gauges to monitor the vitals. There's also an
AM/FM/cassette stereo radio in the dash and a sliding rear window
for warmer days.
While most of these trucks got torquey inline-sixes, this
particular truck sports a torquey 360 cubic inch V8 that's unique
to the F-series trucks. Fully rebuilt around six thousand miles
ago, it's got an upgraded cam, Edelbrock intake manifold, and a
Holley 4-barrel carburetor living under a chrome air cleaner. Ford
Blue engine enamel on the block stands out against the satin black
engine bay and a giant radiator keeps it nice and cool.
Ceramic-coated headers feed a 2.5-inch exhaust system with
glasspack-style mufflers, so it's got that familiar Ford rumble and
the 4-speed manual transmission was just fully rebuilt and snaps
through all of the gears with authority. The undercarriage is
nicely detailed with a light dusting of undercoating, but nothing
heavy enough to hide trouble; it's just there to keep things
looking neat and clean, and the heavy-duty 9-inch rear end hangs on
sturdy leaf springs that actually ride rather well. Rolling stock
consists of those attractive Ford aluminum wheels wrapped in fat
255/70/15 BFGoodrich radials.
As you can see, there's a lot here that we really like. The work is
recent and nicely done, the engine is very strong, and the truck is
a blast to drive. Still very affordable and still willing to work
now and then, a hobby vehicle like this makes a lot of sense. These
trucks never last long, call today!
