Back when I was young and had my '82 Mustang GT 5.0, dirt-bags would come up to me and tell me that Fords suck, and ask why I didn't buy a Chevy. My standard answer was "I need a car that starts up and goes every morning..." One or two actually reacted in a way which made me think that they thought I'd taken a cheap shot at them.

The truth is that I like all older American cars and trucks, but I've only ever owned three GM cars, and never any MOPARs or AMCs.

 

I believe you mean 'Trailduster'? I have only ever seen a couple and they are cool.

 

My Uncle got me into cars, Fords in particular. As I got older I quit caring as much, cool rides are just that regardless of the manufacturer (although I'm still admittedly biased). I do tire of seeing 350/LS swaps in EVERYTHING but also understand why people do it. I try to apply the Ricky Bobby philosophy to those builds to sooth my soul.

 

Here's my '79 Chevy. My father purchased it new in '79 and gave it to me in 1991. It's original except for tires and the battery. Obviously, it has been a garage queen over the years. But, not many left of any brand this original and in this condition.




There are still a few '70's trucks on the road here in western PA. I see a few older Fords being used a daily drivers and one of my neighbors is still driving a '78 Chevy step side.

 

I never thought I'd see the day where it would actually be refreshing to see an old-school small block 350 in a car...



Wow, that's a super-nice Chev! Is it a 250 inline six? I definitely like the '73-'79 better than the '80-'86, or whenever they changed the grill and front fenders.


Tonight I actually saw a '70s-'80s Dodge (or perhaps Plymouth) on the road, but it was dark out. It looked to be a 4WD long-bed.

 

Thanks. It's a 305 V8 and a 3 on the tree.

 

No offense to any die-hard purist in any camp, but how the vehicle was treated and maintained has far more to do with its survival and roadworthiness than whatever letters and numbers are in the model name.

 

Ain't that the truth.

 

This is by far the most civil online conversation on this topic I have ever seen ...

 

Absolutely NO disrespect to someone who can keep a 40+ year old vehicle on the road. No matter the make or condition, It takes a special kinda person to care that much about a vehicle, I love seeing pre 80's cars driven not stored. Most people buy disposable mass produced characterless cars with 10yr/100,000mi warranties, my question to them is how many 10y.o. cars do you see on the roads anymore as a daily driver. They usually trade them in or lease the next model with the new bells and whistles. However I'm in NJ and not many of them survive the road salt and liquid brine the coat the road with up here. If I lived in a state that did not use that crap I would definitely drive them everyday. I drive mine up until the blacktops turn white. Just way too much time and money has gone into getting them all road worthy.

 

Remember a couple of those when I was a kid. Just a rebadged Ramcharger. (like a Blazer / Jimmy).

Whoever said that anyone keeping 40+ year old vehicles on the road eclipses whatever brand they are is spot on. I like them all. Old Fords, Chevys, Dodges, and I have a particular soft spot for the Jeep J trucks and Internationals. My dad's first 4x4 was a '71 Scout that was our hunting rig back in the late 70s.

In comparing 4x4s, there were a lot of similarities. Granny low 4 speeds (Muncie vs. New Process), the same NP205 or NP203 Tcases, same Dana 44 fronts (and later Chevy 10 bolts which are almost exactly the same thing, etc. Ford had a better rear axle in the 9", but it has a really low pinion that puts a target on that rear driveshaft. I also prefer the coil front end to the leaf fronts on the other makes, but they were all great, and competitive trucks. It really boils down to styling preferences. It's also pretty hard to argue the versatility, availability, and cheap parts for a Chevy small block, though I prefer working on Ford engines because stuff is easier to reach.

When I was shopping for my truck I wanted 4x4, AC, and a manual transmission. I put an offer on a '78 Chevy before I ended up buying my '77 Ford. It's doubtful I'd have gone wrong with either one.

 

Drat and njdevil77 - agree, mostly

Hard to find a 4x4 truck 10+ years old either never left the pavement or doesn't have stock suspension. Truck lives or dies depends on who installed what and what parts they used. Many manual transmissions and front axles were same or similar between brands. Ford I think had a clear advantage with 9" rear of course.

Don't see major advantage between 302/351 and chevy 350 in a truck. Similar power bands. Decent general purpose car v8s that can work in a truck.

Back in 70s and 80s, noticed many of chevy trucks had bent frames (2wd and 4wd). Could be from what some of them went through, just an observation.

Grew up on 60s pontiac v8s, brother loved mopar, best friend loved gm. All made good stuff and all made junk.

Where I disagree, 70s ford truck, 2wd, manual transmission with 300-6. I own one. Previous owners were contractors. Abused it, never changed oil, judging by carbon build up under valve cover may have been overheated few times. Never seen anything have this hard of a life and still run. I've replaced the collapsed springs and bushings in suspension, clutch, carb, distributor over last 14 years. Never pulled engine.


My daily driver. ~170 PSI on all cylinders last compression test. Get ~16MPG combined street and highway driving unloaded.

See some 60s and 70s trucks from Ford and GM on road. Only ones that actually spend time on road and clearly haven't been restored or well maintained through their life are Ford 2wd.

 

my 66 2wd is in a hell of a lot better shape than my 79 4wd. Road salt is hard on us here. In my other thread I posted a picture of my 08 rubicons dana 44. It's nearly unservicable with only 50k miles. But probably 40k of those miles are on salt. The other 10 are to or from the woods.
. But even here I see 70s fords and 80 and up fords and GM trucks still in use most every day. Most only maintained, not restored. Rotten cab corners and stopsign floorboards are common too. Most people here have 4wd. Between The mud/ rain/ snow, there are I'd bet 85-90% 4wd in full size trucks. And nearly that many in s10/ranger/Tacoma trucks too. 2wd is a rarity here, but they are found cheap when we need parts for the 4wds. In the past 20 years I know of exactly 1 2wd full size truck purchased new by anyone around. And it was a mistake he didnt notice until too late. They are so rare it's just taken forgranted. He eventually traded that 2wd dodge for a 4wd f150.

 

Here in East Texas, surprisingly, it's GM country. We have a solid amount of Ford people and some Mopar people, but at swap meets, it's 80% Chevy everywhere.

Plus the gearhead scene out here is nonexistent compared to the cities in West Texas or other states, so more people than in most cities are driving brand new appliance/white goods cars and avoiding anything old.

However.

Look at the trucks still actually driving on the road- not the show queen restorations trailered to the coffee shop, or the latest fad (squarebody c10s and c20s) that every hipster wants to have in their driveway- and you'll see more old Fords that haven't been restored or hacked driving around. I see more Chevy cars still driving around, but far more unrestored/un-hacked Ford trucks from 1990 or earlier on the road. Bullnoses are rarer than squarebodies, but that has only been true since the squarebody fad started. And I see *way* more dentside and bumpsides driving around than I do 60's and 70's Chevy trucks.