Well-Preserved Survivor: 1971 Ford F-100 Styleside 390
There are nothing but good things to say about this 1971 Ford F-100 Sport Custom Styleside pickup truck including the pictures provided and the well-written description in the seller’s listing. It’s being offered here on eBay with a current bid at the time of writing of $7,600 and bidding ending on Sunday, the 16th. Expect that price to head a wee bit north and into them thar hills if the truck is as nice as it appears and checks out in an inspection.
The seller claims that this truck sports the original paint and that the odometer reads 29,500 miles. The new age of digital dashboards has made the 100,000 odometer turnover question pretty much obsolete but could this fifty-year-old truck be this well-preserved and look this good after a half-century and could it have fewer than 30,000 miles on it? The truck now resides in Ogden, UT near some pretty photogenic hills and pastures. Here, the “Sport Custom” emblem in plain sight was the second in line for Ford trim packages that were, from lease to best: Custom, Sport Custom, Ranger, and Ranger XLT. The two-tone paint job was a factory choice, one of 162 paint options available for Styleside pickups offered by Ford that year.
One item of contention about the truck is the VIN number “F10YRL41807” which translates to the truck coming equipped with the “Y” engine option: the 360 c.i. V8 with 8.4:1 compression, a 2 bbl carburetor, producing 215 h.p. This photo suggests otherwise, check out the label on the air cleaner–and the seller has taken the time to calculate the bore and stroke of the engine claiming that it is, instead, the “H” option, a 390 c.i. V8 mated with a Ford C-6 tranny. The seller also claims this truck has power steering and power brakes (not so sure). The truck is a 2wd model with a really sound long bed.
The interior of the pickup photographs well, though the steering wheel shows the typical cracking of the plastic for a 50-year old truck. Could the Utah air have been a force field keeping ordinary aging of this thing totally at bay?
The original seat coverings are not visible under the new-ish fabric covers. The truck did come equipped with a radio (non-op) and heater. It originally sold for about $2,928 check it out, though: Hagerty has these Ford trucks valued at $17,900 for “good condition” or $28,900 for “excellent”, your pick on that judgment call. There seems to be room for value at the current sub-$8,000 bid. Noteworthy: a Concours-level 1971 Ford F-100 Styleside may draw somewhere closer to an astounding $39k. She’s a pretty clean machine, probably square in the middle between good and excellent condition, a nice example of a 1971 Ford, manufactured in lovely San Diego in April 1971, and either babied like no other or meticulously restored. Either way – pretty much a WOW.
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Comments
Nice write-up Mike. And the ebay ad is well-done, lots of useful information.
I like this truck. I remember the Sport Custom trim level, just enough extra trim to escape the base-model work-truck look. Add the two-tone paint and the result is attractive, even with the base tires and hub caps. There are the expected bumps and bruises but it’s not rusty, and overall the truck looks pretty good.
One could do some upgrades/restoration work, or just enjoy it as-is. This generation of Ford pickups has already gotten fairly pricey, wonder where this one will end up?
Cool truck –
Does anyone know what the square panels are on the sides of the bed toward the cab? my first thought was the fuel door, but i see that is on the cab behind the driver’s door.
@PJ – those are aftermarket fuel doors. Still have them on my Bronco.
These were built Ford Tough. Think Mr. Majestyk.
Actually…that was the era when Ford Has A Better Idea. I remember making Dymo labels to that effect and proudly putting them on my dad’s 67 F100.
He wasn’t angry, he just asked me if I’d let my kids put stickers on my truck.
I guess we can take his word that it’s a 390 – there was about 1/4” difference between the 360 and 390.
However, it most definitely does not have power brakes!
Looks like a 129,500 mile truck that has been taken care of, but not babied or restored. Anxious to see if we get near that 17,900.00 figure for a 1/2 ton long bed in good condition.
Bidding about $8,300 now (increase over this am), curious myself MrBZ.
Question: Does a 390 2bbl air cleaner fit the 360 carb set up?
Thanks for the comments!
MT
Breather easily fits. Both engines are FE’s and I’ve got my granddad’s 70 Ranger XLT in the driveway. Same color pattern in black and white and it came with a 390-2V & C6 which was the biggest engine and carb combination you could get in the 67-72 body style. Mine even has factory air(yes it
really existed for them) Went under the dash like an add-on but was integrated into the dash controls. Big price jump to 71 though because the 70 XLT was only slightly less than this one including the a/c. There’s a website called Fordification dedicated to these trucks.
I myself have one 1970 F100 Sport Custom, original paint and interior.
(https://youtu.be/8rt5J_I9qbg)
I am positive that Truck doesn’t have power brakes, and I am 70% sure this is not a 29K but a 129K truck that was well maintained.
Also, the area at the end of the bed concerns me. I can see there is rust and those trucks are notorious for rusting here: water doesn’t evacuate properly. I just hope there’s no serious rust/holes at this spot.
Apart from that, it’s a gorgeous truck! And they drive like a charm, I’m sure the new owner will have a blast driving it!!!
Unless I am incorrect, “Haggerty prices” are based upon “agreed values” that owners of classics insured by Haggery claim the “agreed value” and “condition” are of their classic and so that is what the insurance policy is underwritten based upon what the owner of the classic claims and that also sets the annual premium.
I do not have Haggerty as my classic vehicle insurance policy provider but I use another classic vehicle insurance policy provider and I do have my “agreed values” set higher than I could actually sell my classics for as I base the “agreed value” upon that amount it would take to get one of my classics back to the condition it is currently in if I were to get into an accident or have somebody hit my classic.
I am sure that there are policy holders of Haggerty and even the provider that I use that “claim” higher “agreed value” with the thought that if the classic were totaled in an accident or a complete loss (fire, theft, etc) then it is jackpot payday for them. And Haggerty does not care as they charge a higher premium for higher agreed value and they are making bank on all of us who barely drive our classics and at that exercise extreme caution and so payouts on claim on classic policies are not to the level of daily driver late model vehicles that are more likely to be involved in an accident.
In short, Haggerty values are not “market values” although people are treating it so and thus falsely rasing market values?
Thank you for that insurance information. I have a spotless
2002 Yellow Thunderbird and the value that Hagerty insures
It for being much higher than what I think is a realistic sales price.
Ended: May 15, 2021 , 11:05PM
Winning bid:US $9,100.00
[ 34 bids ]
Item location:Ogden, Utah