I am looking for a truck something to haul parts and maybe tow a trailer with a car on it. Any suggestions for cheap strong trucks? Can el caminos and the like tow car trailers? Thanks guys!
I dunno man... a brand new F-150 couldn't pull my 24' car hauler with the car on it, so I doubt an El Camino would. Then again, I also had an Olds motor and tranny in the bed already.
If you start looking at El Caminos check the rear frame sections for rust. They get pretty bad sometimes.
Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel 12-valves. '89-'93's can be found for a good price. 300,000 miles on a Cummins motor is "just breaking it in". They are simple to maintain, get excellent mileage, and power/performance can be turned up with ease and low cost. My old reliable '92 3/4-ton got 23mpg empty, and around 19mpg around town or pulling over 10k lbs. It'd pull anything with no strain, and I cranked it up to 341hp/842lbft at the rear wheels with less than $300 in upgrades. just talking about it makes me want to go buy another one.
Yes and NO ... I drove El Caminos for years and towed my car trailer ( open .. 16 foot ) with it. BUT a Silverado does a much better job. Better brakes and better gearing makes a world of difference. A El Camino/Ranchero is a ' Gentleman's Truck ' and better suited to just hauling off a bag or two of garbage ... or a light load of cargo ... IMHO .
Station wagons seemed to be the standard tow vehicles for many race cars in the 60's. Lightweiht race cars though.
Ya need to find an Old Stock car hauler such as my 1975 C-30 Chevy with a 454,hodges bed and a Ramsey winch. Hell,I will sell ya mine for 8500.00. Its a blast to be able to haul damn near anything ,anywhere.
I have been using my pickup to pull my trailer loaded with cars, trucks, tractors and parts for 14 1/2 years. I recently took a Farmall Model H tractor more than 300 miles thru 3 states. I have brought in more than 40 cars, but some loads of parts have been heavier than the cars. Almost everything I own was brought here from other states. I have upgraded to an 18 foot trailer with brakes recently due to many trips thru the mountains. I commonly run this pickup at 80-85 mph when I'm not pulling the trailer. With the trailer I run 65-70. This pickup is a 1939 Ford 1/2 ton with 350/350, straight axle, 56 Ford pickup front drum brakes, 2.50 gear rear axle. (that gear is too tall for these mountain trips, gotta swap out for a 3.00, used to run a 3.70)
I've hauled loads and traileres vehicles with my LWB 69 c-10, front disks, factory rear leafs, '94 TBI 350 and TH400 short shaft and while it does the job.... my buddies '2000 1-ton dodge puts mine to shame. As for towing with a '39 1/2ton, you got stones.... After watching idoits with weightless short wheelbase jeeps tow shit, I'm more concerned with stopping a trailer in a straight line when it weighs more than the tow vehicle, no matter if the trailer has a bitchin set of brakes or not. s.
The best Truck I have ever owned for hauling is my 2000 Ford F-350 4X4 Super Duty with the 7.3 Power Stroke diesel, I get 18.2 MPG with a trailer, A car on the trailer,.... and a bed full of stuff, best thing is ya' have to keep checking the mirror to make sure it's all still behind you cause you can't feel it there.
An old dodge 2500 reg cab long bed with a cummins would work nice too. I read about a guy on another forum that picked one up for 500. So they can be had pretty cheap.
If your gonna tow make sure you get a 3\4 ton or better or youll be putting trannys and rear ends in no time. also you'll sway really bad.my powerstroke will pull stumps. If you dont mind the hassles of a deisel, You have to find gas stations you cant just pull in one ,the oil change if you do it yerself is like 65$. the gas is more but, youll be alot happier with it than a gas motor. How much do you plan on towing things? is it you main car to drive? mileage on the deisels will be high but most of them is from highway miles they'll run till the body falls off. Hope I helped a litttle.
el caminos are basicly cars with a bed, so a rancheros. the "new" gm 1/2 tons are the same, you would need a 3/4 -1 ton to make it work like a 67-72 1/2 ton gm. i would say 67-72 gm truck 1/2 ton or if you REALLY want to haul lots-o-crap a 3/4 ton. screw the new trucks they cost more to repair, they fall apart faster (maybe not the drivetrain, but the rest of it) and they cost more to register and insure (at least here).
What did ya do for the 300$?? The reason I ask is I just bought a 92 ext cab 2wd 2500 with a cummings & automatic (couldnt find a 5 speed) for our impending move to Alberta.It has 150,000 miles on it bone stock other than towing package.My first mod will be an airfilter upgrade,what would you suggest next ?? Thanks Steve
no stories. I've never had any kind of problem. I've never gotten scared. Nothing bad has ever happened. I've never had a flat on the truck while towing. Had one on the trailer but so what? Took that wheel off and came home on three. Had a jeep on the trailer that time. I do drive carefully and I slow down instead of using the brakes.
What are you doing to get 18.2 with your super duty. I have a 6 speed in mine and only get about 14 with a car on my trailer and 13.5 with my enclosed trailer. I probably get 18 empty, but I have not heard of anyone getting that much full with the 7.3L. I have hauled with a few heavy half tons in my day which have worked out well, but my last four trucks have been 3/4 ton or larger. Just went back to diesel from a gas V10 recently. Some days I like gas, some diesel, just depends on my mood. I was REALLY happy with my 98 quad cab V10 dodge for the power and quiet ride. The V10 is super quiet compared to the V8 and the diesel and has more than enough power to pull a 14000 load up a heavy grade in third gear holding 60 mph. I just got a super good deal on the super duty and haven't even had a chance to put my dodge up for sale. If you want a nice pulling truck, this is the one to get if you don't get a diesel. 98 Dodge 2500 quad cab V10. Needs nothing, looks good, loaded and has been kept up really well. I just put all new parts in the front end, brakes and had a few other things serviced since I thought I was keeping it for another year or two. I have been getting about 11 mpg loaded full, 13 empty. $6,000 firm which is well under book. Mike
What kind of parts? If you are talking about hauling motors or other heavy parts in a pickup you really want a bigger truck. You'll appreciate the bigger brakes. Over the years I've towed a car trailer with a 1/2-ton, 3/4-ton and 1-ton pickup. My 1/2-ton '55 1st GMC Suburban with a 270 GMC six and a granny gear 4-speed will pull a loaded trailer, but not real fast, and not with the feeling of security I like. My '72 C-10 with a 350/350 handles it much better. But my '89 K3500 with a 454 handles a loaded trailer with much more finesse and will run 75+ all day without showing any strain. I choose the 1-ton every time any more. If road trips were my life I'd want a diesel, but since they are rare I'm happy with a big gas motor.
As for what i'll be hauling. A car occassionaly. When i need to take my cutlass to a shop for somthing i cant do. Or when i need to tow a car. As for parts engines, body parts (for cars) trannies,frames you name it basically to haul most anything i would need to bring home from the junkyard just your general auto parts i guess.
My $500 '89 Suburban does a good job even though it's a half-ton. Can't put a lot of tongue weight on it. I've beat the hell out of it for 18 months now and other than all new brakes, haven't put much money in it at all. It pulls a car on a trailer, fine, flat tows them fine too. The heaviest I had on a trailer was a '72 Pontiac fullsize car less motor, so around 3500 lbs or so - you could feel it working hard with that on, but I got where I had to go. I just stuck a big tranny cooler on it and I tow with it in D instead of OD. Even with the highway gear it has, I get them rolling okay. Can't complain about it, thats for sure.
My last two tow vehicles were an 86' E350 vab with a 9600lb GCWR, powered by a 300ci six, with a C6, and a 4.10 geared Dana 70. Rock solid towing anything, but really working hard on hills and above 65 on the highway. So when it got rusty, I pulled the engine/trans and stashed them, and got a 84' Ford E350 Dually ramptruck with a 351M, C6, and 3.54 geared rear end. What a dog. The swapped in 77' 351M and auto, with the 3.54 gears was gutless but actually got 15mpg on the highway with the 49 Fleetline on the bed. I just sold it. I just bought a lightweight dual axle trailer with brakes on both axles, and will tow it with my exploder. Its a long wheelbase model with tow package on it. Since everything I own is under 3500lbs now, the 5000lb exploder should have no issues towing them on the 1000lb lightweight trailer.
You can usually get a steal on the 67-72 c-20 chevy trucks, they are 3/4 ton. If you drive it for a while and decide you would prefer a better ride, just swap out the 3/4 ton suspention for 1/2 ton stuff. The good thing about those trucks is, parts are cheap and easy to find, they will last forever, and they are easy to work on. I heard that chevy truck sales were down for 13 or 14 years after they quit making that body style trucks, because they were so well built and lasted so long, nobody bought new trucks.
"I second that emotion". As the lyric from the 60's Motown song goes. If you want to haul a heavy load, a diesel is the only way to go. Running a diesel also gives you options on fuel. If you're adventurous, you can brew your own bio-diesel in the garage from used french fry oil and avoid the $3.25/gal petro diesel. Brewing his own bio-diesel costs my brother-in-law about $1.65/gal. Think about it. A 7.3L Ford Powerstroke diesel is about the same size as a big block Ford. Weight is a factor though. Dry weight is about 938 lbs. No they aren't traditional, but they'll fit in an old Ford pickup. You'll get style with towing power.
I have a 91 suburban 3/4 ton. 212,000 on the clicker and it drives like new. I just have the 350 in mine, and it will haul damn near anything. I towed a fullsize grand marquis on a trailer 200 miles up some pretty steep seattle hills with it and it did just fine. I got the truck 3 years ago for 2500.00. best vehicle i have ever had.
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