I love old pickup trucks. Nostalgic memory..

[rwsmith]

Um, by my count.....

I've owned old trucks, I've owned new trucks. Some had A/C; most of them didn't. Some had 4WD, others were 2WD. Only one was a lemon.

'66 C10 Chevy, bought in 1975. Traded for a '77 Ford F150 4x4, then traded it for a '78 F150 4x4. THAT one was the lemon. Traded a couple of guns for a 1953 Ford F100. Next was a '80 Bronco. Had to let that one go back to Ford and bought a '63 F100. None of these had A/C.

Next P/U was a '76 F100, followed by a '80 F100. Sold that one and bought a '70 GMC Jimmy 4x4. Next were a couple of Isuzu Troopers and a '75 Dodge D100. Got rid of the Dodge and picked up another '76 F100. Bought a '73 Jeep Commando from my dad. Sold that one and got a '83 Grand Wagoneer. Next was a new '95 Isuzu P/U.

Had '98 Ford Ranger 4x4 and a '01 F150 4x4. Bought a '92 F150 4x4 in 2006, 'cause the ex got the '01 F150.

The Isuzu P/U is out behind the hog barn with 242K miles on it. It won't stay running at the moment.

These days, my P/U is an '88 F150 4x4.

Yes, I like trucks.

....I got 21 trucks that you have owned. If I need advice on a truck I'll give you a call, With one lemon you must know how to pick them. I think my lemon outnumber the good vehicles I've bought. (I do my homework, but they always change something in the middle of the model year that they shouldn't have changed).

Have you ever bought any CARS???

 

[Breakaway500]

Ive owned this 1964 F100 for 46 years. In that time it has never failed to take me (and my stuff) from point A to point B. I hope the next owner will cherish it as much as I have.

 

[SMSgt]

I drove a Toyota p/u in the late 80's with A/C (raised in south Florida I considered it a blessing) about 160 miles a day delivering for a print shop. I sang along with country WQAM and WSRF rock on the AM radio, no vent windows with which I'm still miffed over the disappearance of and a coil wire mesh cushion that kept the sweat from pooling my nethers on the vinyl seat.

When it finally blew apart I was unable to find a replacement I went with the fingertip sized wood beads on the nylon filament option. Worked well for a couple years, I'm sure the bead are still traveling the Miami Dade stormwater system.

WQAM. I remember in the early '60s my older sister sitting by the pool with the phone in her hand, waiting to dial in to WQAM to win one of its contests. I think she won something every week.

As for trucks, I wouldn't give a dime for one of the new battleships they call a truck. Too high, too long, too much junk in them.

 

[Greyman50]

Remember back in 50’s where All farmers had standard pick ups, “3 on the tree” no ac and of course only am radio. Every farmer I knew of back then had over $1,000.000 when they passed. Remember well the coil spring seat cushions as we had them in our VW bugs and bus and the last pick up we had on the farm. Memories….

 

[27 Man]

Back in the mid-sixties my Dad bought a ‘58 GMC at a farm auction. Long bed, 6 cylinder, 3 speed, red faded to a shade of pink. There were streaks down the driver side door where the previous owner had spit tobacco out the window. I was beginning to drive and that became my main mode of transportation. Had some fun times in that truck and wish I had it now, streaks and all.

 

[Eric300]

My 1979 F-150 4x4 (came right from the factory like that), and 1980 or 81 F-150 Custom with straight 6 cyl and 3 on the tree.

 

[Breakaway500]

This was my ride in high school.(mid 70s) a 1965 F100 4x4 with a 428CJ in it. Thank God gas was only 50 cents a gallon.

Someone offered me an ungodly amount for it in 1977 so I sold it and bought the 1964 F100 a year later while out in Ca.

A still have that old Lee Storm Rider coat..

 

[NYlakesider]

I love old pickup truck with a bench seat, no air conditioning but does have vent windows, and an AM only radio (When they played music on AM stations)

Who remembers those old folding wire mesh seat cushions that allowed air to circulation around your back and bottom? I haven't seen one of those in about 50 years, maybe longer.

Sounds like the first PU truck I bought. We were freshly married and she worked at a state office while I worked construction and went all over the place. Needing two vehicles she got the car a 70 Nova and I went out and bought a 70 Chevy 8' box.

It came with a 350 4bbl and a 3 in the tree and it also had a LSD (Limited Slip Differential) Truck was almost as good as a 4X4 getting around if you put some decent weight in the back by the tail gate. Put a tonnau cover over the box, don't forget this was a long time ago and you had to have it custom built for your individual truck at a canvas shop.

Truck took us to a lot of camping spots and took me to hunting and fishing spots and of course work. A great truck!

 

[tinkerer]

'76 F-150. No a/c. Wing windows and side vents. No radio. Manual steering-power brakes. 3 on the tree. 300-6 banger. Would pull and climb anything if I could hold it on the ground.
Put 60-70 bales of hay on it a go down the road.
Change the sheet of plywood in the box when necessary.
Sold it when the second cab mount rusted out.
300k+ miles. Still ran....Just no body left.

 

[soFlaNative]

...where there's no ocean to moderate the temperature it gets blazing hot

Those wood bead jobs were too '70's' for me. They just didn't have the same 'flavor'. The mesh cushion was the sign of a real 'working' truck. It had to be pretty beaten up, but still going. Maybe a few holes and some loose wires.

Many, many place in the continental U.S. get hotter than south Florida but still won't break 90F every month of the year. I've been here and there in the States but summertime anywhere near Lake Wales ridge is miserable, more so than below the Lake.
Like you said, you haven't seen mesh in 50 years so when the coils began to tear holes in the vinyl on mine the hack cushion was a godsend.

 

[BlackAgnes]

My '52 Chevy, optional quarter windows...

Tim

 

[Breakaway500]

A friend of mine just “restomodded” this Chevy truck.Ls drivetrain manual 6 speed snd 4 link rear. The bed is nicer than my kitchen table. Cool..but not for my tastes (or pay grade)

He told me my trucks color (Denim) inspired his (Indigo) choice. He chose glossy finish vs satin. It’s stunning up close.

 

[lihpster]

A friend of mine just “restomodded” this Chevy truck.Ls drivetrain manual 6 speed snd 4 link rear. The bed is nicer than my kitchen table. Cool..but not for my tastes (or pay grade).

Give me a standard ride height and some steelies and I would enjoy the reliability as well as the styling.

 

[arjay]

I had a ‘51 F1 in 1970 with a straight 6 flathead. 30,000 miles for $500.Top speed of 50 mph.The only thing I didn’t like were those awful vacuum assist windshield wipers lol. It looked like this one

 

[jeffrefrig]

I had a '68 Dodge, 318 Auto and zero bells or whistles. The cool thing was the shifter was a knob that came out of the dashboard. Those 318s were pretty good motors as long as you changed the oil.

 

[twodog max]

The first pickup I can remember was an old International my Dad had in the mid 50's. It was yellow and brown, smelled like hot motor oil, had the headlights on top the fenders. What year it was I have no idea. It had rust holes in the floorboard. The starter was one of those foot stomp starters. It was built like a tank. The paint in the cab was peeling off the dash and I loved to help it along and my Dad did not care for that. LOL I remember he sold it to some relative that quit paying on it and I went with him and Mom and they chained it to his then PU and towed it home. I want to think he got it running again and resold it.

 

[JohnRippert]

I had a '68 Dodge, 318 Auto and zero bells or whistles. The cool thing was the shifter was a knob that came out of the dashboard. Those 318s were pretty good motors as long as you changed the oil.

My first car was Grandad's 1965 Plymouth Fury III 4-door with a 318 in it. That engine was pretty much bullet proof.

 

[snowman]

The nice thing about the older pickups was that they were lower. Then the manufacturers got the idea that everyone wanted to go off-road or wanted that look. For somebody who doesn't use a truck for work in the boonies or live on a farm, the extra ride height is unnecessary, kills gas mileage and makes getting anything out of the bed a proper pain.

Steve,

You certainly make some valid points. However there are a few other good reasons for a lifted truck than what you mentioned. I've had mine for some time now, and shortly after getting it I installed a 3-1/2" suspension lift and replaced the 31" tires with 33s.

Here's why:
I live where it snows -sometimes heavily. This is also a flat area where the wind blows freely, producing significant drifting. At times we have no choice but to drive through it. At such times it's common for passenger and other low-setting vehicles to get stuck, and, since this is a rural area to boot, and since it can get quite cold(especially with the wind chill), getting stuck can be a dangerous situation.

Added to all that is the fact that I am partly disabled, and cannot...
-get out and walk to even the nearest farmhouse
-push
-dig the vehicle out

So my reason for raising the truck is give me a better shot at clearing the snow without getting stuck. The taller tires raise the axles a little bit also. It had nothing at all to do with looks or driving off-road(which I virtually never do) or simply wanting to have one. In fact, with my disability getting in and out is actually more difficult, not something I particularly like, but worth it in view of my goal.

This has definitely helped. It is fashionable for some, including a few on this forum, to say that a lifted 4x4 doesn't help keep you from getting stuck, it only gets you a little further before you get stuck -and then it's harder to get out.

I'm sure that happens sometimes, but not with me. When we get a heavy snow, I first check weather reports and drive short distances away from the house to get an idea how bad the roads are. If I determine it's too risky, I stay home and let others to whom I'm responsible know that I won't be able to make it. But I know for a fact that I've been able to get around in winter conditions much better than those who aren't so equipped.

[NOTE: A second advantage is that I can do maintenance and repair(have done nearly all my own for years) on a creeper without having to jack the the thing up -a big help.]


Hope this has been somewhat helpful.

Now back to the original topic -the appeal of old pickups. Carry on, gentlemen.

Regards,
Andy

 

[snowman]

He told me my trucks color (Denim) inspired his (Indigo) choice. He chose glossy finish vs satin. It’s stunning up close.

Breakaway500,

Looks stunning to me even at this distance. Thanks for sharing the picture.

Regards,
Andy

 

[RobertJ.]

I love old pickups, and I love photographing them. This old Ford belonged to my FIL: