Should we aquire this truck? (rough under power)

We are trying to trade our motorhome for a truck to tow with. It is older but in good shape. Someone offered us an '86 F350 with a 460 auto, but he said it idles fine but is rough under power.

What we want to know is if this is something we should even consider or not. I know it could theoretically run the gamut from cheap fix to can of worms, as with a lot of issues, but it is a nice truck otherwise. We just want to see if there are any knowledgeable opinions out there on this.

I may or may not perform the work myself depending on what it ends up being. I am not great at diagnosing, but I can fix pretty much anything if I know what it is.

We don't have much money, so we want to know if the risk is worth it.

 

That's a 27 year old truck.
I'd pass.

 

How many miles are on it ?

I've had several vehicles with the 460 engines and they were good performers and reliable.
We could only guess at problems. Why not take it to a mechanic for his opinion. You may have to pay him a few bucks but it might save a costly mistake.

Is the risk worth it on a 27 year old truck ? Borderline.

 

With a 460, be prepared for 9 MPG. You'll have to map out your fuel stops on all your trips based on your tank capacity. I've owned one, and smiled when it left.

 

I also previously owned a 460. I was told it got close to 10 mpg but after buying it found it to be 6 mpg, tweaking the carb and timing allowed me to get 8 mpg Mine always ran good, just drank too much gas!

The miss could be as simple as a tune up or could mean extensive engine work. I'd want to do a compression test.