'85 ish Ford 1/2 ton
'86 ish Chevy 1/2 ton
other
the old maximizer bit the big one and now I'm lookin for something inexpensive yet capable of towing to replace it with
I'm lookin for fuel injected v8 under $3000 which rules out just about anything pretty and modern.
Which one holds up better and would need less fixing up, the Ford or the Chevy? and what are the first years they started the EFI on the ford, 85?
...
also whats the best way to get the most $ for a half running vehicle? junkyard or sell it to a foreigner?
...
You know all your closest friends are gonna vote Ford. Lets see, who all has one (or two), me, doug, steve, adam....speaking of...look what happened to adam's POS...its on like its 12th owner now who finally decided to put it out of its misery and run it into a tree. Join the club, get an F-Series, we all know those inside and out. I'm pretty sure 87 was the 1st year for EFI, i'll find out. I'll also keep an eye out for any good bargains over here in Richville. Are you lookin' for 2wd or 4wd? Auto or Manual? Etc, etc?
I think you should look at an earlier carb'ed chebby... bang for your buck I'd never vote for an older 80's Ford. I have a friend in palestine who bought an '84 4wd with a worked over 350 (read: cam, intake, 4bbl, heads... bad mofo) turbo 350 tranny with auto cooler and an ugly *** brown paintjob sitting on 33x12.50's and he paid 3400 bucks for it. I am pretty sure you could never get a Ford with power like that and those goodies for that price... certainly not one that looked as good as Josh's truck. I say shop for a 4wd early 80's carb'ed rig...
anything with a carb is out of the question unless its a J10 or J20. I dont need another project
From looking at autotrader it looks like 2wd f150's with the I6 might be the ticket, did they start being fuel injected the same year as the 302? If James's f150 could tow the bronco I think that engine can tow the CJ no problem. I'm lookin for a standard and I think Chevy only offered the sm465 for the years I'm looking at and I'm looking for something with OD
Last edited by robertf03; 06-07-2002 at 09:34 AM.
...
if you get something with a carb that runs allright it won't become a project... I promise you that carbs aren't the devil you view them as... and besides all that it's a **** load cheaper and easier to fix a carb than to fix an EFI setup...
GO ahead and get an auto with a chevy motor... those year ford suck balls... yes the 1-6 pulled James's bronco, but it was a painfully slow trip uphills...
I realize that you want OD, but if you are wanting to tow with a smaller motor then the extra low first gear of the 465 will be better...
Ask Matt Hodges at West Texas Offroad (aka TheLakeRat) about which is better...he has three early 80's chevies he's picked up for cheap... two of the are daily drivers...
i've already done my time in carberator land, its not bad if it runs right, but if it doesnt run right it becomes a pain in the ***. I've bought and seen quite a few "rebuilt" carbs and they all suck, and rebuild kits leave a lot to be desired, mainly throttle plate bushings. brand new carbs aren't cheap, and on those years there should be about 10 miles of vacuum hoses under the hood to keep it emissions legal, which is a concern of mine since it will be registered in Dallas county
...
Hell go ahead and register it in Anderson County... we have 4 houses there and you could declare one a place of residency...
EFI and an overdrive did not come until 87 for Chevy. 88 was the break between the body styles.
So if you want efi and overdrive earlier than 87, you'll need to go Ford if they had it.
-Mark
Last edited by mark; 06-07-2002 at 12:34 PM.
Just when you though it was safe to go back in the water...
We could go on and on about who's truck has bit the dust, and how many times. My friends bronco is on it's 4th engine. I think when it comes down to it, it's personal preference. I went chevy for the straight axle. Alot is interchangeable too, but so is ford. Get what you want Flem - Doug
My roommate had an early 90's F150 with the I6 and he said it could tow like nobody's business. He killed it by wrestlinga tree at about 55 but up till that point he said it just wouldnt give up and hauled like a beast.
The first year that ford offered EFI was the later half of 86. i know this cause thats exactly what mine is. i have never had any problems with the fuel injection in my truck. unlike the carb in my jeep that i have had to tinker with time after time. My truck towes decent. not the best tow rig around but it will do. i think if it was stock it would tow about ten times better. if you are looking at getting a for i would either get an 86(might be hard to find with EFI although both mine and my dads old truck are EFI) or a 92 and newer. i personally do not like the 87-91 F series trucks. i am only on my second motor and the only problems i have with it are caused by those fawkin headers. I HATE HEADERS.
when i used james' f150 to tow my truck down to anderson it did great. it would hold around 70. those trucks produce quit a bit of torque.
if you are wanting an extended cab then a mid 80's chevy is probably out of the question. i have seen maybe one or two extende cab chevy's in my life time.
Steven W
02 Dodge 2500
82 CJ-7 - sitting in a field...
"....Your theory is f*cked up like a football bat...."
If you are going to get a Ford get one with the I6. It is better for towing then the 302. Mine towed everything I wanted including the bronco on the heavy trailer I have. It was not the fastes truck driving up the big hills on the way to Moab as suggested by Doug, but at least mine was not left behind at a gas station when it broke like his. You also would want the 5 speed tranny. I loved my truck and the only reason I got rid of it was because I could afford to buy a super duty after I finished school.
'50 F-1 (some day might be a 4x4)
'10 Expedition EL
'09 F150 Supercrew
the I6 held 70 no problem on the way to anderson...there arent any hills though....
Steven W
02 Dodge 2500
82 CJ-7 - sitting in a field...
"....Your theory is f*cked up like a football bat...."
My 86 has EFI, and I think that was the first year of it.
Chevy motors are easier to work on than Ford FIs, IMO. My brother just bought a 92 Chevy 1/2ton 305, carbed w/ 127000 on it for $3000
I like the Ford body styles better though, minus 87-91.
THose I6s are really torquey, known a few to go through motor mounts quite often.
unrelated though, 01 Tahoe 4wd 5.3 will spank a 98 Expedition 4wd 5.4 in a race
so none of that really helps you though.
92 YJ
04 F-150 4x4
11 F-250 4x4
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote