Steve McQueen was a car man. He loved his Ford Mustang that starred in the film Bullitt, and he had a healthy collection of other fast rides that backed up his reputation as the “King of Cool.” That said, he likely never thought of owning a Ford F700 dump truck made in the same dark-green scheme as the aforementioned ‘Stang. Maybe he should’ve, though, because this workhorse is undeniably sweet, if a bit niche.
I’m admittedly partial to old dump trucks—have a look at my personal F600 from 1966. And since I spend too many hours every week perusing Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for yet another commercial vehicle, I can tell you there aren’t many as nice as this one. Especially after 28 years, very few escape the fate of ungodly hard work and less-than-meticulous maintenance. This Ford, however, was well-kept by the United States Army and currently has just 24,800 miles on the odometer.
The seller explains the truck’s respectable condition was enough to push him to restore it in a way that most simply aren’t. They claim the Heil dump bed has never had a rock in it and, what’s more, the body is near-flawless. And instead of using Bondo to repair a few dings in the tailgate, they left as-is to keep it original. You’ve gotta respect that kind of forethought.
After that, it was time to sandblast and recoat the F700 in Bullitt Green, or at least the closest to it they could find in the Sherwin Williams commercial aisle. The end result is surprisingly clean, especially with the Bullitt-branded mudflaps and front grille badge. Even the frame was stripped and re-coated, making for a clean truck on the surface as well as underneath.
Even if the drivetrain was in rough shape before the restoration, that wouldn’t be a problem now thanks to the completely refreshed 12-valve Cummins diesel. While this version of the turbocharged inline-six was in fact an option for the F700 in 1992, it’s unclear if the power plant is original to the truck. Regardless, they’re capable of making big power on purely mechanical upgrades—simplicity is better, in some cases.
Power is sent to a military-spec Allison transmission, rated to handle more output than the civilian-grade five-speed auto built for 545 hp or less. The single-axle rear-end has a ratio of 4.30, which is primed for highway hauling. Again, per the ad, it was built to tow a Caterpillar backhoe on a heavy-duty trailer totaling 25,000 pounds from job to job.
Lastly, it touts a Class 7-worthy GVWR of 26,500 pounds. As such, it’s equipped with air brakes and can haul trailers that utilize either electric or air brakes themselves.
The truck is listed in Mesa, Arizona for a total price of $54,500—which isn’t as expensive as it sounds. Newer heavy-duty dump trucks with the same level of capability can often run double that amount, along with being far costlier to repair. This is by no means a budget build, but it’ll do the job for less than the rest while looking great all the while. Even if you didn’t love McQueen, it’s probably a buy worth making—especially if you’ve got rock to move.
Correction [May 13, 2020 at 12:54 p.m.]: This article previously stated the truck fell into the Class 6 category; however, given its 26,500-pound GVWR, it is a Class 7 vehicle. The relevant text has been updated.
Caleb Jacobs is Deputy News Editor at The Drive. He buys weird things, like a ’66 Ford dump truck and a ’65 Chevy school bus. We continue to employ him, though we can’t seem to understand why. Send him a note: caleb@thedrive.com