Vintage fifth- and sixth-generation Ford F-Series 4×4 pickups dotted the 2025 Summer 4-Wheel Jamboree in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It was cool to see the decades-old trucks, and we’re spotlighting four of them in this story. The tally includes one fifth-gen and three sixth-gen trucks. It’s a widely varied group of rigs, and each owner has taken their own path regarding restoration and modifications. One thing they all have in common is that they’re fine examples of Ford’s wildly successful generations of trucks.

About Fifth- And Sixth-Generation Ford F-Series 4×4 Pickups

When the fifth-generation 1967 Ford pickup hit showrooms, it was an all-new design and a significant departure from its predecessor. For example, it had increased dimensions, and engine options were expanded. The truck was known as the “bumpside” because it featured a raised portion of the body along the beltline. Numerous engines were available throughout the generation, including the legendary 300-cubic-inch I6 and the 390-cubic-inch V8. The fifth-gen Ford continued through the 1972 model year.

Ford F-Series 4×4 pickups were all-new again for the sixth generation, which ran from 1973 to 1979. The “dentside” trucks featured a new concave body-length groove, as well as a “full-depth, double-wall box” and front disc brakes. By 1979, square headlights were standard. Engine options included the 300-cubic-inch I6 and the big-block 460-cubic-inch V8.

1977 Ford F-250 High-Boy Reborn After Near Demise

Jamie Chisolm of Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, says, “I’ve always wanted a High-Boy ever since I was a kid.” So when he found a 1977 Ford F-250 High-Boy, he snapped it up and used it as the foundation for this remarkable build.

Found Sinking Into The Ground With Only 26,000 Miles

The High-Boy had been sitting for about 10 years. Jamie says, “I bought the truck from the original owner with 26,000 original miles back in 2008. It was parked under a pine tree and had sunk down into the gravel of his driveway.”

Acquiring the Ford F-Series 4×4 marked the beginning of a complete restoration. “I slowly started working on it, and my dad and I did a frame-off restoration. I finished it in time for my senior year of high school. It was my daily driver while I was in school, and after graduation, I drove it as much as I could. I used the truck for a little bit of everything over the years—from hauling scrap to hauling my mud truck to the mud bogs. I wasn’t afraid to use the truck, but I still took good care of it,” he says.

New Body, Factory Colors

Part of the restoration included installing and restoring a complete body from a donor truck. Jamie said this was necessary because the original body was far too rusted. The new body is painted in the original truck’s Bahama Blue with a white roof. Jamie also added a few things to the exterior of the rig, including a roll bar and seven forward-facing KC lights.

351 CI V8, NP435, NP205, 37s, And More

The truck’s 351-cubic-inch V8 has been tweaked with an “RV cam,” a DUI distributor, and an Edelbrock four-barrel intake topped with an Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor. Bolted to the engine is an NP435 four-speed manual transmission that sends power to the divorced NP205 transfer case.

Up front is the factory eight-lug Dana 44 axle with manual locking hubs, while out back is a Dana 60. Both are fitted with 4.10:1 gears. Jamie added chrome differential covers to the axles, dual steering stabilizers up front, and L&L Products ladder traction bars in the rear. He retained the rig’s original leaf springs but added a couple more leafs to create four inches of additional height. The factory leaf springs remain in the rear, but Jamie completed a shackle reversal that provides two inches of lift. Skyjacker shocks are used at each corner.

The truck is fitted with 37×14.50R16 Interco Super Swamper TSL SX2 tires mounted on 10-inch-wide U.S. Wheel chrome wheels.

Driven To Bloomsburg

Jamie built his F-250 High-Boy to drive. In fact, he has driven the truck on the 500-mile round trip from his home to the Summer 4-Wheel Jamboree in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, for the past 10 years. Additionally, he says, “This past year I even got to have the truck in my wedding. The truck is part of the family.”

1977 Ford F-150 Twin-Turbo Mega Truck

The story of Zack Elbert’s incredible John Deere Green 1977 Ford F-150 began as a cab and chassis from Arizona. He purchased the combo specifically as a foundation to build a race truck. He says the rig is built using the original frame from the rear of the cab forward. Behind the cab is a custom tube chassis that ties into a full roll cage. Zack says this allows for a decrease in overall weight and strengthens the frame in case of a rollover.

Big Horsepower From A Salvage-Yard Engine

Zack says he wanted big horsepower without “breaking the bank.” He wanted to take a junkyard engine, throw some good parts on it, and make 800 or 900 horsepower.

His solution was a salvage yard-sourced 5.3-liter V8 LS engine out of a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500. To the $350 engine, he added a pair of 62mm Precision Turbo & Engine turbochargers, ARP head studs, a Brian Tooley Racing Stage 2 camshaft, and water-methanol injection. Exhaust is whisked away via 3-inch-diameter pipes that exit from the front fenderwells. The bottom end and intake of the engine are stock. All told, Zack estimates he only has around $8,000 into the plant.

Built Transmission, Divorced T-Case

Power is routed through a long-shaft TCI Stage 2 TH400 automatic transmission and sent to the axles via a divorced Chain Reaction transfer case. Both axles are 2.5-ton Rockwells that Zack removed from the donor truck and rebuilt. Each retains its 6.72:1 gearing, and he welded the spider gears to create permanent lockers. Each axle is fitted with a custom pinion brake system that includes calipers sourced from a 1989 Toyota Tacoma and custom rotors. The truck is pointed via hydraulic steering that uses the factory pump.

Four-Link With Coilovers

This Ford rides on a custom four-link suspension that delivers 16 inches of travel. At each corner, Big Shocks remote-reservoir coilovers—custom-tuned specifically for the truck—soak up the hits. The link bars are fitted with Heim joints for a full range of motion, and they tie into a custom cradle at the center of the chassis. Limit straps keep everything in check, preventing the suspension from overextending when the truck gets airborne.

The custom wheels started life as farm tractor hoops, now wrapped in massive 14.9-24 agricultural tires measuring a towering 51 inches in diameter.

Inside And Out

Inside, the Ford F-Series 4×4 is fitted with racing seats and five-point harnesses. Of course, there’s an array of safety features, including kill switches and fire extinguishers.

Outside, Zack modified the factory bedsides and added a hood cowl. He removed the truck’s back window and extended the roll cage through the opening. Finally, there’s a rear-mounted radiator and a fuel tank fashioned from a beer keg.

Go Fast, Get Big Air

Zack says he built his “Snot Rocket Mega Truck” because, “My other truck was too big to race, and I wanna go fast and get big air.” Sounds like a great plan to us.

1975 Ford F-250 High-Boy With Supercharged 541 Cubic-Inch V8

This 1975 Ford F-250 High-Boy has been in the same family for over 40 years. It’s owned by Bob Agan of Frankenmuth, Michigan, who recalls going with his dad to look at the truck in 1982. At the time, it was bone stock and owned by his father’s buddy, who had bought the truck brand new but hardly drove it. Bob’s dad purchased the truck, and years later gifted it to Bob when he turned 16. He began tinkering with the High-Boy, and it “kept getting bigger and bigger.” After attending a 4-Wheel Jamboree in 2002, he decided to “tear it apart and go this direction with it…”

Supercharged 541 CI V8

Nowadays, there’s a supercharged 541-cubic-inch V8 under the hood. It began life as a 429-cubic-inch big-block before being bored and stroked. Among other things, the plant features a custom-ground crankshaft, Teflon-coated pistons, and custom headers. Boost is provided by a BDS Superchargers 871 Stage 1 Blower Kit that includes an intake and drive kit. The engine is cooled by a BeCool radiator that’s fitted with 16- and 10-inch electric fans.

Manual Valve Body C6 Transmission, Divorced NP205, And More

Bolted to the engine is a C6 three-speed automatic transmission that has been rebuilt and modified to include a manual valve body. The factory divorced NP205 two-speed transfer case routes power to the axles. Up front is the factory Dana 44, and out back is the factory Dana 60. Each has 4.10:1 gearing.

Rolling On 39s With 4 Inches Of Suspension Lift

Bob’s truck is rolling on big 39×18.00R16.5 Mickey Thompson tires mounted on 14-inch-wide Weld Racing wheels. To allow the large tires to fit, he installed Skyjacker 4-inch lift leaf springs. Skyjacker shocks round out the suspension.

Impeccable Interior And Exterior

The Ford’s interior is an impeccable custom creation. Its features include re-covered LMC Truck bucket seats, a center console, and Auto Meter gauges. The Ford F-Series 4×4 includes a triple-double rollbar, a rear drop bumper, and a cargo box-mounted battery. And, of course, the custom airbrushing, which was applied by a friend of Bob’s. Fun fact: it took his friend eight hours to complete the airbrushing on one door.

2 MPG, But Still Puts A Smile On His Face

About the truck, Bob says, “We have taken it to a lot of shows over the years. My family enjoys taking it out and driving it quite a bit.” He notes that it gets about 2 mpg on race gas, but it still puts a smile on his face.

1970 Ford F-350 With Power Stroke Turbodiesel And Six-Speed Manual

Tim Fritz of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, has always liked fifth-generation Ford trucks. Thus, it was a no-brainer when he embarked on building this 1970 F-350. A glance at the truck reveals a clean, sharp build, but there are things you can’t see that add to its awesomeness.

Powered By Power Stroke

Lurking under the F-350’s hood is a 7.3-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel. The V8 has been massaged with 160cc injectors, an Edge Revolver chip, and more. The result is a stout engine with plenty of grunt. That power is transferred through a simple, strong ZF S6-650 six-speed manual transmission equipped with a performance clutch by South Bend Clutch. Tim notes that the transmission is his favorite feature of the truck because of the inherent benefits of a manual box. Power is then sent to the axles via an NP271 two-speed transfer case.

Dana 60 Up Front, Rolling On 41.5s

The truck’s front axle is a “Snow Fighter”-package Ford Dana 60 King Pin with manual lockout hubs, Spicer axle joints, and a finned aluminum differential cover. The steering has been upgraded with a Sky’s Offroad Design crossover steering kit and dual Skyjacker Nitro 7000 stabilizers. Out back is a Sterling 10.25-inch axle. Both axles are fitted with 4.10:1 gears.

Sandwiched between the front axle and the smoothed, painted chassis are custom Skyjacker 10-inch-lift leaf springs. At the rear, 8 inches of lift comes from re-arched 1997 F-350-application leaf springs and blocks. Skyjacker shock absorbers are installed at each corner of the truck.

Tim went big with the tires on his Ford F-Series 4×4, too. He fitted the truck with 41.5×13.50R16.5LT Pit Bull Rocker tires mounted to 12-inch-wide Weld Stone Crusher wheels.

Modern Dashboard, Air Conditioning, And More

Inside, Tim brought the F-350 into the modern era with a 1997 Ford truck dashboard, a complete wiring harness, and even air conditioning to make hot Pennsylvania summers bearable. Other modern touches include windshield wiper delay—a small upgrade that make a big difference behind the wheel.

Outside, the truck sports a custom fuel door, a rear roll pan, and a stainless-steel trailer hitch.

Reliable And Easy To Drive

Tim says that all of the modifications on his F-350 were done to make the vehicle reliable and easy to drive—and it’s safe to say he nailed it.

Photos by Jeff Luckey and Ken Brubaker