Half-ton pickup redux

[Stelcom66]

This truck was listed as a work truck but has a lot of extra options...

Your truck sounds very similar to my neighbor's which he bought earlier this year, a 'new' 2018 Sierra work truck, but like yours had many options for a work truck. His has the 5.3 V8 and 2WD though. Vinyl seats, not sure about carpet. I'd be fine without carpet like my first truck, a 1980 Dodge D100. In fact I just vacuumed out my truck, would have been nice just to sweep it clean. I guess a manual transmission truck isn't as pleasurable to drive as a short throw transmission car with an easy clutch, especially in traffic. Plus, these days the automatics with 6 speeds or more end up returning better fuel economy than standards.

I was surprised how trucks only about 10 years old can have so much rust. My son's 2009 Dodge Ram has quite a bit already, more than my 2002 Silverado.

 

[blades]

always been an issue with the dodges- not foggiest why. none of the newer stuff seems to last as long as in days past.. maybe its just my perspective

 

[SpaceBus]

always been an issue with the dodges- not foggiest why. none of the newer stuff seems to last as long as in days past.. maybe its just my perspective

Some things really were better built, but some tings last longer now. In general cars and trucks are staying on the road much longer than they ever have. I see plenty of trucks and cars with rust on them that I feel like shouldn't, but most people just don't take care of their vehicles.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Some things really were better built, but some tings last longer now. In general cars and trucks are staying on the road much longer than they ever have. I see plenty of trucks and cars with rust on them that I feel like shouldn't, but most people just don't take care of their vehicles.

This is why i am not worried about the odometer mileage.Got to be highway mileage to put that on in less than 4 yrs. Hwy mileage does not usually lower the lifespan of the vehicle if its taken care of. Motor is so quiet you have to check the Tach to know its running. But rust is hard to stop once it gets going so i dont want to deal with rust issues. Which can crop up with almost any brand. GM is now using aluminum in everything with a hinge,hood,doors and tailgate for 2019. (except the box). That should help with rust problems.

 

[SpaceBus]

This is why i am not worried about the odometer mileage.Got to be highway mileage to put that on in less than 4 yrs. Hwy mileage does not usually lower the lifespan of the vehicle if its taken care of. Motor is so quiet you have to check the Tach to know its running. But rust is hard to stop once it gets going so i dont want to deal with rust issues. Which can crop up with almost any brand. GM is now using aluminum in everything with a hinge,hood,doors and tailgate for 2019. (except the box). That should help with rust problems.

I can't wait for the carbon fiber future. No rust, super light, super strong, and easily shaped. It's already starting to show up in places you wouldn't expect. I have two tools by Dewalt with carbon in them, a hatchet and a hammer stapler (which didn't really work for what I wanted anyway). It won't be much longer now. Aluminum is my second favorite material behind CF. Ford was right on the money with an aluminum bed. My bed has some surface rust that I need to take care of soon.

Snow clinging to the bottoms of the wheel wells, bed, and frame are what really kill these things. Slush filled with salt and other oxidizers that gets stuck on everything is even worse. It's like submerging the area in salt water. I'm going to try and DIY fluid film the underside and bed of my truck this year. It all comes down to maintenance, or lack thereof for most folks.

 

[SpaceBus]

Also, if I were in the market for a brand new half ton, it's a great time. Loads of great engine options and fuel economy is getting pretty good. It's about time MFG's started putting diesel and four cylinder engines in half tons. Pretty soon they will be out of low hanging fruit and trucks will stagnate again. I haven't seen the big 3 compete on half ton trucks for real in like 20 years.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

. It's about time MFG's started putting diesel and four cylinder engines in half tons. .

GM is putting a 4 cyl Turbo in their half ton this year but the MPG numbers are disappointing. I would probably pass on that and get the 8 with the cyl deactivation or the V-6. The also offer a 3.0 Diesel but the additional cost of these plus the expensive maintenance may not be worth the few mpgs.

 

[MTY]

I have a 79 F250 I bought new. For a number of years in the mid 90's I had a 9' Lance on it. It would cross the scales at well over 10K pounds. Payload also includes any people on board. I'd check GVWR before I bought.

 

[WiscWoody]

Nice looking truck and yes you can save a lot of money by buying a clean used truck. If the engine had regular oil changes then it’ll most likely last for a long time to come. My latest truck is a 2003 F-250 standard cab long box truck and your V6 has more power than it’s 5.4 V8 does and your mileage is much better. I now tow a 7000lb skid steer with a 3800lb 20’ trailer with my truck so I wish it was a diesel now but next truck I buy will be a diesel I think.

 

[SpaceBus]

GM is putting a 4 cyl Turbo in their half ton this year but the MPG numbers are disappointing. I would probably pass on that and get the 8 with the cyl deactivation or the V-6. The also offer a 3.0 Diesel but the additional cost of these plus the expensive maintenance may not be worth the few mpgs.

Yeah, the price increase for the diesels only make sense if you put loads of miles on the vehicle, plan on keeping it forever, or if you prefer them.

The four cylinder might not be much more fuel efficient, but it probably costs a lot less than the V8 (production costs, not what the consumer pays), less weight, less moving parts, etc. I'm more of an inline engine fan than V anyway. For a work truck or someone that doesn't need the biggest and baddest that four cylinder makes a lot of sense. V (or any split plane configuration) engines have the most benefit for sporty or race cars. For the average on road vehicle an inline four or six is optimal. Honestly, unless a V8 is flat plane, I don't really see the point anymore. The Era of big cube engines is gone, but not forgotten. The proliferation of 60° V6 engines is also weird, aside from packaging an inline six would be smoother with a better torque delivery. Inline sixes are also awesome in sporty cars and can be made to sing at high RPM.

I feel like all automobiles are hampered by traditions now. From the shape of the car to how it's built. Unfortunately people are horrible with change and it will probably take forever to see any meaningful change in the transportation sector. We need to get away from vehicles as lifestyle choices (I'm a big car guy, so guilty of this at one time or another) and see them as the tools they are.

 

[blades]

yep straight six are nice Ford , American motor, not sure on the GM. Never had a Gm straight six,

 

[SpaceBus]

yep straight six are nice Ford , American motor, not sure on the GM. Never had a Gm straight six,

The 300 is legendary as are the old slant sixes, AMC/Chrysler Jeep sixes (not counting the Dauntless), and of course the Cummins 6BT/ISB. I have very little first hand experience with the GM inline six engines, but I've never heard anything bad about them. Seven main bearings, naturally counterbalanced, 60 degree firing intervals, and great packaging just work well in trucks. Not that I dislike the hot rod V8 engines, they are just kind of unnecessary in a work vehicle.

Folks just need to be honest and admit that modern trucks have become luxury vehicles. Even my used 06 Ram dually is a Laramie (just happened to have the options I needed) with leather and power seats! I don't think I even paid 20% of original MSRP for it, but it does have a few miles on it.

 

[Jazzberry]

I remember when I was around 17 or so my buddy had an old 48 or 49 maybe Chevy pickup with a bad bearing knock. We watched his dad drop the pan and pull some shims out of the bearings and presto the knock went away.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

The four cylinder might not be much more fuel efficient, but it probably costs a lot less than the V8 (production costs, not what the consumer pays), less weight, less moving parts, etc. .

When you add in the complexity and additional parts plus the expense of the turbo and the cost of replacing or repairing that down the road plus they threw in a variable camshaft it may wind up as more moving parts. I think they were too far down the road in development when they realized there was not much benefit if any to adding a turbo to a 4cy. The thing i like about the Cyl deactivation of the 8 Cyl is you have an 8 when you need it and a 4 when you dont. With a lot less complication and expense of a turbo engine. They say the 8 can actually run on as little as 1 cyl . Time will tell but so far not much demand for the 4. The 5.3 8cyl actually got better MPG
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a25953794/chevrolet-silverado-four-cylinder-fuel-economy-test/

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I see Toyota made the LEAST reliable trucks list for this year again as well as last year. Along with Nissan for engine problems
"Among the issues reported, transmission trouble might be the most worrisome for truck buyers. (Rough shifting and a slipping transmission fall under this category.) Meanwhile, drivetrain issues were also noteworthy".

Also GM compact trucks(colorado) and GM HD 2500 were in there with a 4 yr run. Both for tranny issues. So it seems the half ton GMs got their tranny problems fixed but the other models got worse.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Snow clinging to the bottoms of the wheel wells, bed, and frame are what really kill these things. Slush filled with salt and other oxidizers that gets stuck on everything is even worse. It's like submerging the area in salt water. I'm going to try and DIY fluid film the underside and bed of my truck this year. It all comes down to maintenance, or lack thereof for most folks.

Aluminum or some high impact composite would make good wheel wells. Your right about them getting bathed in salt all winter.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Of course it was only a matter of time.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...ws-10-trains-loaded-pickup-trucks/1794180001/

 

[SpaceBus]

After our house is finished and we build a garage I would be interested in an electric Ford Ranger or even better would be an electric (or even PHEV diesel) Wrangler pickup. I'll always have my diesel Dually for picking up loads of lumber, stone, sand, etc. But it would be nice to have something to haul my dogs around that is less than 20' long.

 

[Stelcom66]

The 300 is legendary as are the old slant sixes...

I had a 225 slant 6 in my first truck, a 1980 Dodge D100, 4 speed manual. Also had the 300 L6 in a 1980 Ford Club Wagon, also (a very rare) 4 speed manual with a floor shift. I also thought a modern inline 6 would be efficient in a pickup truck. I don't think the new Dodge Diesels are inline anymore, I believe the last one was the 5.9 Cummins.

 

[SpaceBus]

I had a 225 slant 6 in my first truck, a 1980 Dodge D100, 4 speed manual. Also had the 300 L6 in a 1980 Ford Club Wagon, also (a very rare) 4 speed manual with a floor shift. I also thought a modern inline 6 would be efficient in a pickup truck. I don't think the new Dodge Diesels are inline anymore, I believe the last one was the 5.9 Cummins.

The 6.7 ISB is still an inline six cylinder. An inline six wagon with a manual is pretty much a unicorn. The GM wagons usually had a beefier rear end with positrac , were the fords the same way?

 

[Stelcom66]

The 6.7 ISB is still an inline six cylinder. An inline six wagon with a manual is pretty much a unicorn. The GM wagons usually had a beefier rear end with positrac , were the fords the same way?

So it still is an inline. I've owned some rare vehicles because they had manual transmissions. Add to the list a Ford Aerostar with the 3.0 V6 and a Plymouth Voyager with the 2.2 L4 with a 5 speed manual.

Don't know of the Fords had a rear end like the GMs.

 

[Stelcom66]

yep straight six are nice Ford , American motor, not sure on the GM. Never had a Gm straight six,

Also had a company AMC wagon with their 258 straight 6. My parents had a Gremlin with the 232. That, and my Ford Aerostar, were terrible in snow. RWD with not much weight over the wheels. Had a Chevy Nova with the 250 straight 6.

I wonder why inline configurations fell out of favor with trucks? With today's technology they'd certainly have less displacement with more power. Every one I've owned was pretty smooth, one of the characteristics of an inline configuration. I remember I test drove a '65 Buick Special with the
231 V6 and 3 on the tree. Vibrated big time when idling, that's before they perfected the balance shafts. That engine was crude in it's beginning form, it was the 350 V8 minus 2 cylinders and not much else.

 

[SpaceBus]

I think it's a matter of engine length and pedestrian crash safety standards. Bumpers have to stick out further, hoot lines are lower, and there are less creases on the front of cars now.

 

[Ashful]

I think it's a matter of engine length and pedestrian crash safety standards. Bumpers have to stick out further, hoot lines are lower, and there are less creases on the front of cars now.

I was thinking the same. Also, didn’t a lot of the longer engines go away when the manufacturers moved to cab-forward bodies?

BTW... I’ve said a dozen times here, but what kills me is that I can’t buy anything larger than a 5.7L Hemi in a 14,350 lb GCWR pickup truck. Bring back the SRT-10, and put 4wd under it, already! You can still buy a 6.4L Hemi in a number of different Dodge coupes and sedans... why not a pickup truck?!?

 

[Zack R]

Also had a company AMC wagon with their 258 straight 6. My parents had a Gremlin with the 232. That, and my Ford Aerostar, were terrible in snow. RWD with not much weight over the wheels. Had a Chevy Nova with the 250 straight 6.

I wonder why inline configurations fell out of favor with trucks? With today's technology they'd certainly have less displacement with more power. Every one I've owned was pretty smooth, one of the characteristics of an inline configuration. I remember I test drove a '65 Buick Special with the
231 V6 and 3 on the tree. Vibrated big time when idling, that's before they perfected the balance shafts. That engine was crude in it's beginning form, it was the 350 V8 minus 2 cylinders and not much else.

Each of my vehicles has an inline 6, naturally aspirated with a timing chain, a solid configuration. I agree it's too bad these are not more common in modern vehicles.

1994 Land Cruiser (4.5L)
2000 M Roadster (3.2L)
2004 325Xi Wagon (2.5L)
2006 Jeep Wrangler (4.0L)

The land cruiser has 320k miles and we just returned from a 2500 mile road trip without any issues. At idle I can sit a cup of coffee on the valve cover and it won't spill. Very smooth....