My Favorite Pickup of All Time

[JimT]

I have had a number of pickups in my life, beginning with a 1947 International when I was 14 years old. I have had Chevy's and Ford's and GMC's and liked them all. They served me well. My favorite pickup has to be the Toyota Hilux Tiger that we had in Mozambique. It was a diesel, 5-speed manual, 4WD with locking front hubs and skid plates in the appropriated places. I drove it on some tracks and trails that in no way could be defined as a "road" and it served us well. Built in Thailand at the Toyota Plant, it was made for the Tropics. It had no heater nor defroster. You don't need those things in the Tropics. We had it for a day or two and my wife was driving it one day while I examined the interior. When I discovered it I told her, "Hey! This thing does not have a heater or defroster." She looked at me like I was goofy and said, "If you're cold, roll the window down!"

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I will always be grateful for that Hilux! It was a gift from heaven.

[Turdyturdy]

Ya,well not all Toyotas are reliable. Left our winter home in Florida yesterday morning with my 2015 Tacoma with 55,000 miles on it and made it just beyond Fayetteville NC and the front left differential bearing and wheel bearing failed. Stranded,no parts at any of the regional dealers. Went on line and found lots of hits for this fail. Dealer up north tells me my power train warranty ran out for time 3 weeks ago. Will cost $1500-2000 to fix. Bought this truck new and it has been nothing but trouble. Ball joints went bad at 35,000 miles out of warranty for time. Cracked rear springs at 37k. Truck recalled for premature frame rot. Toyota inspected the frame,sprayed some goop on it and extended the rust warranty to 11 years from time put in service. It will never make 11 years through Vermont inspection as the inspection stations know to watch these Toyota frames. Never had a Chevy or Ford frame rot nearly that soon. This motel beat will get old before this saga is over!

[gcs]

And those bullet proof Hi Luxs can't be bought in the states....darn it....

[JimT]

And those bullet proof Hi Luxs can't be bought in the states....darn it....

That's right. There are some good vehicles that can't be imported.

[AmBraCol]

Those Toyota Hilux are decent pickups indeed. A fellow missionary bought one back in '96, sold it about four years later when he left the field. One of the national preachers bought it. Last I knew it's still going strong up in the capital. Unfortunately they don't do the diesel here, or didn't the last time I checked. The double cab is far more common, don't recall ever seeing an extended cab. The part I DON'T like about them is being stuck in the back seat. Those things aren't built for a 6' united statian. Got stuck in the back seat with a couple of national preachers one trip. My father-in-law (6'3") was riding up front. Halfway there he offered to switch places, I declined as riding back there would likely have lead to blood clots or such IF he could have folded himself into the space. But they just keep going, going, going.

Our younger son bought himself the US version, can't recall the model, when he picked up gunny. It's got all the bells and whistles for off roading and so far he's tickled with it. Uncle Joe paid to have it shipped to his current duty station and it's giving him good service there now. When we were shopping for a better vehicle for the rough roads I had a brain storm - pick up an older Land Cruiser! (late 20th, early 21st century). Got sticker shock! They were selling for double what we paid for a Suzuki Grand Vitara S7 that was less than half the age and with less than 50,000 miles on it. So far that Suzuki's been giving good service, but those older Toyotas keep making eyes at me...

[Scott Tschirhart]

I wish we could get those small diesel pickups here. I had a Toyota pickup back in the 1980s and put over 200,000 miles on it without any major issues. I just changed the oil.

But my favorite pickup was a Ford F250 that I ordered the way I wanted it (manual transmission, rubber floor, manual locking hubs, 7.3 Diesel).

[Bill in Oregon]

Jim, I saw 20 Toyota trucks for every Land Rover when in Namibia a dozen or more years ago. Our PH's Jeep Cherokee had a wonderful diesel in it.
The do-anything vehicle there was the goofy Mercedes-built Unimog.

[JimT]

Jim, I saw 20 Toyota trucks for every Land Rover when in Namibia a dozen or more years ago. Our PH's Jeep Cherokee had a wonderful diesel in it.
The do-anything vehicle there was the goofy Mercedes-built Unimog.

The Unimog is one of the best bush vehicles ever. Most people have never seen one in person. Top road speed is around 50 - 55 MPH ... but in the bush they will go almost anyplace.

[2ndovc]

Those Unimogs are wicked cool and like you said; can go just about anywhere they want.

My all time favorite was a '73 F100 a lot like this one. Even the color is the same, kinda surprised I never took a picture of it. I could burn the back tires off that truck if I wasn't careful. I think I paid $650 for it. Well used but all there.


I do have to say though, I absolutely love my '18, F150 Crew Cab. It has to be the fastest pickup I've ever had and @ 20 mph on the highway with a v8 is amazing to me.


jb

[marlinman93]

I owned a 1984 Toyota SR5 4x4 with 22R 4 banger for 25 years. Loved it, but had a few complaints. First was the 22R was pretty gutless on hills at freeway speeds. 2nd was mileage was no better than a small V8 truck. I could occasionally squeeze 16 mpg, but usually 15 mpg was the norm. And finally it ate alternators fairly often for no known reason; and occasionally the regulator with it. I bought lifetime warranty alternators, so Schucks/O'Reillys replaced them whenever they failed. But still a nuisance.
After retirement I planned to sell it and buy another Suburban, as I'd owned 4 older ones before, and wanted a newer Suburban. But in looking I stumbled across another old '69 Suburban that was too nice, and way to cheap, so it's been my daily driver the last 8 years.


JimT, we have something in common! My first vehicle before I could drive legally, (and also at age 14) was a 1947 International! But mine was a panel truck I bought from my uncle when I worked for him summers on his wheat farm. Wish I'd not let a neighbor talk me out of it, as it was a nice solid truck, and I'd still love to have it.

[piller]

First vehicle I drove was an old 1951 Ford F100 with an inline 6, Holley carb from the factory, 3 on the tree, and non-synchronized transmission. Once you learned how to double clutch, it was able to go through that desert in SouthWest Kansas easily. Even the blow sand didn't stop it. It seemed to float right over it. Those areas of blow sand would bog down most vehicles.

[gamekeeper]

One of my "old time" favourite pickups is the Austin A 60, I never owned one but drove a few. Not as big and powerful as your American trucks but useful non the less.

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[Blaine]

I used to be a Ford guy. My last one was an '18 F-150 with the 2.7 Twin Turbo.
It rode like a sheet of plywood on an old country road.
The engine sounded like it was working very, very, very hard.

I traded it in on a '20 Ram 1500 Laramie with the E-Torque Hemi.
Rides like a limo.
Very fast.
22 mpg on my last 400 mile round trip from Tacoma to Cashmere....That's all on highways in the Cascade Mountains, and four mountain passes.

My Camper is still on a slightly older F-250 and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Grizz]

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my all time favorite pickup, 1945 Dodge with 6-244 flathead.

it was a chicken coop in Placerville, had a poop load of chicken poop. was blocked up and the seat and backrest out of it. had not run for maybe decades. the guy i was visiting, when i said i'd like to get running, said "if you get it running it's yours". several weeks later i drove the chicken coop to berkeley and put a culled engine in it. the original engine had ok main bearings, but all six conrod bearings were out of spec, like i could grab the conrod and KLUNK it. ran like a top after that. i think this was the rig i had to weld the vacuum manifold with iron rod and an acetylene torch, to get the windshield wipers to work!

those MoPars were the easiest vehicles to work on, bar none. they were designed for farmers and farriers i think. a couple of wrenches, in u.s. sizes, and a couple good pry-bars would get you through most chores. engine out was easier than a vw even. 'cause i didn't have to lay under the truck and drop the engine on my stomach.

Good memories, thanks for the impetus Jim. would love to find that toyota in a barn somewhere, or a hay field chicken pasture . . .

[Scott Tschirhart]

Grizz that looks like a really great truck.

[Grizz]

Grizz that looks like a really great truck.

thanks Scott. you can imagine how much i would like to have him back.

[Old Savage]

Well ... this was a favorite before it got tangled up with a Ford Explorer. Someone told me here that that would buff right out .

[Grizz]

Nice. HF Jaws of Life will sort all that out in a jiffy. :lol:

[Scott Tschirhart]

Dad had a 1965 or so Chevy Apache with three on the tree and an in-line six. The truck had such a light rear end that you could get it stuck if you spit on the dirt. It was a step side with the gas tank in the cab behind the seat and steel dashwork. Not much to look at, but my dad wishes he had it back all the time. I'd love to find him another one just like it.

[Grizz]

Dad had a 1965 or so Chevy Apache with three on the tree and an in-line six. The truck had such a light rear end that you could get it stuck if you spit on the dirt. It was a step side with the gas tank in the cab behind the seat and steel dashwork. Not much to look at, but my dad wishes he had it back all the time. I'd love to find him another one just like it.

I hope your Dad gets his truck back!

my GF had one. 235 straight six. one of the best engines ever built. you could overhaul it for about 25$ at JC Whitney. i swapped a transmission in her truck straddling the curb at the used parts emporium in Oakland. easy.

[octagon]

My first was a 63 GMC with the Big 6, got it for 500 bucks and was reliable and would go straight up in 1st gear, with 17 in widow rims . A 73 GMC with 454 would lay rubber at 40 mph after a few mods, like dual exhaust, a bigger carb and a shift kit. Have a Ford F250 7.3 is not very reliable it's farm truck. A 90 Chevy 4x4 with 5 liter was and is top shelf. Recently bought a 2020 GMC AT4 with a 6.2 motor and 420 horses and a 10 speed trans and goes like a striped butt snake. Took it on a road trip to Big Bend country and had a blast in it, a fantastic truck despite the high price. I've had a number of trucks mostly GMC and Chevy, the truth is I met my first naked lady in the back of a Chevy and I've been a Chevy man ever since!

[TraderVic]

Some way cool old truck stories here. Years ago I had a 1956 Chevy 3/4 ton truck (5600 ?). A farm friend gave it to me as payment for some work I did. It didn't have a box, but a sawmill plank flatbed and he threw in a pile of rough sawn oak planks from his sawmill. I constructed high sides and used it to haul loads of firewood.
It had a straight six (235 ?) oil bath filter, vacuum wipers, etc.
Driving in the rain, anytime I'd slow down - so would the wipers. It had a granny gear, geared so low that I'd start off in second if I was empty. Boy could that old truck work. I'd drive it to work every so often, my office was in the local courthouse. Funny thing, nobody would park next to it, either side.....always cracked me up.

[marlinman93]

One of my "old time" favourite pickups is the Austin A 60, I never owned one but drove a few. Not as big and powerful as your American trucks but useful non the less.

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Friend of mine has a Austin A40 pickup. Here's a picture of it with my red A8 behind it, and another friend's A40.

[jeepnik]

[Griff]

My Dad told me when I was about 9 or 10, ".. a man needs at least one pick up, all the time!" He didn't ALWAYS follow his own rule, but every time he thought he could substitute something else, it didn't stick around very long! His 1st ever p/u was an '59 Apache 3100 with the 250 I-6. I learned to drive in it when I was about 12. Mom talked him out of it and into a station wagon... but she couldn't drive it, it had a close ratio 4 speed, and she never learned the art of feathering a clutch. T'was a '64 Impala with a HP 327 V-8. Something about a four of us being able to ride inside! Mom's, gotta love 'em!

My 1st p/u was a '74 K-10. 350 V-8, 4-spd with compound low, power steering & brakes, manual a/c... (window cranks)!! I lined the bed with wood and had four 2x4s runing side to side across the bed. I built a steel sliding frame in the back to slide my coal forge into the bed or onto the tailgate. My anvil stand sat on a 1" piece of plywood and the anvil had a box it rode in. With the racks almost full of horse shoes it was quite musical going down the road. When full, not so much! I only got in trouble with it twice. Once a cop stopped me for not having a rear bumper, and once because I forgot to damp down my coal fire going from one stable to another! he stopped me because at first he thought I was on fire, then had to call and see if there was fire code I was in violation of! Corvette yellow with white spoke wheels. Shoulda never sold it!

My one experience owning a Toyota p/u was a '78 2WD. It ended my employ a year later, upside down in a farmer's field sliding off the road during a mudslide. By now I'd quit shoein' and was working for the county! So I opted for the almost p/u, a '72 Blazer. I kept it until '88 when I bought a new K30 dually, 454 cubic inches of gas guzzling torque and puny horse power. It'd pass everything except gas stations! It stayed with me until it got traded for my 2005 K30 crewcab dually with the 6.6 diesel.

A year after I started driving a big rig I found a '57 big window step side for sale in South Texas. $250 later and it was mine. It's I-6 was siezed, but rust free. After some trading around it's now a '55-½ small window short bed with a '74 Camaro front clip, torn apart being resto-modded in my shop along with my wife's '91 Camaro. The wife decided that since we lived on a small farm, @ 5'2" she needed a p/u she didn't need a step ladder to get into. So now I have 3 p/us... I'm sure my Dad would approve!

[gamekeeper]

One of my "old time" favourite pickups is the Austin A 60, I never owned one but drove a few. Not as big and powerful as your American trucks but useful non the less.

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Click to enlarge photo.

Friend of mine has a Austin A40 pickup. Here's a picture of it with my red A8 behind it, and another friend's A40.

Cool hardly see any real old pickups over here..

[OldWin]

I think "best" depends on how a truck is being judged in regards to what it's used for.
Right now, I have a 2014 Dodge 1500 with a 5.7 Hemi. If you judge a truck for comfort, ease of driving, fuel mileage and power......it's great. If you judge it for how it is in the woods, what it can hold for weight, and the robustness of its hard parts.....it's a joke. It's basically an El'Camino with a front differential. I've no reliability issues, but I've broke the stupid front plastic twice cause it's 2" off the ground.
Prior to this, I owned several 87-90 Dodges, mostly with 360 4 speeds. These were excellent trucks, but I only went to them after Chevy went to IFS in 88.

IMO, and for my use, the best all around pickups are the 73-80 GM trucks. When I retire, I will sell whatever I have and return to these.
When we were kids, we wheeled mostly full-size trucks (back when you actually could). These trucks are the cheapest and easiest to work on and modify, are a good balance of usability off road, drivability, and robustness.
Mileage, comfort, range? Nope. But those things won't be a factor. I won't be driving 50 miles to work.
However......GM small block, SM465 or TH400, NP205, corporate 14 and kingpin dana 60? Yup. I've seen and given these trucks a thrashing that would be instant destruction for the 12 cup holder wannabes of today.
Pickups role have changed I think. They have moved away from utility vehicles and more towards passenger vehicles capable of towing a trailer. Every year the cabs get bigger and the beds get smaller. In decades past, cars and station wagons could do some of this. No more.

[marlinman93]

Cool hardly see any real old pickups over here..

We see lots of old pickups here, but not British pickups! The A40 pickup here is an extremely rare bird, but then so are most older Austin cars too. I've only come across one other Austin A8 around here, and it too was done up as a hotrod. But I see a fair number of A40 cars around.

[pshort]

Howdy folks,
My favorite, is one that I owned for a few years..
A '93 Ford Lightning......
Factory hotrod.. 130 mph, handled like a large sports car...
.410 gears, easily pulled a 14K load of hay...
Brakes sucked......

Paul

[gamekeeper]

This one isn't mine but I have had two like it. The Proton Jumbuck, made in Malaysia from Mitsubishi parts, Lotus designed the suspension and they really do hold the road, off road not so great. Spares are the only problem, getting hard to find.
I would love to own a classic American or British pickup but again over here spares are rare and costly.. I do not like any of the modern crew cab monsters they are a real pain on our narrow single track roads.

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[Oldncrusty]

I learned to drive in my dad's 55 Ford F1 at around 12 yrs old and have only owned Ford trucks since. Straight 6, 3 on the tree. Not a true pickup, but I loved my 75 Intl Scout ll. But for sheer yee ha, this one was the most fun, and most dangerous. 63 PowerWagon, big block 318. Didnt own it, it came with the gold claims I worked for a while in AK. A sheet of 3/8 plywood for a bed. No brakes. Took 3-4 quarts of oil, and 5 gallons of water to make the 26 mile trip to the claims.

[gamekeeper]

Oldncrusty, that 63 PowerWagon sure looks mighty interesting....

[Mainehunter]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.

Mainehunter

[Old Savage]

Had a 68' C10

[OldWin]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.

Mainehunter

Super nice guy!
The 67-72 GM trucks are cool as all get out. My dad had a 67 K10 shortbox that was a neat truck. She was geared some deep though!
Today's highway speeds would have not been possible!

[marlinman93]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.

Mainehunter

That's a beauty!

[gamekeeper]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.

Mainehunter

That's a beauty!

+1.......

[TraderVic]

I owned a 1984 Toyota SR5 4x4 with 22R 4 banger for 25 years. Loved it, but had a few complaints. First was the 22R was pretty gutless on hills at freeway speeds. 2nd was mileage was no better than a small V8 truck. I could occasionally squeeze 16 mpg, but usually 15 mpg was the norm. And finally it ate alternators fairly often for no known reason; and occasionally the regulator with it. I bought lifetime warranty alternators, so Schucks/O'Reillys replaced them whenever they failed. But still a nuisance.
After retirement I planned to sell it and buy another Suburban, as I'd owned 4 older ones before, and wanted a newer Suburban. But in looking I stumbled across another old '69 Suburban that was too nice, and way to cheap, so it's been my daily driver the last 8 years.


JimT, we have something in common! My first vehicle before I could drive legally, (and also at age 14) was a 1947 International! But mine was a panel truck I bought from my uncle when I worked for him summers on his wheat farm. Wish I'd not let a neighbor talk me out of it, as it was a nice solid truck, and I'd still love to have it.

Had a 68 version of the Suburban, same color as yours. The 307 went bad so I pulled a 283 out of a 64 Biscayne and dropped it into the Suburban. Had a lot of fun with that vehicle.

[Grizz]

since this a-political topic is so rewarding I am going to, if you will indulge me, expand the scope to my favorite, and only, flatbed truck. AND another pickup.

This is an earlier model, but it looks about the same. I miss my truck!

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When I was preparing to move lock, stock, and flatbed to Alaska, from california, i sold my 1950 Plymouth station wagon, my first car, and my 1945 Dodge Chicken Coop, and bought a Yellow 1945 Dodge 1-1/2 ton stake bed truck retired from a wartime career as a steel yard sort truck. I talked someone into selling it to me, at an Exorbitant $800! He had, by coincidence, the same 6-244 flathead that my Coop had, same 4 on the floor transmission, and a differential from another planet. compound low was a dream crawler.

if I could only write eloquently, i could wax eloquent about pulling up to a 4-way stop and EVERY SINGLE VEHICLE at every corner waiting and waiting until Dodge cleared the intersection. You know, their vehicles were made of a thin foil like substance, mine was made like a tank by comparison. i never worried about dents or collisions, and never had any. smiley.

first chore was to install new kingpins to resolve the knee knocking, wanky turning, something i had never done, had no idea how to do it, but by using the Dodge Brothers built in repair manual, "take it apart" and "reassemble in the reverse order", he taught me how to mechanic such things.

a far cry from GF's Chevy, which had ball joints and required that i read up on them at a library, then deprive the sockets of the balls by brute force, install the new parts, and heat treat the connections so they would not wear out . . . after many thousands of miles the Chev still had strong knees with no clicks or klunks. but i digress again.

for the next order of flatbed preparation i drove down the coast highway to see my sister, and body surf in the gentle ocean swell, and to fry myself lobster color sleeping on the deserted southern california beach. how many people have ever seen a deserted beach during the daytime in southern california? but i digress.

then i motored over to an engine shop and picked up a crate engine, swapped it into Dodge when i got home, and proceeded to fill up the bed to well above the stake sides with everything i owned. including the wisconsin V-twin powered welding machine on its own trailer. something i still regret passing down the line, though i did use it quite a bit in Alaska, including servicing vessels by putting the machine in the dory to access boats from the water. but i digress. By the time he was loaded, Mr Dodge was resting on horizontal overload leaf springs!

in calif i acquired a Grunewald Bank Dory on a trailer for the specific purpose of starting a commercial fishing career in Southeast Alaska, something i had dreamed about since i lived in Alaska as a towhead, in spite of being raised in other places. A bank dory is a very specific species of dory with french and english dna, derived from pre-colonial flat boats, that were shipped flat from europe and assembled in the "new" land. They are the vessels that were stacked on the decks of fishing schooners when men were seamen and their fishing vessels schooned.

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This is dory, in another lifetime with a young couple who rowed from secret cove to hot springs for a soak. one of innumerable camping, fishing, logging, hunting, transporting trips this boat has made. Fortunately for me I found a sister to this boat which i am outfitting to sail to Japan and visit my kids.... but that's a future digression.

I rowed that dory from berkeley to sausalito numerous times, stopping at Angel Island to beach comb on day trips, and rowing across at night on occasion, because i love night ops in small boats in big waters. by God's Grace i was not run over by the tugboat i mistook for a nav light, and un-compliant with the sirens that were calling me to swim with them. that's right, i heard the song of the sirens. i laid down in the bottom of the boat and waited for them to leave. because i can't swim. which was their point, i think. and who can know what sirens might to to you if you accede to their claim?

with a 5Hp Seagull in the dory's outboard well, an atrocious thing that caused real life threatening issues, a friend and i patrolled the entire Bay for oil covered seabirds, transporting them through the stinking inches thick coat of heavy crude that got deposited on the Bay. we took them to the care center on the San Francisco sand beach where they were being collected. i know it seems like i am digressing again, but NO! the dory is the pickup truck of the sea! BTW, i cruised the bay after that spill and other than the birds, i never did see anything that i could look at and curse the spill for. microbes eat oil so perhaps it's God's Grace to microbes? IDK

Mr Dodge, with me and Gobi aboard, towed Mr Dory to Alaska, going by road and boat and then by seagull to the secret cove where a friend provided platform space for a tent, and i proceeded to reconstitute myself into a commercial fisherman. that dory went through years of one crazy amazing trucking life to another. a priceless asset to a seaman subsisting and growing in the wilderness. still intact somewhat, but not seaworthy at this point, slowly going the way of all flesh. but i digressed.

there is much more to say, in the way that memory recalls memories and delivers them in kodachrome colors while time keeps on ticking. whatever.

thanks for your patience if anyone has plowed through the coffee inspired flick.

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[Mainehunter]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.

Mainehunter

Super nice guy!
The 67-72 GM trucks are cool as all get out. My dad had a 67 K10 shortbox that was a neat truck. She was geared some deep though!
Today's highway speeds would have not been possible!

Thanks! Yeah it's geared pretty low at 4:88. When shifted in low range I can literally walk leisurely right beside it and yet it'll climb a tree if it wanted to. I have to start soon to redo all the wiring since it's original. Bought a 70, K20 parts truck that has the factory power steering which I'm going to swap over, it desperately needs it! The Rockwell T221 transfer case is bleeding badly and needs to be overhaled big time. I'm feeding it 600W gear oil mixed with Lucas stop leak and seems to slow the leak down pretty good. Last but not least, the 400 sbc is getting tired, leaking oil and sucking down gas quicker than I can fill it! Yeah, it's a project but I'm still in love with it!

Mainehunter

[Tycer]

Thanks Grizz. That’s a wonderful read.

[piller]

It certainly appears that some useful vehicles have found a place in our hearts. Like a good friend, they don't have to be fancy or great looking, but their being what they were meant to be and always being there for us has endeared them to us.

[Griff]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.
Mainehunter

Super nice guy!
The 67-72 GM trucks are cool as all get out. My dad had a 67 K10 shortbox that was a neat truck. She was geared some deep though!
Today's highway speeds would have not been possible!

Thanks! Yeah it's geared pretty low at 4:88. When shifted in low range I can literally walk leisurely right beside it and yet it'll climb a tree if it wanted to. I have to start soon to redo all the wiring since it's original. Bought a 70, K20 parts truck that has the factory power steering which I'm going to swap over, it desperately needs it! The Rockwell T221 transfer case is bleeding badly and needs to be overhaled big time. I'm feeding it 600W gear oil mixed with Lucas stop leak and seems to slow the leak down pretty good. Last but not least, the 400 sbc is getting tired, leaking oil and sucking down gas quicker than I can fill it! Yeah, it's a project but I'm still in love with it!
Mainehunter

And I thought my '74 K10 was low @ 4:11!

[OldWin]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.

Mainehunter

Super nice guy!
The 67-72 GM trucks are cool as all get out. My dad had a 67 K10 shortbox that was a neat truck. She was geared some deep though!
Today's highway speeds would have not been possible!

Thanks! Yeah it's geared pretty low at 4:88. When shifted in low range I can literally walk leisurely right beside it and yet it'll climb a tree if it wanted to. I have to start soon to redo all the wiring since it's original. Bought a 70, K20 parts truck that has the factory power steering which I'm going to swap over, it desperately needs it! The Rockwell T221 transfer case is bleeding badly and needs to be overhaled big time. I'm feeding it 600W gear oil mixed with Lucas stop leak and seems to slow the leak down pretty good. Last but not least, the 400 sbc is getting tired, leaking oil and sucking down gas quicker than I can fill it! Yeah, it's a project but I'm still in love with it!

Mainehunter

Haha yup! I bet a K20 with no PS ain't a fun time. Our 67 didn't have it either. It ain't bad till one front wheel drops in a hole or comes up on a rock.
Sounds like quite a leak! That's the hardest part about the pre-73 trucks. The driveline are a little more obscure. Luckily, being a GM, it's not quite as bad.
It's a PIA with the Kaiser Jeep Gladiators and M715. Don't get me started on divorced transfer cases.


Then there are the old Nepco conversions. Super cool, but.......
Can anyone tell I like 4 wheel drives?

[Mainehunter]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.
Mainehunter

Super nice guy!
The 67-72 GM trucks are cool as all get out. My dad had a 67 K10 shortbox that was a neat truck. She was geared some deep though!
Today's highway speeds would have not been possible!

Thanks! Yeah it's geared pretty low at 4:88. When shifted in low range I can literally walk leisurely right beside it and yet it'll climb a tree if it wanted to. I have to start soon to redo all the wiring since it's original. Bought a 70, K20 parts truck that has the factory power steering which I'm going to swap over, it desperately needs it! The Rockwell T221 transfer case is bleeding badly and needs to be overhaled big time. I'm feeding it 600W gear oil mixed with Lucas stop leak and seems to slow the leak down pretty good. Last but not least, the 400 sbc is getting tired, leaking oil and sucking down gas quicker than I can fill it! Yeah, it's a project but I'm still in love with it!
Mainehunter

And I thought my '74 K10 was low @ 4:11!

I was hoping they were at least 4:11 or even 4:56 but being 4:88, it's someone what of an oddball and that's because the rear axle is a Eaton HO52 based on what I've been told and researched.

[Mainehunter]

Had a couple, all Chevy's. This is my baby! 68 Chevy K20, 4 speed, 400 SBC but planning on putting back the 307 SBC when the time comes.

Mainehunter

Super nice guy!
The 67-72 GM trucks are cool as all get out. My dad had a 67 K10 shortbox that was a neat truck. She was geared some deep though!
Today's highway speeds would have not been possible!

Thanks! Yeah it's geared pretty low at 4:88. When shifted in low range I can literally walk leisurely right beside it and yet it'll climb a tree if it wanted to. I have to start soon to redo all the wiring since it's original. Bought a 70, K20 parts truck that has the factory power steering which I'm going to swap over, it desperately needs it! The Rockwell T221 transfer case is bleeding badly and needs to be overhaled big time. I'm feeding it 600W gear oil mixed with Lucas stop leak and seems to slow the leak down pretty good. Last but not least, the 400 sbc is getting tired, leaking oil and sucking down gas quicker than I can fill it! Yeah, it's a project but I'm still in love with it!

Mainehunter

Haha yup! I bet a K20 with no PS ain't a fun time. Our 67 didn't have it either. It ain't bad till one front wheel drops in a hole or comes up on a rock.
Sounds like quite a leak! That's the hardest part about the pre-73 trucks. The driveline are a little more obscure. Luckily, being a GM, it's not quite as bad.
It's a PIA with the Kaiser Jeep Gladiators and M715. Don't get me started on divorced transfer cases.


Then there are the old Nepco conversions. Super cool, but.......
Can anyone tell I like 4 wheel drives?

Parts as you may know is pretty limited for the T221. I can still get the gaskets, center caps and shims but input/out shafts and especially the idler shaft I'm out of luck. If that's the case I have a nice divorced NP205 that will replace not only the T221 but to get rid of the center bearing since the drive shaft is two piece configuration.

[OldWin]

Yeah. The 67-72 trucks take a little more commitment than the 73-80's haha.
Worth it if you have a good one though. And that you do indeed.

[AmBraCol]

Looking for something else brought up this blast from the past... about my favorite song about a pickup truck.

[piller]

I remember that one.

[Griff]

Super nice guy!
The 67-72 GM trucks are cool as all get out. My dad had a 67 K10 shortbox that was a neat truck. She was geared some deep though!
Today's highway speeds would have not been possible!

Thanks! Yeah it's geared pretty low at 4:88. When shifted in low range I can literally walk leisurely right beside it and yet it'll climb a tree if it wanted to. I have to start soon to redo all the wiring since it's original. Bought a 70, K20 parts truck that has the factory power steering which I'm going to swap over, it desperately needs it! The Rockwell T221 transfer case is bleeding badly and needs to be overhaled big time. I'm feeding it 600W gear oil mixed with Lucas stop leak and seems to slow the leak down pretty good. Last but not least, the 400 sbc is getting tired, leaking oil and sucking down gas quicker than I can fill it! Yeah, it's a project but I'm still in love with it!
Mainehunter

And I thought my '74 K10 was low @ 4:11!

I was hoping they were at least 4:11 or even 4:56 but being 4:88, it's someone what of an oddball and that's because the rear axle is a Eaton HO52 based on what I've been told and researched.

When I bought my project'72 Blazer, being more dedicated to a daily driver and hunting truck (well sorta a truck); I went with the same 4:11s in the rear, with it being a Dana 44 front, I went with a setup out of a ¾-T International p/u, a limited slip with a 4:10 gear in it! But... went with 36" Cepek Gumbo Mudders. Along with the 4" lift, I had to change the pinion angle, but still went thru the front u-joints on the rear driveshaft every 35,000 -45,000. I forget the u-joints I eventually put everywhere in it, but they were a heavy duty version of the stock ones. But I still carried a spare for each position on both driveshafts... and got handy at changing them on the side of the highway or mountain trail! With the Posi out back and limited slip in the front, the ONLY time I got stopped was in snow drifts over the bumper... But, even then it only temporary while I dug out a path...

Blazer2.JPG