what ever happened to the truck?

Another post i was looking at got me to wondering about this. A pickup used to be a hard working vehicle to get you where you wanted to go while towing a camper, boat or what ever the case may be. You could also tell with a quick glance as to wether its a ford, dodge, etc. Now the are pretty much cars on steroids and other than a dodge i cant tell what the other trucks are on the road. What really tickles me is when I’m at the gas station or store and some guy comes out in a 3 piece suit and climbs in a truck. I wont say all, but I bet the majority of these guys wouldnt touch a worm to save their lives. Im originaly a country boy and was raised on a farm, and still trying to figure out city folk, but pardon the language, trucks have lost their balls! Sure you can go alot further on a tank of gas than you can in my 78 scottsdale, but it was built to flat out work. What yall think on the subject?

I agree. When I went to my local chevy dealer, I couldn’t find a truck on the lot that didn’t have carpet installed. Talk to salesmen about it, he said special order from factory or buy a commercial truck! I found LMC Truck, can get vinyl floor replacement for $200. The 2005 chevy I have now has tan carpet, it’s getting real hard to keep clean! But, I have to say I like my truck a lot. You have a gem of a truck in that ’78 scotsdale. I have a friend in California that has same model he pulls his new triton bass boat with..looks funny! Like tomater hooked up to a porche

So your saying you don’t like plastic and fiberglass! I miss carbuerators, distributors and metal bumpers

i got a chrome horn on my chevy…and use it!

Anyone remember 1967 Ford F250 Camper Special? 352 ci bigblock 4 speed w/ granny gear…my wifes first truck she used to learn how to drive
Manual choke on carb..straight bench seat…and bounced down the road without a load in the bed

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So your saying you don’t like plastic and fiberglass! I miss carbuerators, distributors and metal bumpers

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I miss carbuerators, distributors and metal bumpers

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Now you’re talking.

These gutless injected things today should be re-hashed into something with some power….305 degree cam, high compression pistons, a pair of 950 Holley Double-pumps atop of a polished-port high-rise manifold and headers with actual collectors made to allow the engine to breathe. Feed the critter some HIGH OCTANE fuel that hasn’t been diluted with water and sissyhol.

The good old days. I had a 65 Buick Grand Sport back about 1970 that got a couple touch-ups and ended up putting around 700 horses into the torque converter. Wasn’t really much of a street car but it did get on the streets on Friday and Saturday nights during the summer if the weather was dry. Fun times and back then even the pick-ups had people giving them a little pick-me-up so they’d have a few more ponies to get the work done.

Thanks BigE. I have to replace the carb as soon as it warms up a little. The quadrjunk quit on me. When I moved to Des Moines I was looking at some trucks and they were all automatic. The dealer told me that you have to special order them. Guess nobody likes shifting gears anymore. I have to admit though, in downtown des moines a manual is a pain. Stop at the top of a hill and everytime somebody gets right on my bumper! lol

I only had one ford and it turned me against them. I have overloads and extra leafs on my chevy and it rides bout like a buckboard wagon. Seats absorb alot of it though. My wife hates it. Then again, she doesnt like anything that doesnt have ac.

Miss the old 72 ford high boy canadian built edition with the 460 big block and 44″ bog tires! You didnt get gas millage you got gas time! If it couldn’t pull or haul it then I didnt need it and if something was in your way you didnt go around it or turn around you just simply drove over it! Loved to put it in 4 high on dry pavement pin the tac and dump the cluth in 2nd and let the ponies run! That thing was a real truck!

What happened? Cafe Standards and forcing trucks to get better gas mileage? Thank Al Gore.

I am not a fan of the older trucks. How could anyone prefer a carb to fuel injection? I do not miss the days of pumping the gas multiple times on cold days hoping it would start. Trucks now put out way more HP than they ever did. A 70’s era 350 put out maybe 175hp. I had a 82 chev half ton with a 305, and it was a turd. I ended up putting a 1978 454 in it and that motor had good low end, but really it was a joke too. I added a cam, headers and a edlebrock intake and that woke it up. I would agree that there are plenty of people that drive trucks now that wear a suit to work, but why bash that? They need something to pull their toys around, and a lexus won’t do it.

You guys crack me up. I’ve owned a bunch of trucks, including a 1977 Chevy that I resurrected from a farm field, and a 1988 F-250 with the 460 engine. I drove a 1989 F-150 for a few years, then a 2002 F-150 for 9 years. I’m in a 2011 F-150 now with the ecoboost engine (a V-6!) and it’s an incredible truck. Just because it looks nice and gets decent mileage doesn’t mean it isn’t tough — it’s tougher than any of my old trucks by a landslide. I like the idea of an old truck that you can beat the crap out of, but if it was parked next to my current truck I’d hardly use the old one.

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Another post i was looking at got me to wondering about this. A pickup used to be a hard working vehicle to get you where you wanted to go while towing a camper, boat or what ever the case may be. You could also tell with a quick glance as to wether its a ford, dodge, etc. Now the are pretty much cars on steroids and other than a dodge i cant tell what the other trucks are on the road. What really tickles me is when I’m at the gas station or store and some guy comes out in a 3 piece suit and climbs in a truck. I wont say all, but I bet the majority of these guys wouldnt touch a worm to save their lives. Im originaly a country boy and was raised on a farm, and still trying to figure out city folk, but pardon the language, trucks have lost their balls! Sure you can go alot further on a tank of gas than you can in my 78 scottsdale, but it was built to flat out work. What yall think on the subject?

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I’m going to have to disagree. I wouldn’t trade my 2001 1500 HD for my 1976 F250 ever. Getting 14 MPG highway and having a comfortable ride is way better than getting 6 MPG highway and getting beat to death.

I used my current truck just like I used my ’76 Ford. As a truck. Sure these de-tuned engines stink compared to their older predecessors. However it’s a trade-off.

PLUS, those older trucks were done at 100k miles. These modern trucks will easily achieve 200k.

BE carefull now. i put a tie on everyday to got to work. i drive my 97 silverado and she is a dream to have owned. I have shoveled my share of sh….t and love to get my hands dirty. i just choose to work smarter not harder now. As off right now if i were to go buy a pickup (mine has 195K miles)I would buy the F150 with ecoboost. I personally can’t stand how short boxes have gotten on standard models. the newer silverados really get me steamed with there short box. You just can’t haul the usefull things in those boxes. At least ford will give youo the option. And my family and I have have always owned GM.

I don’t see any posts from guys with a 3 pc suit here. Hmmmmmm

I personally know 3-piece-suits-type people (aka doctors)that drive trucks to the hospital. They are doctors for a reason… they are smart, and thus….drive trucks. Every family should have one no matter your line of work, it ony makes sense. I wonder why this is a “crime”?

GM doen’t have an option for an 8′ box on a 1500 anymore ???

I wear khakis and button downs everyday to work and climb in and out of my shiney new truck everyday and I can hook a leech or worm with the best of em

i find life’s too short to worry about what other people spend their money on. i didn’t know touching worms was a prerequisite for owning a truck.

Thanks boys. I’m starting to feel young again!

i’ll bet there are several men who wear a suit in tie during the week and spend there weekends chasing fish all over the state. Not sure what your work clothes has to do with your vehicle of choice??? As for the new trucks i’m not sure what the problem is…A new GMC 6 litre engine comes off the line with over 300 HP and can pull anything you need it to all while lasting longer and saving gas. If saving gas isn’t something your interested in you can always go with that massive 8.1 litre monster they have, that’ll guzzle all the gas you need it to

I just bought a 2008 F250 Super Duty yesterday to pull our 29′ travel trailer, it’s an extended cab with an 8′ box, it has the V-10 Triton in it, I ran a full tank of gas through it and got an average of 13 MPG. It is the first truck I’ve ever owned that I have to use the running boards to get into. If you see this on the road you definitely know it’s a truck!!!

Ed

Sorry G, I was talking about crew cab 1/2 tons.

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PLUS, those older trucks were done at 100k miles. These modern trucks will easily achieve 200k.

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76 ford – 230000
83 F150 – 260000
89 F150 – 210000

All three are still running

97 F150 Lariat – Blew up at 179000

Im not a fan of these new motors at all, we also have an 01 chev with 200,000 on it and have had to put ofer 2 grand into the motor to limp it this far.

I have a 99 3/4 ton diesel suburban and a 78 GMC 1/2 ton with a 3in body lift, 33in BFGs, built 350 highrise with a 650 Eldlebrock.
If I am ever in an accident, give me my steel and chrome anytime!!

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I have a 99 3/4 ton diesel suburban and a 78 GMC 1/2 ton with a 3in body lift, 33in BFGs, built 350 highrise with a 650 Eldlebrock.

If I am ever in an accident, give me my steel and chrome anytime!!

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Actually modern autos are safer than “chrome and steel”. Sure your auto is destroyed in a wreck but you walk away. And at the end of the day who cares if the auto is destroyed.

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I have a 99 3/4 ton diesel suburban and a 78 GMC 1/2 ton with a 3in body lift, 33in BFGs, built 350 highrise with a 650 Eldlebrock.
If I am ever in an accident, give me my steel and chrome anytime!!

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Actually modern autos are safer than “chrome and steel”. Sure your auto is destroyed in a wreck but you walk away. And at the end of the day who cares if the auto is destroyed.

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I was also gonna add…. have you really looked 30+ year old steel ??? BOOM !!!

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I have a 99 3/4 ton diesel suburban and a 78 GMC 1/2 ton with a 3in body lift, 33in BFGs, built 350 highrise with a 650 Eldlebrock.
If I am ever in an accident, give me my steel and chrome anytime!!

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Actually modern autos are safer than “chrome and steel”. Sure your auto is destroyed in a wreck but you walk away. And at the end of the day who cares if the auto is destroyed.

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I was also gonna add…. have you really looked 30+ year old steel ??? BOOM !!!

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I used to live on Hwy 169 near Onamia. There were a lot of bad accidents right in front of my house while I lived there with few fatalities.

On the day I was sold on the safety of modern pickups, there was a nasty wreck about a mile from my place. A minivan pulled out in front of a 1 ton chevy pickup while he was clipping along at 65-70 MPH. The truck was pulling a 20′ gooseneck trailer with what looked like about max load (20,000#) of cement blocks. The minivan was all but exploded and the family survived. The truck was pretty much destroyed yet this guy managed to keep control enough to ditch his truck and get it stopped.

All parties survived. I’m not sure if the minivan occupants “walked away”. But they survived. Modern technology is great.

The first vehicle I owned was a shiny new 77 F150…and I was living in inner city Chicago and wearing a suit to work. The looks I used to get…

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Im originaly a country boy and was raised on a farm, and still trying to figure out city folk, but pardon the language, trucks have lost their balls!

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Not sure I can agree with that. I see plenty of trucks with balls all the time.