LMAO we all know that our trucks will eventually be outlawed, and as far as standing up as a whole. Look at how things are going now after everyone stood up the last election.
As far as learning to work on them, that is not the point for me. it is the overwelming amount of small parts that we will have to either put us in limp mode or dead in the water. I like my old trucks the newest one that I own is my wifes 99and it has been and still is a good dependable vehicle. Is it built as tough as my 76, can I pull start it or let it roll down the mountain No. I still feel like in 20 more years if and this is a big if we are even able to buy a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup that after 10 years parts to keep one up will become hard to get. Thats 30 years down the road and I may not even be driving then so it will be my kids and grand kids problem , but I hate to see the old rigs go away.

And the only dual point setup I ever bought was for a 69 goat and after probably 6 months with little or really no noticible gain, I removed it.
I also know there are some things that are better about todays rigs especially comfort.
We don't even have to open the door and walk outside to crank them anymore.
But my 74 1/2 ton got as high as 18 mpg depending on my foot.
My 77 1/2 ton with a 460 would get 17.
My diesel dually 4x4 will consistently get 16
My 99 1/2 ton 4x4 will get 16
So what have we gained we are still burning the same amount of fuel.
My big trucks went from 4 to 5 mpg to 5.5 to 7.5 substantial gains when you figgure the whole picture. The last mandates however reversed that almost back to where we were 20 years ago.

If you look back, every step that the automotive world has made with technology has been met with skepticism from earlier generations.
Automatic transmissions, disc brakes, independent suspension, fuel injection, electronic ignition...
Heck, even hydraulic brakes had their critics.

As the technology ages and is broken down, they become more accessible to understand, repair and upgrade. The internet has really helped in this aspect. Even for the simple IDI engines, we have access to a wealth of information with just a mouse click.

While the new engines seem very complex and impossible to work on, underneath it all, they still have the same components and concept. What used to take a screwdriver and a few hand tools to diagnose or tune, now is done with a laptop, scanner and o scope. Granted, there are some problems that can take days to troubleshoot. The majority are simple sensor or actuator failures. But I've seen many guys (myself included) dance around a problem on a mechanical diesel or carbed engine.

The feds have really spearheaded the advances, and complexity, of the modern engines. For example, the common rail 5.9 & 6.7 Cummins is pretty simple when you break it down. If you remove all of the EPA mandated stuff, you're basically left with a turbo, plumbing and wiring for the injectors and control.
The PSD 7.3 is really no more complex than the IDI. Instead of a spiderweb of injector tubes, all of the injectors and wiring are cleanly contained under the valve covers. Both of them have their strong and weak points, as well as common failures. And they both went through growing pains early on in their production. Most problems are easily diagnosed.

What I don't understand is how the government justifies the diesel emissions by trading NOx emissions for fuel economy. Taking a proven engine capable of 17-25 mpg and dropping it to 12-17 mpg by adding emissions control without any real science involved in the decision making.

Jason

How much longer???
 

Both my IDI's are in the prime of their life right now. They have been and continue to be very reliable transportation for me.

I think we will get a bit of a reprive in the next 10 years when it comes to the environmental front. The annual emmissions testing (Aircare) here in BC will be gone by the end of 2011. With all the onboard diagnostics on the newer vehicles, it just does not make sense to keep this program and given our deficit budget, and the cost to operate this program, I can't see it getting renewed as this program is a prime candidate for getting cut.

There are much better ways to spend money on improving our environment, I think the aircare program did a great job during it's hayday making people accountable for keeping their vehicles in good working order, but now it no longer adds enough value. As I have shown over the years, the IDI easily passed emissions testing as long as you properly maintain them and I have never failed a test.

The economy is in way too much trouble, and we need to work on getting people back to work, we can't all be building wind turbines and solar panels.

I am pretty sure I will be driving my trucks till I am ready to retire in about 15 years given the annual milage I drive.

My uncle still drives his 1974 F250 which he converted to diesel by installing a turbo charged 6 cylinder Ford Industrial engine in the 70's, it passes aircare and at almost 300hp got more power than I have.

Given the popularity of these trucks, he had little trouble getting parts todate, and anything he can make himself he just fabricates from scratch.

Keep on trucking I say..... Keep on trucking.....


Seb....

I think things can get a little over complicated. Ask Toyota. Their wireless communication between Throttle Pedal, and Throttle Body is going a little to far, if You ask Me.

A simple engine control system is all that is needed.

A simple engine control system is all that is needed.[/quote]

I guess if you are on the forefront of technology you have the best chance at getting burnt and that is what is happening to Toyota right now. Couple that with the lyche mob mentality that you get when you ignore a problem for too long, then you got a pretty good mess to clean up.

The thought of going wireless on cars probably is not that far out, considering how much planes have gone wireless to save weight on wiring. Clearly the wireless technology is proven, but there may be some issues that nobody thought about when they applied it to cars.

If you want to progress and be the leader you got to be willing to make some mistakes, hopefully they are small enought so not to put you out of business, in Toyota's case I don't think there is any worries to that regard; they are a great company and clear leader in the industry.

Seb.....

I Guess its a matter of preference. Some people think a new truck makes them perform better in bed. Well maybe till it breaks down. Im happy with my 21 year old truck. I got a 22 year old cadillac sitting right next to it in the driveway. They are both everyday drivers, and both get 20 miles to the gallon(or better). Its the owner, NOT the truck.