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Hey guys, I have a bunch of questions about the feasibility of using a late 70s Ford as primary transportation. If you don't like reading the questions are below, but first a small back story...
I recently had a small issue on my wife's 2005 Jeep Cherokee that turned into a large mechanic bill and a lot of frustration on my part. Mainly because its next to impossible to diagnose and repair computer controlled vehicles.
Long story short it opened my eyes to modern cars, specifically my current daily driver; 2013 F150 Ecoboost. Whats this thing going to be like in 10,15,20 years? The whole truck is VERY electronic dependent... scary really...
When my lease is up I want something I can work on if need be. My wish list would probably be.. A complete restoration already completed, 4 wheel drive, manual trans. Ive been looking around ebay, bringatrailer, hemmings... I really like the F250 Customs and Camper Specials, I think that little storage bin is very unique and cool, extended cab would be ideal but regular cab would work to.
I work close to home and most errands I run are within 20 miles. I do have family members 200miles +/- away. I plan to never off road, only want 4 wheel for winter. The more stock/original the better IMO.
My to the point question...
How reasonable is it to use a old truck at reliable transportation?
More detailed Q's..
Best motor for DD?
I plan to never go off road or rarely tow. Keep in mind the main thing would be repair and parts availability... I would like the equivalent to the chevy 350
What were the Trans options as far as manuals go?
Should I consider the C5 auto?
What about 5 or 6 speed swaps?
I think it is quite reasonable to use it as a DD.
IF you are ok with the gas mileage there isn't much of a reason that I can think of.
The closest to a 350 would be the 351, they are everywhere.
As for best motor, Probably lots of opinions on this but I think a 300, 400 or 351 would be good.
The 300 would get the best mileage and they are everywhere too.
If you plan on keeping it for 20 years than a 5 speed wouldn't be a bad idea.
You would recoup the cost of it in 10 years~ depending on how much you drive it.
Some modify a zf5 and some modify a nv4500 to fit in there.
Some people have used the gear vendors unit/ nash and there is also
the tremac that you can buy brand new and will drop in. (mike000 could confirm)
Which I think would be a better bang for buck than a gear vendors unit.
I completely agree with you about the computer controlled cars.
You need plenty deep pockets to own one these days.
What happens in 20 years when a critical sensor goes bad and no one makes the sensor anymore? Junkyard time?
Well, first, are you going to work on it, or do you want to just use it? While these trucks are good, 35+ years of use does require some maintenance, even on the best ones. If you plan to have someone else do the work, I think you will be just as disappointed as you are with your current situation. That being said, here's what I would recommend.
Look for a 76 or later F150 with a 300. They are plentiful and the 300 gets about the best mileage of any of the engines offered in these trucks. The only down side to a 300 is that they are usually in the base trucks, so getting options like AC, cruise, etc is going to be tough.
From personal experience, yes, these can be a decent daily driver, but don't expect it to be right off the bat. I drive mine 40 miles a day for work, and it is fine, but occasionally things happen, like when the brake booster broke. It's just part of having a used vehicle. Here's a pic of mine when we were moving from ID to WA. It made the 450 mile trip just fine:
Well, then the more basic truck might be the ticket for you. They did come with a high output heater (slightly larger core) but in a regular cab, the basic heater is fine.
I think these trucks make good daily drivers, I know I daily drove mine for about 8 months straight before I painted it. That included a handful of 300 mile round trips. That being said, of course I had some issues. The key is maintenance with any older vehicle, most of my issues were due to the (lack of) good maintenance by the previous owner. Mine was a basket case when I first got it, but it sounds like you want something you can use right off the bat, so I'd recommend getting something that's already decently nice. You don't have to break the bank to do so either, you can score a pretty nice dent for under $10,000.
I am not currently daily driving my 79, but that's only because it's almost 1,000 miles away and I don't have it with me currently. It gets driven a few times per week though, and I know it's be up for daily duty at any time. I say go for it, get something you'll enjoy driving and are able to work on easily.
Adding a 5-speed was key for me. My 78 F250 was my daily driver for three years before I swapped in an NV4500. Had me wishing why I hadn't done it sooner. Complete change not just for top gear cruising, but drivability and regular shifting. No more hitting my knuckles on the dash in first or leaning out to shove it into third.
This might sound strange but what about exhaust? I notice a lot of restored trucks have slight performance modifications. Exhaust, headers, cam, ignition.
That's all fine with me to an extent. But I am looking to not make my neighbors hate me when I leave for work at 5a.
Can these large engines be hushed withough loosing any performance or most importantly mpgs?
This might sound strange but what about exhaust? I notice a lot of restored trucks have slight performance modifications. Exhaust, headers, cam, ignition.
That's all fine with me to an extent. But I am looking to not make my neighbors hate me when I leave for work at 5a.
Can these large engines be hushed withough loosing any performance or most importantly mpgs?
yes absolutely. I have duals on my truck and I don't think it would wake the neighbors up. Couldn't tell you the mufflers on it though since I didn't buy them and I don't see a name on them. It isn't quiet like a new car
but it doesn't rattle the windows. But you have to make a compromise, performance and mpg don't really belong in the same sentence.
No truck came with dual exhausts until the Lightning models of the late 1990's, and both pipes exited out the right (passenger) side.
No one worth their salt would install a left exhaust pipe next to a fuel tank.
C5 was AAMCO transmission speak for the C4. Ford did offer a C5, but was only installed in some 1982/83 F100/150's.
1973/77 F100/250 240/300 I-6 & F100/150 302 came with a C4, 1973/77 F350 300 I-6 came with FMX Cruise-O-Matic, everything else came with a C6.
1978 was the first year that Ford offered the C6 with the 300 I-6 & 302...as an option, but the C4 was also available.
The problem with these trucks is...the almost complete lack of safety features. All have a padded dash, some 1973/76's only have lap seat belts as shoulder straps were optional.
The only mirror that was standard equipment was located on the left door and was the Passenger Car type, all other types were optional.
These trucks do not have a collapsible steering column, air bags, front and rear crumple zones. Get front ended, the steering column could end up in your chest.
And...99% of the parts are obsolete, and while some are reproduced, some are not and can be very difficult to find NOS
Don't expect the MPG to be any better than your Eco-Boost. With 4WD, it will be much worse.
Both my former 1979 F150 Lariat 2WD Super Cab 400/C6 and 2011 F150 Lariat 5.0L 2WD Super Crew got about the same MPG: 10-14 city, 13-17 highway...depending on L/A traffic.
No truck came with dual exhausts until the Lightning models of the late 1990's, and both pipes exited out the right (passenger) side.
No one worth their salt would install a left exhaust pipe next to a fuel tank.
It didn't come factory but no one says you can't change it. No one said it was factory either.
Yea you don't get any of the modern safety features and you don't get the repair price shock either when your knock sensor/ cam sensor fails.
Or some other computer gremlin pops its head up and the stealership wants to rob you for 85 an hour computer diagnostics and still can't pinpoint the problem. But still takes your money.
It didn't come factory but no one says you can't change it. No one said it was factory either.
Yea you don't get any of the modern safety features and you don't get the repair price shock either when your knock sensor/ cam sensor fails.
Or some other computer gremlin pops its head up and the stealership wants to rob you for 85 an hour computer diagnostics and still can't pinpoint the problem. But still takes your money.
Omg. You said it. That's exactly what went bad on wife's jeep. Crank sensor, then shade tree mechanics botched the job... Ended up replacing coils, plugs.. Twice, and cam sensor. Only to take it to the dealership and they had to pretty much redo everything the independent mechanic did. !
These trucks are extremely reliable with a few upgrades like
A new fuel tank
Fuel lines
New or professionally rebuild carburetor
Tires
Bakes
and a good go through of you're axle bearings, ball joints tie rod ends ect ect.
The three I have have proven themselves as reliable as any newer truck or car I have owned.. Naturally , being man-made and how the truck was treated, you will see a problem now and then but they are generally problem free..
My preferred choice of drivetrain that has been least problematic is a 300 6cyl with a 3 speed manual.
A step up in pep is the 302 with a c4 automatic transmission for cruising.
On a 4 wheel drive note I enjoy the 302 with a 4 speed manual transmission..
Arguably the best of the FE's is the 460 but its limited to 10 MPG or less.. Don't get me wrong, none of these trucks are mileage friendly but compared to a 400+$ a month note more gas shouldn't be a problem..
You are likely to find yourself passionate about your old ford and will thoroughly enjoy driving it everyday!
My preferred choice of drivetrain that has been least problematic is a 300 6cyl with a 3 speed manual.
A step up in pep is the 302 with a c4 automatic transmission for cruising.
On a 4 wheel drive note I enjoy the 302 with a 4 speed manual transmission..
Arguably the best of the FE's is the 460 but its limited to 10 MPG or less..
The 460 is not an FE motor, it's a 385 series. FEs offered would be the 360 and 390s, but only the 360 in a 4x4. They are great engines but love the fuel. Personally I would rather have the low end grunt of the 300-I6 over the 302. I personally thought the 302s were dogs in these trucks. The 300-I6 is arguably one of the most reliable engines Ford ever made. If you keep up with basic maintenance there is not reason that a 70s Ford can not be a reliable daily driver. Just don't expect the same level of refinement as in your new Eco-Boost.
09-28-2014, 08:50 AM
