Not your Daddy's half ton

blt2ski wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
I bought a 1975 chev 1/2 ton used that had 454 and TH 400. It might have had some engine mods but ran very well, topped out at 135 mph. I bought a new 1990 454 SS talk about a gutless wonder.

The 454ss had the same trans, but a TBI 454 vs possibly a 4bbl in the 75. Then comes the what gears did the 75 have in the RA. THe 454ss had 3.73 gears, the later models with the 4l80e had 4.10s, and really woke up with the vortec 454! The TBI was not known as a super powerhouse motor. I had one, altho better than the stock 4bbl 454 I also had at the time.

Marty

A 75 truck would have basically zero smog controls. I thought the 1990 (only) 454SS trucks with the TH400 used 3.08 gears?

blt2ski wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
I bought a 1975 chev 1/2 ton used that had 454 and TH 400. It might have had some engine mods but ran very well, topped out at 135 mph. I bought a new 1990 454 SS talk about a gutless wonder.

The 454ss had the same trans, but a TBI 454 vs possibly a 4bbl in the 75. Then comes the what gears did the 75 have in the RA. THe 454ss had 3.73 gears, the later models with the 4l80e had 4.10s, and really woke up with the vortec 454! The TBI was not known as a super powerhouse motor. I had one, altho better than the stock 4bbl 454 I also had at the time.

Marty

The 454 SS had small port heads that gave it lots of low end but lacked on top end. I called it my castrated 454. My 1990 454 SS had 3.73s and 3sp tranny. Going down the highway it sounded like you were in second gear. It got 10 mpg in town 11 Hiway. It sat in the garage for 10 years and I sold it with 2500 miles on it. My 75 had large port heads and would rev.

My families first tow rig in the early 80's was a 1969 Ford F-100, standard cab, with an 8' bed. I don't know what engine it had in it, but I do not think it was a big block. Dad may have put helper springs on it and I remeber he and my uncle one weekend swapping out the 3-speed column shift trans for a 4 speed floor shift trans.

We initially used it to pull a late 70's viking pop up, then sold the viking and Dad and Mom bought a 1978 Terry Taurus, 24' with rear bunks. (still to this day my favorite trailer!).

At any rate, My brother and I rode in the truck bed (had a cap on it) but no seats, we just sat in the forward corners.....LOL.

I remeber the Ford Struggling mightly with the Taurus and every time a Semi-truck passed us I remeber it being a VERY white-knuckle experience for my Dad, it REALLY sucked the truck and trailer over when the semi's passed.

Then we "upgraded" to a 1977 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, which was a BEAST!
It had it's rust issues, but it had the 402CI Big block chevy under the hood.

I remeber the days we went to Locust Lake State Park, in Schuylkill County, PA. There was a VERY, VERY steep grade to pull coming up out of New Ringgold to get over the mountain. Dad would stop at the bottom of the hill and lock the Jeep down into "Low Range" and it would tug that heavy Taurus over the hill.

Later he bought a 1982 Chevy Suburban with the 350, 2wd. That pulled the Taurus good as well, but Dad always took the long way to Locust Lake once he had the Chevy, he would not try that over the very steep grade.

Great memories, all good old trucks, but any of them compared to my almost 14 yr old Expy......NO comparison. The Expy is Heavier than any of them and has more power and is a lot more comfortable.

-Greg

colliehauler wrote:
I bought a 1975 chev 1/2 ton used that had 454 and TH 400. It might have had some engine mods but ran very well, topped out at 135 mph. I bought a new 1990 454 SS talk about a gutless wonder.

The 454ss had the same trans, but a TBI 454 vs possibly a 4bbl in the 75. Then comes the what gears did the 75 have in the RA. THe 454ss had 3.73 gears, the later models with the 4l80e had 4.10s, and really woke up with the vortec 454! The TBI was not known as a super powerhouse motor. I had one, altho better than the stock 4bbl 454 I also had at the time.

Marty

I bought a 1975 chev 1/2 ton used that had 454 and TH 400. It might have had some engine mods but ran very well, topped out at 135 mph. I bought a new 1990 454 SS talk about a gutless wonder.

My family's first new vehicle was a 1989 Ford F-250 with a handshaker. Had the 460 cid motor in there and it was a regular cab 8' bed. It had grunt but it had no where near the power that my 2010 F-150 with a 5.4 had. It definitely wouldn't compare against my current truck either.

I use to drive my dads 80's 3/4 ton chevy back in the day. It had the big motor and everything. There is no way it would pair up to any of the standard 1/2 ton offerings today.

MARK VANDERBENT wrote:
Now trucks are not trucks they are fashion statements!!! Back then they were nothing but trucks that you didn't have to take a mortgage out on to buy. Yes they were down on power but they did the job. Miss the old trucks of the past. Now with all the computers on them it scares me to think of having one out of warranty.

Very true, and a REAL truck had the gas tank behind the front seat.

My father had a Ford F100 that I think was a '64 model. Other than putting heavier ply tires on it, it was bone stock. I remember when I was about 17 dad sent me to the feed store approx 30 miles away to pick up his order. When I arrived they brought out 3,000 pounds of cattle feed in 100 pound bags. I was able to stack them in the bed hanging over the sides a bit so I could keep as much forward as possible. I ended up with the load being a couple of feet higher than the top of the cab. When I was about to leave they said "don't forget the salt". It seems dad also ordered 500 pounds of salt also in 100 pound bags. No way was this weight going on the back of the truck, so I put the sale in cab floor and right hand seat.

Did it drive a bit light in the front? You bet, but it handled the load fine. Would I try that with a half ton model today? No Way!

Dad's 1971 F250 'Custom' Camper Speical has a whopping #6900 GVWR... :)

Still has it to this day, but it's retired now. Back in the day, we hitched up a 26' TT and had a slide in 8' camper shell in the bed.. 4 people in the truck/camper, dog and sometimes a 1969 Yamaha 125 in the camper with my sister and I!

390/C6 combo, split rim wheels, bias ply tires with actual inner tubes. No A/C, no power steering, rubber mats on the floor, gas tank right behind the seat.

He now has a 2005 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually Lariat, so he's upgraded too!

Mitch