Good old beater truck?

[STEVEGODSEYJR]

I had an 86 half ton chevy that never had an easy day the whole time I owned it. Paid $5000 about 15 yrs ago. Was like new when I got it.
I had a 81 3/4 ton 4x4 with a camo fender. Paid $1500 and a real hunk of ****. Put another $300 to get it running decent and sold it a year later for $1500.
Now I have a 94 crew cab ton with a 454, 400 turbo, 14 bolt, 44 front and 35's. Paid $1500 for it.

 

[ropensaddle]

Good luck getting a 400M to blow up...one of the "fleet" I had access to in high school was a 79 F250 4x4 with the 400/auto. I was told that if the 400 blew up, we could drop a 460 in it. I couldn't blow it up, but did learn it would do 53 mph in "1".

I miss that truck a lot! Would love to have one with a 6BT swap!

Well trust me when I say, I hope it don't blow up. If my 79 400 does it will be replaced with a small diesel as the 400 being smogged does not have the power. If I could get a cheap set of Aussie heads I might change my mind because the bottom end of the 400 is indestructable. Their weakness is in the cam oiling easy fix mine already has and the over smogged heads. I may leave it a 400 if I get lucky and find aussie heads though.

 

[zogger]

Small toyota reliability report. Met a temp worker guy at the farm today. He has a 500 dollar beater that the body is still in good shape, runs fine, I was checking it out, looks more like a 2500 buck vehicle.. He bought it from a guy who worked at like a jiffy lube. Toyota 4 runner. 478 thou, original engine and tranny, still running good.

 

[missouriboy]

I don't see what is wrong with the ifs. In the 1992 F-250 i have has the the heavy duty dana 50 front axle and i have it in 4 wheel dive a lot and never had a problem with it. It has 255000 miles on it and just now put ball joints on it and two u joints. i only put the u joints in because i was there. So whats wrong with the ifs for the normal use of a truck. By the way all i use my truck for is to cut wood and get in and out of the woods.

 

[Jakers]

Now I have a 94 crew cab ton with a 454, 400 turbo, 14 bolt, 44 front and 35's. Paid $1500 for it.

very nice rig. howd you do the 44 swap in the front? old style T-case or ford/dodge axle? did yo go leaf springs then or fancy coil over 4 link set up? im thinkin more pics would be welcome...

 

[STEVEGODSEYJR]

very nice rig. howd you do the 44 swap in the front? old style T-case or ford/dodge axle? did yo go leaf springs then or fancy coil over 4 link set up? im thinkin more pics would be welcome...

I bought the truck from my cousin about 3 months ago. It started out as a 2wd. He added a 208 t-case , 400 tranny, 44 front with leafs. It also has a 454 from a 98 chevy truck. I am not sure what the front axle is from but one of these days it will have a Dana 60. I will try to get more picture off of my phone soon.:msp_biggrin:

 

[Jakers]

I bought the truck from my cousin about 3 months ago. It started out as a 2wd. He added a 208 t-case , 400 tranny, 44 front with leafs. It also has a 454 from a 98 chevy truck. I am not sure what the front axle is from but one of these days it will have a Dana 60. I will try to get more picture off of my phone soon.:msp_biggrin:

sounds like your cuz really knows his stuff. none of those are easy swaps. im guessing he went old school axle if he used a 208 t-case as they are most commonly found in right side drive. is the front diff on the left or right side of the axle?

sorry for the thread hijacking

 

[winland]

Found a 1996 4x4 Chevy Silverado 3500 crew cab ( not a dually ) that has just under 400K miles on a 350 engine.
Current owner does not know if engine has ever been replaced.
There is no rust on this truck and interior is in good condition.
New brakes and shocks.
asking price is $3000.

What do you think about that much mileage?
Chuck

 

[Rockland Farm]

Found a 1996 4x4 Chevy Silverado 3500 crew cab ( not a dually ) that has just under 400K miles on a 350 engine.
Current owner does not know if engine has ever been replaced.
There is no rust on this truck and interior is in good condition.
New brakes and shocks.
asking price is $3000.

What do you think about that much mileage?
Chuck

Seems kinda high for that mileage . I would keep looking .For $3000 there should be alot of trucks to look at .

 

[cnice_37]

Keep looking, that is an absolutely horrible price for that mileage.

 

[Big_Al]

I'd pass on that one, very high miles & high price.

 

[winland]

Thanks guys,
appreciate your good advice.
I will continue my search.

 

[fields_mj]

Here's mine

More than you wanted to spend, but it's also my daily driver.

'93 F250 4x4 7.3 IDI 5 spd. Had 4.10 in it when I got it, but since it's my DD, I put 3.55 gears in it and haven't looked back. It has a 6,000 lb rear axle, and it takes the full 6,000 before the overloads touch. I try not to put any more than 5 on it though

If I were going to get (another) old beater, it would have to be a 3/4 or 1 ton 4x4 with a manual tranny and manual lockers. I don't care so much about how much HP the engine puts out. That can be overcome with the correct gears, and I wouldn't need a dedicated wood hauler to be able to run 70mph down the highway with 2 tons on the back. Simplicity and longevity are more important.

 

[winland]

After re-reading this thread, there seems to be a big divide between the
pre-1987 and post-1987 models.

Can someone give provide information about the difference besides visual model change?
Is it just the emissions or engine or body or suspension

 

[DSS]

After re-reading this thread, there seems to be a big divide between the

pre-1987 and post-1987 models.



Can someone give provide information about the difference besides visual model change?

Is it just the emissions or engine or body or suspension

Post 87 is fuel injected for the most part. 86 and down had a carburetor. Seems to me Dodge didn't change till 88.

 

[Arbonaut]

I have a 94 chevy 4X4 2500 and have really learned to respect this truck. I have not been kind at all to it and it just keeps going. Very few issues and the body is pretty decent for the 175,000+ miles. It has the independent front suspension and while maybe some have been troublesome I haven't had an issue.
Someday i want to build a "super truck" and might just start with a 1 ton version of what I have.

I do like the heated seat, but isn't the toilet supposed to be inside the outhouse?

 

[winland]

I have seen a few ads for diesel 4x4, early 90's trucks under $3k
I know a little about gas engines, but absolutely ZERO about diesels.
Should I scratch diesels from my list of possible wood haulers or
take a chance and find a good diesel mechanic when needed?

Chuck

 

[twochains]

Get a 4wd '79 Chevy 1 ton with a flat bed...they are cheap...you can actually HAUL A LOAD on it w/o over working the suspension...your bed won't spread out and look like crap (pick up)...you can haul log lengths and process at your house...with a long wheel base 11ft bed you can haul around 3 1/2 rick of firewood with no prob...you can haul hay in the summer ...I could go on and on but tired of making dots. LOL!

 

[Big_Al]

If you don't know anything about diesels you should probably avoid an old one unless you're sure of its history & mileage. If they need work it gets expensive fast.