1978 Ford F-250

Pickup Truck

400 CID 2-V

Automatic

F25SRCF2436

Clear

Gasoline

800x600 1978 Ford F-250 Custom Camper Special Pickup “Granddad’s Meticulous Rig” VIN: F25SRCF2436 Remember the bedtime story of “Jack and the Beanstalk” your Mama told you as a kid? How Jack went to town to peddle the family cow and returned with a handful of “magic beans” instead of cash? We’ve been in the collector car business for the better part of two decades and over the years I’ve trained a select number of folks to go out and “birddog” fun, unique vehicles for me. Every so often I’m surprised by what Humphrey arrives back at the shop with and was very pleased when he drove in with this exceptional Camper Special F-series! Here’s a little history I’ve dug up on it: Back in the fall of 1978 Melvin Miller felt it was time for a new Ford. He’d been driving his ’69 F-100 for almost a decade and really liked the look of the newer generation trucks he saw at Titus-Will Ford in Tacoma, Washington. Though he wasn't much of an outdoorsman anymore and had no immediate need to haul anything, the thought of a heavier-duty suspension and beefed-up cooling system on the Camper Special series was appealing. So was the convinence of dual fuel tanks, even though a dollar a gallon gas meant forty bucks for a complete fill-up! One afternoon in October on the way home from work Mr. Miller stopped in, haggled a deal and drove off the lot with this F250. He would own it the rest of his life! When his days ended, it went to his adult son and is now ready for the next caretaker. Take a good look at my photos. Mel was always careful to keep it garaged and his attentiveness really paid off! With just a casual glance you might think this is just another ol’ truck. But, just like I did, look a little closer and you’ll realize what a find this thing really is! The first hint is when you check for rust in the usual spots. There just isn’t any, including the bed! For those of you not familiar with the Pacific Northwest, specifically Western Washington, we get our share of misty rain, but hardly ever any snow. At the first sign of a falling flake everyone panics and stays home. School is cancelled and business grinds to a stop from “sick” workers calling in. Truth is, our winter roads are rarely salted, so you’ll find very few vehicles here with any rust issues! Climb over, under and around this rig - I know you’ll come up smiling! When you open the hood, you’re in for another nice surprise. This Custom F250 has a clean, great-running big block 400 V-8 motor. The second you fire it up, you’ll know it was built to last! I love the deep burble this strong engine makes through the easy-breathing 3 inch Flowmaster exhaust system. Almost sounds like a hot rod! Along with the title came receipts for a newly installed power brake master cylinder, new front disk brake calipers & pads and a carb rebuild. A major tune-up was done less than three months ago that included a new distributor cap & rotor, spark plugs, wires and fluids. The automatic transmission is very strong with the data plate showing there are 3.54 gears in the 10-inch Dana 70 rear pumpkin. I've cruised at 65 MPH all day on the freeway at only 2,500 RPM! The “Camper Special” upgrade denotes a heavier duty cooling system (including an oil cooler), dual fuel tanks and a beefier suspension; good thing this rig has power steering! Here’s how the VIN code breaks down: F252 – Ford F250 4x2, 7700 GVW S - 400 Cu. In. 2-V engine R - San Jose Assembly Plant G - Automatic Transmission CF2436 - June 1978 Production Date The data plate shows it was delivered to the Seattle Sales District #74. It has been a local rig since new! The dash has full factory instrumentation including oil-water-amp gauges. A nice aftermarket Sunpro Tach is mounted on the steering column. Look at the pics of the bench seat. It’s perfect on both the base and backrest as pictured. I don’t know if carpet came factory on this model, but it’s in great condition as well. The ashtray’s NEVER been used for anything other than coin storage. A close inspection of the headliner and both sun visors tells me they are original and also in decent shape. The original Ford Philco AM radio was replaced sometime back with a very nice Kenwood CD/Tuner and it works great! The stock wheels are straight and true. They’re wrapped with decent tires having at least 40-50 percent remaining tread all around. Outside I know you’ll be impressed by the classic factory color Light blue paint. It’s had one quality respray sometime in the past and is still as clear and bright as the day this truck rolled off Ford’s San Jose Assembly line back in June, 1978. Please feel free to email or contact me with any questions. My name is MARK Thompson and my direct number is 206/914-1173. You’re welcome and encouraged to come by my Auburn, WA warehouse to inspect & drive the truck. You might also make an offer before the end of the auction, as many of my vehicles sell to smart “early birds” that call and work out a deal prior to the auction’s end. I always reserve the right to sell during this period. A Few Additional Terms and Conditions: A nonrefundable $500 deposit is due within 48 hours of the auction’s conclusion. The balance is due by cash or certified funds within seven business days unless prior arrangements have been made with me. I can accept PAYPAL, but if you plan to pay any more than the deposit through them I’ll first need to invoice you and ask that you cover the 3.5% fee PayPal charges. Please remember you are bidding to buy and I fully expect the winning bidder to fulfill their Ebay contract! You’re not bidding to hold or then come inspect and test-drive the vehicle later as you’re more than welcome to do this before the auction ends. If you decide to have the truck shipped home, there are scores of vehicle transport companies to choose from. I ship vehicles regularly and suggest that you get a transport bid from Dependable Auto Shippers (DAS). They're EBay’s preferred transporter and will give you a fair quote. Call my designated rep, Janice, directly at (469)587-5096. Give her my affiliate number (2362642) and she can pull up all our information for station-to-station or even door-to-door quotes. As an alternative, you might also get bids from the U-Ship.com website. You’ll be able to choose a transport broker from multiple offers. The zip code for pick-up would be 98002 (Auburn, Washington). The shipping of the vehicle and company chosen are the responsibility of the BUYER. You’re welcome to keep the rig free of charge at my location for up to two weeks after the auction ends assuming full payment has been received. After that period storage is $20 per day. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 On Mar-20-14 at 22:16:27 PDT, seller added the following information: To answer a couple of questions folks have emailed in: Yes, all the glass is perfect; absolutely no rock dings, chips or cracks. The dash pad is original and is also not cracked, split or sun-faded. Same goes for the original door panels, though I think there's a small split on the driver's armrest pad. The silver handle with the keys hanging from it, just in front of the driver's left knee, is a way to keep un-wanteds from gaining access to the engine compartment; the hood release can be locked with the door key. In fact, it is ALWAYS locked if the key isn't inserted and turned to the open handle position. Great anti-theft system in the days before truck steering column locks! Just put a $3 battery disconnect switch in line on the positive cable, close the hood and a potential thief would need a tow truck to move your vehicle since there's no way for them to open the hood! The other button/pull tab to the right of the hood latch handle is for the manual choke. --Mark On Mar-21-14 at 09:48:38 PDT, seller added the following information: I've had another Ford lover (more knowledgeable than me) make several observations. There aren't any "Camper Special" badges on the front fenders and no storage door on the right side of the bed, so this may NOT be a Camper Special model. Also, only F350's had a Dana 70 rearend so this truck would have a Dana 60 with the same 3.54 gears as described. Thanks for your interest and info! --Mark