Being down south as we are, t seems that there are a few extraordinary trucks still running around that haven't been worked to death or parted out for their rusty cousins up north. Take this 1978 Ford F250 4x4 for instance. Someone spent years giving it a thorough makeover, nd today it's one of the nicest we've seen. How much fun is a practical ride like this, specially if you're virtually guaranteed to be the only one at the show?The deluxe two-tone paint treatment was a popular option in the '70s, ut with so many trucks getting various shades of brown or orange, his one with its appealing burgundy and white combination is a lovely, efreshing change. The bodywork is impressive and like I said, rucks like this down south aren't rust buckets, o they make ideal candidates for serious upgrades. All traces of a working-class life have been erased from the sheetmetal and the paint is beautifully done with a great shine and few signs of use. Most of the chrome and trim is original, olished up and given a shine that looks right, lus a heavy-duty step bumper out back. I always like seeing a sliding rear window, oo, hich is a feature that you can't appreciate until you've experienced the draft-free ventilation it provides. The bed is still working-grade, overed with spray-in bedliner material so you don't have to think twice about using this truck as intended.The simple, ugged interior is just the way Ford designers intended, ight down to the pleated vinyl seat cover. Sure, t's a no-frills place to get some work done, ut that's kind of refreshing today when trucks cost $60,000 and have every option your Cadillac does. However, he quality of the work makes it look far more upscale today, nd with new black carpets, icely detailed door panels, nd some faux burled walnut on the dash, t does look slick. This F250 carries a full set of gauges, lus a column shifter for the C6 3-speed automatic and a manual lever for the 2-speed transfer case. A modern AM/FM/CD stereo sounds great in the well-insulated cab and remarkably, t does have cruise control which was a pretty rare option on these big guys when they were new. Under the hood is Ford's tried and true 460 big block motor. Built for torque, t moves the big F-series with ease, specially augmented with an Edelbrock carburetor and MSD distributor. Ford Blue paint on the block works well with the chrome details and obviously someone made an effort to make it look at least a little OEM with a decal on the air cleaner. There's a giant radiator up front that doesn't make the big block sweat and with power steering and brakes it's easy to maneuver for such a big machine. An interesting dual system was added and routed to avoid the transfer case, hich is smart for heat control, nd it really does sound awesome with a throaty muffler. The undercarriage is pretty stock, ut like almost all our southern-bred machinery, t's clean and solid with only minor surface scale on the heavy iron bits. Handsome aluminum wheels add a bit of a butch look to the pretty truck, nd they're fitted with beefy BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A radials.Big, un, nd unusual, his Ford is the truck you always saw on the farm after it was too late. Don't miss this chance to get one in the prime of its life and call today!