Truckspotters

[85_Ranger4x4]

Chevys got parked 20 years ago when the trans went out and Fords just got ran into the ground?

Sounds good anyway.

 

[Blmpkn]

oh damn, nice set of dual flaps

Believe it or not, what you just said is a TERRIBLE pick up line.

 

[Blmpkn]

i see lots of old chevies because, for some odd reason, the old chevies are popular in the hispanic culture here. no idea why but everyone has to have an old chevy truck. maybe since ford parts were more expensive and ford went to fuel injection earlier on the trucks?

This is definitely part of it. Ford and Mopar parts are way too expensive compared to chebbie stuff.

Gotta say.. while old Fords DO look good.. there's just no beating a square body Chevy in the looks department.. especially the older ones with round headlights.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

View attachment 121284

I spotted this thing in town about a month ago, took a pic just for this thread and then forgot to post it.

Its rare around here to find such a clean, unmolested bullnose.

That sky-blue color was getting rare in the early 1980s too. It was common in the 1960s–1970s on the F-series.

Here I see more older F-series than Chevrolets. The '70s–'80s Chevy pickups loved to rust away. Also many more Rangers than older S-10s around too. The '80s S-10s liked to rust as well.

 

[Roert42]

Even the Chevy guys around here will say “well yeah it’s a ford” when you bring up a 300k mile f150.

BUT you always see more bow ties. All the Chevy guys are Chevy guys for one of two reasons. Either they went with Chevy because it was cheaper then the comparable ford or molar, OR their daddy always drove a Chevy, (because it’s the cheapest compared to A ford or mopar).

I think at least half of them are just broke Mopar guys honestly.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Even the Chevy guys around here will say “well yeah it’s a ford” when you bring up a 300k mile f150.

BUT you always see more bow ties. All the Chevy guys are Chevy guys for one of two reasons. Either they went with Chevy because it was cheaper then the comparable ford or molar, OR their daddy always drove a Chevy, (because it’s the cheapest compared to A ford or mopar).

I think at least half of them are just broke Mopar guys honestly.

I wonder about this too. Mopars from the '80s and older are scarcer than hen's teeth out my way. A lot of this, I think, is from Dodge chasing the fleet and government markets and cheapening the pickups and vans to meet that price point. Then the Dodges didn't hold up long-term. The few Mopar survivors I see are typically as rusty as a Chevrolet/GMC of the same vintage.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Even the Chevy guys around here will say “well yeah it’s a ford” when you bring up a 300k mile f150.

BUT you always see more bow ties. All the Chevy guys are Chevy guys for one of two reasons. Either they went with Chevy because it was cheaper then the comparable ford or molar, OR their daddy always drove a Chevy, (because it’s the cheapest compared to A ford or mopar).

I think at least half of them are just broke Mopar guys honestly.

I think alot of it is chevys have so many parts everywhere for them that it makes it super easy to keep them going

They also didnt do alot of the frankly stupid shit ford would do. Like changing a bolt hole mid year, etc. GMs are great for interchange.

Blew up your 4.3 in your S10? Oh larrys got a good running 350 out back for 250 bucks thatll work. Try that with a ford.

Im not super up on mopar interchange stuff but i cant imagine they are bettrr then GMs, but probably better then ford.

I will say that 73-79 fords didnt rust nearly as bad as 73-87 GM's. But 80-96 Fords rotted much worse then 88-98 GM's did.

What really pisses me off about GM products in general is the little shit that goes wrong. I cant count the number of times ive seen GM (cars and trucks) with knobs faded/busted off on the radio/HVAC stuff, or door handles busted, broke seat adjusters, bad door pins, etc etc.

My buddy has an 02 2500 HD and the interior pieces are falling apart...my 40 year old ranger is in better shape as far as that goes....not even to mention my F250.

It sucks too because honestly, if it wasnt for the little broken GM bullshit (which im weirdly anal about) , coupled with how much i fell in love with rusty #1 after that god awful LUV it replaced, id pry be a GM guy.

 

[Brain75]

+1 on the Chevy having great interchange... I grew up in a Ford family and my Grandad (moms side) was a Ford guy as well, my Grandad on my dad's side drove a midsize dodge and had no loyalty... fast forward whole lot of years and mom is with a Chevy guy, turns out everything interchanges with everything in Chevy land it seems.

One thing I love about the really old stuff (pre WW2 and just a few years after), they all used a pretty universal transmissions... loved the BuFord my grandad made (Buick Nailhead in a Ford truck)... trying to figure out a transmission for my '48 I investigated everything under the sun (that had a chance of being in a junkyard) and it is remarkable how much stuff interchanges without adapter plates.

Having said that, Chevy's are notorious for bad waterpumps. Mine leaked before 50k and when I pulled it could see they embossed the OEM logo right into the sealing area, full 3/8 wide seat all the way around but around that embossed logo it was like 1/16 on each side of the logo.... I went ahead and swapped the pump, but I am betting the old one was fine it was just the crappy design. Chevy water pumps are dirt dirt cheap because of this - everyone makes a water pump for a chevy.

 

[scotts90ranger]

They all have their ups and downs... Fords have the most durable interiors, GM engines have more interchangeable parts and transmissions, Mopar has Cummins... if you could put a cummins with an atlas trans in a Ford OBS truck you'd have a really nice rig... or even an LBZ Duramax with Atlas in an OBS and probably a 14 bolt rear axle out back it'd be nice and solid too... As far as Mopar's go they're more interchangeable than Ford but not quite as good as GM for that, I know you can take a 318/5.2 and put a 440/5.9 in it's place, I have a friend that did that on a mid '90's Dodge, he's even using the stock 5.2 computer and eventually it figured itself out...

Over here you see a bunch of everything, not as many classic stuff anymore since more people take better care of them now or they've been drug to the rust belt...

 

[Betty White]

Chevies are like a rock, they handle like also. Not a fan of the seats, interior n the tiny windows. In a way i'd rather push my ford they an Chebby.

 

[superj]

Gotta say.. while old Fords DO look good.. there's just no beating a square body Chevy in the looks department.. especially the older ones with round headlights.

Thats another gas hog i used to have, a 79 gmc heavy half with shortbed stepside. It was metallic black with marroon interior and factory 350/350.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Thats another gas hog i used to have, a 79 gmc heavy half with shortbed stepside. It was metallic black with marroon interior and factory 350/350.

Dad used to have a "Big 10" someone had poked a 454 into, it ran pretty good.

 

[sgtsandman]

Thats another gas hog i used to have, a 79 gmc heavy half with shortbed stepside. It was metallic black with marroon interior and factory 350/350.

My dad a late 70s GMC full time 4X4 truck with a 400 cui engine at one point. I'm guessing the equivalent of an F250. It was the only truck he couldn't kill, regardless of brand. He was a carpenter at the time. So suspect he was overloading them with tools and materials.

 

[MaicoDoug]

Dodge had those terrible front ends (4WD) that took a hundred hours to rebuild with all those pressed on gears, Chevrolet did have the better galvanized body, Ford, well.....what I ended up owning today & back then with my 83 Ranger speedster 2.8L.

 

[racsan]

remember the ford “big box” electronic ignition modules? green grommet, blue grommet. huge connectors.
I think the ranger line got worse on rusting after the 2000 m/y, Ive seen rusty trucjs in junkyards much worse than my 94 ever was, my gen 1 & gen 2 rangers didnt have the tailgate rust issues like my newer ones either.