This is a period-correct 1976 Ford F-250 Highboy pickup truck, powered by the 360 V8, that’s been fitted with a vintage Wolverine Pup camper, and a front-mounted 1978 Honda XL125 motorcycle.
Classic, period-correct Highboys like this are rapidly becoming some of the most collectible vintage pickup trucks money can buy. We’ve seen pristine examples changing hands for figures well into the six figures, but there are still deals to be had.
Fast Facts: A 1976 Ford F-250 Highboy Camper
- The Ford F-250 Highboy was the enthusiast nickname for Ford’s tall three-quarter-ton 4×4 pickups built from 1967 until early 1977. Their defining feature was a divorced transfer case mounted separately on the frame, which required extra drivetrain clearance and contributed to the trucks’ noticeably taller ride height.
- Early Highboys used live axles, leaf springs, four-wheel drum brakes, and a Dana 24 transfer case, while 1973 brought the stronger NP205. The 360 cubic inch FE V8 became the main V8 from 1968 through 1976, paired with a manual transmission in the four-wheel-drive F-250.
- Ford substantially updated the F-250 4×4 during the 1977 model year, switching to a wider frame, transmission-mounted transfer case, integral power steering, and lower suspension.
- The 1976 F-250 shown here keeps its original 360 V8, 4-speed manual transmission, and divorced transfer case. It also has Free Wheeling graphics, a Warn 8274 winch, vintage Wolverine Pup camper, and front-mounted 1978 Honda XL125 motorcycle, creating a period-correct recreational setup.
History Speedrun: The Ford F-250 Highboy
From the 1967 model year until a mid-year change in 1977, every four-wheel-drive F-250 Ford built had its transfer case on separate frame mounts, independent from the transmission. All of them rode significantly higher than a two-wheel-drive F-250, but Ford never gave these trucks a name of their own. Enthusiasts soon did, it’s not known where the term “Highboy” originated in the context of the 4×4 F250, but it’s now been used to identify them for over 40 years and counting.
It’s not known where the term “Highboy” originated in the context of the 4×4 F250, but it’s now been used to identify them for over 40 years and counting. Image courtesy of Ford.
It’s probably worth noting that the first use of the “Highboy” name came decades before during the hot rod craze. A highboy hot rod is one that has the body sitting on the frame rails, where it should be, and a “lowboy” was a hot rod that had channels added to the underside of the body to allow it to sit lower on the frame. The first hot rods were (arguably) mostly 1932 Ford V8s, and so the highboy name was applied to Fords very early on, which might be why it resurfaced on the 4×4 F250 all those years later.
The Highboy’s Divorced Transfer Case
Ford had offered a factory-built four-wheel drive version of the F-Series since 1959, the fifth-generation trucks arrived for 1967, and the F-250 4×4 used a dual-range Dana 24 transfer case. It was bolted to the frame and driven from the transmission by a short shaft – known as a divorced transfer case, as opposed to a married one attached directly to the back of the gearbox.
That divorced case needed clearance to send its driveshafts fore and aft, so the front of the truck sat high on prominently arched leaf springs. Ford fitted four-inch blocks between the rear axle and its springs to bring the back up and get it level with the front end.
The 1967-1972 Highboy stands 5.2 to 5.6 inches taller than a comparable rear-wheel-drive F-250. That’s enough that a stock Highboy looks as if it’s been fitted with an aftermarket lift kit, so perhaps the nickname shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
Underneath a Highboy you’ll find a separate steel ladder frame with solid axles at both ends, both on leaf springs. A full-floating Dana 60 axle was fitted at the rear, and at the front was a closed-knuckle Dana 44, with a heavier-duty Dana 44HD available as an option. Brakes were drums at all four wheels, and steering on the 1967-1972 trucks was non-power-assisted, requiring plenty of muscle work at lower speeds.
Engine choices for 1967 were the 240 cubic inch (3.9 liter) and 300 cubic inch (4.9 liter) inline sixes and a 352 cubic inch (5.8 liter) V8. From 1968 the V8 was the 360 cubic inch (5.9 liter) FE, rated at 215 bhp and 327 lb ft. Through 1976 it was the only V8 Ford factory-installed in a four-wheel-drive F-250. The bigger 390 and 460 were never offered in a Highboy from the factory.
The 1967-1972 Highboy stands 5.2 to 5.6 inches taller than a comparable rear-wheel-drive F-250. That’s enough that a stock Highboy looks as if it’s been fitted with an aftermarket lift kit, so perhaps the nickname shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Image courtesy of Ford.
The 1973 Redesign – A New Body With An Old Frame
The sixth-generation F-Series arrived for 1973 with all-new sheet metal. The rear-wheel-drive trucks moved to a frame with rear rails four inches farther apart, but the F-250 4×4 kept the old, narrower width. Its rails sat about 33.5 inches apart, the same as the 1967-1972 trucks and the larger F-350.
Every Highboy had its main fuel tank inside the cab, behind the seat. A design choice that wouldn’t get anywhere near a production vehicle today, but interestingly it’s a layout still used by Formula 1 cars.
An optional 20-gallon plastic auxiliary tank could also be fitted between the rear rails, it was a popular option just due to the thirst of that 360 V8. Ford didn’t build a SuperCab F-250 4×4 until 1978, though crew cab Highboys were built alongside the regular cabs.
The drivetrain changed more than the frame did for this generation, a New Process NP205 transfer case replaced the Dana 24 for 1973, still divorced and still frame-mounted, and a 4-speed manual was standard on the four-wheel-drive pickups. Full-time four-wheel drive, using the New Process NP203, became available in 1974.
Power steering reached the truck in this generation, but only as an add-on power assist rather than an integral power steering box.
For 1976, regular-cab trucks got an open-knuckle Dana 44 with front disc brakes in place of the closed-knuckle axle and its drums – the discs were a welcome addition given the prodigious weight of the trucks, particularly with a load in the back.
The sixth-generation F-Series arrived for 1973 with all-new sheet metal. The rear-wheel-drive trucks moved to a frame with rear rails four inches farther apart, but the F-250 4×4 kept the old, narrower width. Its rails sat about 33.5 inches apart, the same as the 1967-1972 trucks and the larger F-350. Image courtesy of Ford.
The End Of The Highboy
By 1977 the F-Series was the best-selling truck in America. Partway through that model year, at serial number Y20,001 in February 1977, Ford reworked the four-wheel-drive F-250. Trucks built from that point used a transfer case bolted to the transmission, either the part-time NP205 or the full-time NP203.
They also got the wider frame of the two-wheel-drive trucks and integral power steering. As a result of all this they could be fitted with slightly lower suspension, and owners began calling the lower trucks Lowboys, and the earlier ones became Highboys.
Highboys built in the first months of 1977 have an engine lineup no other Highboy had from the factory – Ford dropped the 360 for 1977 and offered the 351M and 400 V8s instead. Early-1977 Highboys therefore pair those newer engines with the divorced transfer case and narrow frame.
The Lowboy lasted through 1979, and for 1980 the four-wheel-drive F-250 switched to independent front suspension – Ford’s Twin-Traction Beam.
The 1976 Ford F-250 Highboy Camper Shown Here
This 1976 Ford F-250 Highboy is a three-quarter-ton four-wheel-drive pickup that’s been deliberately kept in period-correct condition throughout. It keeps its original factory drivetrain, a 360 cubic inch V8 with a 4-speed manual transmission and the divorced transfer case arrangement that was used on these trucks.
This 1976 Ford F-250 Highboy is a three-quarter-ton four-wheel-drive pickup that’s been deliberately kept in period-correct condition throughout. It keeps its original factory drivetrain, a 360 cubic inch V8 with a 4-speed manual transmission and the divorced transfer case arrangement that was used on these trucks.
This Highboy has a Free Wheeling decal kit, a custom front winch bumper fitted with a Warn 8274 winch, and a vintage Wolverine Pup slide-in camper on the back for overnight accommodation when needed. The truck is also being sold with a 1978 Honda XL125 motorcycle that’s carried on a vintage front mount, making it an ideal weekend adventure rig.
It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late-October, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Mecum + Ford
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
