7 Reasons I Might Buy A 1978 Ford Pickup #blogpost

It appears my search for a project car is finally over. Me and my father have found a decent 1978 Ford short bed pickup for 2,000 USD. We’ve looked it over and test drove it, only thing left to do is get it checked out by a mechanic on Monday, the wait isn’t very pleasant. Why didn’t I get something like a Miata? Let me explain…

One: I Am An American Car Enthusiast

This point is pretty self explanatory, Camaro fans usually don’t buy a Miata for their first car.

Two: The Truck Is In Decent Shape

When I say decent shape, it runs and drives pretty well, the body is straight and has little rust and almost everything on the truck works fine. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great place to start.

Three: It’s A 1978 Model

For those who are unaware, some of the most sought after years for a Ford Bronco are 1978 and 1979. Ford Broncos and Ford trucks of the same year share a lot in common. With all of that in mind, finding parts for this truck should be easy considering there should be professional shops that have and are restoring these kinds of vehicles. The fact that it has front disc brakes helps too, both with fixing and stopping power. As far as I know, pre 1978 Ford trucks didn’t have factory disc brakes.

Four: It Has A Manual Gear Box

For most of my life, most of the cars I’ve driven had automatic transmissions (yes, I live in America). Because of this, my skills with a manual gearbox are somewhat limited. That’s why I want to buy something with a stick shift. If I had daily driven a car with a manual gear box for 2 years, I would be fine with getting a truck with an automatic.

Five: The Truck Has Four Wheel Drive

This is probably the biggest reason I’m planning on buying said 1978 Ford truck. I live in a place where snow is a part of everyday life during the winter, and the hilly terrain doesn’t help either. I COULD get something rear wheel driven like an old Impala or a late 70’s Camaro, but I don’t want to get stuck somewhere. I would like to have something I can actually drive around and not have to keep in a garage all winter. However, if I lived somewhere like Florida or Texas where snow is a distant memory, I would totally be buying something with rear wheel drive.

Six: It Has A Short Bed

Short bed trucks are pretty rare in general, and a short bed truck will fit into my family garage easier. Sure, I have less cargo room, but I don’t really need the cargo room of a long bed at the moment anyway.

Seven: The Engine And Exhaust

The truck I’m looking at has a 400 cubic inch V8, which is based on the 351 Cleveland V8, a very common engine. 400 cubic inches isn’t too big regarding pickup engines, but it’s definitely not too small either. The truck also has glasspack mufflers, so it sounds glorious both at idle and full throttle.

Here is a link to the truck I’m looking at just for reference