Best old & inexpensive truck?

[nytreeman]

and heres my 1973 Ford f-250 highboy,4X4,np 435,dana 60 rear 44 front,360 ci fe engine

my wifes car, , 1978 Bronco, built 400 engine,c-6 auto with a shift kit,9 inch rear .350 gears 4 inch lift

 

[InTheFlow]

nice looking trucks nytreeman! I can tell you take pride in them.

 

[nytreeman]

nice looking trucks nytreeman! I can tell you take pride in them.

Thanks InTheFlow I do love these trucks,they might be old but they are solid and they are beasts,but I have had newer Mopar and Gms too before them,the're all good if they get the job done,but these are by far the best trucks I've ever owned

 

[ropensaddle]

and heres my 1973 Ford f-250 highboy,4X4,np 435,dana 60 rear 44 front,360 ci fe engine

my wifes car, , 1978 Bronco, built 400 engine,c-6 auto with a shift kit,9 inch rear .350 gears 4 inch lift

Old fords rule and remind me of husky's Nice trucks I need to
get mine together and photo them I have a 78 f350 2 wheel made into a
wrecker puller truck it has a in and out pto winch! The 65 in the photo
a 72 bronco,85f350,77 cobra and don't need it all so am going to part
with some to complete the others! My bronco is lifted with rancho 4 "
suspension and I rerings a .40 over 302 has 45 lbs cold 35 at operating
temp and will go anywhere in the woods. Anyway fords of the sixties
and seventies kick.

 

[nytreeman]

Huskies & Old Fords !!!!!!!!!

 

[InTheFlow]

"If it has a gov-lock in the rear, even better."

What is a gov-lock?

EDIT: "From 73 to probably the early 80's, GM's had 16.5" wheels."

Does that mean that 16" wheels will not fit the GMs made in those years or are they interchangeable with the 16.5s?

 

[nytreeman]

my next project,and this will take a lil while my 1971 Ford C-700 with a 5TD-52 PHI hi-ranger

 

[InTheFlow]

So condensing what I've learned, here is what I'm looking for in a GM/Chevy:

• '73-87 GM 3/4 ton longbed. With a NP 205 transfer case, 4 speed trans (SM465 opt code M20) and 4 wheel drive w 16” wheels.
  
• If an Auto Trans, I’d want a Turbo 350 or Turbo 400 but not the 700-R4 overdrives
  
• 14 bolt full floater rear axle or Dana 70
  
• GVW on the drivers door tag will have 8600 (Camper or Trailering Special) on it for the 13” rear brakes
  
• They’re called K20, 2500, Silverado, Scottsdale, or Cheyenne also known as the "Rounded Line"

Look about right?

If I go with Ford, basically anything in the 73-79 year range. That about right too?

Thanks!

 

[Peacock]

[*]If an Auto Trans, I’d want a Turbo 350 or Turbo 400 but not the 700-R4 overdrives

Personally I wouldn't even consider a TH350 for a wood hauler. It doesn't have any greater torque capacity than the 700R4. I've personally rebuilt too many of them that gave up the ghost a bit too early. The parts are tiny to those in the TH400.

400 all the way for auto's. Even then I'd much rather have the SM465. It's bulletproof and then some.

 

[gink595]

Nice collection of old Fords, They are nice, I wish I lived closer to you I have crap load of parts for them ol dudes. Me and a friend used to buy and sell them things like they where candy, always on the look out for Dana 60 fronts. I love the High Boys and their 8' long front drive shaft.(exagerated, not much though) The bucket truck will be a cool setup. It's good to see someone that restores those trucks instead of scrapping them out. Nice Bronco, I believe someday that will be a collectors item seeing they were only built a couple years.

 

[046]

so how much can you get a fixer-upper hi-ranger for?

my next project,and this will take a lil while my 1971 Ford C-700 with a 5TD-52 PHI hi-ranger

 

[Sprig]

So condensing what I've learned, here is what I'm looking for in a GM/Chevy:

• '73-87 GM 3/4 ton longbed. With a NP 205 transfer case, 4 speed trans (SM465 opt code M20) and 4 wheel drive w 16” wheels.
  
• If an Auto Trans, I’d want a Turbo 350 or Turbo 400 but not the 700-R4 overdrives
  
• 14 bolt full floater rear axle or Dana 70
  
• GVW on the drivers door tag will have 8600 (Camper or Trailering Special) on it for the 13” rear brakes
  
• They’re called K20, 2500, Silverado, Scottsdale, or Cheyenne also known as the "Rounded Line"

Look about right?

If I go with Ford, basically anything in the 73-79 year range. That about right too?

Thanks!

I cast my vote in the Chev/GM 3/4-1ton arena, small block 350, and yup on the turbo 350-400 if auto. If ya go Ford try to avoid 390's, good engines but very thirsty. If ya go Dodge, hm, most of the oldies around here spend as much time in the drive-ways as on da road but most of the 318's seem the most reliable but a bit anemic. What ever you choose take the time to inspect it well, comp., frame rust, brakes and susp. etc., lots of 'good' work trucks around and even some that have sat a bit can be a good find with a bit of TLC. If you have a bud who's mechanically inclined hire him for a bit to go over a beast or two so you know where ya stand. My opinion and stickin' to it



Serge

 

[streeter]

I cast my vote in the Chev/GM 3/4-1ton arena, small block 350, and yup on the turbo 350-400 if auto. If ya go Ford try to avoid 390's, good engines but very thirsty. If ya go Dodge, hm, most of the oldies around here spend as much time in the drive-ways as on da road but most of the 318's seem the most reliable but a bit anemic. What ever you choose take the time to inspect it well, comp., frame rust, brakes and susp. etc., lots of 'good' work trucks around and even some that have sat a bit can be a good find with a bit of TLC. If you have a bud who's mechanically inclined hire him for a bit to go over a beast or two so you know where ya stand. My opinion and stickin' to it



Serge

On behalf of all the Fords that still live on a old chevy Dodge, well if built before 80's are good. Atleast my ford will have a frame around my steering box when I need it and the frame will not pull apart at the spring mounts

sorry, I needed to give a dig after my work day

Doug

 

[nytreeman]

so how much can you get a fixer-upper hi-ranger for?

I bought it from friends that have one of the bigger tree services around here,they do crane and bucket work for me at times,it was an old truck that had been sitting for 10 years in one of there barns,the truck needs a huge amount of work,the boom needs re cabling and the cylinders need repacking plus new hoses,bolts, pins but it still all works,plus I got an f-600 with a 48 phi with no engine and a bent upper boom for parts and it was cheap,really cheap both for under 5 grand but it will cost me probably $6-8,000 plus the time,lots of time,to make one solid truck from the two and to have it back to where I want it to be and trust it,I don't use them til they're done,my trucks might be old but they're not junk

 

[gink595]

On behalf of all the Fords that still live on a old chevy Dodge, well if built before 80's are good. Atleast my ford will have a frame around my steering box when I need it and the frame will not pull apart at the spring mounts

sorry, I needed to give a dig after my work day

Doug

That is an observation I have made, I remember in the early ninty's there used to be a ton of those old Chevy/Fords running around(70's) Now I hardley see one (Chevy) and when I do I get excited because they seem so rare, but because I pay attention to such things I still see a lot of 70's fords running around, I'm not talking about restored ones but rused out ones. I just don't see the 70's Chevy's anymore. I couldn't believe how many old Fords I seen out in Wyoming and Montana that people were still using on daily basis when I visisted, there has to be a reason??

 

[chowdozer]

That is an observation I have made, I remember in the early ninty's there used to be a ton of those old Chevy/Fords running around(70's) Now I hardley see one (Chevy) and when I do I get excited because they seem so rare, but because I pay attention to such things I still see a lot of 70's fords running around, I'm not talking about restored ones but rused out ones. I just don't see the 70's Chevy's anymore. I couldn't believe how many old Fords I seen out in Wyoming and Montana that people were still using on daily basis when I visisted, there has to be a reason??

It's exactly the opposite here. Very rarely do I see an older Ford or Dodge but I see 4 or 5 GM's a day.

 

[ropensaddle]

It's exactly the opposite here. Very rarely do I see an older Ford or Dodge but I see 4 or 5 GM's a day.

Must be a pnw thing and I don't understand

 

[046]

deal of the month on craigslist Tulsa, lasted only a few minutes. I called at 7:45 am and missed it.

a clean 1994 Cummins 12valve turbo diesel 3/4 ton for $3200.
these sell routinely for $8k+ ... if you can find one that cheap

94-98 12v cummins turbo diesel are the most desirable years and sell for same as much newer models.

 

[ropensaddle]

deal of the month on craigslist Tulsa, lasted only a few minutes. I called at 7:45 am and missed it.

a clean 1994 Cummins 12valve turbo diesel 3/4 ton for $3200.
these sell routinely for $8k+ ... if you can find one that cheap

94-98 12v cummins turbo diesel are the most desirable years and sell for same as much newer models.

Injector pumps bad but still good trucks!

 

[Brushwacker]

I need a truck for getting firewood from the mountains (personal use). Probably about 30 - 45 minute drive one way. It needs to be as reliable as they get but easy to work on with easy access to inexpensive parts for when I do need to work on it.

Budget is no more than 1K so I figure that means its going to be old and have high mileage, hence the reliability requirement. Would prefer a straight axle, if possible. Would also be great if it could pull a trailer so that I could get more wood per trip! :jawdrop:

Any hearty recommendations or anything I should definitely avoid as far as reliability goes?

Thanks!

I like small pick ups best for chasing firewood in the woods. You can snake inbetween trees easiar and the same goes if encountering difficult terrain. Its easiar to turn them around and they are easy to hand winch, jack up etc..Loading and unloading is done easiar also. They just don't haul as much.
One set up I had for many years was a 87 Nissian short bed 2 wheel drive with air shocks. I mounted a large home made tool box in the front of the bed high enough a snowmobiles front would fit under it. That gave me full bed capacity + I made side boards about 10 inches high that could be put on and off easily. Easily hauled 1/3 cord of dead wood if not very wet. That truck had a low gear ratio and good power better then the toyota long bed I presently use but not as good as gas milage. Both are 87 4 cylinders. The Nissian had almost 200,000 miles when the frame went bad with rust. I replaced it with a 91 Isuzu 4wd 4 cylinder which the frame went bad in it within a couple years. I recently found a Isuzu with a good frame almost identical and used the engine out of the 1st one. It is powerful as the Nissian and has 4 low which is great for pulling and adverse conditions. Needs some help in the suspension for weight so I got some air shocks. I ve been using the Toyota for almost 3 years which does hold a good load well with cheap helper springs. Its a bit under powered with the extra weight but gets the job done and is very easy on gas. It turned 299,000 about 2 weeks ago on the original motor , transmission and clutch, no overhauls.
In the mountains I would go for a lower gear ratio like the Nissian if 2wd.
4wd would be a great advantage if you can find 1 in your budget. Nissan and Toyota seem reliable as they get,the frames do rust bad in some areas especially where salt is used,not sure on other makes. I would have a hard time trusting a Ford but wouldn't hesitate on a GM pickup, they treated me well and the S10 seems to do well for the people I know have them. Their frames do not rust like the foreign pick ups.