truck

[redman2006]

I sold my Tacoma recently due to mpg issues and some serious repairs that were needed. I now have a little hatchback that gets great gas mileage as a commuter, but I HAVE to get a truck. Hauling hay, a little camper, getting to the hunting spots, and so on all require decent clearance and a truck.

So I am looking for advice. Older trucks, 4x4, extended cab of some sort and a full length bed.

What years, brands, motors, etc would you suggest? What would you stay away from?

I am looking at a 1985 f150 with the inline six and an auto tranny. Not excited about auto, but that old inline six was a good motor.

Advice is welcome. Budget is a huge consideration, but trading vet services or firearms that I planned to trade anyway may help.

Thanks for the advice.

[RD]

red- I don't know what your budget is, but if you are planning on hauling and pulling things, I would look for a older dodge diesel cummins 12 valve. They are work horses that get great fuel mileage. I have an 07 24 valve that I love, the only thing I want to get done, is put a beefed up trans in. I have been keeping my eye open for a decent priced older 12 valve only because it has very little electronics tied to it.


RD

[redman2006]

I am looking at them, but if they are affordable, they have 450k on them.

I want something with fewer electronics and decent reliability.

[Goingbush]

450k on a Diesel is not even run it.
If your are thinking SHTF then low tech diesel is the way to go. the older diesels will even run on vegetable oil or used sump oil if you had to.

[redman2006]

GB , the motor is not an issue as much as all the other parts that are completely shot.

Still, I have always like the Cummins.

[Tex]

Redman, I'm a big fan of the old 300 6. That is probably the best motor Ford ever made. One of these days I am going to find myself a late 70's Ford 1/2 ton shortbed and Im going to buy it. It will have to have a 300 6 in it and a standard transmission before I buy it though. The 12V Cummins are probably the best heavy duty motor ever put into a light truck. When I worked as a logger, all of our skidders had the same engines as the pickups and they were tough.

If you get a 3/4 ton or bigger, I would go with the 12V Cummins.
If you go with a half ton, you can't beat the 300 6. And yes, that 300 will pull a trailer as long as it isn't too heavy. We used to have one in a late 70's 3/4 ton and that thing pulled cattle allover Texas. Tough damn motor.

Whatever you get though, make sure it has a standard transmission. Automatics are a pain to start if the battery dies. A standard though, can be rolled down a hill and popped off.


Tex

[Betty Buckshot]

1986 Ford F150 for sale. 302 motor, 4 speed, 4X4, short bed. Pulls like a son-of-a-gun. Ex replaced the motor, so I don't know actual miles. 200K+ on the body, dents & rust. I don't drive it often enough to keep the battery from running down, so I bought a new battery & keep it in the garage until needed. 2 tone gray if you care, custom grill guard & tailgate. $1200 negotiable.

[redman2006]

BB
That sounds like what I need. I wish you were about 500 miles closer. Getting it here would be the issue.

Actually, I wish I was 500 miles closer. I feel out of place on this side of the Mississippi.

[redman2006]

Tex,
I have a little experience with the 12v Cummins. I wish they had never changed it. Mpg and as a work truck, the new ones are not even close. What year did they finally beef up the tranny and drive line to handle the power? That was an issue for a while on those.

We used one to hauled horses a fair bit. What amazed me was how the mpg would hardly drop with a load in comparison to any gas motor I ever used.

[RD]

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red- this is my 07 , it has the 5.9 24 valve in it. I would like to figure out what electronics I can remove from it to make it less dependent of them. I would love to get my hands on the old Cat motors they used to put in some of the dodges, those were beasts. You could turn the fuel pump over to manual and take the electrical system completely out of the engine operation. The transmissions are still an issue in my opinion although I have been pretty hard on mine and so far it is holding up.


RD

[redman2006]

RD, I had an 06 under a lease for a couple of years because of what I was doing. I loved it, but it was a disappointment in comparison to the old Dodge we used. It was a solid truck, but the MPG was terrible compared to the old one.

Nice bike, just sold my Springer. It sucks, but you do what you gotta do.

[MillenniumMan]

Just hit Craigslist, gotta be something on there.

[redman2006]

Any opinions in early 80's power wagons?

[Tex]

They're tough


Tex