Looking At A 71 F100

[SpeedThrills]

I mentioned it here: http://fordification.com/forum/viewtopi ... =1&t=80879
It's still for sale, going to look at it Saturday. Any general things to look for? Guy is the 3rd owner, he bought it from the original owners nephew. The original owner owned it for the longest.
1971, 302, 3spd column shift, 2 wd, P/S. Pretty basic.
I guess it's called a Styleside? The flareside, I guess would be the model with the "fender" on the side of the bed? This one has a smooth sided bed. (8 foot bed)
I'll check the engine and trans condition and look for rust. He mentioned the floors have been patched. I'll have to trust him on the suspension's condition, I suppose.
Does this have what I remember being called, "Twin I-Beam Suspension"? I've been around cars a long time (I'm 56), but never worked on those. Anything to look for there?
Oh, price is $3,000. Mileage shows 36,000, who knows how much actual?
I know, I know! But I don't have any pictures!

[jzjames]

Good luck, maybe it's a truck from down south or out west. Look for the "outboards" underneath the cab, and check out the ol' drip rail.

When you can get one, a rust free F100 is a good standby to have, for durability. FORD TOUGH!

[cep62]

Welcome to the site.

If you drove an old Ranchero and a 75 chevie you should be used to old vehicle quirks.

The only thing I'd be concerned with is the floor patch.
If the front cab mounts are weak the cab settles and can push up the steering wheel , and mess with the clutch adjustment.
And an old three on the tree just takes learning its habits.

Yes it has "Twin I Beam"

[SpeedThrills]

There's a chance of a little snow here Saturday morning. I have to travel about 80 miles to see the truck. So I'm going to look at it Sunday.
Thanks for the pointers on what to look for. The cab mounts, especially. It's been here in Jersey all of its life except for a brief period in California with its current owner. As such, I expect some rust issues. It was well cared for by its original owner, from what the current owner tells me, so maybe I'll get lucky as far as the rust goes. I'd probably still have my Ranchero if it weren't for rust. It barely cast a shadow when I ebayed it!
Concerning the floor patches; should this truck have a rubber mat or carpet?
Also, because it will be hard to inspect the front suspension, are there any major concerns other than bushings or king pins or? As I mentioned, Im not familiar at all with the twin I-Beam. I don't mind replacing normal wear items. I'm just concerned with any problems that would be hard to address because of parts availability or other similar problems.

[Canonman67]

The twin I beam isn't complicated, only bushings to wear out which are easily replaced. Kingpins are available as are new tie rods. I was able to pick everything up on RockAuto. As far as flooring it could have either depending on trim level. Good luck and be sure to post pics if you get it.

[SpeedThrills]

Thanks, Canonman67. I have found a schematic, and see what you mean about the suspension. A fairly simple set-up.

[SpeedThrills]

Oh well. The fenders, hood, the cab floor and mounts all full of rust. The only thing holding the cab on was the front mounts. A blind man could've seen it.
On the bright side, the bed seemed solid.
The engine had valve train noise and the power steering was leaking.

Back to square one...

Thanks for the help, y'all.