As I climbed back in the shop GMC truck I was using for the day, after taking the following pictures of this Ford, it got me thinking:
That F100 was the top trim level for that year… and I’m sitting in a base model work truck. How far we’ve come!
This warrants a closer look, so lets see just how different these two trucks are.
Number one, Functionality-
While no one can dispute the raw power of the Sierra, there is something to be said about the trend of trucks being used to drive the family around. I can easily picture the Ford hauling a load of wood and picking up groceries, though I doubt very much that the average Sierra owner will be hauling parts for Hoover Dam every day. I think these trucks were perfectly reasonable for the era in which they were made.
Number two, Interior-
The top trim on the Ford got you such luxuries as carpet, horn ring, and Ranger badge affixed to the glove box.
The original upholstery in the F100 Ranger was vinyl, with “a soft cloth appearance”.
Meanwhile, the warehouse truck has leather bucket seats (ED: really? I suspect they’re vinyl), power windows (though not mirrors), an infotainment screen, steering wheel controls for said screen, four USB ports, and even a standard house electrical socket!
Number three, Motivation-
The featured Ford has a 352 V8, and is the same engine used in the Thunderbird, though tuned more for torque than speed, making 200 gross (172 net) horsepower sent through a three speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission.
The base model GMC came with a 4.3 (roughly 263 cubic inch) V6 engine as standard paired with a six speed automatic gearbox making 285 horsepower.
Number four, Driving impressions-
The owner of the Ford commented that while the truck is nice, it’s miserable to drive. These were still machines meant primarily for work, after all. Your second car (if you had one) was to be used for fun and excitement.
Driving the GMC meanwhile is a very cushy, yet bulky experience. It feels like I’m driving a big box down the road that takes up several lanes. I never feel comfortable in it, because it feels like a vehicle that’s at least twice as big as it needs to be for the jobs it does.
Conclusion:
I’m sure the differences between these two trucks need not be stated. Of course a modern vehicle will beat out a vintage one in most categories when given a purely objective look, but we at CC know that it’s not all about numbers. Driving my step dad’s 1978 Chevy C-10 was a pretty miserable experience too, what with it’s cheap plastic dashboard, and primitive creature comforts. However, for as short a time as it was a part of my life, I will always remember the way it made me feel. Safe, like nothing could penetrate it’s faded and dented steel body. It’s dull white paint will forever remain shiny in my mind’s eye. It was an honest old work truck and did what it needed too. I hope to find one like it someday again.
I would prefer any truck that came with a “Jake.” That feature offers unsurpassed companionship and one helluva theft deterrent. Didn’t some Chevy trucks back in the day come with hounds tooth check upholstery?
Totally agree on the ‘Jake’. Should be mandated equipment unless the owner already has one to install. This “Banjo” won’t clash with any upholstery chosen. 😉
Crash protection has greatly improved as well. People now routinely walk away from crashes that would have killed them 20+ years ago.
I’d rather have the old Ford. Seems more honest. Less overcompensating.
I won’t ever accept that today’s trucks are a family vehicle as the manufacturers advertise. A truck is a truck and a car is a car is how my simple mind looks at it. I actually feel far safer in a car because of the ability to handle it in critical situations with it’s lower center of gravity.
That 67 F-100 looks so streamlined and simple. I love it. I can reach over the bed and remove something without trying to climb up over the tailgate to get in. If Tom can drive his 64 Chevy 525 miles to San Diego and back then what more do you need?
Below a look only a mother can love and since I am not a mother I don’t love that…
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I had a summer job doing outdoor work in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia in 1975. We had two work trucks. A bumpside F100 with six and three on the tree, no power anything. The newer truck was a 1974 Chevy with automatic, V8, power steering and power disc brakes. No AC in either one. Anyway, the Chevy was much more pleasant to drive in every way. I was usually given the Ford …
When we moved to The Middle West 17 years ago, I bought my Dad’s ’69 F-100 (240, auto, longbed) to use on our small farm. Sold it about ten years later (42 years in the family), and wrote its story here:
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/coal-requiem-for-a-truck/
A ’95 F-150 succeeded it, then a ’99 F-250 Powerstroke. After a few years with that, and knowing I was going to need to make multiple 16-hour trips to my Dad’s home as his dementia progressed, I sold it and bought my first ‘new’ truck, a ’15 RAM 2500 Tradesman (5.7, 4WD, std cab, longbed).
The Tradesman is essentially the ‘base’ model, with manual-crank windows, even! Mine had been upfitted with the snow plow prep package, so it had electric windows, but pretty much everything else was as basic as you could get – even the radio was a basic, non-touchscreen model. Cloth seats, not leather.
Even though the body is the same as the RAM 1500, it feels HUGE and almost needs a tugboat to park. The bed sits about 41″ off the ground at the tailgate, where my old F-100 tailgate was only slightly above the height of a park bench seat.
I modded the truck a bit, replacing wheels and tires, adding side steps (a requirement!), fender flares, CarPlay head unit, a tonneau cover and LED head and taillights from the higher-trim RAM models. Since what I was trying to do was create a modern-day Power Wagon (in the spirit of the original), I badged it as one (the 2015 PW sits on the same chassis as the 2500, FWIW).
Is that the mascot of the garage in front of the truck??
And it gets worked like one, too.
As expected, I made ten or more trips to my Dad’s as he reached the point where we had to move him to a care facility and the house had to be emptied and sold. The last trip in the truck was made this past December when I transported his casket (that I made by hand) for his funeral.
Dad owned a ’95 (IIRC) Ranger, which made for an interesting juxtaposition that ties in to your Ranger above.
My truck is about as basic a truck as you can buy today, and it certainly has a few more creature comforts than my old F-100.
But I do miss driving the old truck. It just ‘fit’ better and always reminded you that you needed to take life at a little slower pace…
Sorry to hear about your Dad, Ed. I’m actually just a little jealous as my Mom continues her journey through memory care.
Thanks. The last 6 months of “the long goodbye” weren’t much fun. My siblings and I were all ‘ready’ by this point, but that doesn’t ease the grief when the end does come at last. I still catch myself thinking I need to schedule another trip down, and am glad I made it a priority to make the trips that I did.
My condolences to you and your siblings.
It’s not a nice journey, JPC (and Ed). My mum’s own version in 2017 was mercifully only 8 months, but it hurt. It’s perfectly correct to feel jealous if stuck watching a slower version. Age, blessedly, gives you full permission to use a word like “jealousy” for such a thing and know it’s not at all wrong.
Condolences, Ed. And hopes for peace sooner than later, JP.
Knowing that you made his casket brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful thing to do for him.
I thought the same thing. Ed, that’s a remarkable final gift.
Agreed, that is quite impressive and remarkable.
Yes that’s is impressive and a personal touch few others receive.
+1, to all these comments on Pete’s one.
Sorry for your loss, went through Alzheimer’s with Mom, diagnosed ’07, passed ’10. Something you have to experience to truly understand this terrible illness. Lost Dad in ’13 from stroke, they both wanted to be cremated, ashes are in a vault at Willamette Veterans Cemetery. Building your Dads casket is amazing to hear, lots of love went into that.
One nit, the 352 last saw duty in a Thunderbird in 1960. It was also discontinued in every other Ford passenger car after 1966, so by 1967 it was a truck-only engine.
Having owned a 60s pickup at one time (an earlier 63 that still had the solid front axle) I understand what the owner says about how it can be a chore to drive. There was certainly nothing relaxing about mine.
Actually, I always found that generation of Chevy that your father had pretty civilized in comparison with my older Ford.
I have an F100 from that era. Though it is a cool vehicle, I would not seriously consider using it as a daily driver. It is in stock condition, with manual steering and windows, non-power drum brakes, a bare-bones interior, no air conditioning, and so on. It has a three on the tree shifter, so driving it requires regular use of all four limbs. It is decent exercise as far as driving goes, but tedious in traffic. In the longer term, its body would quickly be reduced (oxidized, actually) to powder if used on roads in the winter where I live.
Though I prefer the style and coolness factor of old trucks, I would definitely get a modern one if I needed a truck for regular use.
I have a ’72 Ford with the optional power brake booster and 4-speed on the floor. Both greatly improve the experience for daily driving. A PB booster should be easy to retrofit and I would highly recomend.
Can I stand by the side of the truck, reach over the bed and pick something up? You know like a bucket or gas can? Do I need a “man step” to get into the bed? I’d guess the Sierra and all modern trucks fail these tests.
I guess it depends on your height. I can even lift stuff in and out over the bed rails of a F250 4X4. My wife, not so much. She has to drop the tailgate, I think.
That is a bothersome aspect of modern trucks.
Because most people have no need to for that much clearance, the manufacturers have taken away significant functionality in the pursuit of a stylistic choices.
There are still a few of us here who do not desire a pick up truck or SUV; be it new or old.
If I’d kept the ’68 C-10 longbed I’d owned several years ago, I’d ABSOLUTELY drive it daily.
Ok, ‘cept for ice and snow.
But based on similar trucks I’d owned before, that foundation’s easy for me to live with and by swapping in a modern brake system (1971-up, actually!) and other touches like a modern engine and overdrive, I’d have been good to go.
Only reason for getting rid of it is to concentrate on the other project, my ’57 Chevy 210 Handyman.
The newest truck I could see myself in would be an ’07-’13 Silverado, although I’d also be interested in the current-gen Colorado. But for my needs, an ’07 Tahoe/Avalanche/Suburban is more my speed.
Just my opinion, but I think Chevy/GMC were the better trucks 50 years ago. But after the new ’73s came out, it became very competitive across the board and remains so today.
There is a simple reason that trucks are so popular now than they were in 1967. The new trucks do most everything better than the old ones do. Power steering, power brakes, better handling, and much safer in a crash. We used to call it “Armstrong steering” and “stomp and pray brakes” for a reason. Ford’s Twin I Beam front suspension could act a bit unsettled on broken pavement. In cab gas tanks were the rule back then, placed right behind the seat. Styling wise the 67 Ford is one of my all time favorites, but they are eligible for antique license plates for a reason.
Two distinct differences not discussed are fuel mileage and the related emissions. That 352 will get about what – 10 to 12 mpg on the highway? It’s likely got about 3.55:1 gears in the rear without overdrive. It’s revved up pretty good at 70 mph all the while spewing a lot more of everything unless it’s in peak tune.
Conversely that 4.3 will get 20 mpg on the highway (EPA ratings are close to this if memory serves) and it runs much cleaner. Plus it has an overdrive transmission so it’s spinning at around 2,000 rpm at 70 mph.
Let’s also not forget drivetrain longevity. Earlier today I saw an ’09 Silverado with 302,000 miles and it ran like new. Has that ever happened with a 352?
Of course that’s just my take on it. I’d drive either one but my preference would depend upon my needs. For my current station in life, I’d take the newer one.
FWIW, my RAM 2500 (with the ‘small’ 5.7) averages around 13 – it’s a heavy truck, though (over 6,000lb unladen) and I run wide semi-off road tires. Best I’ve ever gotten (on the highway) was 15.5. Worst is usually around 9 pulling a full load of hay (3-4 tons) or the stock trailer. I believe the 6.4 gas gets in the high teens on the highway, but it has cylinder deactivation, where the 5.7 doesn’t.
The ’99 F-250 Powerstroke I had (intercooled Navistar 7.3l) also averaged about 13, loaded nor not.
Come to think of it, the F-100 averaged around 10-11, empty or loaded. Progress!
My ’92 F-150 flareside got an honest 20 on trips with the 300 Six and the auto with OD, but it was unsettled on the broke-assed interstate highways we have here. Constant attention and vigilance was needed unless the road was newly paved.
As the owner of a ’72 F100 (last year of the “Bumpside” body style that began with the ’67 featured in the article), I disagree with the idea that these are miserable to drive. The only thing that I long for in mine is air conditioning, and that was an option.
Regarding the 110VAC outlet, the Ford was also available with an under-hood Onan generator that supplied 110VAC. It was a seldom-exercised option.
Speaking of Onan generators, I had always thought the company name was a somewhat “risqué” (for the time) allusion to Onan in the Old Testament but in fact, there was an Onan family that started it.
http://www.onanfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/BOOK-ONAN-COMPANY-HISTORY-1982.pdf
One might surmise that a family of Onanists might find it difficult to produce the next generation.
Dad installed a kit inverter under the hood of the ’69 F-100 in the early 1970s so he could run his electric chainsaw, skilsaw or saber saw on the job site. He also installed an aftermarket (Frigi-King) air conditioner. Both were inop when I acquired the truck in 2001, so I removed them (and sold the Frigi-King on CL).
An interesting comparison. I wonder how the old Ford would compare with the new Ranger? A mate dropped in with his yesterday. That would probably have all the modern GMC’s benefits in a more manageable, less intimidating size for traffic, and have a better lift-over height to the bed, though admittedly with less cab room. For private buyers using the truck primarily as a commuting tool, it could be just what they ‘need’.
We’ve hashed this over many times, but my conclusion is that a modern truck can do almost everything better than a traditional family car. By that I mean a 60’s through 80’s fullsize American car. The only downsides are the low fuel economy and bulky size which makes the new trucks hard to park. While I have a variety of different type of cars to drive, such as an older Explorer, Mustang, and even a big Jaguar XJ, I often drive my F150 under every condition and find that it is perfectly suited for those purposes. And I can still haul everything needed for my property maintenance projects! I could do without any of my other cars and just have the truck, but I can’t say that about the cars.
A modern truck may not be the most fuel efficient vehicle out there, but it’s still got to be better than an old school full size American car. I should also add, I am an owner of a modern behemoth diesel pickup. For me it’s needed, I haul a slide in camper and a boat together, when I am not doing that I’ll have my quad in the back of it. I’ll also be the first to say, it’s not a good daily driver.
On crash worthiness…
I was at a tow lot once talking to the owner of this generation pickup. Olive green 2wd and V8 is about all I recall. Anyway, “last night” the truck had been crashed into a tree or pole, or so. The truck’s front was hit hard, wrapped up around the engine. The owner obviously wasn’t in the hospital and didn’t seem even scratched, so I presumed he hadn’t been driving.
I made some comment implying that I assumed he hadn’t been in the truck when it crashed. “Oh no, I wasn’t driving, I was too drunk. …I was passed out in the back.” LoL I’m serious, he was serious when he said he’d been passed out in the truck’s bed during the crash and I don’t recall any cause to doubt him.
I can’t recall anything about how the cab’s occupents did.
As an actual get stuff done truck I really like the early 90s square body Fords that were the final development of the 80s trucks. These were the right size with a decent interior (I had a lot of seat time in an 87 F=350) and good road manners. I definitely liked it better than the 84 Chevy a subsequent job had.
These old Fords are quite common out here, earning the “official truck of the middle of nowhere” title by far outnumbering contemporary GM or Dodge trucks. Also a 96 F-150 with a 300 ci 6 and a 5 speed is the final version of the Niedermeyer truck
Is there such a thing as ‘cheap work truck’ now? Trucks seem to have become quite expensive now which I guess is because these newer trucks have all the bells and whistles that cars once had exclusively. But not anymore! I’ve been in a few trucks over the past couple of years that were full of goodies and were priced accordingly. $65,000 for my neighbor’s Chevy truck. (I Forgot the model type).