1979 Ford F-350 Ranger XLT 4WD Crewcab Longbed Camper Special

1979 Ford F-350 Ranger XLT Description

1979 Ford F-350 Ranger XLT 4WD Crewcab Longbed Camper Special. Custom build, completely refurbished in 2010 from original rust-free AZ builder truck. Body was stripped to bare metal, completely refinished and repainted Plum Crazy Purple (a stock color all body shops can mix) with custom flamework. ALL the steel on this truck is solid, body, frame etc, ZERO rust-through, minor surface rust on a few spots ONLY. The bed has a spray-in liner, with some chips now. Custom ARE Aluminum High-Rise Cap with locking side Windoors & 500#-Capacity roof rack, built to order and painted to match. Less than 15K miles on rebuilt 460 Ford V8, bored .060 over. Engine rebuild was done in 2012, after the truck was delivered to NY, and included new Holley 4-barrel carb, starter, alternator, water pump, etc. New battery in 2017. This truck starts right up, even after sitting for over a month, even in NY winters. Rebuilt 1989 ZF 5-speed manual transmission and matching transfer case (cost over $3K by itself). This fantastic transmission has an electric speedometer sender, but the truck only has the original mechanical speedo, and I never had the conversion done, so the truck comes with a Garmin GPS unit for speed and mileage. Aftermarket tach installed on column.
1979 F-350 Crewcabs did NOT come 4WD from the factory, this one has the front frame and suspension from a 1979 F-250 4WD, welded & fishplated. Leaf springs and heavy-duty shocks on all four corners. Custom built driveline, Dana front and rear axles. Warn manual hubs. 1st gear even in 2WD is GRANNY, it starts out just fine in 2nd gear. Will do 65/70 MPH on the freeway all day, well under 3K RPM on tach. Extra-capacity 35-gallon rear gas tank with aftermarket electric pump, zero vapor-lock, ever. The second side tank was removed during rebuild, but it comes with the truck. Custom exhaust, still rust-free. Brand new windshield & rubber, brand new steering gearbox & front stabilizer. Kumho Road Venture AT LT315/2556R16 tires, 4 on truck all have excellent tread, were new at rebuild. Brand new matching fullsize spare on custom mount in bed, all 5 tires on matching aluminum Mickey Thompson mag rims. Interior redone in custom purple cloth and vinyl, with six sets of matching purple seatbelts (rears need remounting). One Million Candlepower of KC-brand lights on custom front grill-guard: 2 Fog, 2 Driving, 2 Long-Range (long-range are for off-road only, not street legal), all individually switched from illuminated custom panel on dash. 2 integral flush-mounted rear backup lights also switched from dash panel. 12,000-pound front electric winch, with external cabled controller. Winch needs rewiring to battery, I had it disconnected. Custom Class 5 rear hitch, double tube, gusseted and plated, bolted to frame. Brand new trailer-brake controller has been wired in and is ready to go. Custom rock-bar under transfer case. Custom all-steel front and rear bumpers. Custom full-length diamondplate steel side running boards. Custom body-side grab handles. If the buyer wants to return this truck to stock, ALL of the custom steel add-ons will come right off, the body was NOT cut or modified to fit them on (other than the bolt-holes for the exterior grab-handles, which would be an easy fix/patch). OEM bumpers, door panels, etc, are available from several well know dealers.
All of the mechanicals on this beast are in tip-top condition, it just needs some minor interior details and cosmetic work. The clearcoat is peeling on the hood and roof, the paint on the front center of the hood has cracked and flaked down to the steel where it was filled badly by the builder (sigh), along with a section on the front passengers fender. The drivers door needs to be reskinned, it got bashed after the build. There are various small scratches, chips, etc., around the truck, but all in all the paint is in very good shape, other than the three major areas mentioned above. These few major areas of body blemish have been spray-painted to keep rust out. Given the extensive custom flamework, it would probably be easier to just repaint the whole truck. The builder lost one of the original F-350 badges (sigh #3), and only one of the original Camper Special badges was delivered still on the truck, with the insert missing, but I bought original replacements which come with the truck. The F-350 badge can be acquired from a variety of aftermarket suppliers, as can literally EVERY body, trim and mechanical part this truck ever needs.
There are a few details still needed, such as some of the door rubber, a couple window sweeps, door panels to replace the wonky custom wooden ones put in by the builder (another sigh...), seat-hinge covers, and so forth. The heater and defroster work fine, as does the aftermarket windshield washer (controlled from a button on the custom light-panel, not via the original switch on the wiper controller). Two new unopened wiper blades come with the truck. The AC compressor is not installed, but comes with the truck, and according to the builder, is ready to install, but hoses need to be installed. The under-dash ducts are missing, and it is unknown how much of the cabling, etc., to control the AC are there or functional, etc. It does have the premium factory 'Hi-Lo' controls. The horn, lights, signals, wipers, etc., all work and are up to NY State spec. The truck was 100% inspected and legal when I took it off the road last year. It is NOT currently inspected or registered, so it will need to be towed/hauled, or your plates installed, etc., to take delivery.
Mechanically this very rare truck is in great condition, I have taken care of EVERYTHING mechanical: the engine is effectively still new (the rebuild cost $6K); I spent $2K AFTER the build getting all the electrics squared away; the brakes are unbelievable, this stops on a dime; it tracks dead straight; the power steering is flawless and the steering gearbox is brand new; the suspension is still effectively new; the exhaust is still rust-free and tight; the ZF 5-speed transmission is fantastic, great on the freeway; the tires have less than 15K miles (same as the engine); the cap ($4K by itself) is watertight and locks completely; and on and on.
To see the full set of current photos, as well as pictures of the original truck before and during the restoration/customization, the engine rebuild, the rebuilt ZF Transmission at install, etc., visit the following website:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rencraft/albums/72157696581884090
In addition to many spare parts (starter, side gas tank, AC compressor, tons of assorted small parts), included with the truck are many extras, including an original Owners Manual, Performance Specifications booklet, and the full set of SHOP MANUALS in a hard binder: Body, Chassis & Electrical; Engine; and Pre-Delivery, Maintenance & Lubrication. Also included are a variety of original dealer promotional materials: trim package brochures, interior option swatches, etc., over $300 worth of printed materials alone, especially the original Shop Manuals, which are very hard to find on decent shape.
I have well over $40K into this truck, and the reserve is only $6K. That is just what I have into the engine alone. I don't use the truck any more, having upgraded to a new Toyota Tundra that fits in my garage with a snowplow, which this beast wouldn't (I never plowed with it!), and a large cargo trailer rather than the high-rise cap, which is hard for me to get in and out of any more. It hasn't been driven on the road for the past year, but I start it regularly and drive it around my property every few months just to keep things in good condition.
This truck was never my daily driver, it was parked out of the salt every winter (garaged in winter before I got the Toyota), and virtually 100% of the miles since the rebuild are highway miles. The four-wheel drive works perfectly but it has never been off-roaded, I only ever used the 4WD to keep traction on wet grass, etc.
It is a VERY rare truck, especially as a factory Camper Special, and an excellent candidate for full finished upgrade to a show truck, or just an awesome daily-driver. It doesn't need much, just small stuff and cosmetics, and turns heads everywhere it goes, even with the few cosmetic blems. Don't miss out, these hardly ever come on the market anymore...