Something else to consider is omprovememts in fuel and oil quality have also contributed to the increaced longevity of later engines.

I would not go as far as to say that one era was better that another, but I have a hard time thinking that what is built today is the best of all time. If you go over the the inline six forum, you will quickly find out that the 300 six was one of the most reliable engines ever built, and had exellent fuel economy when tuned right. You will also have no trouble finding trucks that have rolled past 300 000 miles that are still going.

 

I feel that you are incorrect in the old pickups being able to last as long. Your 5.4 at 300,000 miles is going to be very tired, just like an old '60s engine would be. Yes I have rebuilt the engine in my pickup, but only to hotrod it. It ran fine at 300,000 and still got 18 mpg. I am more concerned about the bodies holding up. I haven't seen any of the 80's up pickups that look like the sheetmetal is worth a darn. My '69 is still pretty sturdy and straight.

 

Not trying to start a pissing contest, but my dad's '75 Chevy 3/4 ton Cheyene had a factory headliner in it! The Cheyene was the mid-level trim package (the trim packages were: Scottsdale, Cheyene, & Silverado). I know,

 

I'd be one 25 yr old ready for my midlife crisis...

 

Who gives a rip when the GM trucks got headliners. I think the newer Ford F150s look like Honda designed them. They just don't have the tough look that the older ones did. At least the SuperDuty looks like a truck, and still has a real axle under the front of it. Pretty sad how the automakers have neutered 1/2 tons with car suspensions and looks.

 

vintage ford retro is a dream that'l hopefully come true. love to see a '69 ranger redone. i love the new mustang has 60's guages and even improved version of them. that would have to go in the new retro p/u as well. ford has got such great stuff to retro off of (the very best imo) it's almost a waste not to harness it. ford should mabey do it before kia/hyundai does. (hate to say it, but hyundai has a new car out and i hafta say it looks excellent, never thought i'd ever say that. whoa) a '58 f-100 retro would be neat if they re-give it the wrap-around windshield and the high floor with the reclined seat like your sitting in a car. i could go on and on. kudos to whoever started this thread. hope you get powerful.

 

..oh yes, and VENT WINDOWS. please give us vent windows, or at least look alikes. that's what gives vintage vehicles their signature. especially when fords always leaned foward which was it's own thing, because gm/dodge leaned backwards later on. that new prototype bronco has vent windows that make it look like an int'l scout. eeewww. please don't ruin ford's good looks by cloning a 13 letter ---- spreader.

 

Just have someone build you a classic body over a new chassis, then you could have what you want for less $$$$$ and it would be cooler than anything the factory would build now.

 

devja i was just about to say that, I miss the fly windows, and the little vents in the floor you could open up direct to the out side. That was the best.

 

The reason so many older vehicles had vent windows is because many vehicles didn't have A/C. As A/C has become more common, vent windows got dropped from most vehicle lines.

 

Funny I have not run run the A/C in my pickup yet this year.

Offer more choices for transmissions manual and auto. Personally I like running through all the gears. Was thinking about that today as I drove to the project I was working on today.

 

If I could, I'd go back in time to 1978 and get myself a brand new Ford ex-cab or maybe even the crew-cab off the show room floor and take it back with me (then unload a few gallons of undercoating on it ). Nothing sounds quite like a 390, nothing looks quite like a 78 ford, and the trannies of back then were bullet proof (and cheap to fix).

No plastic, no airbags, no computers, no problem. The single most complex part of those trucks was the dura spark2 ignition module, it takes less than 5 min to replace, and I get them at the wreckers for 20 bucks!

I know the newer trucks are more comfortable, quieter, smoother, more arodynamic, and so on, but there are only three things I expect a truck to be before anything else. It must be tough, easily serveced, and inexpencive enough that I don't mind the odd scratch or ding that comes with making a living with a pickup.

As for vent windows, I love them, and use them all the time, but for really hot days on the highway, nothing beats A/C. I suppose they can be a visual obstuction, but the "A" pillars are the real problem.

As for this idea,

maybe he's on to something there....

I could build a helluva truck if I had 50 grand burning a hole in my pocket. I am simply not satisfied with what I see in new trucks, from ford or anyone else.

 

yes i dun't matter if the new trucks have a/c or not, just give it the vent windows anyway for character reasons. even if they're fake for reduced production costs if need be. throwback style is for character. i love the 73-79's, just mount the dash lower. i like the dash, but if anyone remembers, you had to be a giraffe to see out. when i was a kid riding in dad's 69 ranger i was all proud cause i could finally see over the dash. i was a big kid now. then he got his 76 and now i wasn't so big anymore cause i was looking @ the glovebox door button and the 'custom' badge.

 

oh yeah, could we get back our 'real' ford letters on the tailgate again? even if it costs too much to stamp'm into the metal, then at least a sticker to get us the separate letters.

 

Yeah the fly windows, stamped tailgates, sheet metal so hard you had a hard time trying to dent it. A friend of mine had a 302, early 1980's 2 tone blue & white, short cab, short bed, F-150. It was beautiful I loved that truck, until he rolled it 4 times