1951 Ford F5 truck

[Matt Harwood]

Since the last big, heavy-duty old Ford we had sold almost instantly, I was delighted when this one showed up on our doorstep. It's a 1951 F5 and shows just over 34,000 original miles, which is correct. Given how these trucks were used, they were rarely high-mileage machines. It has the original flathead V8 and 4-speed manual transmission, so it'll cruise at about 45 MPH without too much trouble, and from the looks of things, it could probably be used to move an apartment building. Converted to 12-volts with an alternator, so it starts quickly and easily, and whomever did the work was smart enough to upgrade the wipers, heater motor, and gauges, so it all works like it should. It's big, but once you get used to the size, it's actually pretty easy to drive and taking it to Home Depot next weekend will make jaws drop and you can carry home anything you can find.

The paint is a dark turquoise metallic that looks quite good and shows well. It's not totally authentic, but it looks great on the big truck, especially next to the brand-new $5000 aluminum stake bed. The custom painted logos on the doors are always neat--I've always felt big trucks like this look naked without a logo on the side, and these were obviously expensive to do. All the glass is original and in good shape, save for a crack in one of the vent windows, but it doesn't affect functionality. Lights, trim, and other details are in very good shape.

Inside, the burgundy vinyl bench seat upholstery is newer, but otherwise it appears original. The gauges, as I said, are all functional and the indicated mileage is authentic (although a typo with the DMV means the title says 54,000 miles, which is obviously not the case). It's basic, but in a good way. It starts quickly and easily, drives well, shifts easily, and pretty much feels like you'd expect a giant vintage truck to feel.

The last one was had sold very quickly and there was a line of guys hoping that the deal would fall through. If you're one of those guys, give me a call and come see this one--it's just as nice and probably even more practical with the aluminum bed. Asking $16,900 and we're always open to offers. Thanks!

[Matt Harwood]

Just marked down to $13,900. Any takers?