Well I have to decide whether to sell my 75 f-100 4X4 with a 390 that is in good condition, very reliable with a very straight body. Then if, and that is a big if, I sell my truck I have a 77 f-250 highboy with a 460 that is rougher shape than mine right now, but it is mechanically sound ready to buy. I cant have them both. I have to sell mine to get the other, or pass, and keep the 75.

The problem is I really dont know what to do. Should I sell, is it worth it to get the highboy or not? What do you all think? Am I about to make a big mistake?

 

keep the 75... its got an FE!!!
and besides you said it is in better shape than the highboy

 

That is a tough one! I think, if I knew mine was in great shape, and I used it as a driver, not a mud machine or puller, I'd keep the F100. Do you know the overall condition of the 75? I mean, steering/suspension/drivetrain parts can get expensive just to have a stock 460 and a couple inches of height. The body condition means a lot to some of us. If I could only have one in your scenario, I'd keep the 75 F100. Your F100 is really a f150 anyway's. F100 vrs F150 was an emision game in the seventies, not a structural issue. A solid built F150 can tear up a ragged out\worn out F250 anyway's IMHO. You have the same FE as my F250.

 

Hey, are you trying to say that a f250 would do better in the mud than a f100 or f150???

 

No way, just if built correctly stock/vrs/stock, a F250 it is a little heavier duty. Dont equate it to the F150 with dana 60 front and rear's with 44's that people have modified and such. That's why Ford build's F150 to F350 for the average person. My F250 FE hiboy posi front and rear get's stuck in level wet grass, but I feel it will break a cheby in half on dry pavement, uhhh, not counting the new disel tanks Cheby and Ford produce now Read a little humer here with this post. Look at the monster trucks, C'mon, a 73 Ford Pinto body on a truck frame..I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.

With that being said I'll add this: Several years ago a co-worker with a mid eighties F150 351 automatic stated that "everyone" was afraid to hook up to his truck and go for a pull. He challanged me at work with my F250. I didnt know what to do at the time. I asked here and on other sites what to do.. This pull was going to be held on his farm with co-workers and guests over for a BBQ to watch. Hell yea I was nervous! I kept trying to mess with his head by telling him that I was going to break his truck in half, etc. so he would back out. He would not. He bet our paychecks. I backed out of that, I mean, I aint gonna lose my check over a flippin bad U joint, etc. His truck just sit's in a field rotting, no brakes, etc, but he put a new tranny in it recently, bragging to his friends how tough his truck was. Fast forward to the challange he gave me. He had log's, dirt, etc in his bed, I had nothing. I hooked up the chain based on info from this site..He he..and we both spun, but he went SLOWLEY backwards as we both dug deep rut's. He wanted to try it on pavement. I was nervous because I drove the truck there, about 30 miles away from home. Beer, pier pressure being what they are, ( My 13 yr old son was watching, I wasn't sure what lesson to teach him about a situation like this, it ended up the wrong one I think) Co-worker noticed the chain hooked high on me and low on him..grrr. We made it frame to frame. 4 wheel low, second gear, gas to the floor, I popped the clutch pedal. Bottom line, my truck went fwd, his didnt, his new tranny and right front axle were toast. His motor had a rod knocking at the end as well. I drove home with no issues. NEVER again!

 

For me, I'd have to take into consideration how muach I had invested in the truck I currently own, how much it would take to get the new truck to similar condition, and what I was going to do with it.
If I were to swap, I'd need to get as much out of what I have in mine to get the next one to the same or better state.
I've got enough hours and dollars in mine that it would be a hard sell to trade into anything less.

 

How do you get a truck stuck that has limited slip front and rear? I mean short of a 5'deep mud hole...

It just seemed that you were sayin there were significant differences in off road abilitys

 

I say keep the '75. You already know its history. With the new one you will spend a lot of time learning its quirks. This can be fun at times, but can also be very frustrating if you have to rely on it as a driver.

Another factor to consider is how long it might take to sell your truck. I dont know what your asking price would be, but it is harder to sell vehicles now, even more so than it was 2-3 years ago.

Just my .02

 

No that wasnt my intent. The difference for example is 3/16 metal frame vrs 1/4" frame, larger axles, bearings, etc. heavy duty vrs light duty. Off road abilities absolutley depends on the build and tires. If you have a stock F- whatever truck, there is no way it will keep up for any lenghth of time with the same type of "modified", if done correctly, F-whatever truck in the same conditions.

Put 2,000 lbs in the bed of an F150 and an F250, pull a boat/trailor and drive across country a couple of times. On average, who is going to break down first?

To answer your question about getting stuck is easy. My neighbors 08 F350 super duty Limited slip front\rear got stuck in his back yard last year. A long wheel base and all season tires are not the greatest combination. That is what MOST peeople run on a daily driver, not off road mud tires. Rough treads are noisey on the highway, wear out quickly and are expensive. Look at how many rough treads vrs plain\all season tread you see on trucks nowday's. If you cant spot the rough tread's while driving, just lower your window while going down the highway.

By "Modified" I mean quality after market/custom parts installed correctly
What do you drive?

 

The engine and transmission are the limiting factors and will crap out long before the frame or springs give out.

Josh

 

Botom line, I agree, something in the drive train usually goes first. The frame thickness was a example of the chassis difference, not exactly a good example. With that being said, my factory stock stack of F250 springs with helper's will out last\keep ride height longer than your F150 with the same loads over time. That is, if your springs are factory like mine. Built Motor's, built drive lines, built suspenions, etc we can debate about that forever. Or, why does your truck have a 9" vrs a D60? I think a 9" is awsome for racing, nothing better, but for hauling load's over time, I've rebuilt many F150 9" diff's that were in the logging industry, and a couple of D60's. Most problems with the D60's were with the 10 spline axles breaking. That problem has been fixed on the newer D60's.

Or, I if I misunderstood you, in the same case scenario I gave in my last post, with Identical tranny's and motors, a F150 will last as long as the
F250 under the same conditions? Ahhhhh no, IMHO. I have worked on many of these and other vehichles, heavy duty usually means what it say's.

CRAP, sorry for the Hijack Pittmick...I'm done

 

Other than the amount of emissions equippment put on the engines, the only difference I am aware of between a F100 and an F150 is one additional spring leaf in the rear springs...........F100's had 4; F150's had 5. They did this to get the GVWR up over the break off point so they didnt have to put all the emissions crap on them that the lighter duty F100 and cars had to have.

 

I dident buy my f100 for towing, i like playin in the mud... standard cab, short bed, standard tranny, big engine, and 4.11 gears... best combo for being basicly a stock truck.
I allways rock the mud terrain tires, who needs gasmilage when you dont need roads??? Iv never found a mud pit or anything up hear that I needed to put it in 4WD. thats why I was wondering how youd get stuck w/ all wheel limited slip

 

My f100 has 8 leafs under the rear end, dosent look like it has ever been messed with, but if somebody did have new spring packs made it was done back in the 70's cuas everything looked untouched when I got the truck

 

Condition would mean alot to me, I like both setups but when I went shopping for a dent, I had my heart set on a shortbed 4x4. In the end only what you think matters so its up to you