Am I crazy for wanting an older truck as a tow rig?

First off, if anyone has any pics of older rigs they use for towing, please post some pics for inspirational purposes.

I don't tow often enough to justify a new truck for a tow rig, nor do I want a truck payment, so I was thinking about this truck for a tow rig. I don't ever haul over 5,000 pounds on my trailer. Besides, I think vintage trucks rock!

I bought this jewel for $200 and drove it 90 miles home. It has a 390, 4 speed, and a 4.10 geared Dana 70. The clutch slips a little and may need replaced, and the engine needs some new gaskets because of oil leaks. The current bed is trash and would be replaced by a home-built bed that is only as long as the frame (no overhang past the frame), possibly with a swing around boom to pick stuff up off the ground and load onto the bed... then unload at my destination. Replace the bias ply tires with some radials. And then do some body work and paint to make it look good.

Here are some pics

 

Not at all ! With all of the technology in todays trucks , nothing is wrong with an older truck that can be "understood" ...

 

powerstrokin

Aint nothing wrong with a older tow rig i dont want a new truck payment either so i see where you are coming from

 

1 ton hauler

i haul with a 96 and it is paid for so you have to do with what you got

 

No Way!! Vintage tow-rigs are way cooler than newer ones. If I didnt need a truck for work I would want a Decked out 70s Chevy CC Dually with a built 454 and NV4500

 

I'll throw in an opinion from the other end...

I am not much of a fan of older trucks that will be towing all the time. But, it depends on what a person wants from a vehicle.

For one you can't get a factory diesel in an older truck, I for one couldn't afford to drive a gas rig with today's petroleum prices. Not only that but power and transmissions are worth mentioning. It's pretty nice pulling hills at nearly full speed along with having an overdrive trans for fuel mileage and to keep the engine noise down.

The next thing for me is comfort. Old trucks are loose, noisy, and generally don't handle as well as a newer truck. This is something that really starts to get on my nerves after driving a ways. When I am towing a trailer, there is a good chance I am headed down the road for a while. All the rattles, primitive insulation for noise and motor heat, and squeeks get irritating quick.

Another thing is A/C, I will NOT drive a vehicle for an extended period of time, especially on a noisy highway, without A/C so I can have the windows up. My brain starts to ache after listening to all the road noise for a while at 65mph. Most early 70's trucks aren't A/C equipped.

I use my towrig as a dialy driver, and compare the double duty service to any truck question like this because thats what the truck would have to do if I owned it. Having a newer truck is really nice when you use it every day.

Reliability is my last comment. Although much older trucks (like mid 70's or earlier) are very simple, but they still have a hard time being as reliable as a new truck on their best day.

Here is our 1976 C30, it's been a good truck over the years and serves as a fuel wagon around the ranch.

 

I'm glad you posted that up... I hate fords, but I found one almost exactly like that with the exception of a nice built bed and was considering hitting the owner up about selling it to me. $200 is a good price I could handle paying for the truck. (the real prize I want is mounted to it's bed in the form of a huge miller welder/engine). I know I'm not gonna get off with mine that cheap because of the welder but I would then be stuck with another truck I don't necessarily need. Think I'm gonna make an offer and just use the truck locally for hauling (where I do most of my towing anyway) and as a "work only" truck.

 

Thanks everyone for the opinions, and thanks Bobby for the good looking pic. waytogo

 

Not nearly as old as the first truck but it gets the job done and I only have $4,000 invested. If the old 7.3 under the hood cant safley pull it then I guess that I will have call in a big rig.

 

We've got one, except ours is a '69. Eaton rear end with 10 lug hubs. My dad built a flatbed for it with a pipe rack. 350 SBC with a 4spd. It would pull like crazy in granny with the low Eaton ring&pinion, even with 19.5" rims and tires. The 4 wheel drums suck!

Ours is rotting away in the yard, I'm going to pull the engine and trans out along with the flatbed and send the truck to the grave yard.

 

Russ- find them pics!!!opcorn:

 

I'll chime in too. I was thinking 50's when you say 'older'. On that note, if you like a certain body style truck(example: most people like 48-early55 Chevy trucks), then swap the body out with a newer truck that's been rolled over. Then you have a good body that you like with an up to date drive train(engine, better brakes, bigger axles, etc.).

 

I saw this thread and thought I'd toss one in. My dad bought my '86 K20 new and it served us well since then. The best thing about older rigs is they came from the factory loaded with some of the toughest parts available. I will always be a GM fan, but in the HD line I wish they'd go back to solid front axles. Honestly, back then you bought a 3/4 or 1 ton to haul stuff. Newer pickups kinda lost that now. I will say when I took over the keys, I had to take the steel wheels off and the 8 ply tires because I no longer needed the diesel fuel tank in the box. Without that having at least half a load of fuel, it rode terrible. Now if only I could swap a Cummins or a Dmax in it, along with a stout tranny...I'd be happy waytogo

 

I tow with an 88 Chevy C3500 454/TH400. It is really all I can afford, but it git's r done.

 

I want your 76 C30!!! I love the older standard cab duallys!waytogo

 

Bring some cash and the title is yours! All we use it for is a fuel wagon. That tank that is on that trailer is now in the back of the pickup and it just drives from it's parking spot, to the refueling main tank, and to a tractor, and back to it's spot. Kind of sad really...

 

Sent you a pm, can hope!