I have been thinking that , usually when somebody posts here, it is because of a problem or breakdown with the truck. This may make it seem to watchers that there are a lot of problems and can seem a little negative. So here's your chance to tell everyone just how good your rig is treating you. Mine has been a real dream for the past several years, once I got the brakes sorted out. I have made the nearly 1000 mile round trip to Mexico about twenty times in the last few years and the old girl gets me there and back again every time. Tell us your good story and let's inject some more positivity into the forum...Mark

 

Just took a cross state trip to East central AK and back. On the approx 600 mile round trip I averaged 20mpg doing 65 most of the time. No hint of any kind of problem. Just wished my cruise control worked.

 

All of our 1st gens are over 20 years old so there is bound to be problems especially considering many were neglected before we got them. Mine has been awesome, it's done everything I wanted it to do except give me cold a/c for the last month.

But having said that it didn't work when I got it and the compressor was locked up. I believe it was like that for a long time too as the guy I bought it from hardly ever used it. I should have replaced the condenser when I fixed the a/c the first time so it's really my fault I'm having issues with it now and replacing the compressor again.

Hopefully that will all be fixed by this weekend and all will be right with the world again.

 

I picked up my 91.5 2.5 years ago for $1900 out of a field and I have put about 80k miles on it since without it being down 1 single day for repairs. I put brakes and tires on it and changed the fluids and knocked all the wasp nests off of it. AC blows cold, Cruise, PW, PL and power mirrors all work too. It wont win any beauty contests but its rust free and now that I have my 93 on the road me and my 14 y/o son are going to give the 91.5 a makeover so shes ready when he turns 16. Best money I've ever spent on a vehicle.

 

That is what this thread is all about, the good times that these old pieces of machinery gives us, that far outweigh the not so good times. Any vehicle is going to need tires, batteries, brakes and windshield wipers, but not many vehicles can be so useful, relatively economical and a joy to drive. They can go as fast as you care to make them go, they can haul about as much as a normal human being wants and you can work on them yourself. There are not too many other vehicles that can say the same...Mark

 

TRUTH. Plus I've become kind of fond of the rattles and wind noise . I drive mine 80 miles round trip per day plus pull the boat around on weekends. Now that the Ext cab Duallie is on the road its like driving a limo.

 

I must say i dont particularly like the rough ride and wind noise BUT when i go on a long road trip there is nothing that beats the old tractor with windows down (no AC).

 

Yeah but you live up north, where I live the heat index is 110 today.

 

Oh Yeah!!! We don't need no index to reach 110 . I have been in Mexico for the past month or so and the day I got here it was 53 degrees C., That's 127.4 F. ouch We both know that it really doesn't matter after 110 or so ...Mark

 

I racked up 1100 miles on my pile last week, and it did very well. The drive train is plain worn out, no A/C or radio, but it didn't leave me stranded. You can't beat the reliability of these things, and good fuel mileage too. Having a Kelderman rear air ride and some decent front springs makes the ride real nice too.

 

Oh ya!?! well our heat index today is about 68F .

Granted we are having a much cooler/wet spring than usual.

 

I bought my POS a few years back, and I've put literally...over...$20k + into it, including the purchase price. Now this isn't upgrades alone, as most of it went to making the truck reliable.

Why ? Because I can't buy a new truck that looks like this, rides like this, and performs like this now a days. Where else would I get a new truck that shakes my wife's kidneys to death, makes her cranky as he!! in any ride over an hour long, and still enjoy hearing the roar of that 5.9 over her complaining. Nothing better than that.

I get into the beast every day...

It starts.

It smells like a bus running in a school parking lot

The sound annoys the JO neighbor I cannot stand the sight of.

It doesn't have a great turning radius (it's actually wider than my Fuso Box truck)

It HATES potholes.

It makes people look crosseyed at me when I'm traveling down the highway, come across a bridge seam, and my head bounces all over the place like a chihuahua on a rice burner's dash.

It looks cool.

I get big "thumbs up" from just about every Ford Guy with an OBS ford out there.

I get bigger "thumbs up" from any other old dodge truck guy... well except for the one guy who pulled up and said the best thing he ever did with his dodge truck was sell it.. (he was a real ******)

I enjoy the fact that I can fix just about anything on it.

Long rides on nice smooth highways give me a big boner (don't tell my wife as she'll run from me as usual)

Did I mention it starts EVERY DAY ????


Yeah, it can be a pain from time to time, but it's like your smelly old dog that you love so much. You won't ever get rid of her, and if you and the wife divorced, you'd give her all of it just to keep the old dog...

 

BINGO!

 

So T, are you saying no problem, everything is fine? ...Mark

 

I haven't been on the boards much in the last 3 years. So yup, all is good. Hey she has a few things I would upgrade or tweak, but the old dog has been there everyday for me for the last 12 years.