1972 Ford F-250 Camper Special, Pickup truck F-253 390 Fleetside Sport Custom

1972 Ford F-250 Description

Up for auction here is a really solid 1972 Ford F-250 Camper Special with the Sport Custom option. The ID tag on the door says it is actually an F-253. I don’t know what that means exactly. Does this make it a rare model that is a bit heavier than the F-250? (If you know, maybe you could send an e-mail my way—I would really appreciate it!) It is a pretty deluxe truck for a 1972, with front disk brakes, independent front suspension, automatic transmission, power steering, etc. It has the stock 390 engine in it, which starts right up, does not smoke, and (although it could probably use a tune up) runs pretty good. The transmission shifts through all of the gears well and seems fine also. The rear end doesn’t make any noises that I can hear and seems ok to. It does have some issues with the handling when you get up to speed past about 35 mph. It seems to pull to the left and wander like maybe it needs new tires or maybe the tie rod ends need new ball joints or something, I’m not sure. The wheels look like they are original to the truck, and the tires on it are the tube type that have inner tubes and are VERY old (I think from the 70’s or 80’s, I’m not sure), so that could easily be the problem.

Now I will give you a bit of history on the truck, and then tell you a bit more about it mechanically.

A few years ago I acquired this truck from the daughter of the owner who passed away. The truck had been stored for years, and judging from the smell of the gas, it had been stored for quite a few years.

The odometer and speedometer both seem to work fine, but since the odometer starts over after it reaches 100,000 miles, I am not sure exactly how many miles are on the truck. The current reading on the odometer is 91,586 miles, and I imagine that it has gone over 100,000 miles and is actually 191,586 miles, but maybe not, I’m not sure. The body looks like it has gone over 100,000 miles, but the original green interior, including the floor covering, seat, dash etc. is really nice for a truck this age and looks like a truck with less miles on it than that.

Other than two minor tears where the driver sits, the seat almost looks like new. The headliner is nice with no holes or tears in it. Other than two small cracks in the speaker grill, the dash is in fantastic shape, as is the original floor cover which is incredible with no damage anywhere that I can see.

OK, here is a quick rundown of the condition of the truck and what I think it needs before it is driven regularly. First of all, the fuel line is rusty and leaks, so it should not be driven until a new fuel line is installed. I just plumbed a fuel line to a tank in the bed to test it out, but didn’t drive far this way and would not recommend that it be driven this way. I did install a brand new fuel pump, which seems to work really well. Second, the tank behind the seat seams fine, but the auxiliary tank under the bed has a hole in it, so that needs to be fixed. It needs new tires, a new windshield, and new exhaust system--it has no muffler—just a straight pipe running from the engine to the tailpipe.) The brakes seem to work ok, but I think there is a leak somewhere because when I test drove it, I didn’t brake much before I had to add more fluid. It has some little dings and dents here and there, the largest one being on the driver’s side of the bed, where there is either a poor or unfinished repair job done to a large dent. It looks like maybe someone was starting to restore it and then stopped. It does have the really nice, original Ford stainless steel mirrors that say “Ford” on them and are set up for campers, trailers, etc. . The radio and the ash tray are not in it, but these are readily available on the net if you want to replace them. The inside of the bed looks nice and is in good solid shape and doesn’t have any major dents or rusty areas.

I guess that’s about all I can think to tell you about it, just take a look at the photos and let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to answer them. I highly recommend you bring a trailer to haul it home because it is too dangerous to drive with the fuel line, tires, and leaking brake fluid issues. If you want to send a shipper to pick it up, I will assist with loading, etc.

I think this would make a great truck with a little work and could be a really nice show truck if someone wanted to put some time and money into it. I do have a clear title for this truck and it is in my name. I will need a $200 deposit received within 24 hours of the close of the auction and the truck must be picked up and paid for within 3 weeks of the close of the auction. Thanks for viewing this auction!