Thoughts on this 1970 F-250 Camper Special

[Studio8jared]

Hi all,
I've been eyeing this 1970 F250 Camper Special and wanted to get some feedback and possible advice from you all.

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VIEW MORE PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF TRUCK STARTING UP HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aw78viymcq28 ... fRO4a?dl=0

I've been chatting with the owner for a while now trying to get a sense of the condition of this truck, however I'm very new at all this and wanted to ask you all for your thoughts. Owner is asking $7500.

Here's some info I received from the owner:
"Great condition Sport Custom Camper Special in Colorado. Runs great, no dents or rust, recently serviced. Tires almost new. Highly coveted built in tool box. Popup Fifth wheel trailer hitch installed in bed. Cab is in great shape. The truck is 2WD. I believe the engine is a 390 V8, and is not rebuilt The truck has disc on the front, and drum on the rear. It has power steering, and it works great. All of the gauges work including the fuel gauge for both tanks. This summer we had the transmission serviced and the u-joints replaced, along with some fuel lines that where in need of replacement. Lube, Oil, and Filters. Overall it's in great shape, and is a really fun truck to drive around in.
The truck was owned by my parents who are both deceased. My Dad purchased it used in 1996, so we have had it for 21 years. My Dad used it mainly as a farm truck, transporting cattle around town and was probably the second owner, but I don't know that for sure. As far as I know it doesn't have any mechanical problems. We had it serviced in April, 2017. It had an oil change and grease; also had some of the fuel line replaced because of some fuel line leaks. We also had all of the U joints checked, and one was replaced; and had a tranny gasket replaced because of a leak. We fixed everything that we were aware of."

As you can see, as far as the current owner knows the truck doesn’t need anything else done to it at the moment and is ready to go. I have no reason to not believe him, however, a concern would be if there was something he doesn’t know about the truck that could be a potential issue. Again, I'm very new at all this and this would be my first classic truck, so any info/thoughts at all would be super helpful.

Here’s my thoughts on the truck...
What I like:
- Seems like pretty solid condition.
- Interior is nice
- Love the blue color.
- Front disc brakes and power steering.
- Recently serviced.

My concerns...:
- Doesn’t look very clean in the pics under the hood. Some of the parts seem to be in ok physical condition. Maybe they function great though?
I’d imagine I would need to do a rebuild on the engine at some point since it’s never been done and looking aged, but maybe that's something I can do in the future and not right away?
- It’s in Colorado, so I would have to fly there to have a look in person then, have it shipped to me in Southern California.

At $7500 I don't think this is the truck for me since I have to take a trip to CO to have a look and budget to have it transported to me in CA. However, after speaking with the owner and feeling him out on the phone he seems negotiable on price. I would have to get him to around $5500 starting to be in my wheelhouse. Is that reasonable? Although I understand that a 50+ year old truck like this will need the occasional work done to keep it running smoothly, I'm not looking for a restore project or anything I'd have to put immediately work into to get me around. I drive very little mileage day to day, but this truck would be my daily driver and need to be pretty reliable from the start. That's where I turn to you more knowledgeable guys than me for input.

Thanks for taking the time to read and helping educate me!
-Jared

VIEW MORE PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF TRUCK STARTING UP HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aw78viymcq28 ... fRO4a?dl=0

[tsherry]

Doesn't look too bad. I'm not sure that in my market it would be priced anywhere near that high. Looks like a good truck though. (They're worth what someone will pay you for, no more than that.)

Certainly needs some cleaning up (and I'm not talking about dirt) under the hood. A good steam cleaning would work wonders on the crud and dirt, top and bottom. I'm a non-fan of botched and cobbled wiring, and in trucks like this it can be everywhere. Looks like it had a 5th wheel as stated, and has a rear stabilizer setup to help out; there's an underdash electric brake controller (I think you have that with a ? mark); there does look like a fair amount of surface rust underneath; the red primer showing through the original paint isn't a big deal--ethanol can eat paint. Id be concerned about the condition of the automatic transmission, rust in the cab mounts, floors, door corner and lower fender rust, and rust in the back of the cab, behind the seat as viewed from underneath.

Pretty solid, straight truck. Way better than many. Probably a grand to ship it, or one pretty fun, epic road trip back to Cali.

[DuckRyder]

Agree with tsherry.

I think the other thing under the dash you have marked is a manual choke.

CO is not - in my experience - land of rust free. I’d want good pictures of the cab mounts front and rear before I made a trip.

It is going to be loud with glass packs and odds are against it being a 390 (it is probably a 360) do you have the VIN? http://www.fordification.com/tech/VIN70.htm

It looks like a solid truck in the pictures though.

Have you looked at any of the trucks for sale in the classifieds here?

[basketcase0302]

Jared,

Agreed with TSherry above, (especially on the cleaning). I think you've found a much better "bang for your buck" with this one. I also believe if you went there armed with "fair market research" (a dozen or more comparable trucks in the same shape) you could get them down close to your offer of $5500.
Points of concern:
The odometer / miles would more than likely be 113,959 miles (a tip on the odometer having been rolled over 100K is that when the last few digits seem to not align with the 100 or the 1000 mile digits).
The dual tanks is such a plus, (also show the truck has been used for hauling but the engine sounds decent with no knocking) the knob to the left of the seat on the floor is the dual tank valve to switch between tanks.
The black square box mounted below the dash is another plus being a trailer brake controller, (for hauling heavy loads-a trailer with electric brakes).
I'm not sure what the other knob you've out an arrow on below the dash unless it's a manual choke, (hard to see).
The paint peeling on the DS cab corner doesn't seem bad enough for concern, (just below that the cab bottom corner is one place to pay attention to as it's prone to rotting away causing issues with the truck overall). Plan on crawling under this truck for a good inspection as the salted roads there in Colorado could be hiding rust in areas he has not photographed.
The "hideaway hitch" is such a benefit, (I'd put one in my last truck) as it allows you to haul plywood and things in the truck bed area unrestricted-while still having a heavy duty hitch to haul a camper or any fifth wheel hitch type trailer). This truck looks strong enough to haul anything you could throw at it and I don't doubt his claim of having the highly wanted 390 / V-8 in it (instead of the 360 most of our trucks got).
The front disc brakes are are big plus as most folks here have to convert front drum brakes to get the front discs, (and this truck has power brakes making it so...much easier to stop than manual brakes). I see a Bendix power steering pump, (not the sought after Saginaw pump) but that on the lesser of things to be concerned with.
Yes the engine compartment isn't very clean, (can be cleaned as you go) but i see a few other things here like a dual PS battery tray, (not standard) with heavy gauge fused wiring that looks to be heading to the rear of the truck, (for powering a camper) and possibly a dual battery isolator for running two batteries adding much more to the value of this truck.
The metal plate under the truck you asked about is the skid plate for protecting the second gas tank, (this truck probably has a range of over 400-450 miles easily unloaded without refueling using both tanks, (even with a 390 with a light foot and a tailwind).
This one is in much better shape than the last one you [posted for sure as it also looks to be original paint that has been kept under that barn most of it's life.
Get the quote(s) on transporting the truck, (from a few different transporters) / get your market analysis of comparable trucks ion the same area (download and print if you have to and take that with you) / and see if he will budge on price / then I'd book the ticket and plan a trip to go drive it up and down one of those hills in the picture to make sure the engine has no knocking, (or heavy smoke) coming from it.
And is there any indication on how long he has had it listed as that too could help you with bargaining / haggling to get the price down.
This seems to be a much more worthy truck and looks like it would be fairly dependable as a daily driver.
There will always be minor mechanical issues with our old trucks, (count on gas tank issues / possibly having to have both tanks flushed out / and plan on rebuilding the engine as it looks original never having been torn into.
I would love...this truck but think his price is just a little high but I too do not live in Colorado so I'm not sure what comparable trucks there sell for.
Good luck!

[Studio8jared]

Doesn't look too bad. I'm not sure that in my market it would be priced anywhere near that high. Looks like a good truck though. (They're worth what someone will pay you for, no more than that.)

Certainly needs some cleaning up (and I'm not talking about dirt) under the hood. A good steam cleaning would work wonders on the crud and dirt, top and bottom. I'm a non-fan of botched and cobbled wiring, and in trucks like this it can be everywhere. Looks like it had a 5th wheel as stated, and has a rear stabilizer setup to help out; there's an underdash electric brake controller (I think you have that with a ? mark); there does look like a fair amount of surface rust underneath; the red primer showing through the original paint isn't a big deal--ethanol can eat paint. Id be concerned about the condition of the automatic transmission, rust in the cab mounts, floors, door corner and lower fender rust, and rust in the back of the cab, behind the seat as viewed from underneath.

Pretty solid, straight truck. Way better than many. Probably a grand to ship it, or one pretty fun, epic road trip back to Cali.

Thanks, tsherry. Agree with the rust concern. When checking for possible rust in the floors should I be under the truck looking up below the cab or is there a better spot to check from the inside? Do I lift up the flooring?

[Studio8jared]

Agree with tsherry.

I think the other thing under the dash you have marked is a manual choke.

CO is not - in my experience - land of rust free. I’d want good pictures of the cab mounts front and rear before I made a trip.

It is going to be loud with glass packs and odds are against it being a 390 (it is probably a 360) do you have the VIN? http://www.fordification.com/tech/VIN70.htm

It looks like a solid truck in the pictures though.

Have you looked at any of the trucks for sale in the classifieds here?

Hey DuckRyder. I’d be lying if I pretended to know what a manual choke is, ha! Anything special I should know about a truck with one? In my hunt for a classic Ford truck I haven’t yet come across one with a manual choke which makes me think it’s not too common? Would that be a pro or con on a truck like this? Any reason why one would want a manual vs a traditional choke? Is that an aftermarket addition or did 70 Camper Specials come with manual choke as a factory option?

I have the vin and verified via the link you posted that it does in fact have a 390.

Totally understand about CO not being a place you usually find rust-free trucks. Owner says the truck was driven very little on main roads which would have been salted, and instead drove locally around the farm. I definitely agree that I need to see some pics of the cab mounts though before taking a trip.

I just found out about the classifieds section of the message board. Will be keeping my eyes peeled on it for sure! Thank you!

[Studio8jared]

Jared,

Agreed with TSherry above, (especially on the cleaning). I think you've found a much better "bang for your buck" with this one. I also believe if you went there armed with "fair market research" (a dozen or more comparable trucks in the same shape) you could get them down close to your offer of $5500.
Points of concern:
The odometer / miles would more than likely be 113,959 miles (a tip on the odometer having been rolled over 100K is that when the last few digits seem to not align with the 100 or the 1000 mile digits).
The dual tanks is such a plus, (also show the truck has been used for hauling but the engine sounds decent with no knocking) the knob to the left of the seat on the floor is the dual tank valve to switch between tanks.
The black square box mounted below the dash is another plus being a trailer brake controller, (for hauling heavy loads-a trailer with electric brakes).
I'm not sure what the other knob you've out an arrow on below the dash unless it's a manual choke, (hard to see).
The paint peeling on the DS cab corner doesn't seem bad enough for concern, (just below that the cab bottom corner is one place to pay attention to as it's prone to rotting away causing issues with the truck overall). Plan on crawling under this truck for a good inspection as the salted roads there in Colorado could be hiding rust in areas he has not photographed.
The "hideaway hitch" is such a benefit, (I'd put one in my last truck) as it allows you to haul plywood and things in the truck bed area unrestricted-while still having a heavy duty hitch to haul a camper or any fifth wheel hitch type trailer). This truck looks strong enough to haul anything you could throw at it and I don't doubt his claim of having the highly wanted 390 / V-8 in it (instead of the 360 most of our trucks got).
The front disc brakes are are big plus as most folks here have to convert front drum brakes to get the front discs, (and this truck has power brakes making it so...much easier to stop than manual brakes). I see a Bendix power steering pump, (not the sought after Saginaw pump) but that on the lesser of things to be concerned with.
Yes the engine compartment isn't very clean, (can be cleaned as you go) but i see a few other things here like a dual PS battery tray, (not standard) with heavy gauge fused wiring that looks to be heading to the rear of the truck, (for powering a camper) and possibly a dual battery isolator for running two batteries adding much more to the value of this truck.
The metal plate under the truck you asked about is the skid plate for protecting the second gas tank, (this truck probably has a range of over 400-450 miles easily unloaded without refueling using both tanks, (even with a 390 with a light foot and a tailwind).
This one is in much better shape than the last one you [posted for sure as it also looks to be original paint that has been kept under that barn most of it's life.
Get the quote(s) on transporting the truck, (from a few different transporters) / get your market analysis of comparable trucks ion the same area (download and print if you have to and take that with you) / and see if he will budge on price / then I'd book the ticket and plan a trip to go drive it up and down one of those hills in the picture to make sure the engine has no knocking, (or heavy smoke) coming from it.
And is there any indication on how long he has had it listed as that too could help you with bargaining / haggling to get the price down.
This seems to be a much more worthy truck and looks like it would be fairly dependable as a daily driver.
There will always be minor mechanical issues with our old trucks, (count on gas tank issues / possibly having to have both tanks flushed out / and plan on rebuilding the engine as it looks original never having been torn into.
I would love...this truck but think his price is just a little high but I too do not live in Colorado so I'm not sure what comparable trucks there sell for.
Good luck!

Thanks so much as always for your thoughts basketcase0302! I definitely agree that this truck is a better option than the previous one. To be honest, I can’t stop thinking about this one.
Would you recommend (if I got this truck) to bring it in for an undercarriage and engine steam/clean or would bringing it to a manual car wash and pressure washing the heck ours of it be enough to rid decades of gunk and grim?
Thanks for the odometer tip! Makes sense. I assume this truck has rolled over at least once in mileage.
As stated above, I now believe that is a manual choke. Any opinion on those?
Having front disc brakes is a big plus for me. The previous truck you saw had drum front and rear and was very difficulty to stop. Stupid questions here, but I had assumed disc brakes and power brakes meant the same thing. Are they different?
Never seen a skid plate on one of these truck before. Seems like something nice to have. Is it for protecting the rear gas tank from possible damage from the road? Seems like it could also protect it from possible rust over the years?

Going to do a bit of research on comparable CO trucks and see if I can get him to budge on price!

[sargentrs]

If you're willing to pay that much and fly to CO to look at one, might want to check the SE area. Here's an example of what's available in Georgia.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/ ... 97312.html
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/ ... 68690.html
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/ ... 25749.html
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/ ... 08809.html
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/ ... 51316.html
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/ ... 71025.html
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/ ... 78727.html
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/ ... 97764.html

[basketcase0302]

Jared,

Pressure washing the engine compartment is very tricky and should really be done by a mechanic with competent knowledge on what has to be covered with plastic / what area not to spray / what areas to spray / (all after having removed the battery so no wiring gets shorted).

Many folks, (including me) actually prefer the manual choke (versus an automatic electric one) on the carburetor as it gives you the operator more control over the engine when first starting it cold. The choke is on the top of the carburetor and basically controls the amount of airflow induced into the engine when first starting-allowing for the engine to warm up faster for performance.

The difference in "power disc front brakes" versus "manual disc front brakes" basically being the big black round brake booster mounted in the engine compartment against the firewall. It takes vacuum from the engine, (negative or pressure) and converts it power used to press the brake pedal down easier. Non power brakes is like twice as hard when pressing on the brake pedal to stop the truck. Here's a Ford truck power brake booster:



Yes the skid plate is seldom seen and definitely a plus as it protects the gas tank from debris flying up and punctures to the gas tank. But...they can also be a pain when needing to remove the tank, (by adding extra work). As previously stated it looks like the truck has not had to have much work done on it, (I'd say it was taken care of by the previous owner pretty well-not a typical Basket Case someone has sprayed krylon over) but I'd plan on at least having to remove both gas tanks and flush them out, (prior to having fuel / carburetor issues).

Happy bump hunting!

[DuckRyder]

I don’t know what is up with the quotes lately, I cannot seem to break this up and have it display properly.

Agree with tsherry.

I think the other thing under the dash you have marked is a manual choke.

CO is not - in my experience - land of rust free. I’d want good pictures of the cab mounts front and rear before I made a trip.

It is going to be loud with glass packs and odds are against it being a 390 (it is probably a 360) do you have the VIN? http://www.fordification.com/tech/VIN70.htm

It looks like a solid truck in the pictures though.

Have you looked at any of the trucks for sale in the classifieds here?

Hey DuckRyder. I’d be lying if I pretended to know what a manual choke is, ha! Anything special I should know about a truck with one? In my hunt for a classic Ford truck I haven’t yet come across one with a manual choke which makes me think it’s not too common? Would that be a pro or con on a truck like this? Any reason why one would want a manual vs a traditional choke? Is that an aftermarket addition or did 70 Camper Specials come with manual choke as a factory option?

I have the vin and verified via the link you posted that it does in fact have a 390.

Totally understand about CO not being a place you usually find rust-free trucks. Owner says the truck was driven very little on main roads which would have been salted, and instead drove locally around the farm. I definitely agree that I need to see some pics of the cab mounts though before taking a trip.

I just found out about the classifieds section of the message board. Will be keeping my eyes peeled on it for sure! Thank you!

RE the Choke:

Most production carburetors have some sort of automatic choke that senses the temperature and controls the choke blade on top of the carburetor to provide the correct mixture for cold start and warm up. Typically all that is required is for the operator to “set” the choke before start. Pushing the throttle to the floor twice and letting it up slowly will usually provide a shot of fuel and allow the high idle cam to fall into position “set”. Automatic chokes usually use a bimetallic coil to control opening, the bimetallic coil may be assisted by hot air, electric or vacuum. A manual choke does away with all of that and allows the operator to control the choke via cable. That one looks aftermarket and newer. Shouldn’t be too hard for us to walk you through putting it back to stock if you get the truck.

RE the 390:

That is good, that would be a unicorn around here.

RE driven around the farm:

Also good.

If the cab mounts check out I think this would be a reasonable buy at 5500.

[tsherry]

It's easiest to look at the floor pan and back-of-cab from underneath. Pushing up on the floor pan (carefully) can reveal weak spots. Using a blunt screwdriver works well too, but it's a little embarrassing to find that it passes through the 'steel' like a hot knife through butter.

[Studio8jared]

Thanks everyone and happy New Year!

Haven't made the trip to see this truck in person yet since the seller has been away for the holidays, but there's a chance I'll be going soon to have a look at it and try to get him down in my price range if everything checks out. In the meantime here's a question I was hoping to get some feedback on...

As stated, I love the color of the truck, however my dream color combo would be to match its turquoise blue with a Wimbledon White bottom half. Like this truck:

320424_719a322b23_low_res.JPG

My question is would it make sense to keep the trucks original turquoise blue paint as is and simply have the other sections painted Wimbledon White? I'm not sure if matching new and old paint is something ever advised, but the original paint on the truck seems in decent condition and would maybe match ok? Anyone have any experience/thoughts on this? Is it possible to have the Wimbledon White paint "aged" in a way so it maybe doesn't seem so strikingly new and different than the original paint?

Thanks!
Jared