1980 F100 Flareside California truck all original (mostly)

[Rembrant]

This old girl gets an honorable mention for not only having original paint and fairly low miles, but for also having factory fog lights and fog light switch bezel still intact after 40 years. Hard to tell from the pictures, but it's pretty straight and solid looking all things considered.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/153392768475

I'd clean it up, throw some fresh wood in the bed, and drive it just like it is.

[Rembrant]

After further inspection, is this a Freewheelin' B package?

Outline pin strips
Black grill and headlight doors
Factory fog lights (and switch bezel)
Sports gauge package
Leather wrapped steering wheel
Anything else?

[Gary Lewis]

That's a really nice truck, and especially for the money and with the options.  I agree - clean it up and drive it.  

[Gary Lewis]

The brochure says:

Free Wheeling "A." Includes: new pinstriping or optional deluxe Tu-Tone paint (Flareside), blackout grille and headlamp doors, and sport wheel covers (4).

Free Wheeling "B." (Available on 4x2's Feb. 1980.) Includes all of Package "A" plus: fog lamps and bumper guards, Handling Package, bright rear contour bumper (Styleside), bright rear channel bumper (Flareside), 10-hole aluminum wheels (in place of wheel covers). And on the inside: simulated leather-wrapped steering wheel plus Sports Instrumentation Package with tachometer, trip odometer and gauges. In addition, Styleside 4x4's with Free Wheeling "B" include GT bar and white styled steel wheels in place of 10-hole aluminum wheels.

So this one just appears to be missing the bumper guards.  As for the Handling Package, you can see the rear sway bar, which was part of the package, but can't tell in front.

Yes, save for the bumper guards and they may have been left off for some reason, this appears to be a Free Wheelin' B.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

So this one just appears to be missing the bumper guards.  As for the Handling Package, you can see the rear sway bar, which was part of the package, but can't tell in front.

I think it's pretty safe to assume if there's a rear swaybar then there should be a front bar? I don't think vehicles ever got just a rear bar did they? It was either a front only, or both front and rear? I'm certainly no expert on the topic, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

It's got a wild looking exhaust on it with the cat hanging down below the driver's side exhaust manifold. I assume that was part of the California emissions? Or was that a standard item location in 1980?

[grumpin]

This would be one to jump in and drive, a lot!

[salans7]

The R in the vin says that it was built at the San Jose Assembly Plant, just like my old 1980 F150 (it left the assembly line as an F100) which could mean this is an original California truck.

[Gary Lewis]

I think he said it is "smogged" didn't he?  Wouldn't that mean it has to be a CA-spec truck to pass CA emissions testing?

[salans7]

Yep, all vehicles built after 1975 and sold new in California are required to pass emissions standards. Of course in 1980, the California Emissions package basically consisted of a smog pump, some carburetor add-ons, a spider's web of vacuum lines, and catalytic converters. If I remember correctly, 1981 is when things became more advanced and they added even more emission control devices to vehicles. So this specific truck would probably be relatively easy to bring into compliance if it were originally a Nevada, New Mexico, etc truck.

[Ford F834]

You would have to consult with the build sheet to verify... but I don’t think it’s the Freewheelin’ package. The stripes are wrong. The ones in all the brochures have the square all the way around each body panel. My money would be a custom with lots of add ons.

[Rembrant]

Good catch Jonathan. I didn't notice that previously, but the stripes are different, aren't they.

The truck mainly caught my eye because of the factory fog lights and fog light switch bezel. I see them so infrequently, I thought it was worth a mention.

[Ford F834]

It certainly is worthy of a mention! I like this truck a lot!

[Rembrant]

Came across another black Flareside with the outline stripes and was wondering if this one is a Freewheelin truck?

Has the stripes, sports instrument package, and the 10 hole aluminum wheels?...Not sure what else...grill has been changed obviously.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/800292967024304/

[Ford F834]

Definitely has the right stripe package... the 10 hole aluminum wheels was part of package B which should also have had fog lamps, but as you mentioned anything could have been changed or special ordered. One does not often see XLT flareside...

[Gary Lewis]

That's expensive for what it is.  Looks sad sitting there.  Like "Take me home, please!  It's cold out here!"

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Looks sad sitting there.  Like "Take me home, please!  It's cold out here!"

Ha! Gary, they ALL look like here...lol.

All of the "nice" trucks are ones that were brought up from down south or they're part of the extreme minority of vehicles that were not driven in the winter. It's one thing to find a Mustang that wasn't driven in the winter...they're everywhere, but a pickup?...super rare.

[Ray Cecil]

Dang. Auction ended already.

[Ray Cecil]

Rembrant, I had an 86 with a rear sway bar only. I bought a parts truck and robbed the front sway bar off it and installed it on my 86. I vividly remember this, as it was a time when I was broke, and had no garage, and did the work on my westward facing driveway in Tulsa Oklahoma during the summer. Nearly lost consciousness baking on the concrete.....lol

[Rembrant]

There's another nice California black Flareside on Ebay, and I see he dropped the starting price down (it was at $4000 previously). Not a bad lookin' little truck. Still has original floor in the bed. More or less a one owner...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254198079339?ul_noapp=true

[Ray Cecil]

Good shape. Interior...meh. If I fly and drive, it has to make it a long way.... I will stay patient.