The truck as bought
Here's my "new" 1971 Ford F100 truck. It's incredibly clean for such an old rig. I picked up this jewel for only $1200.
'71 Ford F100
A remarkably clean old truck with the inline six and three-on-the-tree.
Interior
The interior is in very good shape. The dashboard hasn't been cut up for gauges or a stereo. It has a "three-on-the-tree" gear shift shifting a three speed tranny. Kind of strange, but you get used to it. Supposedly the engine had only 5k miles on a fresh rebuild, but after looking in the valve cover, either someone used an incredibly cheap oil, or I was lied to. Still, it runs very well.
Inline six engine
The engine is a I6 243cu/in engine that has great low-end torque. It'll pull from almost idle in second gear without a hitch. Since I took this picture, I've replaced the belt, water hoses, thermostat, driver-side motor mount (was torn in half) battery cables, air filter, oil and oil filter, radiator cap, valve cover gasket, and pressure washed the engine. When I had the valve cover off, it was a mess inside!
Body condition
The only body damage is a small dent in the passenger door, a few small dings in the grill, and some scratches on the chrome bumper. The body could use a paint job. I like the aqua color though.
The bed
When I looked in the bed, I couldn't find a single dent. I was surprised! The shocks need to be replaced, and I'm thinking of putting Firestone air bags in the rear to stiffen it a bit when I haul heavier loads (can deflate when unloaded for a smooth ride.)
Round-Up bumper sticker
It even came with a 1991 Pendleton Round-Up bumper sticker. Bonus!
Keeping it original
I'm making a real effort to keep the truck OEM if possible, because it's in good shape. The only thing I would like to change is to fit the optional 3spd+OD tranny that was available in the 1971 model year on the F100. It winds out a bit at highway speeds.