A Ford At Fifty: 1966 F100 Pickup
This 1966 Ford F100 short bed pickup for sale here on craigslist in Orange, Connecticut is 50 years old and looks to be in great condition for its age. It has certainly been well taken care of and seemingly not abused during most or all of its long life.
While the seller describes his truck as “unrestored” and “all original,” the photos provided indicate it has had some paint work at some point fairly recently. Maybe it’s had some body work too, though that cannot be determined from photos.
And of course the wheel covers and front fog lights are not in any way original to this truck. The chrome, what little there is on this almost all white truck, is very nice. The accessory mirrors are also handy to have.
This Ford is said to have covered only 78,000 miles in its life, and is used as a daily driver by its current owner. While the truck is located in Connecticut now, the seller says it is originally from the south.
It is equipped with a six cylinder engine and a three speed transmission with shifter on the column. Ford offered both a 240 cid and a 300 cid six cylinder engine in 1966 and it appears this one may be the smaller of the two. Can any of our readers identify it with more certainty than I can?
The seller describes the interior as being original also. I’m not an expert in Fords of this vintage but the seat cover does not look original to me.
The headliner does appear to be in great shape. Ford made almost 225,000 of these short bed Style-side trucks in 1966. They were popular and reliable trucks and many of them were driven until they fell apart. How many have survived?
And the bed on this truck, showing modest wear, looks really good for its age, and does suggest originality more than the body itself.
Truck dashboards were very simple in this era. No gauges here, and not much is else going on to distract drivers, including even a radio. The truck’s window glass is said to be good, but the windshield is noted to have some chips.
The seller says the frame and floors are all good and rust free, though no photos of the underside of the truck are provided. Doors and hinges also look good.
Overall, this is indeed a great looking truck. It is simple to maintain, and can be a really fun collectible you can drive happily every day. I am very fond of short bed styleside trucks like this one, and I’d be very happy with the six cylinder, three speed combination, which make it all the more fun to drive. However, its almost total whiteness, including grille and bumpers, make it look a bit like a refrigerator. But it still has a lot of curb appeal, and I keep coming back to how much fun it would be to own this little pick up.
The asking price is $10,995, which nowadays seems like a pretty good deal. It may not be completely original, but finding a strong fifty year old survivor grade truck at a decent price is not too easy anymore. Any takers here?
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Comments
In NO WAY is this truck original. The motor exterior shot shows the contrast between it being original and that of the body
No such thing as 100% original, but so what. IMHO repainting a vehicle is no different than changing the tires it’s just maintenance. It’s what’s done over the years to keep it fresh looking and running. Would you feel better if this was a rust bucket up for sale with a unrealistic price? Be glad that it is 50 years old and looks this good, think about how much less effort your going to have to put in it to be able to enjoy it.
Boy, 11K. I am so way out of touch! I would have guessed 6K. Nice informing write up David. Thanks, Mike.
For this money and this area of the Country he may be OK on the price. I would want one with V8 4 speed and air for that price though. Still a nice truck and I hope someone uses it well.
It’s definitely had a respray sometime recently. But that’s allowable; paint doesn’t last forever, especially if the truck is used to any extent. This is a truck I’d use as is and enjoy it to the max…
Looks pretty decent. This was back when the Dealership put their name in a contrasting color on the rear bumper. I can’t quite make out what it says, but it might substantiate the claim that it “Comes right out of the south”.
‘One Moore Ford’ North Little Rock (Arkansas)
I lived in North Little Rock for about 20 years. Moore Ford was the most visible Ford dealer in the Little Rock area during the 60’s through the 80’s. Ads everywhere on TV, newspaper, billboards, etc. First located downtown on East Broadway, then they moved to the edge of town on the freeway to the airbase. Somehow their tagline “One Moore Ford” was so common that it was on every TV ad, chrome dealer plate, etc. Everybody knew it. Sometime in the late ’80’s, when the second generation of the Moore family took the reins, things went downhill and FoMoCo or Ford Motor Credit came in and jerked the franchise. The facility has been operated as Northpoint Ford (which is a whole string of dealerships) since then.
I saw an old Crown Vic with the “One Moore Ford” tag on it just the other day. I wonder how that little white truck made it to Connecticut?
@Marvin-Thank you!
The gauges are in the small perimeter around the speedo. This cluster is the same one used in the early Broncos thru 1977.
Thanks Todd for pointing that out. I did not realize the gauges were there. I had a ’76 Ford truck years ago but don’t remember the dash at all.
Ford has had so many great body styles for its pick-up trucks. It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite but this one would be in the top 3.
The seat cover what bit I can see appears to be the same pattern that my Dads ’65 Rangoon Red Wimbledon White F100 had. I later had a ’65 short bed with those same mirrors. I thought they set it off well. Clearance lights would be a nice finish.
pick it apart all you want , its 50 years old truck and its in great condition , enjoy it !!
It’s an honest, no-frills truck from the mid ’60’s. Very nice!