Faults:

Overall the truck has been very good to me and has only had minor problems.

The worst thing to ever happen to it was being hit by another car, resulting in the door having to be replaced.

As with most people who own this truck, the carburetor became loose and had to be tightened down again.

When the carburetor is not tightened down the catalytic converter pops and the truck backfires.

Tailgate handle ceased working at about 99,000 miles.

Passenger side brake had to be replaced after producing excessive heat at about 55,000 miles.

Sun has cracked and discolored the dashboard pretty well.

Clutch had to be replaced at about 105,000 miles.

Drivers side seat has a large tear in it after so many years.

Usual tune-ups and oil changes have been performed as needed.

General Comments:

The truck has the power to haul what you need reliably.

Over its life it has been inexpensive to maintain.

Its has never quit on me once.

Four-wheel drive works very well.

Truck runs better if converted to a dual exhaust rather than the stock single exhaust.

Engine still runs like new, even after 108,000 miles.

Faults:

For such higher mileage when I got my truck, not much has gone wrong. I needed to replace the brake lines cause they had rotted out. It would sometimes act like it was going to stall on the highway at speeds over 65mph, it was a faulty ignition module. Other than that its been routine maintenance.

General Comments:

I love my truck, I use it to pull my landscape trailer and it has no problems doing so, on hills or on flat ground. I expect to get well over 200,000 miles out of it. The engine has not been rebuilt, and runs like new. It has V8 power with better fuel economy.

And I gotta love the torque.

Faults:

The seat's are very flat with no padding left, but they never ripped. I've have put two new starters in it, and fuel pumps. The gas tanks also rusted out and I had to replace them. That's all the problems I have had other than a little putty in the rear fender wells.

General Comments:

This truck handles very well and has a good bit of giddy up and go to it. The other really nice thing is that it is easy to upgrade, and its like they say "Built Ford Tough"

Faults:

The carburetor became loose on the block, greatly lowering vacuum and mileage. Problem existed for a long time before competent mechanic identified it. I probably drove 20 to 25,000 miles with it that way. Mileage was only 12-13 in city, 15-16 on highway. Simply tightening the carburetor raised vacuum from 17 pounds/feet to 20. Mileage went to 17 city and 23 highway. The mechanic said that this engine is well known for carburetors shaking loose.

The clutch went out at 50,000 miles.

I have had to replace the ignition switch.

Truck has stalled out when driving through lots of wet slush on road. It gets into distributor, as this is too close to the road below.

Water pump went out at around 60,000. The alternator was showing wear also, so the mechanic said it would be a good time to replace it, since he had everything loose in replacing water pump. (Alternator was working fine, however-- just preventative maintenance.)

Other things that I have done would be under the category of expected maintenance. Muffler and tail pipe. Fan belts. Plug wires. Tires. Front brakes replaced once. Original rear brakes still OK as of present. (No noise)

Oil gets changed at 2,000 mile intervals. I use Castrol 10W-40. I have used 2 ounces of Marvel's Mystery Oil for every 5 gallons of gasoline since the truck was new. It starts like a bomb and is smooth running. I hope to see this engine torn down some day, so as to get a look at the inside.

General Comments:

Very smooth and reliable, since I got the carburetor tightened up to the block. If your Ford 4.9 six is not smooth and has poor mileage, see if the carburetor does not twist a bit on the block. That would kill the vacuum. Then, too, you just might have a bad vacuum hose or two.

If you are used to V-8 power, you will find the 6 poor for passing, beyond 50 Miles per hour. It might be hard to keep up with traffic in mountain grades.

Ordering the truck with optional "Handling Package" was a mistake. It came sprung for 700 additional pounds in the rear box. I almost never carried much weight and this caused the truck to ride too stiffly all the time I've had it. Shocks never seem to take effect. My truck was the "Flare Side" version.