Jazzberry
Minister of Fire
I get 14 in the mountains with my 06 Chevy 4wd. Get 18 - 19 on the highway when Im in the flatlands and can use od.
Half-ton pickup redux
- Thread starter begreen
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
I get 14 in the mountains with my 06 Chevy 4wd. Get 18 - 19 on the highway when Im in the flatlands and can use od.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
city/hwy = 15/21 mpg. My driving is almost entirely rural roads, so somewhere between city and highway.
Heres something Ashful may want under his xmas tree this year! Although it is only a V-6. Pricey.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...ited-adds-450-hp-raptor-v-6-engine/864614002/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...ited-adds-450-hp-raptor-v-6-engine/864614002/
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Very cool! Although, I have to admit, I’ve become somewhat biased against Ford trucks. It’s probably an unfair mental carry-over from the complete turd F150’s they were making 15 - 20 years ago, but there it is.
I had a couple in the 80s ,none of which i found to have many redeeming qualities. My first chevy put an end to any more fords at the time. Fast forward i would be tempted to give em another try if the deal was right.
To be fair not many American vehicles from the 80s (at least early to mid 80s) had allot of redeeming qualities
Ashful
Minister of Fire
![[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/228/228439-eae5313e30d96d16fb30f2c5ba0de303.jpg?hash=NftB_O8V-X "[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux")
![[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/228/228440-8a7f102759044a36f1d6250105a87eda.jpg?hash=T7URotrXGc "[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux")
I like Ford trucks, the regulars here have probably seen them before... the ‘78 F-150 300/6 I got for $1100 with new tires and the ‘03 F-250 was a southern truck with a 5.4L 2 valve (less problems than the 3 valver) and low miles. I paid $12k fo fit last year and for the condition it was in and the fact that they replaced the ball joints, tie rod ends and all front end bushings and I thought it was well worth it. I use the 78 exclusively to tow my lawn care trailer and the red truck for hauling and a old Toyota for gas mileage on long rural trips to the stores. My next truck will likely be a diesel with the recent skid steer purchase but I’ll have to get by with what I have for a few years at least.PS- the 5.4 in the 250 is a bit of a dog for a 7000 pound truck but I did just two mods to it, I had a Y pipe welded in to replace the restrictive one that Ford had on it and and I found a used K&N filter kit on eBay and put that in at the same time and it feels like I picked up 20hp! Not bad for a few hundred bucks.
Last edited:
I like fords to i currently have 2 1990s a f250 and a bronco. And my wife has an escape. But i am far from a ford guy. I pick the vehicle that meets my needs that i can find at a good price. They all have their issues. All trucks have rust issues. Our chevys have electrical problems. Dodges had transmission and diff problems. Ford beds still rust out. Toyota had tust problems. And pn an on.View attachment 228412 View attachment 228413 I like Ford trucks, the regulars here have probably seen them before... the ‘78 F-150 300/6 I got for $1100 with new tires and the ‘03 F-250 was a southern truck with a 5.4L 2 valve (less problems than the 3 valver) and low miles. I paid $12k fo fit last year and for the condition it was in and the fact that they replaced the ball joints, tie rod ends and all front end bushings and I thought it was well worth it. I use the 78 exclusively to tow my lawn care trailer and the red truck for hauling and a old Toyota for gas mileage on long rural trips to the stores. My next truck will likely be a diesel with the recent skid steer purchase but I’ll have to get by with what I have for a few years at least.
PS- the 5.4 in the 250 is a bit of a dog for a 7000 pound truck but I did just two mods to it, I had a Y pipe welded in to replace the restrictive one that Ford had on it and and I found a used K&N filter kit on eBay and put that in at the same time and it feels like I picked up 20hp! Not bad for a few hundred bucks.
I wander if the newer aluminum bodied Fords will have a corrosion problem in salty states? Of course the underbody will still rust as always especially in the north like up here. Salt sucks and I let my trucks sit when it’s sloppy on the roads but I think my next truck I’ll buy with rust on it so I don’t have to worry about keeping it so nice. I’ll have 3 trucks then.
I dont know. All i know is that everyone else that tried it ended up with galvaninic corosion problems where steel met aluminium. And the aluminum rear gates on tahoe suburban etc corrode some and the paint flakes off. But only time will tell. My trucks cant sit when it snows i have to plow and we still have to work. I guess the bronco would be able to.
Yup, that’s why I want a truck with some rust that I wouldn’t care so much about, then I can plow with it too and haul the skid around to unbury customers after big dumps.
I escaped the rust problems of the 80s and 90s with various chevy trucks from an 82 with no rust at all up to a 95 with very little rust, but i know there were w lot who didnt. I never had a vehicle with any significant rust until i got a 1999 toyota tacoma. You could almost watch it get worse by the day. The paper thin body panels didnt help it either. Along with a myriad of mechanical problems that developed in a relatively short period of time,it was by far the worst vehicle iv ever owned.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Again, you guys are basing your “likes” on stuff each of these brands made 15 - 40 years ago, which may have nothing to do with what they make today. The team who designed your ‘78 Ford is long retired... or dead.
I remember you saying that the Tacoma didn’t do so well body wise... I had a 94 Ranger that did quite well, there was no rust on the body except a little on the venerable tailgate bottom after 12 years of northern winter driving. I learned that the bottom 1/3 of the Ranger body was galvanized by Ford. There’s no way I could go back to a small truck again, now I want long box trucks- the wood I can haul the better right?
Last edited:
That’s cuz we like talking about our trucks, they’re part of family for me just like my dogs are too lol.
I miss my '09 tacoma. It was a great truck with SO MANY cupholders. And it cold fit a bottle of wine in just about every wine... It was a little 4 cylinder manual transmission. It kept its value so well that I basically sold it for the same as I paid for it and used it for 5 years.
Ole Rusty was the best $313 I have ever spent on a truck though
The other day my son wanted to take it to the car wash, and I told him no. he turns to me and says... oh yeah, it might just fall apart. can we just wash the top?
I got about the same as i paid for mine ,but i only had it a year and i put money in it constantly the whole year. For a 6 Cy manual tranny it got horrible MPG as well.
I would give any one of the big 3 another try ,chances are the new trucks from all 3 are nothing like the old ones. As far as toyota goes that ship sailed and its not coming back.
I just took the mileage for my ‘78 F-150 for the first time, I got 10.8 mpg from the 6 banger towing a 14x6.5 mowing trailer with either a 800 or a 1350 pound mower on it and some other yard garb, not real heavy but it’s a constant companion on the truck. Not too good but no surprise I guess. I take it slow on the highways with it at around 50 mph but I don’t go too far with it, it does not have a OD transmission.
Last edited:
10.8 isnt bad at all for a 40 year old truck especially towing. I am assuming that is the straight six. They were great motors. Not fast but tons of torque.
I am amazed by my new bronco. Just took it 1.5 hours on the highway. Cruises along great at 75 to 80 at around 2500 rpm. No shakes or anything. This from a truck that say outside unused for 3 years and i paid 500 for. All it needed was a relay and a fuel pump. Best deal i ever got.
I will start doing the little bit of needed rust repair soon after i fix a few annoyances on my truck.
![[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/228/228494-4b76f94a71450a8ec0f6a33033e1a87c.jpg?hash=81Z9HAflYW "[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux")
Yes the truck has the 300/6 engine and I’ve heard lots of good things about the engine.
I dont see a lot of 80 and 90s cars on the road anymore. You would think since truck are used harder that there would be more cars than trucks still in use. A lot more older trucks than older cars for some reason. Probably cuz car owners value low miles on their primary vehicle so they opt for new more often.
I see plenty of 80s and 90s cars on the road here. I dont know if it is as many as trucks but pretty close.
- Status