CLEAN SOUTHERN RANGER, 302 V8, AUTO, DUALS, NEVER ABUSED, RUNS/DRIVES GREAT!!

1972 Ford F-100 Ranger Description

Work or play, there's always a place for a clean pickup truck. Rugged, dependable, stylish and user friendly are but a few words to describe this 1972 Ford F100 Ranger. A southern truck with lots of options and a fantastic color combination, this is cowboy cool at its finest.
Scan the long flanks, covered in bright red paint, and you'll find a very straight pickup. It's simple, no doubt about that, but with a set of flashy wheels, this old farm hand takes on an entirely new look. There's a nice character line down the sides, a bright grille up front and a tailgate with big block letters on it, all of which should look familiar to those of us who grew up working for a living. Being a Southern truck, the cab and bed are solid, and the repaint (which was done quite a few years ago) is clean and holding up well, but this is definitely not a show piece that needs babying. The '72 only grille is excellent, as are the big F O R D letters on the hood. All lights and lenses are clear and work as they should. The bed is clean, and has been protected by a well-done spray-in bedliner that means you should feel free to put it to work on weekends.
Inside, you'll find a wide bench seat in basic black vinyl taking center stage. Rangers came with carpeting instead of rubber floor mats, and that made a world of difference in cabin noise. The two-spoke tiller has been replaced by a deep-dish 3-spoke wheel with a fat rim and the door panels have been painted to match the bodywork to keep everything simple. The gauges are stock and in good order and even the original AM radio is still in the dash. It's not flashy, it's not sophisticated, but it does have an honesty to it that's very appealing and to many of us, this is what a pickup truck should be: simple and no-frills.
Under the hood is a great-running 302 cubic inch V8, a big step up from the standard straight six. It would eventually become the venerable 5.0, and even in 1972, it was filled with beefy parts for strength and effortless torque. Ford Blue gives it a correct look and it has been dressed up with chrome valve covers and a matching open-element air cleaner. For a bit more horsepower, there's a Holley carburetor on top of an Edelbrock aluminum intake, and a recent tune up ensures that it runs its best. A 3-speed automatic transmission makes city driving a cinch and it is surprisingly easy to handle around town or on the open road. The twin I beam suspension and tall gears in the 9-inch rear end make highway travel just as pleasurable. There's a nice rumble from the dual exhaust with glasspack-style mufflers and a reasonable ride even for a hauler like this. The frame and floors are original with a light dusting of undercoating, but it hides nothing. Fat white-letter radials on late-model aluminum F-series wheels set the attitude.
Usually, being rare motivates collectors. This truck conquers with ubiquity simply because there were a staggering 389,337 F100 Stylesides built in 1972. That's more trucks than EVERY Mach 1, Boss and Shelby Mustang ever built! Few, however, survive in this condition. If this is your ideal ride, call us today!