I have recently acquired a 76 w/ a 460. The truck currently resides in NC, and I'm in Ohio. I am unsure of my other vehicle's ability to tow this size truck, and was wondering- aside from gas prices(ugh)- would this truck be safe to drive home. The trip would cover around 700 miles and goes directly through the mountains of wild wonderful west virginia. Other than a small oil leak of unknown origin, the motor, tranny and brakes are all in line. What do you think?

 

You won't hold anyone personally reponsible if they yes drive it ..........right ?

 

Nope- I would never do that !! But seriously, no I wouldn't do that, I just want some honest opinions.....

 

i would drive it no problem it should drive just fine i drove a truck from a scrap yard home about 300 miles n problems and that thing hadn't been driven since 86 i did put a new battery and fuel and fuel filter

 

No one can answer that question, it's just a choice/chance you'll have to make/take.

You give no info of what possible tow vehicle would be, so that's even more of a shot in the dark. I'll say you might consider at least as heavily the stopping ability of the tow vehicle as well as its strength to tow.

If you drive it, be a good Boy Scout, make contingency plans in case of mechanical failure.

Either way, take your time.

Have you considered renting a flatbed to 'carry' it, or hire a transport company? Either aren't cheap, but neither is a mandatory fix-it-now break down.

 

I wasn't necessarily asking about the ability of the tow vehicle- I've already posted on that in a different forum. I was really looking for the ability of 30 yr truck to make its way home through the mountains. Also, I'm not a fan of transport companies- they brought me one of my 87s and upon doing so they postoned the trip to get it twice(totalling a week and a half), it cost a lot b/c it was a full size pickup, and the messed up my front bumper pulling it on the flatbed and refused to fix it. Plus I love to drive-anything and anywhere. I'll be the one bringing it home, I just don't know how yet....I guess if I decide to drive it home the breakdown is a chance I'll have to take!
Thanks,
Scott

 

By a AAA membership before you go

 

I have done exactly what you are about to do when I flew out to Oklahoma and drove my 76 over 1000 miles home to North Carolina. The gauges were the first things that went bad. The temperature gauge was showing the engine to be extremely hot, so I pulled off the road and checked, but the engine was just fine. Oil gauge fluctuated between dangerously low to very high, but I had no choice but to drive it until it blew up or I got home. Later I found no problem with the actual oil pressure, just wiring and gauge problems. The wipers were making a lot of noise because the wiper motor was going out while I was in a huge thunderstorm in Tennessee. The windshield leaked at the top and water ran down in front of my face. Even with all of the surprises my truck gave me I made it home. Even though it never broke down on the trip back, I'll never do it again with an old unfamiliar truck. I guess God watches over and takes care of fools.

Like was already stated nobody can really say whether to do it or not.

 

I recently drove home (350 miles) with my old truck and the muffler disconnected a short while into the trip, I tried to keep it in place but it still broke off a few miles down the road, good thing since the tailpipe was corroded in half and as it turned out, laying against the rear gas tank. when I got home, I smelled gas in the back and it turned out that the rear gas tank leaked badly and was soaked. check out the underneath real well before you set out, gas tanks, etc and if there are any exhaust leaks up front you may want to leave the windows wide open, that is what I had to do, It did not help that there were more open holes than rust in the cab floor.

 

I drove my '79 from Phoenix to Denver, it had sat for quite some time. The owner thought it would make it and it did just fine. It was uncomfortable though. No heater, no blower, no interior lights, no radio, not one guage worked and all the window seals leaked. I visually inspected all the important parts like steering linkages, wheels/tires, brakes, all fluid levels, lighting and such. First thing I did was drive to a parts store and get extra oil, brake fluid, coolant, duct tape, wiper blades, 5 gal. gas can, funnels and a few other parts. I wish I would have been able to bring my portable battery jumper but I flew down and couldn't. Only real problem I had was running out of gas due to the guage not working. But, I had the 5 gal. can and filled it up. Batttery almost died trying to re-start but it finally roared to life just as I was getting ready for a long walk on I-40.

It was quite the adventure and I enjoyed getting to know the truck. Ended up driving into a full on blizzard on I-25 south of Denver, that was the scariest part cause I had no bed weight and it was sliding around pretty good, not to mention I was frozen! I say go for it but just be prepared for anything, including calling for a tow if need be. AAA wouldn't hurt to have. Good luck.

 

Scott,
What do you think about this truck?
1.Tires: balanced? dry-rotted? Bald? Good Spare?
2.CoolingSystem: Leaking? Run Hot? Check hoses for cracks, replace if you have to. Radiator cap fits tight?
3. Lights: Do they work or not? Flickering?
4. Tranny: How does it shift? When was the fluid changed last? Change it before you make the trip.
5. Motor: Oil pressure? Knocking? Idle OK? Belts? Water Pump?
Do you have a jack? Tire Plug kit? Compressor that runs off cigarette lighter? Throw some extra oil and coolant in the bed and go for it. You're the owner of a Ford Truck! Act like it,
KingFisher

 

make sure it has the lug wrench or that you have one with you. Mine did not and it took a 1 1/16 socket which are not on any of the 4 ways that I have seen.

 

I have to go with Kingfisher and the others who say "drive it". I went up to NC about two months ago and drove my '74 highboy back to Florida - right at about 600 miles. The truck had been driven maybe 1000 miles in the previous three or four years.

I had all the fluids changed, brakes checked & good visual inspection by both a professional mechanic and myself to make sure nothing was seriously amiss. Bolted on a new set of tires & some OEM steel take-off wheels and drove the old beast home in one day, averaged about 60 mph the whole way & got about 11.5 mpg.

Of course, as the saying goes your mileage (and experience) may vary. If something's obviously wrong, fix it or get it towed. No old truck is worth your (or someone else's!) life.

I'd take a good spare, jack, oil, water & gas, points and condensor, emergency hose & belt kits, some duct tape and some gasket maker. That plus my travelling tool box is what I had with me. I also ran a bottle of Lucas fuel system/top end cleaner through it as the day went on.

Anyway, like I said, my vote is to go for it. If you prepare yourself the worst thing that can happen is a tow bill and U-Haul rental to haul the thing on home.

 

Alright- thanks everybody. I think you've made up my mind for me. I know the truck has been a daily driver for the past few years, so how bad can it be?!?! It has brand new tires, and I'm no stranger to fixing a car problem. I know the fuel +speedo work for sure. I'm gonna go for it. I'll let you know how it goes!!!

 

Are they actually "brand new" tires? Or are they tires that have little or no wear on them and were "brand new" years ago? I say this only because I recently had a catastrophic blow out on a tire that looked new'ish, but were actually 9 years old. The right front blow out on a hot day resulted in a rolled, totalled, vehicle and a trip to the ER.


I am not saying that older tires should not be driven, but be aware that tire age can hurt you as much as wear. Something I always look for now is dry rot and checkering on the sidewall.

T!