Old-School Tow Vehicle?

Here's my latest:

'83 Dually. Big Block, 4 speed, factory-installed rust.

This body style is lego-truck.

In reply to ClemSparks:

That is objectively awesome.

novaderrik wrote:

Tom_Spangler wrote: You guys are nuts. On a long road trip, I'll take my 2011 F-150 with Sirius, heated and cooled leather seats, sunroof, 21mpg Ecoboost motor, 9k-plus pound towing capacity, etc, etc.

you're doing it wrong.

This is the only forum on the web where multiple people would tell me that. But that's OK. I still say you people are crazy, but I mean that in the nicest possible way. The old trucks are very cool, and I'd like to own one someday. But for a long tow, I'll take the amenities, comfort, reliability, safety, and BRAKES of a modern tow vehicle.

Are you willing to wrench? A lot? Willing to buy a LOT of gas? I hope you answered yes, yes, and yes.

I've had about a dozen of the '63-'72 trucks that I used as dailies. They're cool. They're easy to get parts for, even 15 years ago. The reproduction market has ramped up even more since then.

I've had a bunch of half tons. Not what you want for towing. The rear suspension of the '67-'72 is actually better for towing than the half ton '73+ leaf spring versions.

If you are going towing, both my best friend and I had 3/4 tons that were nearly indestructible.

The yellow one was mine with a SBC 400 and a TH400. It got 9mpg. And it needed every bushing and steering component replaced. A lot of it had already been freshened up before I got it. It cruised at 70mph.

The white one was my pal's Super Cheyenne. It was a SMC 350 TH400 and it got 10mpg, but didn't have the grunt mine had. It needed an engine rebuild, AC repair, bushings, steering box, steering column, brakes and more. It cruised at 75mph with the super heavy duty Michelin over-the-road tires.

For a while it was hauling a vintage camper. That dropped the mileage down to 6mpg on the freeway.

I put a lot of miles on those trucks. Much of it long distance and hauling parts or trailers. If you want a "cool" truck, it was an upgrade from the VW busses I had been driving. But a few years later when I upgraded to a '98 Ford, then a few years after that I bought a new 2003 2500 Chevy my life got a WHOLE lot easier. Better mileage, better AC, better reliability, better safety (not that I ever tested it), and the most important thing - a LOT easier to drive with less fatigue.

But, if you're on a budget, old stuff has to do. But figure on refreshing the suspension and steering at a minimum. The '67-72 trucks are actually better trucks than the '73-88. But they've become hugely popular with the street rod crowd. Fortunately the 3/4 ton long beds aren't desired for hot rodding. The down side is that they only come in single cab and suburban body styles. The '73+ come in crew cabs also and the '89 style also got the extended cab and LT engines.

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

I agree with you, Tom. My 95 Cummins is about as old as I'd want for a serious tow vehicle. And even at that, I plan some significant upgrades and changes.

Maroon92 wrote: You had best be layin' frame, brah.

Why does brah have his hat on sideways?

That MORON has destroyed the function of a perfectly good truck so he can look cool. The hat is appropriate.

motomoron wrote: Why does brah have his hat on sideways?

He doesn't...he's looking in the mirror.

[possibly to see if the trailer has fallen off...caught on fire...if he has any frame left...insert other jokes here]

I don't think we need to pick on the lowered-dually-crowd too much here. We like yugos fer cryin' out loud!

God help me, I love slammed OBS duallys. (Though I do think laying frame is silly.)

modernbeat wrote: Are you willing to wrench? A lot? Willing to buy a LOT of gas? I hope you answered yes, yes, and yes. I've had about a dozen of the '63-'72 trucks that I used as dailies. They're cool. They're easy to get parts for, even 15 years ago. The reproduction market has ramped up even more since then. I've had a bunch of half tons. Not what you want for towing. The rear suspension of the '67-'72 is actually better for towing than the half ton '73+ leaf spring versions. If you are going towing, both my best friend and I had 3/4 tons that were nearly indestructible. The yellow one was mine with a SBC 400 and a TH400. It got 9mpg. And it needed every bushing and steering component replaced. A lot of it had already been freshened up before I got it. It cruised at 70mph. The white one was my pal's Super Cheyenne. It was a SMC 350 TH400 and it got 10mpg, but didn't have the grunt mine had. It needed an engine rebuild, AC repair, bushings, steering box, steering column, brakes and more. It cruised at 75mph with the super heavy duty Michelin over-the-road tires. For a while it was hauling a vintage camper. That dropped the mileage down to 6mpg on the freeway. I put a lot of miles on those trucks. Much of it long distance and hauling parts or trailers. If you want a "cool" truck, it was an upgrade from the VW busses I had been driving. But a few years later when I upgraded to a '98 Ford, then a few years after that I bought a new 2003 2500 Chevy my life got a WHOLE lot easier. Better mileage, better AC, better reliability, better safety (not that I ever tested it), and the most important thing - a LOT easier to drive with less fatigue. But, if you're on a budget, old stuff has to do. But figure on refreshing the suspension and steering at a minimum. The '67-72 trucks are actually better trucks than the '73-88. But they've become hugely popular with the street rod crowd. Fortunately the 3/4 ton long beds aren't desired for hot rodding. The down side is that they only come in single cab and suburban body styles. The '73+ come in crew cabs also and the '89 style also got the extended cab and LT engines.

no truck ever got "LT" engines- those were only used in Corvettes (92-96), F bodies (93-97), and B bodies (94-96)..

they went withTBI in place of the quadrajet carb in the 1/2 ton trucks in the 87 model year as an option on the 350, then across the boards in 88 with the new body style.. the good "vortec" 305 and 350 engines came out in 96, but every truck engine built since 87 or 88 has been called a "vortec" engine in the owner's manuals..

someone needs to take a 70-ish C20 (the most beautiful truck ever built) and put a Duramax/Allison drivetrain in it with maybe slightly better seats for comfort..

I realize that a newer truck is going to be a better overall vehicle, but any tow vehicle I get is not likely to accumulate a lot of miles. I'm not laying out more than a few thousand bucks for a truck that gets used 15-20 times/year!

So, a 2011 anything is out of the question.

That $5-6k will buy me a decent 02-04-ish Silverado, which is a great truck, but also pretty boring. I had an '88 C1500 I towed with and it was pretty low-maintenance, so I thought maybe a real classic truck wouldn't be to bad to own/maintain/tow with AND it would look cool so I would want to drive it around just for the hell of it.

I guess it would kill two automotive birds with one stone. It would be the tow vehicle I need, and the cool old Detroit V8 iron I want.

If it is a major maintenance, safety, or reliability trade-off I'm back to looking at more recent stuff.

i approve of this thread!

how i roll to the track!

86 3/4ton diesel th400. the thing will pull anything you can put behind it as long as you dont want to go any faster then 67mph. this summer trip from philly to mid ohio averaged 14mpg fully loaded

ClemSparks wrote: Here's my latest: '83 Dually. Big Block, 4 speed, factory-installed rust. This body style is lego-truck.

This is like the truck my friend has that I would like to get from him. 79 GMC Dually, has a 350 but was a 454 truck (gas mileage is better this way), SM465 4-speed, cowl hood, 4.10 gears, no overdrive (gear vendors could cure this). But it is a beast, even with the 350. Of course he is a machinists so nothing is left just stock.

Another option that I don't hate:

FJ60:

or, FJ80:

These things are pretty slow even w/out a load though...

I LOVE this pic!

Maroon92 wrote: You had best be layin' frame, brah.

ShadowSix wrote:

I love those things. Along with first gen Troopers, they look like they could take an artillery shell.

alex wrote: God help me, I love slammed OBS duallys. (Though I do think laying frame is silly.)

yeah, that E36 M3 is retarded...

My '85 C-30 Dually has always been up to the task of towing whatever I've asked it to tow. It's got a 350/TH400 and a Dana 70HD rear end. I've got a pic of it here in my GRM garage. Granted, it doesn't have the character of the earlier trucks, but it's been very reliable and cheap to keep. Well, except for the $800 worth of tires that I just put on the rear axle!

ShadowSix wrote: Another option that I don't hate: FJ60: or, FJ80: These things are pretty slow even w/out a load though...

The 60/62, at least, is miserable at towing. Engine that can barely move the car itself, huge rear overhang, and crappy brakes. Guy on Mud spend tens of thousands on trying to get his to tow 5k (V8, etc) and said it was all wasted effort.

Wait, am I seriously the first to suggest swapping a later model drivetrain to increase the fuel economy and reliability?

There is having cake, and then there is eating it

Err, that depends on what you consider "late model". My '65 has a marginally antiquated 352 FE V-8. Pertronix conversion solves any ignition issues. The 2v carb is stupid simple and can be rebuilt while you watch TV (done that). It's got a new factory size radiator and has never overheated. My fuel economy is equal to that of many modern trucks. The only advantage to a more 'modern' engine would be fuel injection, but that brings with it other potential troubles: brain boxes, electric pumps, sensors, etc. I can fix my truck at pretty much any Auto Zone.

The brakes, obviously, are a key issue. I swapped to discs which work fine, though they probably aren't the equal of a new truck and there is no ABS other than my right foot. I don't have power steering or brakes because the bolt-on stuff for my truck has too numb of a feel for my tastes. Parking can be a chore sometimes and the trailer brakes are essential but it's not awful.

The biggest complaint I have with my truck is probably the 3 spd transmission. The only automatics that bolt up to the stock engine aren't especially good (FordOmatic and C6) and I didn't buy this truck to have another engine swap project, so I deal with it. Mostly, it's the column shifter which is clunky and the rear axle ratio which isn't for towing. Once I get it moving it's fine, but pulling out on a hill requires skillz. The Chevy gives you better trans choices without having to rebuild the whole truck, and a smart guy who wants to tow would buy a 3/4 ton, not a half ton like I have.

Someone asked about insurance: I asked, and was told that as long as I'm going to a 'car event' I'm covered. There's nothing in the policy that says I can't tow with it.

Edit: One thing to keep in mind is how you will actually use such a thing. My trips to the various tracks are generally 2-3 hrs. It's very tolerable for that distance and on the highway it just rolls along at 70 with no fuss. I don't drive many 2 lane roads to to where I go. I did tow to VIR once which is about 10 hrs IIRC, again all highway, and I didn't hate it after I got there. I'd have rather done that with a modern truck, yes, but for the cost and only going there maybe once a year I can tolerate it.

I would stay away from anything with a long rear overhang. The front halfof the box was passenger space so it also carried all the heavy stuff,parts tools ect out back. Two guys or a big bump could pick up the nose.

+

/thread

...with an older 7.3 Powerstroke and a manual.

moparman76_69 wrote: + /thread

close, but not quite..

+

= WINNING