How good of a truck is a 69 f250 highboy? its all stock, has a 390 and a 4 speed trans, he said it has 4.11 gears and a edelbrock carb I think. The interior is decent but I guess everything works according to him. It is 4x4 with locking hubs.

He would trade me for two of my cars... so idk, the first one is a 84 mustang gt 5.0 with an exhaust, and a great interior, 5 speed.
the second is a 88 honda accord that doesnt run,

am I getting jipped if I decide to trade him? I really want a truck but I dont want something that gets 4 mpg.

could you guys tell me some stuff about the truck?
how much hp does it have stock? how much torque?
what should I look for to make sure nothing is wrong?
what should I look for overall to make sure its in good condition?

 

It's not all stock if it has a 390 (all 360's magically become 390's on sales day) it would of come factory with a 360, the 390 is a very popular swap in these trucks though, so measure the stroke, 3.50"=360, 3.75"=390.

You're not going to break 10mpg in a '69 highboy with a FE (360 or 390), expect 8-10mpg at best.

Check the cab mounts and floor pans for rust, lock the hubs and check out the t-case by putting the 4x4 through its paces.

These are tough old work horses and hold up well over time, very dependable and easy to work on, trading a '84 mustang and a non-running '88 honda for a '69 highboy is a no brainer for me but only you can make that decision for yourself.

 

she'll get 8 to 10 mpg. not that it matters a whole heap but maybe try & verify that it's a 390 & not a 360. wouldn't matter so much to me but the 390 exudes value in the eye of the seller.

both of the cars you mentioned have little hope of ever gaining value, esp the honda. but the truck has established collectability & will only creep up in value as the years pass.

I recently drug my feet on one like you are explaining for 1800, I missed out.

 

woe.. is there an acho in here??

too funny!!

 

I think it's safe to say we're in agreement lol.

 

alright so how do I measure the stroke to make sure its a 390? and you guys are saying its worth it? I thought so too.

and to check the t case would I just lock the hubs and put it in 4 low, 4 high, 2 low, 2 high? how do I make sure it all works good, thanks, I gave him a call and told him I would take it.

now how much hp and torque does the 360 have? how about the 390? are these trucks good for offroading?

 

anyone else? I need it to be a daily driver also, at least till I get a good on gas car.

 

I need more input, thanks.

 

Hard to remember all the posts that Bill has done, but something is kicking about that no 390s were installed in 250 4X4s, but might be mistaken.

It is more likely than not it is a 360.

Gas millage is gonna suck, but a guy needs a truck.



John

 

How pretty a colour is green? Depends more on you and your situation than the truck. Mostly city driving? Does it have p/s? You say you want good gas mileage? Not with these rides. How deep is your wallet? A set of good rubber will set you back $600-800. Do you do your own wrenching? Is your girlfriend 5'2?. Stock h.p. and torque? enough to do its original job. Some figures say around 215 hp and 375 ft lbs torque. I love my highboy but then everybody says I'm weird. Are you weird too? Hope that answers your question. Seriously...owning a truck like this is not for everybody. Manual steering on a truck that turns like a freighter is not much fun when you spend most of your time in the inner city. I've gotta goose my granny to get her into the truck. The grand kids absolutely love it. So do I. Go for it, doesn't sound like you've got much to lose. Make sure the brakes are 100% and the steering's tight.

 

a guy does need a truck, just something about owning one ha ha, but it is pretty old, and it does have pretty good power steering, and ya I was thinkin of getting some 34's or 33's.

 

ya mostly town driving, its a small town though, it does have p/s, I wanted at least double digits, I do my own wrenching, painting, body work. No I dont have a gf at the time, and I might be weird about this truck, idk yet : )

 

did not see any one tell you how to measure the stroke so here it is put the # 1 cylinder to the bottom of the stroke and stick a dowel in there makeweight sure it hits the piston and not the wall then put a mark on the dowel in a easy place. then pull the dowel out and rotate the motor so that that piston is at the top of the stroke and put the dowel in try to put it at the same angle and placement as the first make another mark on the dowel try to get the mark at the same place as the first. pull the dowel and measure the distance between the marks. should be close to one of these 3.50"=360, 3.75"=390. use your best judgment. and there where no 390's put in the 4x4's does not mater if it is a f100 or a f250 they just did not put them in. it most likely has a 360 witch i have one in my f100 and i love it. good power and with my rebuild i did i was getting 16mpg in the city. ppl will argue with me but that's what it got. O and no p/s sucks there are easy conversions to make it p/s check out the post that are floating around.
sorry for the long post hope it helps

 

8-10 really? when i bought my 71 hiboy F250 with a 360 2bbl it was more like 12 or 13 with 4.10 gears not that that is great either but the FE 421 that i have in it now with a pretty healthy Lunati cam and holley 770 truck avenger gets 8mpg. i'd say it depends on how nice that mustang is whether its worth a straight up trade or not. i absolutely love my old pickup though mine has the same running gear as yours for the most part and yes it is some old equipment but as long as you keep your brakes up to par that thing will run down the highway as well as anything else on the road and much can be said about their simplicity

 

im going to drive it today, what should I look for to make sure it runs good and the engine is strong?