, Nate Nagel wrote:
> I need a pickup. I've narrowed it down to two choices, both Fords.
> First candidate: '93 F150, extended cab, 6' bed, 300/automatic.
> Beautiful body. everything seems to work but A/C.
Is this the same one as before or another one?
> Second candidate: '72 F100, "custom" trim, 6' bed, 302/3-speed. Pretty
> unmolested except hubcaps are missing and it's been converted to a
> crappy floor shift. It's also a bit of a rustbucket. The box is great
> but the cab floor has been repaired and the underhood (inner fenders,
> etc.) sheetmetal and hood need to be replaced, as well as the lower door
> skins. Seems to have zippy mechanical issues other than brakes however,
> Both trucks have current VA inspections and drive reasonably well; the
> '72 actually felt a little tighter than the '93, but both show signs of
> use. The '72 also has manual drum brakes and no P/S although it's not a
> HUGE issue for me, I know that the brakes were not working correctly
> when I test drove it so comments on their effectiveness when working
> well would be appreciated. The only vehicles with 4-wheel drums that I
> have real experience driving are Studebaker cars, and those are
> apparently some of the best from what I've heard, so I don't know how
> the Ford truck brakes stack up.
Not having driven such a truck I can't really say. What size are the
drums? There are a number of ford 4-wheel drum brake cars with undersized
drums (usually on 6 cylinder models though) that don't have a hope of
dealing with modern traffic. Early 70s is when the cars equipped with the
smaller engines finally got the bigger drums of the others. Like I said I
don't really know the truck line so I don't know if something similiar
was done. If they are big enough they should be good enough. Wouldn't
commute everyday in it, but it should work alright. A good move might be
to go somewhat wider wheels and good tires to get everything out of the
drums.
> I am really undecided... while this would be a no-brainer for most
> people, I am drawn to that cute little '72. My rationale is that it's
> old enough to be a "classic" so repro parts are readily available and
> cheap, as are maintenance parts like water pumps, fuel pumps, etc. plus
> it's dead nuts simple and also is easy to upgrade with things like maybe
> a modern 5-speed and some European headlights (I like seeing at night.)
> Plus the darn thing just has more CHARACTER than a generic '93
> blahmobile. The smaller size is a plus for me as I have limited
> driveway space.
> Am I nuts for even considering the '72? Questions, comments, concerns?
No, but it would be better if it weren't for the rust. Odds are the rust
will be the battle you'll be fighting with it.