1975 Ford F-100 Ranger XLT

Description

You see a lot of mid-70s Ford pickups clattering down the road, held together with duct tape and a prayer, but once in a while you run across one that was not only spared the rigors of a full-time job, but actually lived with someone who treated it as something special. This 1975 F-100 Ranger XLT is still ready, willing, and able to work, but one look at it will tell you that someone was pretty darned careful any time he was on the job site.

Black is this truck's original color, and the finish looks pretty darned good. More than presentable, you'll look forward to Saturday afternoons giving it a good coat of wax and you'll never get tired of the compliments you receive at Home Depot. Thanks to an 8-foot bed and a snug-fitting, lockable, hinged fiberglass tonneau, it has what might very well be the world's biggest weatherproof trunk, perfect for carrying gear or hardware. The Ranger XLT was the top-of-the-line (remember this is before there was a small truck called Ranger) and as such it wears a lot of bright trim, including rocker moldings that wrap around the wheel arches, stainless side strips, and an ornate tailgate. Bright chrome bumpers look great, including the heavy-duty diamond-plate unit out back that looks recent and ready for action, and the shiny rails on top of the tonneau cover look sturdy.

The burgundy interior is equally nice and still very stock. Like the paint, that seat cover might be just too nice to be original, but on the other hand, maybe this truck lived a really, really good life, it's hard to say. The carpets are protected by a full-width rubber mat that's color-matched to the interior, and again, it appears to be a very nice original piece. The instrument panel reflects Ford's fascination with square gauges in the mid-70s, but they're comprehensive enough to give you a good view of what's going on under the hood. This XLT has relatively rare factory A/C that's been converted to R134a refrigerant, but that's about it as far as comfort and convenience options. Oh, and the original AM radio's still in the middle of the dash, another telling feature that this truck hasn't been messed with.

Ford's truck-only 360 cubic inch V8 delivers impressive torque and looks factory-fresh with a recent coat of Ford Blue paint. No goofy chrome air cleaner, just OEM equipment and detailing that give this truck an honest appeal and factory reliability. The A/C compressor dominates the engine bay, but you'll also find power steering underneath, which makes this big rig easy to handle, and there's a lot of recent equipment, including hoses, ignition components, and master cylinder. A beefy C6 3-speed automatic feeds highway-friendly 3.25 gears in the heavy-duty rear end, and a custom dual exhaust system with glasspack-style mufflers adds a sporty exhaust note. It's also shockingly clean underneath, more proof that this truck was treasured from day one. Steel wheels wear slightly oversized 30x9.50-15 Michelin LTX radials and original hubcaps.

Big old pickups like this have very low survival rates, but sometimes a special one shows up and this Ford is one of those remarkable old trucks that make everyone smile. Call today!