1961 Ford F-100 Unibody Unibody Classic Pickup 292 Y-block V8 4 Speed Shop Truck on 2040-cars
Takoma Park, Maryland, United States
Body Type:Pickup Truck
Engine:292 V8 Y BLOCK
Vehicle Title:Clear
Fuel Type:Gasoline
For Sale By:Private Seller
Interior Color: Black and Ivory
Make: Ford
Number of Cylinders: 8
Model: F-100
Trim: TWO DOOR UNIBODY
Cab Type (For Trucks Only): Regular Cab
Drive Type: RWD
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Mileage: 99,999
Sub Model: Unibody
Exterior Color: Black
To begin I must state I'm a reluctant seller of this awesome classic. I purchased this truck in late Oct. 2012 from a fantastic guy whom could not have been a better person to make a purchase from. It is my intention to be as honest and easy to work with as he was. I have ZERO complaints with the truck and decided to list it to raise money for a family member who is in need. Obviously this is a very serious situation, my goal is not to make a profit, nor take a substantial loss. Breaking even is all I would ask for and believe this to be very fair for this truck considering its condition and the amount of tedious care it has been given. I have about $2,000.00 invested for transport services after the sale as it was shipped from Arizona. It has a clear Maryland title and approx. 40 miles on it since registering. My goal here is one of best intentions both in my decision to sell as well for the future of the truck. Because this is a "survivor" I have high hopes it can go to another who appreciates it and give it the care that other's have clearly done. Feel free to ask me anything you wish to know! ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you aren't familiar with the unibody trucks, they were designed with the cab and bed as one piece and were only built from 61-63. It's a very unique look and they are becoming fairly rare so your odds of seeing another unibody at a stop light or parking lot are extremely low. This is not a show truck and it's not perfect but it is in good overall condition for its age. Even though it's lowered some and has a bit of a hot rod look it is surprisingly original & unmolested and to me that is the beauty of this truck. The doors and tailgate are unique to this body style and not interchangeable with the others. The doors and hinges on this truck are in great shape and the doors have survived 51years without someone cutting holes for speakers. There are also no stereo or speaker holes in the dash. Even the wiring on this truck has survived 51 years without being butchered. The headlights are still bright and there is still a 1961 parts tag under the hood. I have an original tailgate that comes with the truck too. It isn't as straight and clean as the rest of the truck so I have never put it on but I believe it can be fixed up to look good. It has a couple dents but it is not bowed out and has no cancer. If you look around, a lot of the unibodies that have been lowered have a chevy or dodge front end welded in along with a chevy or dodge engine but this truck is still very original and still all ford. The front spring shackles have been raised and the axle has been moved to the top of the springs. The actual suspension travel has been reduced but it still rides and drives well. I was expecting some bump steer but there honestly is very little to none at all. The very small amount that it does have is not enough that I even think about it when driving. There is still enough suspension travel and ride height that speed bumps aren't something that you have to give special consideration as long as you are driving like a reasonable person and the front bumper still clears any curb that I've parked next to. The rear axle has had the spring height changed with an aftermarket shackle and isn't lowered as much as the front. There is plenty of suspension travel left in the back and should still haul a load if you wanted to. It would take very little to return the ride height to stock if you chose to or you could lower the rear more to complete the look. The body is straight and the only significant rust I can find is in the typical areas under the cab corners (2 spots passenger side & one small spot drivers). The rust is outboard of the body mounts so it wasn't a high priority for me and I never got to it. It should be an easy fix since the areas that need attention are exposed and easy to get to. The floor is very solid and was sanded down and painted black to protect it before a new rubber mat was installed. A wood bed has been put on top of the factory bed and coated with new bedliner. The factory bed wasn't rusted out but had some dents that weren't worth the time and effort to fix only to have it dinged up by use later. The interior is extra clean and all the lights and gauges work. The only exceptions are that the oil pressure gauge doesn't go all the way back to zero with the key off and the turn signals don't automatically cancel out after you finish your turn. The speedometer has a new cable and works great but is off by a percentage. This can be corrected by changing the speedometer drive gear and they are available for about $20. The seat cover is brand new and the seat underneath is in good condition. The seat was taken out and thoroughly cleaned. The windshield wipers work and have new blades and freshly painted arms. The heater box was taken apart, cleaned & painted, the heater core was repaired, and the defrost ducts as well as the heater control valve under the hood were replaced. The doors have been rebuilt on the inside with "anti-rattle" kits including new window tracks and felts with chrome. The same key works both the door locks and ignition. The windshield and back window are in great shape as well as the rubber trim. Both doors still have the old FoMoCo logo etched in the glass and the windows roll up and down well. The passenger side door glass has a few chips and scratches but is still presentable. The doors also have new weather stripping. The engine is a 292 Y-Block V8 that is correct for the VIN but I don't think it's the actual original engine. Y-Blocks were fords first overhead valve V8 engine family after the flathead and are known for having a fairly bulletproof bottom end. They weren't produced for very long compared to the other engine families and are getting to be somewhat rare (especially as a correct factory option). Hot rodders also like them for their unique exhaust sound (do an internet search). The engine starts quickly and is smooth going down the road. It doesn't smoke or use oil. The previous owner did quite a bit of work but never registered it which means it hardly got driven and so his work and parts had almost no use on them when I got it. I didn't replace the speedometer cable until lately so i don't know how many miles I have put on the truck but I am guessing around 750 miles. The previous owner cleaned & painted the engine & transmission and installed a complete engine reseal kit along with new motor mounts. I was told that a valve job was done and that the bottom end was not touched because it was in good shape and had evidence of already being rebuilt. Without taking the engine apart I can't know for sure that a valve job was done but I believe it to be true based on how the engine runs combined with no oil use and the oil staying clean. The engine also shuts off quickly and has good engine braking when you downshift which should indicate good compression. The transmission is a T-98 4 speed floor shift with "granny low" first gear and these are known for being very tough also. Although this looks to be one of the correct optional transmissions that could have come with the truck, I can't be sure because the steering column also has a spot for a column shifter which means either the column or transmission have been swapped at some point. I don't know which it was because the VIN/warranty plate from the glove box which tells more about the original equipment has been lost over the years. (The VIN is still clearly stamped on the passenger side frame rail under the hood and is easy to see.) The rear end is a ford 9" and appears to have highway gearing although I don't know the ratio. You're not going to win any races with the gear ratio it has now but it is smooth and quiet at 60mph. It has dual glasspacks with chrome tips but not true dual exhaust. The exhaust has a deep note at idle but is quiet going down the road without any droning. The steering is fairly tight and doesn't wander around within the lane. I can take my hands off the wheel at 55mph and it tracks perfectly straight. (Not encouraging anyone to do this though.) It just had a front end alignment done too which included adjusting the camber of the solid front axle. The camber is adjusted by actually bending the axle slightly and very few shops have the equipment or knowledge to do it correctly so it's probably somewhat rare to come across a solid axle truck this age with truly good alignment. The adjustment was done without heating the axle by a shop that's been around a long time and has plenty of experience with these old vehicles. The brakes are manual but the master cylinder has been upgraded to a 2 chamber style which means if you have a leak it is isolated to either the front or the back so you don't lose all 4 brakes. The steel and rubber brake lines have both been replaced also and the truck stops reasonably well in my opinion for 51 year old technology. The truck is currently registered in Arizona and I drive it at least 3-4 times a week on short trips. It always runs great and I feel totally confident driving it. It has even been driven in heavy traffic across phoenix on a 110+ degree day with no problems and ran cool the whole time. I drive the truck like an old man though since it isn't that fast and since I want it to last a long time. If you drive it similarly I think it will probably last a long time without needing much of anything done to it. Because it is 51 years old and and because I haven't driven it on long trips I would encourage anyone who buys it to have it shipped. Also because it is 51 years old it is being sold as is with no warranty expressed or implied, no returns, etc. Shipping will be the buyers responsibility. I encourage and welcome anyone who wants the truck to inspect it before bidding. The paint is actually new but didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. It's low sheen hot rod black and looks more like it has a glow rather than a glossy shine. The paint shop had trouble with the flattening agent making the paint flash dry too quickly as they were applying it so in some lights you can see a bit of a striping effect and some spots have a bit more shine than others. The only area that actually catches your eye is above the passenger side rear wheel. How much the effect stands out depends on how the light hits it. The truck still looks good enough to get plenty of attention and compliments almost every time i drive it. I also have a picture of the truck in the paint booth and a picture of the truck sanded down ready for paint showing the small amount of filler that was already on it. The body was already very straight and I didn't pay to have any imperfections fixed. The hubcaps are in good shape but aren't correct for the truck, they are vintage ford from the 50's and from what I can tell came on several different ford cars. The wheels are clean and painted under the hubcaps and the truck looks equally good if not better without them depending on what look you prefer. It looks a little more like an older classic with them on and a little tougher like an old hot rod with them off. This truck has had a lot of parts, time, and love put into it, If you like old trucks this is your chance to have a rare and unique body style combined with a factory correct 292 Y-block that's historically cool in its own right. This truck is a well preserved 51 year old piece of history and really stands out compared to many other trucks of the era. There isn't much wrong with the truck but these are the few things I can think of that someone might choose to address depending on what they intend to do with the truck: Small leak at transmission output. about a nickel sized drop on the ground each night after driving. Very small amount of movement/play at the tips of the fan blades which translates into even less play at the water pump. The water pump makes no noise, does not leak, and may last this way for a long time as it is. There was a small exhaust leak at one of the glasspacks that i have patched. it's been holding fine and may last a long time. The body gaps at the hood and fenders are decent but could be adjusted better if someone wanted to spend the time. The door hinges/latches could be adjusted so that the doors close easier and more flush with the truck. Adjusting them is a frustrating process and I just got tired of messing with it. I had been adjusting the latches inward a little at a time as the new weather stripping conformed to the door jamb but they don't shut completely flush yet. Also the drivers door is tough to shut sometimes and I believe the hinges need adjusting. I have never tried it because you really need two people to do it with of the weight of the door and the trial & error small adjustments that have to be made. The doors are not binding against the jamb though or anything like that and the hinges are sound without rust or any play that I can detect. New or recent parts, work done, and upgrades: Engine reseal kit (previous owner said it had a valve job done too) Upgraded 2 chamber master cylinder along with new brake lines Rebuilt motorcraft 2bbl carburetor New pertronix electronic ignition hidden inside distributor Almost new spark plugs, wires, cap & rotor, and 12v coil U joints and driveshaft carrier bearing assembly New weather stripping, window tracks/felt (with chrome), and door anti-rattle kit New seat cover, rubber floor cover, shifter boot and knob, and armrests Aftermarket aluminum radiator with auto trans cooler built in if you wanted to swap to an automatic later New voltage regulator refreshed generator puts out around 13.5-14 volts (battery in good shape and holds a charge) Starter solenoid All four leaf springs rebuilt and bushings & U bolts have been replaced All four shocks are in good shape and fairly new Nice aftermarket steering wheel Heater box rebuilt with new defrost ducts and heater control valve under hood replaced All four tires are whitewall radials and have roughly 80% or more tread left. Tires are all M&S rated but look more like passenger car tread pattern. (one tire is a different brand than the other three but not something you would notice without looking right at the tread pattern) Brand new front end alignment including camber adjustment of the solid axle. The truck has a clean Arizona title in my name that shows an odometer reading of 0000 with "box c" selected which means "not actual mileage/odometer discrepancy" so the actual mileage is unknown. The Arizona title also says "first registered 11/1961" which may mean it has always been in Arizona (because I can't imagine them having a computer database or sharing info between states 51 years ago) but I don't know that for sure |
Ford F-100 for Sale
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