Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Happy Monday everyone!

As time marches on and new cars seem to get less and less reliable I keep moving older and older in my choice of trucks.

I make furniture (among other things) and my 66 f100 with a 240cid was great.
I was made an offer I could not refuse on my truck so I am now shopping for my next one. Requirements:
1. 8' bed. I get sheet goods and long lumber (last two pieces of seplee were 14'!)
2. manual transmission. I cannot understand why anyone would drive an automatic, ever.
3. ability to cruise at highway speeds. Here in TX that means at least 70MPH.
4. I would rather keep the vehicle as stock as possible. Not against poly bushings, radial tires, etc but not swapping in a modern v8. I thing that ruins the soul of the truck, plus I don't have time for that.

The F100 seemed to do well at all these things but I have been looking at a 48 F2 and a 32 AA.
Both could get an overdrive unit to make them highway derivable, but am I expecting too much from the suspension, etc?

Looking forward to any words of wisdom!

Thanks!

Andrew

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Can only assume that this statement was meant to be witty or is made from a misguided point of view. :confused:

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Just a disgusted point of view of the current automotive industry. Every singe manufacture designs their vehicles to last exactly 100k miles. Never mind an overwhelming complexity on both the user side and mechanic side, with exponentially more expensive parts.
What I will concede is that a modern car is much safer than their older counter parts.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Gee, my 26 year old Ford truck has 137K original miles.Burns no oil. Engine never worked on except regular maintenance, tires and battery. New trucks are light years ahead of and better than the old trucks of yesteryear. It's undeniable.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Welcome to the ‘Barn. Good luck with your search. Mike

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

I don't know where you get this from. Most newer vehicles are designed and actually do last over 300,000 miles. Cars and trucks back in the 50s-60s only lasted 100,000 miles but the new cars don't even require plug changes until 100,000 miles! And 5,000 miles between oil changes instead of every thousand miles.
I think you are sadly misinformed....IMHO.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

I don't have any direct experience, but I would have to believe that a '48 F2 would be up to the job with some "upgrades", while the '32 AA (?) would fall very short.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Without changing the whole rear end, the F2 came with only one ratio, 4:86. While I used mine for everyday, it was town speeds. I think most came with a 6, but does not matter if 6 or 8, past 40/45 that engine was starting to scream. Maybe you could add a overdrive, but it would have to fit an open drive line. As far as a two speed rear end, never heard of one, but who knows maybe there was one.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

The old cars could never make it to 100K miles without an engine rebuild, plus had no or very little warranty.
The added complexity in new cars is because of ongoing stricter emission standards by our government and the wants of consumers (yuppies) for more high tech in order to stay competitive in sales.


My two cents, Sal

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Regardless of your reasons for why you want an older truck (and my opinion as related to reliability of newer vehicles), a couple things to think about are:

The fact that you want to keep things "as stock as possible", yet do all the other things you mentioned is pretty much impossible. If it was my choice, I would be thinking about a few key things:

1) Overdrives are great, but only if you have enough power/torque to drive them. I would not be thinking of an original 6 cylinder, with an overdrive (or higher rear end ratio), a load in the back and think that I have enough torque to take that vehicle down the road at 70+ mph.

2) High Speeds and Brakes: The suspension, steering and braking systems on these trucks were not designed for 70+ mph. So, even if you manage to have enough power and final drive ratio to get to 70 mph, how safe will you be once you do?

3) Things to Think About (Due to the above): It comes down to power, weigh, load carrying ability, etc.. To be truthful, if I wanted a 48 truck that could go 75 mph, with a load in the back and be able to do everything you want safely and easily, I would be swapping out the drive train to more modern components -- engine, trans, rear axles, brakes, etc.. I might also need a newer steering box (maybe power steering), power brakes, larger sway bars, etc.. In the end, I would have an old truck, with a new drivetrain.

There are many engine, trans, rear, suspension options to accomplish the above - all depends on what "flavors" you like, how much time/money/skills you have and what the final 'package' needs to be.

Good luck . . .
B&S

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Ah, nostalgia! "The older I get, the faster I was", etc. Or, "They don't make them like they used to!" Actually, this is a good thing! They make them much better now! I have seen this first-hand as a mechanic for most of my working life. It was the older vehicles that were worn out by 100,00 miles (if they made it that far!). In fact, hitting 100,000 miles in a '50's or '60's car was a milestone! Few pickups went that far. By then the upholstery was shot and the floors, fenders and rocker panels were rusted out. Older pickup cabs like you mention were cramped, hot and noisy when new.
At the Arizona Highway Dept., we had Ford, Chevy and Dodge pickups that had up to 300,000 miles on them with no engine or transmission problems.
So if you're looking for a simple, reliable rig (since you live where there's no road salt) I'd suggest a late '80's-early '90's F150 with the 300 six or 302 and 5 speed manual. Just be sure it is new enough to have fuel injection!

Old vehicles are a fun hobby, but not practical nor safe for a daily driver in urban areas!

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

TexasAndrew, my experience is very different from what you have posted! I am amazed at the number of miles/years some of the new vehicles can stay on the road. I love my new 2019 vehicle!! My interest in the 30s & 40s Fords is based on nostalgia. They are easy to self maintain (something nearly impossible with a new vehicle) and fun to drive, but no way they will compete with a new car or truck when it comes to life expectancy or utility IMO.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Bored & Stroked has stated well the words of wisdom which you seek.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Yes 'older cars 'were possibly worn 0ut by 100,000 miles or way less but they are / were designed to be serviceable and go another 100,000. I saw so many 'new' [inc a new hemi] cars in where I was getting machine work done on my engine. I would discuss them with the mechanic and I have to say it shocked me, Hyundais cooking engines, Kias no main bearings available, VW Passat that blew the lands clean off the pistons, Audis rings gone at 100,000Klm and so on.. Anyway back to the question .. I think B&S said it all.. all well going at speed but your brakes need to be able to match that first thing!

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

friend has a F3 that has been fitted with a 8.8 ford rear axle with 3:50 gears, has disc brakes on front also, believe it is a speedway conversion, hauls building supplies and even an occasional flathead engine, does great, we both like this truck for everyday use, I have a 3/4 ton stake bed 1941 with a 9" ford rear gear 3:50 also that I drive a good bit, haul about anything I want except flathead engines!

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

I have one of the new "wonder" cars. Got an engine warning light. (Don't have one of those on my '48.) Took it in as I have no way of checking it. They said they had to put it on their computer to tell them what was wrong. $100. Computer said the thermostat was the problem even though the heat gage was fine. Put in a new thermostat. $155. Total with tax $275. For a thermostat!!! Had one go bad in my '48. $12 total. Hmmmm!
My '48 is 70 years old. Wonder if any of these late model wonders will be on the road in 2089.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

Or you could have taken it to Autozone where they will read the codes for you for free, and then replaced the thermostat yourself.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

You can go to auto parts stores like Auto Zone or O'Reilly's and have that "Check Engine" light checked for free. Then pick up a thermostat and coolant, go home and change it for $20-$30.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

“2) High Speeds and Brakes: The suspension, steering and braking systems on these trucks were not designed for 70+ mph. So, even if you manage to have enough power and final drive ratio to get to 70 mph, how safe will you be once you do?”

I agree. My 1940 tonner with a 49 Merc O/D can easily do any task you have specified including operating at 70 MPH. Having said that it’s definitely not safe at speeds in excess of 50 MPH carrying a load. The brakes are inadequate as are the reflexes and response of the driver. Before it was restored it carried engines, transmissions and other heavy parts but always at speeds far less than those of a modern F350. Bored and Stroke is correct our vintage iron was designed to operate and function in a much different environment and to go beyond that envelope without upgrading brakes, steering, etc is to invite disaster IMO.

Re: Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds
 

I get the "new" is better. Electric only tailgates that don't open only a yr after new, engine lights... More stuff, more issues.


I'd think any drivetrain stuff from the 60s would be plenty to get you to and from. No electronics.