428 CobraJet?! 1976 Ford F-150 Camper
Perfect for the camper who can’t wait to get back to nature, this 1976 Ford F-150 in Salt Lake City, Utah packs a burly 428 CobraJet V8 under the hood, according to the seller. The Six-Pac slide-in camper comes with this 4×4, and the 114,000-mile classic sat for over 10 years before being “tested and run” prior to sale.
Ford offered 360 and 390 cid FE motors in 1976, but not the 428, and certainly not the high-performance 428 CobraJet. It would be difficult to tell the difference without closer inspection. Ford experts are welcome to chime in on the likelihood of this being a 428CJ in the comments below. Thanks to Lov2xlr8 for some details. Provinance aside, the motor looks tidy and well-kept and features aftermarket upgraded induction, ignition, and exhaust headers that surely uncork some additional performance. Air conditioning, power brakes, and power steering ease the drive time between camping spots.
This over-exposed picture shows the interior. While the listing describes the truck both as a Custom (base) and “Ranger XLT” (top line) the body tag decodes as a mid-level Ranger in double-black with a vinyl seat interior, according to Fordification and BringATrailer. A three-speed automatic handles the gear changes. If still original, the 3.50 gears should offer a good compromise between acceleration and highway cruising.
Where many truck campers look like they’ve housed a pack of hyenas or endured far too many six-packs on drunken hunting expeditions, this 1987 vintage Six-Pac camper is ready for a family of four. Shove your crumb-snatchers in that cab-over bunkhouse and they’ll think Mom and Dad are the coolest ever.
The original tailgate comes with the sale should you wish to detach the camper and unfetter that purported 428 CJ. One forum member at Ford-Trucks recounted the “same old tale… on sale day a 360… becomes a 390 and a 390 becomes a 428.” This truck’s seller blanked out the Series, Engine, Assembly Plant, and Sequence numbers on the body tag, and did not include the VIN or any engine documentation, but that could be easily explained in the buyer questions here on eBay. The Buy It Now price of $36,250 seems like a camping expedition of its own, though you can submit a lower number with the Make Offer button. In fairness, some modern 4WD campers with similar capabilities (and double the MPG) sell above $140,000. How does this claimed CJ-powered rig stack up against modern overland campers?
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Comments
Sweet rig!
If much of your inflated asking is based on a particular engine you need to do more than just make the claim in the ad, you need to give evidence such as part numbers and pictures of the components specific to that engine.
There’s a lot of fluff in the ad, which is often designed to get uninformed potential buyers to pay for the story as well as the vehicle itself.
Steve R
A lot of money for a f-150 with heavy camper on back with Racing motor,
One sure way to tell if this truck has a 428CJ is to listen to your left foot if you get a chance to drive it.
No, no, I’ve moved past the “vagabond” thing, and enjoy my clean apt. bathroom around this time of day. I hear nothing but horror stories from folks travelling this way today. I think for a local trip, say couple hours, and set up camp for a spell, it would easily work. At 70, sleeping on the ground in a flimsy nylon tent, the only thing separating you from wild beasts, ( don’t laugh, recently, nearby, a camper killed a mountain lion with a shovel after it attacked his dog!!!), let’s just say, this is much more like it. Gonna cost you well after the sale, as you take the most UN-aerodynamic vehicle, and couple that with the most thirsty V8 made, well, let’s just say, plan your trip around fuel stops. In a stiff head wind, it may be gallons per mile. Without duals on the back, another handful in a stiff cross wind, will make you a bit nervous. I should know, I pulled a billboard for years.
This is the Most RIDICULOUS asking price I have ever seen here!
Had a customer years ago who had a 1972 F250 regular cab, long bed 2wd and had a Real 429SCJ that he had put in it. Talk about confusing people. I worked at an auto parts house and had just bought a 70 Torino with a 429 CJ and when he asked for an intake gasket for a SCJ I thought he was mistaken. I didn’t argue but asked if he would drive it up to the store when he got it back together. Took me for a ride and ran Really well! You never know what lurks under someone’s hood! Engine swaps were a normal thing years ago.
Why? Just why? A thirsty powerhouse motor teamed with a smelly aged almost 40 year old “home.” All this for almost 40g’s. No thanks.
I know what I’ve got.
The last time Ford offered the 428 was 1970, so if this particular truck actually does have a 428 in it, someone put it in after the truck left the assembly line.
Two words: BLANKED OUT
Run dont walk.
Terry, I had a talk with my left foot. It had nothing to do, and so ignored me. Now my RIGHT foot………………..