Buying a 91
 

Hey all,

I'm looking at buying a 91 350 at an auction. What kinds of things will I want to check out on it? I looked its VIN up online and it said that it was registered in 04/91, so its not a 91.5. I'd like to know some pros and cons on this particular truck, and I don't know if it has a manual or automatic. Is there a way to find out by VIN? According to the other VIN stuff I looked up, its an LE SE, what did these things include? Its a single cab long bed. Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Tom in Alaska

LE is the top of the line. 99% chance you'll get ,tilt, Cloth, power windows, locks etc.

If its an early 91 automatic it'll have the good ole 3spd auto (727).... with a very hard to get parts for, 3.07 DANA 70 rear. (they discontinued parts for this unique rears a long time ago,)

You need to find out what transmission it has !!! thats the most important thing. If its a 5 speed manual, well thats awesome for fuel mileage and power but you NEED to overfill the transmission by 1 quart with 5W-30 synthetic oil.....but lets find out what trans it has before we get into all that.

Can you drive it? these trucks get alot of front suspension issues over time being theres ALOT of weight hanging over the front,

Also rust over the windshield, in the cab rain gutter is a MUST SEE! its a pain to fix you wanna make sure it has none or very little, if the cab gutter is rotted and you plan on driving the truck. You better wear a rain coat during storms :D

The day it was "registered" doesn't mean much about what year it is....

Theres a way to tell if its Non intercooled in the VIN- If the 8th digit of the VIN is a "C" then its an intercooled 91.5 .

If the 8th digit is an "8" its non intercooled....Transmission type does NOT show up in the vin.

Hope this helps :D

Awesome info, and it helps alot, but I went to check out the truck today, and it hit something pretty hard in the front. The leaf springs were bent on drivers side pushing the axle back, and bent on the passenger side pushing the axle forward. The Driver's spring hanger was partailly broken off the frame, and the cab was on the truck slightly crooked due to a tweaked frame on the driver's front. It was a shame though. the body was in perfect condition aside from a couple dents on the front clip, it had only a hair of surface rust on the windshield, and it only had 119000 miles. It was just too much of a project for me. If the frame wasn't tweaked, I'd have bought it and just replaced the springs with a lift. Thanks again guys. I'll try to grab another one later. Hopefully a newer one with the same or less miles, and a manual tranny. Thank you again, It really helped to know what other stuff to check out.

Tom