Well I wouldnt say Ford cars are junk. Weve had many over the years and they were great. Maybe you got some lemons who noes. Just had to counteract what yousaid.

 

It totaly floors me how a vehicle built the same way in the same plant on the same day can have a hundred things go wrong, and the next one off the line is wonderful. I have had and seen it go that way on all manufacturers, and still don't understand how just one vehicle gets plagued while others don't. Friend of mine had a new Ford that was about as bad as described, then got the dealer to replace it, and the next was great.

Here's one for ya: My father in law is solid Chevy, always teasing my wife's uncle, his brother, who is solid Ford. I had a 90 Chevy 1500 that I loved, sold it at 202,000 with nothing more than tranny troubles, is still going, but I needed more suspension and brakes and torque, so I bought my 86 250 6.9, and it has been real good to me. Well, shortly after I got my beast, my father in law comes home with a new Duramax, then shortly after that my uncle comes home with a newer used Powerstroke. Keeps things interesting, but when it settles, they are just joking around. I get ribbed by the father in law once in a while, but that's it. Don't know on the powerstrokes, but the earlier Ford diesels weren't Ford, they were International. As far as Ford cars go, I know of some that have been great, I just haven't had them. My luck on most Ford vehicles hasn't been that great, but I know plenty of people that do fine with them. I don't know why, just that they do. So far I'm fairly happy with my truck, although it has some annoyances that I never really had on all the different GM vehicles I've had, mainly guages and lighting issues, seems the wiring on these old beasts could be better than it is, as I didn't fight electrical issues as much on the GM's.

 

Hey fellro86 all of Fords diesels have been international. From your 6.9 to the current powerstrokes. Not to start anything here but I think the newer chevy trucks from99 and up have been a lot worse quality wise than the older models were. From what Ive read and heard. Shhh dont tell your father in law. Let us know how thw the brand rivalry goes in your family. That 6.9 diesel you got has proven to be a very durable motor. 300,000 miles is not uncommon on those. Good Luck

 

And you get the noise from GM boys that try to tell you nothing interchanges on Fords. Well last week I had a bad front tire on my Aero, my oldest son has a '68 Torino with the same tire on the rear. Pulled his rim and tire and stuck it on my Aero. Same bolt pattern just a schosh tight on the center hole. A little abrasive touch up and graphite lube and it went on no problem!

 

I thought all the diesels were IH, just wasn't sure. Thanks for the info. Basically, back in the 70's the true Ford diesels were junk, and noone wanted to buy them they always bought the option for Cat or Cummins or Detriot, so Ford learned their lesson to just source it rather than dink around with building their own, and Dodge followed suit when they finally started doing diesels, but GM just had to do their own, the 5.7 were an ok motor, but just weren't good enough, and the 6.2 were better, just not up to snuff, and the 6.5 is better, but noit quite there yet. My sister runs an 82 Chevy C30 with the 6.5 drop in, and I have to give GM credit, for as poorly as she maintains it and takes care of it, it has held up pretty good, but it's basically junk now, but not due to manufacturing, it's hers and her husband 's lack of care. When the upper radiator hose blew, do we stop? No, we drive it home so we can waste $600 on heads. When the upper a arm is loose, do we say anything? no, we'll just gamble on which way the front of the truck is going when we hit the brake, and then see where it goes after we let off. Get what I mean? Then newest Chevys I'm not impressed with. The Duramax may be one hell of a motor, but it looks to be one of the biggest PITA"S in thew world to work on, go figure, Japanese engineering. Not picking on the race, but the way they design things. Ever done an oil change on a Miata? Takes a special oil filter cup, and you can barely get ahold of it. I was lucky enough to never do any actual work on one, and hope to never do so. I won't start on the backwards British engineering that bruoght os things like the ZR-1 Corvette motor, then the Germans can make a good reliable car, but don't make it the easiest to repair. The American cars used to be built with serviceabilty in mind, and still are a little better, but since my back went bad on me, I can't handle the extreme conditions they put us in now, and I certainly am not into this put it all under the cowl crap thet is going on now. My mother in law's Expy looks like a massive hemmoriod to do any king of service4, and the father in law had a Dodge prior to getting the Duramax, and it had the V10 PITA in it. Come to find out, I get the same mileage out of my old beast as he got with that 98 Dodge . Sure I got diesel, but want to really laugh? other than the torque benfit, I got the same or better mileage from my 90 Chevy wih a 350. Sure he had more cubes, but my Chev was tired!!! He saw maybe between 13 to 17 mpg out of that thing, but it didn't have OD either, but damn, it should be better than that, i would think. OK, long enough for now, since I finished writing this book........

 

All these motors are just terrible to work on nowdays. I think there made that way so the average guy cant work on them. I think flip up hood on these trucks would be great wouldnt it. The new powerstrokes are a nightmare as well to work on. Awe my old 300 six what a joy it was to work on. Those were the days.

 

It's called technological advancements. We now have superior engine control, just comes with a price. It is amazing how much power they can make from the same basic cubes, or less. I had a Quad 4, ran great till it started having problems about 130,000, then that's all it was, but tell you what, that little 2.3 would give most stock v-8's a run. They later disguised the same motor as a 2.4 16 valve, quit calling it the Quad 4 due to the poor press, it had a few changes but was basically the same motor. For the guys that like to brag on the Hummers using the 6.5 GM diesel, they are different than what hits the streets, the cam is different, the injection pump is different, only the absolute base setup is similar, but reworked to make more power. The 6.5 Humvee motor and the 6.5 street motor may look the same, but the internals tell a different story.

 

In my country there's a huge part of the society that respects ford, the only bashers i know are chevrolet fans, anyway, ford made two commercials with ford trucks being dropped out of an hercules plane, one back in the 70s and the other was introducing a new model a couple years ago, and i can say they are very strong trucks, so i don't find any reason to disrespect them.

 

We have individuals here that think that what they like should be what everyone likes. I do driendly bashing, and my gripes are based on my experience, not someone elses. Guy I used to work with was nothing but ford, then he bought a GMC and a Chevy, one for the kid and one his own, and now Chevy's are all there is. Personally, the Ford suspensions are superior for off road use, you can't beat the twin I beam type suspension for traction. I have run mine and my dad's trucks pretty good chasing cattle, and both are still going. I hit a stump yesterday, it was hidden in the grass. Thank god for full skid plates!!!!!! Anyway, it hit somewhere, and hard, but I couldn't tell where, but the stump tore loose. I figure it caught on the rear axle housing. Years ago they showed a Ford climbing over trees and other large debris, and where I needed to be was across these downed trees, so I figured, wht not, they show it on TV, and I knew it had full skids, so I drove over them. These weren't small trees mind you, they were at least 12 inchers. Last spring my brother in law got the tractor stuck where he had no business being, so he had the bright idea we could pull it with the truck. I didn't feel like driving about a 1/2 mile around to get to the other side, so I checked out the situation, there was some cement chunks dumped beside the tractor, but nothing that would cut the tires. I got on her and bouced and dug my way through without too much trouble. His comment "I didn't think you'd get through that" I just told him I knew I would. No, we didn't get the tractor out, had to get the other tractor to pull it, he was stuck too much for me to get enough digging power.

 

i wish ford would bring back the old commercials that said "momma's dont let you babies grow up to drive chevys" i loved those commercials. a ford truck is the toughest truck on the road today. weather its a ranger or a f350. thats why alot of cities buy them. the ford trucks you can beat them to death and they just keep goin. i remember driving past a broke down toyota beside the road and driving by and yelling out the window "buy a ford". i would also like for everyone to keep in mind this: JOHN KERRY IS BACKED BY THE UAW AND HE DRIVES A NISSAN TRUCK!! there seems to be something wrong with this picture!!!!

 

I dont really think theres a large difference in quailty between the big three at the present time. Now back maybe 20,30 and 40 years ago Ford made the most relaible trucks on the road and they were notious for there releiablity. And its also why they were outselling chevy in the truck caterogry for most of the time. I am currently unimpressed with all new models and refuse to pay 50 grand for a truck that is so complicated and unreliable that it really ticks you off when it breaks cause you have to call the dealer that doseeant give a crap about your truck. My old 66 Ford is bulletproof, better looking then new models, more powerful, bout the same mileage also. All I need is my tool set behind the seat and I can fix and diagaonse right there on the side of the road. Conclusion: Newer vehicles are overpriced, low quailty, intenntionally made to be hard to work on, get roughly the same milege as 40 year old carberteaud trucks, are very ulgy, no character and class like the old ones. Long live the old Fords there the best on and off the road.

 

Yeh 352v8. The trucks of today will never be as tough as your old 66. My Dad had a 64 Ford pickup and that truck was tough. I remember like it was yesterday. That truck never let us down. Oh I wish they made one like that today. I still think Ford makes a work truck today the superduty. It truly is a truck made to work. These prices are rediculous. In all the years Dad bought trucks (his last one was a 88) he never financed one of them. He couldnt do that today. I still think Ford makes the best truck on the road today. There way ahead of GM and Dodge. Of course Ill be a Ford guy forever.

 

I don't know what's the deal with the new models, but our 1994 f100 never let us down, used everyday since then, but i sure miss our old v8 1980 f100 THAT was a truck, i envy my father, he enjoyed it when it was new, but it feels good enough to still have a ford truck.

 

I get real annoyed with dodge people and their big mouths. Ford was first with a diesel actually, in 1984 with the 6.9. Dodge was screwing around with that junk mitsubishi at that time. A cummins 5.9 is not a dodge engine (no matter what the moron tells you driving it) I forgot about ford building parts for the jeep, have to use that to attack them By far, the best way to attack a frail minded dodge owner is to go straight for their brain the mighty hemi! I say Heavy Egotastical Machine Inside for a reason, because both are usually heavy and annoying! To watch fur fly, drop on a dodge dolt that ford used a hemi engine in some race cars! (the combustion chambers happened to be shaped like the dodge version) Big deal, end of discussion. See if they will yell at you, and then start a fight, or spew bs and crap about the engines. I always get some about how dodge was first with the hemi, it's a dodge only product, you do not know what you are talking about,

I carry a diverse set of information locked up in my brain to start a war with dodge owners. It is a great forum of stress relief to see them defending their worthless scrap metal

I will not own a dodge for this reason actually. Too many losers owning the cars/trucks. I get chased out of groups, belittled, laughed at, and everything else. Did I mention they are like cockroaches? They infest any dodge group I lookup to get information, even if it is for a totally different dodge product. I have been known to say that the Chrysler Star should be replaced with a pentagram or a swastiska, because that is how it sums them up.

When I come to a ford group, I get a diverse cross section of people. I have run into a few ford people over the years that should go crawl back under the mopar bridge and leave us the hell alone, but 99.9999999999999% of people are helpful, and ready to dispense advice. Dodge groups have to one up each other, and each putz stakes out a "EXPERT" status, and insist their word is the only word!

rant over!

Dane

 

Actually, GM is the first with the diesel in trucks. They first used the 5.7, then the 6.2. I think the 6.2's first year was 82, and the 5.7 was 80 in the trucks, the cars I believe they put the 5.7 in 78. My sister's one ton is an 82 w/6.2 original, replaced by a 6.5. Dodge didn't even offer a bog block after 78. They were slow to get on the diesels too. I despise Dodge electrical systems. Most guys that rattle about the Hemi don't even know why it was called that, just a name they know. Many new motors use the chamber design, but don't use the name Hemi, it only means Hemispherical, the shape of the combustion chamber, instead of a wedge. It theoretically is the best burn pattern for combustion, and efficiency . Quad 4's use the same design, and it worked well. Today's Hemis aren't even true hemis, they are more of a wedge, the chamber isn't domed. They also aren't producing the same kind of power. Read the reviews in magazines such as Hot Rod, they are complaining about the lack of power over what they had expected being the Hemi.