So... How many here still have there first truck?

[DavidR8]

My take on my first truck is the first truck I ever rode in and where I spent many miles as a passenger; my dad’s 1968 Ford F-100 Ranger with an FE series 360 engine.
He bought it new to carry a 10 ft camper. Suffice it to say it was too much camper for a half-ton truck; when the camper was loaded the cab doors wouldn’t close.

So he did the only logical thing, he modded the heck out of it. Fishplated the frame, put in a 1-ton Dana 60 rear axle with 4.56 gears, overload springs and matching 1-ton front drums. And if I recall it had 7.50x16 split rims. Because of the low ratio rearend the engine turned 3000 rpm at 60mph. So he added an overdrive transmission to reduce engine rpm at highway speeds.

He drove that truck every where, all over Canada and the US, it went across Canada ten times when we lived down East and summer vacationed in the West.

There was nothing he wouldn’t haul or tow. Dad towed my brother’s 9’ x 40’ single-wide mobile home from Lethbridge AB to Kelowna BC taking the Salmo cutoff route which had elevations where there was still snow on the side of the road in June.

Mom and dad were vacationing in Death Valley one Christmas and the engine block developed a crack at a freeze plug. He had it brazed so they could get home. When he traded it in on a Ford van it had 497,213 miles on the original engine, never rebuilt and didn’t use any oil to speak of.

I really wanted to buy that truck but I didn’t get the chance. I have fond memories as a child spending thousands of miles in the cab watching the world go by.

My dad passed away 13 years ago
He was my hero and role model. I miss him terribly.

Thanks for the opportunity to reminisce about ‘my’ first truck (sniff)




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nogoingback]

I do, but it was the 3rd vehicle that I bought.

1969 Toyota Landcruiser FJ55. I bought it in 1994 and I'm the 4th owner. I pretty much grew up with this truck, the second owner was a friends family who bought it in 70-71, I've known them since the 4th grade (1978) and went on many trips in it. The 3rd owner was my friend after his mom bought an Isuzu Trooper, he bought it from her. He moved back to Denmark in 1994 and I bought it from him.

View attachment 315036

I had an FJ55 as well, though it was sold years ago. Built like a tank. I sold it to a guy that took it to Peru, where he was working. He said Toyotas were the only trucks that could stand up to Peruvian roads.

 

[MrWhoopee]

This is my first truck, a '63. Bought it about 1990.


and this is my second, '68


I still have them both. Guess which one gets the most use.
The VW may be going on the market. I need the garage space for more tools and the proceeds would pay for a lot.

 

[FOMOGO]

Had many work trucks over the years. Always free or cheap, run them till over 200k, and then give them away. Running a 94 F-250 now that should last me till we're both done. Do have four classic ford truck projects that are from 90 to 20% completed. Guy needs to have a truck or three. Mike

 

[matthewsx]

First truck was a late 80's Ford Ranger short bed, traded it for an F150 when I realized there wasn't enough room for me to lie down in the back after working all night and having to start again at 6am. Dumb and inexperienced me let them talk me into a lease on an F150 that I couldn't get out of when the economy tanked and I lost my job. Third truck was a '67 F250 that was a beast with a 390 and four speed that had a granny low. When that one died I bought my '97 F250 7.3L turbo diesel. I figured if the '67 lasted 30 years I wouldn't have to buy another truck in my lifetime providing the '97 was just as good. I've got over 300k miles on her now and she's never failed to do what I've asked. Sure I had to put some work into her but when I look at the new ones for $70k+ I'm happy I held onto her.

I also have a 2005 Tahoe that I bought at auction a while back. Ex patrol car that still has the spotlights on it. I've collected more on insurance than I paid for it from hitting a deer and having someone sideswipe me on the highway

Cheers,

John

 

[projectnut]

Like many here I've had several trucks over the years. In total there have been over a dozen. There have been Chevys, Fords, Internationals, and even a Datsun. As mentioned the first was a 1937 Ford with a whopping 65 hp V8. That one went by the way after only a few years, and was replaced by a 1951 Chevy 1 ton with a 10' box. It was purchased new by a local furniture store for deliveries. I used it as a service truck when owning a couple Standard Oil service stations.

It was a beast, and could pull just about anything on solid ground or paved roads. I used it several times to pull tree stumps when we put an addition on the family cottage. Unfortunately it was scared of the snow. If there was even a dusting on the roads I had to install chains. The tires were 8:00 x 19.5 singles, and the chains weighed well over 100 lbs. They were a beast to put on, and you could only drive about 25 mph or they would start to slap the fenders. I loved the truck, but it was too tall and too long to fit in a standard garage. I sold it when I sold the service stations.

Since the Chevy was scared of the snow I also bought a 1977 Ford F150 with full time 4 wheel drive. That thing was a joy to drive in any weather. The downside was it only got 11 mpg regardless of the speed or load. It was truly meant for a gas station owner. When I bought it I asked about mileage. The salesman wouldn't admit how poor it actually was, but said I was the right person for this vehicle. Luckily gas at that time was in the $.50 per gallon range.

The most fun ones were International Scouts. I had a 1967 convertible with a 304 V8. and a 1969 pickup with a 4 banger. The 69 was strictly a service truck while the 67 was more of a toy. As with most IH products both turned out to be rust buckets. They were fun while I had them, but it seemed that every year there was another fender that needed replacement, or a rust hole in the floor.

In the last couple decades I've gone with Ford Expeditions. I'm now driving my 3rd which is less than a year old. The first was 1999, and the second was a 2010. Both were in the 120,000 mile range when they were traded off. It's amazing the "improvements" (changes) that have come along in the last 20 years. They no longer have to be tuned up every year, tires last 40,000 to 50,000 miles, oil changes are now at 7,500 mile intervals rather than 2,000 miles, and the overall quality has improved by leaps and bounds.

There are a few things I could live without however, like the sensor that screams at you whenever you're within a foot of anything. It obviously doesn't understand how much stuff is in the garage. I get an annoying "alert" every time I drive in or back out. Another thing that bugs me is the "stop start" feature. The engine will shut off anytime the vehicle is in gear and your foot is on the brake for more than 5 seconds unless you push a button on the dash to disable the feature. It's not a one and done, but rather the button has to be pushed each time the ignition is cycled. It's supposed to increase mileage, and minimize pollution. The downside is it doesn't know if it's 20 below zero or 100 degrees in the shade. When the engine shuts off so does the heat or AC.

 

[Dhal22]

I have an '18 Expedition, the beeping has saved me several times and the auto stop doesn't bother me as much as most every other owner.

 

[Bi11Hudson]

I currently have a '68 Chev C-30 dump body, with a 283 and PTO hydraulics. My favorite truck was a '49 Chev 3800 flatbed that had been re-engined with a (I think) 235 6 cyl. Also with a 4 speed. I had rewired it for a 12 volt system and built "custom" instrumentation. There have been many trucks in my life, but the '49 was my favorite. I let it go in 1990 in trade for a small Dodge. Missing it so much, I want to get an earlier cab and refit to my '68. The "toughest" trucks were the Fords, able to climb trees. I love the 300-6s. The 49 Chev wasn't very fast, it would only run about 45-50 MPH. But would do the same with a battleship in tow. The 82 Ford 350 was a little faster, going fast enough to not block traffic on the interstate. 60ish, while the valves sounded like they were coming through the hood.

I did have a 2004 Chev DuraMax with Allison transmission. But that was for commercial work, where speed was a factor. I remember when I-26 was closed for us from outside Greenville to Charleston and we (2 trucks) had a State Police escort the whole way. That diesel held to near 100 MPH the whole time. The trailers tagging along like they were a part of the truck. As we crossed county(?) lines, a new escort would take over. What I was doimg at the time was(is) proprietary, so I can't talk about it. But there were only 6 of us in SC at the time. But I sold the truck when I got out of that field and bought the 68 Chev, thinking to rebuild the (49) "Flivver" truck.

.

 

[Downunder Bob]

I currently have a '68 Chev C-30 dump body, with a 283 and PTO hydraulics. My favorite truck was a '49 Chev 3800 flatbed that had been re-engined with a (I think) 235 6 cyl. Also with a 4 speed. I had rewired it for a 12 volt system and built "custom" instrumentation. There have been many trucks in my life, but the '49 was my favorite. I let it go in 1990 in trade for a small Dodge. Missing it so much, I want to get an earlier cab and refit to my '68. The "toughest" trucks were the Fords, able to climb trees. I love the 300-6s. The 49 Chev wasn't very fast, it would only run about 45-50 MPH. But would do the same with a battleship in tow. The 82 Ford 350 was a little faster, going fast enough to not block traffic on the interstate. 60ish, while the valves sounded like they were coming through the hood.

I did have a 2004 Chev DuraMax with Allison transmission. But that was for commercial work, where speed was a factor. I remember when I-26 was closed for us from outside Greenville to Charleston and we (2 trucks) had a State Police escort the whole way. That diesel held to near 100 MPH the whole time. The trailers tagging along like they were a part of the truck. As we crossed county(?) lines, a new escort would take over. What I was doimg at the time was(is) proprietary, so I can't talk about it. But there were only 6 of us in SC at the time. But I sold the truck when I got out of that field and bought the 68 Chev, thinking to rebuild the (49) "Flivver" truck.

.

I don't have a truck, I've never had a truck. the closest thing to a truck in my life is my current drive, an Isuzu MUX 2018. I don't think you have them in US. Its a wagon style 4x4, engine is a small truck engine, it's only 3 l But twin turbo diesel, and goes pretty well. i use it to to a 20 ft tandem caravan, Which is fully loaded at 2850Kg, aka 2.85T I can tow up to 3.0 T legally. With this van in tow I have no trouble on the highway at 110kph aka 68.5 Mph. I have had it up to 140Kph aka 87mph no trouble at all. In fact it prefers to be doing 110 plus except on big hills of course, but we don't have many of them.

 

[Barncat]

I don’t have mine, but I have a feeling it is still being driven. It was a ‘85 F150. I bought it in ‘95, sold it in 2009. By the time I was done with it, there weren’t too many original parts left on it. Sold it to a guy who said he was going to drive it to Guatemala as a gift to his future father in law for the honor of marrying his daughter. He said it was going to be the nicest truck in the city.