F150 4WD Ranch Truck Great Daily Driver V8 4 Speed Mostly Original 30 Year Owner

Mostly stock and original, great running and driving, 1978 Ford F150 Custom 4X4 regular cab pickup truck with a 351M V8 and 4 speed manual transmission. It has been owned by one family for the last 30 years and has been used as a ranch truck in Central Utah for most of that time.
The running gear is in excellent condition with a 351M V8 (new battery, fresh carb rebuild) connected to a New Process 435 4 speed manual transmission and New Process 205 transfer case. The front differential is a high-pinion Dana 44 (with locking hubs and disc brakes) and the rear is a beefy Ford 9 inch (with 3.50 gears). This is a Holy Grail running gear combo which works great. The running gear is clearly one of the major strengths of this truck.
The interior is all stock and original. The dash is excellent with no cutting or butchery of any kind and all knobs, levers, and switches still in place and operational (heater fan works but heater hose is unhooked). Most gauges work (fuel gauge inop) and even the original AM radio works. Door, vent and rear window glass is good (windshield is cracked) and windows roll up and down properly. Door panels are rough but I have two decent used ones I'll include. I removed the worn old carpet to show that thefloorboards have only modest rust-through. Panels are cheap and readily available or you can patch them with small sections of sheet metal (or just leave them as is). Floors have been treated with a rust converter to prevent spread.
The exterior is much better than it looks at first glance. The cab is super solid other than the driver side cab corner. It had been patched poorly at some point and allowed moisture build-up. I removed the patch so you could see what was really going on there. Patch panels are cheap and readily available if you choose to go that route(or just leave it as is). Doors have some rust near the bottom from plugged drain holes (I've unplugged them and cleaned everything out). The bed has typical 1973-1979 Ford issues that are clearly shown in my pictures. Again, patch panels are cheap and readily available. Also, every exposed area has been treated with a rust converter to prevent spread. And long ago it was resprayed a different shade of blue over the original factory Ford Light Blue (paint code 8).
Thisis a very solid truck. It starts, idles, shifts,accelerates,turns, brakes and stops very well. And it's very tight for its age. It has great mechanical bones and primarily needs some cosmetic love. Or just enjoy it as the great daily driver it already is. Plus, its almost all stock with only limited modifications typical of the era (aluminum running boards, bug shield, chrome spoke rims, sunroof). They were most likely dealer installed options and are period correct. Vintage trucks that haven't been horribly buggered up over the years are getting harder and harder to come by. My hope is it ends up with someone who will preserve and enjoy it or take it to the next level.
My nameis Chris and I am happy to answer your questions. Please call or text me at 435-669-1470. I alsohave almost 100 pictures that show every nook and cranny in great detail (including the undercarriage). Send or text me your email address and I'll get them to you. This very cool 1978 Ford F150 Custom 4X4is located in the dry, desert community of Santa Clara, Utah(about 125 miles north of Las Vegas). Thank you very much for your interest.