Form follows function. Squared-off and basic.
Many cars and trucks are described or defined by how they look, whether the top folds down, or where the engine is located. Others are more easily described as a simple category, with immediate recall by the reader. Light duty pickup trucks fall more easily into their category rather than in more careful description. The best brief description I can call up is the mechanical version of the buckboard wagon. Propulsive force in the front, driver’s seat up high in the middle, and an open area, for carrying anyone or anything the wagon is capable of carrying, lies in the back. This was the standard 19th century American buckboard wagon, and also the standard 20th century pickup truck. Only in the last couple of decades has the idea of a pickup truck become more blurred.
The 19th Century buckboard wagon, prototype of the American pickup truck. Those of a certain generation will recognize the car-guy at the helm of this wagon.
Returning to California from my long foray to the UK, I had pulled my “three car fleet” out of storage, and resumed daily driving my Mazda RX-3s. However, with a new full-time job, serious girlfriend, and setting up my own home, I needed reliable daily transportation, not cobbled together old cars. Looking ahead, my race car itch had not totally been scratched, and I was still loaded with cars and parts, so a pickup truck seemed to be in order. I could schlepp around parts, and also pull cars around. A pickup truck seemed an ideal choice, and I shopped our local Ford dealer, the source of the family’s Mustang, for a truck just big and capable enough to move my cars around. They had a stripper “4 x 2” F-150 on the lot. Rubber floor mats and a minimal bench seat, but also a 302 V-8, automatic transmission, air conditioning, and the ubiquitous silver painted diamond plate rear step bumper. So, not quite a stripper. About $10k, all up, taxes and license. The biggest purchase, by far, of my lifetime.
As one of the salesmen at the dealership noted, “There you go, once you go to trucks, we’ll never get you back in a car again”. Mostly true, in my case. Trucks come in all sizes, but all with basically the same proportions, and defined by powertrains and capacities. With cars, you buy it and go. With trucks, you build it out to suit your needs. One of the things about one’s first truck, if it is full-sized, is that one needs to learn where the corners of the vehicle lie, and how to interpret that in your rear-view mirrors. Many new trucks wear a mildly crunched rear corner, and that is often the code for a first-time full-sized truck owner. I am proud to say that I never crunched a rear corner of my first truck, learning where the edges were.
The Ford was definitely minimal, and I really noticed it when I took long trips. The base bench seat was very uncomfortable, after a few hours of driving. But the trade-off of metal-to-plastic in the interior was actually a good mix. Later trucks veered way over to assemblages of interior plastic, with not much metal in the mix. A real truck needs some painted structural metal in the living space, in my humble opinion. Rubber mats have qualities all their own, especially in wet weather or muddy situations. But the noise abatement properties of a stripper interior were nonexistent in the ‘80s iterations of pickup trucks. It was a noisy environment in there.
Eventually, I purchased a second-hand flatbed trailer, and I was firmly in the cars and stuff moving business. Driving the truck daily, I learned how to maneuver such an unwieldy beast at highway speeds, with some degree of smoothness and rhythm. Planning ahead and navigating the thing with gentle intention, as I had done with the old Mercury wagon, was the name of the game. I daily drove the Ford for ten years and 120,000 miles, with only one real incident that put me at the side of the road dead, and that was the failure of the notorious distributor-mounted ignition module. But marriage, the arrival of our second child (the Ford could sit three across, but not four), and a transmission that was starting to have difficulty shifting smoothly, and it was time to move on from the ‘86 Ford. The local Ford dealer had expanded to a second Dodge dealership as well, and I was seduced by the styling of the ‘90s Dodge Ram trucks. The extended cab, with the second seat, solved the “how to fit the kids in” problem. They had a V-8 with the 318 and a five-speed transmission(!) and I was sold. $20k, all up. The black exterior looked great, but keeping a black pickup truck looking clean and tidy is a full time task, especially when it lives outdoors.
Black and hot in the summer, but it looks great for at least 24 hours after you wash it.
The Dodge certainly felt more powerful and sturdier than the Ford, and the base extended-cab interior, with carpets and headliners, was much quieter inside. The Dodge got 15 mpg versus the 17 to 18 of the Ford, but there was an interesting twist to the fuel mileage. The Dodge did not care if one was carrying a load, as the mileage stayed roughly the same. The Ford obviously worked harder, and it also showed up in dramatically lower fuel mileage when carrying or towing cargo. I was happier in almost all ways with the Dodge, but the black paint and the fully plastic dashboard were negatives. The manual transmission was a great feature at first, as I loved shifting my truck when driving it.
A camper shell and a trailer hitch with electric brakes, and I was good to go.
I bought the truck in 1996, and I still own it today, with just under 200,000 miles on it. It is starting to burn oil a bit, and other than a couple of new mufflers and converters, and a couple of ignition sensors, it has been flawless. The shifting is not as much fun for my left knee as it used to be, but the truck is good for longer trips. I went back to cars for daily drivers a couple of times for a while along the way, but repeatedly came back to the truck, which was always standing by, ready to go.
A few years ago, I had a sizeable insurance settlement from having been run into in a car, and having it get written off, and the question of what to do for a daily driver came up. The truck was outside, and in good shape, but parking the thing was getting tougher (especially due to length), my left knee was not so enamored with working the clutch pedal so much, and the truck had quite a few miles on it. Plan “A” was to get rid of the truck, too, and get something new. Have you priced new trucks lately? Also, the truck beds get shorter and shorter. Having gone from an 8-foot bed in the Ford to a 6 1/2-foot bed in the Dodge had already been seen by me as a sacrifice, all those years ago, and I didn’t want as truck with a five-foot bed, or whatever they come with now if you get two seats. So I went to plan “B”, and shopped for a low mileage cheap daily driver. Lo and behold, I found a ‘99 Dodge Ram “shorty” with an automatic and “low” mileage (103k, in this case). Under $4k. Problem solved. Shorter truck, check. Relief for the left knee, check. Room to rack up some miles over the years, check. And I already knew my way around the Dodge Ram OBD-II codes, and how the ignition sensors interacted with the truck.
Similar but different. “Once you go to trucks, you aren’t going back to cars”. At least not all the time…
The white paint keeps the truck cooler, and the SLT package gives me the luxury interior. I really like the little sliding door in the back window, and it is right within reach, given the short cab. I don’t understand why people don’t use those windows more, as the sensation is like having the side window open, but without all the buffeting from the wind at speed. Sort of like how people have convertibles, but keep the top up in the summer.
The white truck has a 360, so the mileage is not good (12 to 13 mpg), but the torque is amazing. It has the all-plastic dashboard again, though there are now some close-fitting plastic dash caps available, as the plastic dashboards in these Dodges really go to pieces over time. The ‘99, over the ‘96, has a passenger side airbag, but the master computer can’t just be sourced and installed, as it can be in the ‘96. The later models must have the VIN “flashed” into the computer. I am not sure how that even works, and it goes against the grain of my “going to the junkyard for parts” ethos.
The open bed offers cargo versatility that the truck with a camper shell does not offer.
I have gone back to cars as dailies here and there, but I always return to my trucks. I like the ‘90s trucks, especially the Dodges and the GMs, best of all. If only they wouldn’t age out and deteriorate. Of course, $5+ gasoline here in California also puts a damper on things. We are actually a 1 1/2 car family now, so the trucks get used for jobs, but not every day. I run a lot of trips in my wife’s Honda. The Honda is nice to drive, but it also reminds me of why I like my trucks so much. Even such things as simply tossing things in the back, or having to “climb” into them, make me happy. I like looking down on a lot of the traffic. I like moving around my own building materials, new appliances, and taking junk to the transfer station. Bringing home the Christmas tree each year is no big deal. Firewood and furniture are no problem. Towing is not an issue. It all works for me.
The pickup is my third (of three) basic COAL. Everything else sort of fits around the edges. But unlike the Mustang, I am not sure which pickup qualifies (most likely the black ‘96 Dodge). I am attached to the function of the truck more than I am of any one truck itself (though I have never tired of the styling of the ‘90s generation full-sized Dodge). As pickup trucks are simply modern mechanical buckboards, it is the function of the buckboard that I like best of all. Any light pickup can serve as such, though I like some better than others.
In the meantime, wife and family created automotive necessities in the garage, and I had a flatbed trailer behind my truck, and still a race car itch to scratch. The four-car (three car and one truck) fleet would grow and evolve quickly now.
A neighbor had a fairly nice looking, though high mileage 90s Dodge ” shorty ” that I walked by a few times and drove by several more times before deciding that I couldn’t really lose at the $1,000 asking price. Unfortunately the dashboard padding had completely deteriorated at some point giving the instrument panel a naked look. Between the dashboard and the V6 engine I decided that I didn’t really need another truck…at this time.
That could have been a nice, quick flip. A replacement dash top off eBay, and a little spit shine, maybe a decent set of wheels from a junkyard or something, throw it on craigslist.
Hell, a V-6 full size pickup makes a decent choice for a teenage boy’s first ride, perhaps even after high school. And at ~$2500, everyone’s happy.
I owned a pickup back in the mid-‘90’s (a ‘92 Nissan King Cab). I’ve always liked trucks, and it’s one type of vehicle I wouldn’t mind owning again. I’ve had a few as rentals (an F-150 Crew Cab and a Dodge Crew Cab) and quite enjoyed driving them, though they were a little more thirsty than what I would normally drive. My in-laws have always owned pickups, and occasionally I get to scratch my itch taking their GMC 3500 Crew Cab (with the Duramax) for a spin. My wife likes the F-150’s…maybe we’ll buy one sometime, with an automatic so she can drive it. For myself, a basic old pickup with a six and manual would work.
Nice and useful trucks you have there, I too love the extra utility that the slightly longer mid-size 6.5′ or so bed provides over the default shorter one 5.5′ one, they all do offer the larger one with the crewcab but it isn’t what the dealers seem to stock – the upgrade price is surprisingly small for the extra utility though, I think on the Ram it’s only $300 or so – that’s the cheapest way to add a foot of length anywhere!
After getting my gateway drug first truck a few years back and having replaced it semi-recently I agree that it’s hard to be without one of some sort if you have the space to keep it.
The trade-off is interior capacity vs. bed length vs. overall length. A stretch cab with a back seat, along with an 8 foot bed, makes for a very long truck in parking lots. Just as the 6.5 foot bed to the 5.5 footer is a sacrifice, so too is the 8 foot to the 6.5 footer, once one has been rolling with an 8 foot bed for a while.
The “shorty” is easy to maneuver in parking lots, and makes for a great little runabout, but it sacrifices both interior capacity and bed length.
The old sixties “cab over engine” examples offered the possibility of both a capacious interior and also a long bed. But one generally had engine cover intrusion issues in the cab. And then there was the Corvair-based forward cab pickup, with a “lumpy” stepped cargo bed (and a nifty side ramp door available). Trade-offs, always trade-offs.
I have visited pickups but have lived vans. The big ones are pretty similar to their related pickups, so I am pretty conversant in those powertrains.
As far as the 80s Ford goes, the 302/AOD combo would be a no-go zone for me today – more torque or a transmission that is not so aggressive with the lockup would resolve that, so a 302/stick or a 351/AOD might work. However, the 5.8/351 and AOD-E in my 94 was a really pleasant combination, so I can imagine how pleasant that Dodge 360/5.9 is.
A good truck is a wonderful thing, and one of the few vehicles you can still get in a basic
format, i.e. no power windows or locks, vinyl floor, seats, etc. One of the many great
aspects of a pickup is the ability to transport ill smelling items without it becoming part of
the interior environment.
Nice trio of trucks. I’m with you that the 90’s era Rams are some of the best looking modern pickups. The new fullsize pickups on sale now are not easy on the eyes.
The last vehicle I had in the US before I moved to Europe was a 2013 Silverado company truck, which I also think was one of the better looking modern full sizers. I’ve never been a truck guy, and modern pickups are so easy to drive they’re like giant minivans, but I did enjoy driving the Silverado for the same reasons you listed. It definitely sharpened my parking skills.
I’ve had my ’74 Chevy Custom 10 pickup for a couple years, and I love it. I wanted a pickup with an Inline 6, and really wanted an 80s or 90s Ford with EFI. But, my cousin had this low mileage Chevy with the 250 Inline 6 and 3 speed manual, and I finally convinced him to sell it to me.
I’ve done a few upgrades, but have kept the basics the same: non-power brakes/steering, 15″ wheels (although I upgraded to rally wheels with trim rings and center caps, wrapped in Goodyear all tterrains), and of course the Inline 6 with three pedals.
I’ve used it to haul a 6′ freezer just last week, a pair of clothesline posts a week before that. I get thumbs up and offers to buy it anytime I’m in town.
I love my cars and I wouldn’t sell my Taurus for anything… but the truck has achieved never-sell-it status now as well.
I’ve had all kinda vehicles (including vans, minivans, SUVs and wagons), there is nothing that can match the utility of a truck. Congratulations to everyone who stuffed an armoire into a Sienna, but they’ll always be things a truck can do that nothing else can or will.
I guess you might say my 1985 F250 6.9 and grew old together..I bought it in 1997 and sold it in 2020 as it became surplus to needs just before a 1000 mile relocation.
It was a totally honest truck, but it had the Lariat package with the captain’s chairs, very comfy for long trips. It too ride like a buckboard until you either lashed it to a 5th wheel or put about a ton of dirt in the back..then it rode like a Cadillac.
I still miss it, but it was pretty far gone save for the unkillable drivetrain. Last I heard it was doing time as a farm truck in Coalinga, hauling hay.
It’s still IMHO one of the best looking trucks ever built.
I can relate to the pickup and corner thing, my first experience in a full sized truck was an F350 dually with a stake bed and lift gate, so the corners were very hard to see an dI backed into a car. After that I got much better, I could easily place the flatbed tow truck (also F350) and the Ranger long bed we had in the 90s. After a long hiatus I got another truck in 2020, also Ford because I prefer the ergonomics and also luck of the draw. This was my first personal full sized truck and it’s an 8′ bed extended cab so it’s over 20′ bumper to bumper. I can center it in parking spaces OK but need to be careful with length except at Wilco which has extra long parking spaces. My wife can drive it OK but refuses to park the truck.
“a truck just big and capable enough ” ~ _THIS_ ! .
Most folks buy way too much truck .
I too love the old i6 powered rigs and have driven and worked them across America and back again .
If you have a nice clean well maintained work truck you’ll always be bothered to sell it, resist the urge, I’ve sold off way too many excellent rigs because I was offered twice what I had into them, I can’t hardly buy gas for my 2001 Ford ranger stripper without being offered too much $ for it .
Little pickups don’t like speed very much ~ at 80 MPH I don’t feel “planted” and the rear end skips around if I try to hustle it through the mountains .
I remember these F150’s when new, they were very popular fleet rigs with i6 engines and slush box trannies, hard to kill .
Prolly the very best 1/2 tonners I had were 1979 Dodge shorties with slant sixes, dual tanks, AC and rubber mats .
-Nate