NEW! Award 79: 1975 Ford F250 Ranger XLT 4×4 59K Miles – SOLD!

September 20, 2021 Update – We confirmed the seller of this Ford Highboy “Classifind” deleted their listing, so we’re now able to call this one “SOLD!” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

August 26, 2021 Update – We just came across a fresh listing by the private seller with some new pictures and a revised price down to $31,500. That’s quite a change from the original ask of $39,000.

August 14, 2021 Update – We just confirmed the private seller of this F250 replaced their original expiring Craigslist ad with a fresh listing.  In this latest listing, the seller reduced their asking price by another two thousand dollars to $33,000.

August 8, 2021 Update – The private seller of this F250 just lowered their asking price for the second time in as many weeks. This time around, the seller reduced their asking price by another $2,500 from $37,500 to $35,000.  We predict it will likely take a few more such reductions to motivate serious buyers.

August 2, 2021 Update – We noticed the seller of this vintage Ford F250 4×4 earlier today reduced their asking price by $2,500 from $39,000 to $37,500.  We’ll see whether this initial price reduction brings any buyers into the fold.

The nickname “Highboy” is synonymous with sixth-generation Ford F250 4×4 pickups produced between 1967 and 1977. The nickname is a nod to Bob Chandler’s very first “Bigfoot” monster truck, which was based on his family’s totaled 1974 F250 4×4 in the late 1970s. However, not all F250 4×4 of this vintage are “Highboys.” In order to qualify, two items must be present. First, the truck must have the narrower 34-inch wide F350 frame, not the typical 37-inch wide unit. Second, the F250 must be equipped with a divorced (i.e.separate) transfer case (either a Dana 24, a New Process 203, or New Process 205). Despite the detailed documentation the seller provides (see below), you’ll need to crawl underneath to confirm whether those pieces are in place on this 1975 Ford F250 Ranger XLT 4×4 originally listed in August 2021 on Craigslist in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for the revised asking price of $33,000 (down from the original ask of $39,000). Despite the low mileage survivor quality, the original 360 engine was replaced with a 390 cubic inch FE V8 and we note the original wheels were replaced long ago with aftermarket aluminum units. Those factors combined with the undetailed condition have us rating this F250 a solid Condition 2.5 (i.e. halfway between #3 “Good” and #2 “Excellent”) in its current state.

Offered at $39,000 currently, comparing the asking against the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms the private seller has their F250 priced between this guide’s #2 “Excellent” estimate of $37,400 and its #1 “Concours” appraisal of $57,000. While we love the condition of the truck, the loss of the original motor combined with the undetailed condition and other aforementioned details has us giving the seller our latest “NEW!” (short for “No Effin Way!”) Award for an optimistic price. The seller especially calls out in their excellent detailed description they don’t want opinions on their asking price, so we’ll see how the market reacts to confirm who ends up being right on this one.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“1975 Ford F-250 Ranger XLT (HIGHBOY) 4×4, C6 3 spd auto w/ 390 FE big block motor, 59,4XX original – documented miles.

This Ford Ranger was originally purchased from Wendle Ford in Spokane Washington on 9/22/1975. The lucky new owner, Frank, traveled from his home in Idaho over the State Line in Washington to make this purchase. I was told that the truck was purchased solely for the couple to go on weekend rides. Interestingly enough, Frank continued to use this dealership, which is still in existence today, to do work on this truck up until sold. I have a few of those receipts on file. The F-250 was later sold to its second owner, David, in NY State on 8/15/2013.

The original owner, Frank, wrote a handwritten sales receipt to the David, documenting 55,504 miles when he sold him the Highboy (see photos). That’s roughly 1,460 miles a year after 38 years of ownership.

I have all the documents in hand supporting this information, including the original dealer bill of sale, private party transfer bill of sale w/ mileage, various service records, and owners manual w/ owners card / plate. Additionally, I have various repair / maintenance records and the original dealer brochure.

In 2019, David sold the truck to a friend in NJ after 6 years of ownership and 3,650 miles, making that an average of 610 miles a year. That sale and transfer of owners made this a total of three documented owners.

This F-250 has always been garage kept from day one, evident by the original Wimbledon White paint and the under carriage condition. This truck even retains its original 7.50×16-10 ply spare tire mounted on its split rim.

Below I will break down each system / part to throughly describe this amazing rig. Please look through all the pictures as I honestly depicted every aspect of this truck. Included is a picture of the marti report to show all the options of this F-250. Take note that this truck is 1 of 23.

Motor: The original 360 was replaced by the second owner simply because he wanted to say he had a 390 in his pickup. Unfortunately it’s long gone. The 390 FE is said to be a low mileage motor out of a 1969 Mustang, confirmed by date stamps. The motor runs strong which was recently serviced. The service included: oil change, carburetor rebuild, cap, rotor and condenser. A MINOR oil pan leak does exist as they typically do with the side mounted dip sticks. The starter is nearly new (2019). All the other components such as the super cooling radiator and auxiliary oil cooler remain in place. Included is the original distributor and window washer fluid reservoir.

Transmission: The truck recently had its original C6 trans pulled and resealed by a local trans shop. The years of sitting took a toll on the seals and it would not hold fluid. The transmission shop commented on how all the internals look brand new. Currently, the trans functions beautifully. Amazingly enough, a PAPER identification tag was found upon removal and kept aside from safekeeping. In addition, it retains all of the factory hand written markings.

Transfer case: Original to the truck. Operates as it should with no leaks. Original tag and stamping in place.

Rears: Both original, tags in place, w/ correct stampings. Dana 44 in the front, optioned with the 3550 lb axle and power steering. The rear is the Dana 60 bearing 4.10 gears. It was obviously built to be a work horse, but never used as one. I was told breaks were all done by previous owner, which function accordingly.

Paint / Body: The original Wimbledon White paint is in excellent original condition, considering it’s age. It does have areas of what I will call patina. No rust or rot anywhere. All panels are original ford metal. No body filler anywhere. Photographed, you will see various paint stamps / markings from the factory, confirming its originality. Door jambs are immaculate. Door strikers were replaced, but I have originals. Cowl gasket is missing as always.

Grille: The original grille was removed by the second owner and replaced with a 1979 grille per his taste. I wanted it back to its original state, therefore a brand new aftermarket grille assembly was installed. The assembly is complete with new headlight buckets(inner/outer), lights and the XLT emblem.

Glass: All original FOMOCO stamped glass, including the optioned rear slider. The windshield does have two stone chips on the driver side.

Interior of bed: Not sure if they even used it for anything other than to haul light lumber at best. One area of the bed, near the tailgate, has been stripped of its paint showing surface oxidation. This is NOT rot, it’s solid.

Interior: I’ll start off by saying wow. The seat is nearly like new. The dash is free of cracks or fading. Carpet is in great condition. All the under dash components look excellent. The chrome around the headliner and on the visors are free of pitting. Interior door panels are attached securely by their original tabs, free of any substandard repairs. Steering wheel has minor cracks. Headliner is in excellent condition, but is starting to sag. Paint under the carpet is beautiful, complete with factory markings. Instrument cluster is fully operational, including the horn. Screw holes do appear in the face of the ashtray. Dash paint gets a solid “10”

Exterior Trim: All the trim is in VG condition with age appropriate wear. No major flaws noted. I know that it appears that the passenger door, lower trim is dented, but that’s the illusion of the pics.

Body Seals: This is undoubtedly the part of the truck that will support the claim it spent most of its life in a garage. The door seals are like new. Window seals are also in very good condition. Rear sliding window seal has normal dry cracking around the outside edge that’s age appropriate to the truck.

Fuel system: The original owner had the rear tank removed from the truck and the fill hole blocked off. I have the receipt showing this work. It appears some sort of contamination was in the tank causing the truck to run rough. The original, stamped fuel tank remains behind the seat with a newer sending unit.

Undercarriage: The undercarriage looks as it should for a vehicle that’s 46 years old with 59k miles. Body mounts and shocks are in good condition. The truck has never been undercoated, showing it’s originality and lack of deterioration.

Exhaust: The exhaust looks to be newer, with newer style mufflers, which sound good! We had to remove the exhaust to repair the trans, therefore it has brand new exhaust gaskets and passenger side header gasket. The drivers side has a slight leak, not enough to repair at this point.

Wheels / Tires: The wheels are vintage 16.5” slots from the 80s in VG to good condition. Tires are BFG 35×12.5×16.5 with approx 85% + tread. They ride and hold air just fine.

A/C and Heat: These systems operate mechanically as they should with the exception of the A/C needing to be recharged. No leaks in the heater core, which was replaced in 1989 (see receipt). A/C dryer was replaced, but the original is included.

Electrical: No issues. All lights, signals, etc are operational, including the underhood light.

Title: Free and clear New Jersey Title. The title is marked with an ‘A’ showing actual mileage, not exceeding its mechanical limits.

If you got this far, you will see I made every attempt to depict all aspects of this truck to its true and honest condition. I have dealt with many of these trucks and I will tell you that this is one of the nicest I’ve come across in terms of originality. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Lastly, I don’t need your opinion of the asking price. If it’s out of your wheelhouse, move on. Thank you for looking.

I have a google drive with 169 photos.

Agree and Disagree: Do you agree with our pricing assessment on this F250?  Comment below and let us know!