F-250 Highboy Project Teaches Us All an Important Lesson
F-250 Highboy goes from promising project to pitiful money pit.
If you’ve ever shopped the used car market, you’ve undoubtedly heard the old saying “there’s nothing more expensive than a cheap truck.” And if you’ve ever purchased a cheap truck, you’ve probably learned that lesson the hard way. It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially if you’re on a fairly tight budget. And that’s exactly the situation that one young Ford truck fan has found himself in after buying a 1974 F-250 Highboy project.
If you’ve been following along with The Fast Lane Truck‘s YouTube channel, you probably already know the story of Tommy Mica and his truck, affectionately named “Rusty Boy.” Mica helps out with the video editing and other technical aspects of running the channel. He’s also a Ford truck fanatic who understandably wanted to buy a Highboy for his very first ride.
After a lot of searching, Mica found what appeared to be a solid but rusty F-250 Highboy. The test drive went smoothly enough, and the truck seemed to run and drive great. He scored the truck for a reasonable price, and the story looked like it would have a happy ending. But as many of us already know, things aren’t always as they appear.
Before long, a worn out camshaft led to lubrication issues, which led to a bent pushrod and a shot lifter. Making matters worse, the transmission wasn’t really working properly either. Mica has aspirations of yanking the 460 and C6 out of his grandfather’s old Lincoln for a transplant, but settles on a zinc additive and higher viscosity oil as a temporary band aid.
But even with some fresh oil and the additive, the old Highboy continues to make some pretty horrific noises. And we can’t say that we’re terribly disappointed by that, if it leads to a 460 swap. Be sure and follow along as Mica continues his Rusty Boy adventure. And let his story serve as an important reminder – sometimes it’s better to spend a little more cash on the front side.
