Kawi2strokes.com Forum

My wife and I are moving out of Ca in the next year and need a 4x4. I've had a bunch of vintage muscle cars but never a old truck.
I have owned 3 4x4's in the past, all 3/4 from the 70's and 80's. Anyone here own something from the 50's or early 60's? Always
liked old Fords, Chevy's and Mopars. We where on vacation last month and saw a 66 Ford and the wife loved it. I really would like to find something
soon and rust free. So you know of any cool old 4x4's in your area that are for sale. What have you guys owned and liked?

It's hard to beat the classics

I plan on building a 66 F100 stepside someday...

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Jim
Atlanta, GA
1974 H1
1976 KZ400
1979 XS650 Cafe
1982 GPz750
2001 KZ1000P
1965 Mustang
1967 Triumph GT6
1976 Bronco
"If you didn't build it; it's not really yours"

Always like the old Bronco's but really need a pickup to move bikes around. Never been a fan of pulling a trailer.

For style, utility, and durability, it's tough to beat an old Power Wagon

That's one cool truck.

POWER WAGON

One of the nice things about Power Wagons is that the military used them. This means that there are a lot of military surplus parts still available, usually dirt cheap. The pistons in my '55 Plymouth are PW surplus parts, I think I paid $60 for the set, and I got a whole case of piston rings for $25

The power wagons are hard to beat. There is a 72 Jeep j-4000 in the family, they are a pretty cool truck.

Bugman you're killing me - old PW been the "truck of my dreams" for years. It's also on my splash page at boulier.com.
http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/projects/1957-dodge-power-wagon-truck.html

I've owned my 1971 F100 since 1982 and have 496,000 documented miles and on first only engine/trans rebuild back in 1995.








But if you're looking for a good utility, general use 4x4 you can almost forget a WM300 (like posted above, civilian models built 1946-1968 almost unchanged). Two reasons: Costs have skyrocketed (a junker will run 3-10K depending); a fully restored or even GOOD shape one will go 15-30K again depending on running condition etc. There are a lot of them out there any many suppliers for parts - again since it was basically the exact same truck with only turn-signals, mirrors and such changing. Original bed's are rare though, you'll see a lot of flat-beds and custom beds on the ones you do see. Second reason is the later 251 6-cyl engine. Expect LOW speed for a stock restoration, maybe 60mph max (again depending on gearing and such) and not a cruising speed for sure. If you get a custom or build one - expect to pay a lot of money and spend time if DIY. If you're a Dodge fan, the D200/D300s are great. The 318 is an engine that runs forever!

The vintage trucks, chevy, GM, ford etc (for me anything pre 1973 and smog free) are getting good prices for good restorations and I follow them closely, they fluctuate as much as triples do in $$$ range. Bronco's and Blazers demand high prices in Colorado but not as much in urban area's. They command a higher price than a restored 1/2 of 3/4 truck and any 4X4's will command even more - you might not NEED 4x4 anyway depending on your use.

My old F100 is getting tired for sure and I'm tired of patching rust and it's been totaled three times, eventually I'm going to replace it. After 30 years and a LOT of miles it's never left me stranded. I carry extra hoses, a single belt, alternator etc - all things you can fix on the road. Carburetors have become expensive though, I posted stuff about that a while back and Dave had some comments, but you can expect 200-400 bucks on one, even rebuilds and take a gamble on the quality of the core they rebuilt. Going to injection is a better way - but you loose some of the road-side fix ability.

The thought of something new is absurd to me but something 5 years old is possible - maybe. Problem is you can't work on much of any of the new trucks. You can keep you're old one going cheap but at the cost of driving an old truck. And if it's a restored truck you don't want the sand and gravel company dumping rocks into it. Me, I want a truck that's utilitarian and I can work on and won't cost a fortune - that's the rub ain't it? If you're not BRAND-Centric you have more options open to you.

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This is true. Where I grew up the hills were so steep and long, when your ball rolled down the hill you just said "screw it"...

I am also fond of the Willys pickups if you aren't looking for a full size. Around here they are a little scarce and rust is a major problem. I think the main issue with older 4x4's is what your intened use is going to be. From what I have experianced, to todays standards they aren't very user friendly, at least in the 3/4 ton and above. Gearing was usually on the low side, ride was not very good, trans shifting on a manual was not smooth, no a/c, there loud inside and not to mention you will get around 8mpg. Trucks back then were a different breed, they were work horses. People weren't using them to pick up kids at school and drop them off at soccer. They can be great though if it fits your needs.