Ok, I can take a hint. A number of you told me in no uncertain terms that I should stop being a left-lane bandit, and move over into the right lane, instead of forcing folks to pass me on the right. So here I am, driving along at the speed limit (as I always do!), and what comes roaring by on the left? A 1954 Jimmy pickup. Now I know these GMC sixes were legendary, but I assumed only in hopped-up form. Of course it’s possible that this one had five carbs on it too.
Like this one. Isn’t it nice to see carbs come in odd numbers?
My kind of truck: lots of patina, eight foot bed, and hauling right along. Too bad I wasn’t driving my old F-100; I might have been tempted to get into a race with him. I got it up to ninety once; that was plenty fast enough; of course the speedo was wavering so wildly, that it could have been anything between eighty-five and a hundred, so that number is a wild guess. But close enough…
There he goes, roaring by. Now that’s a bumper to believe in; probably weighs 300 lbs.
It just occurred to me: if I were to post these pictures in reverse order, I could say that I was passing him on the right, and my reputation as a wimpy driver might be enhanced a bit. But then some of you would give me flack for being a right lane passer…can’t win.
90mph in a ’60s F-100? Your a braver man than me! I had our ’65 up to 60mph once and it was terrifying.
This.
Reminds me of the ’84 F-350 flatbed I drove for the Highway Department last summer. A 300 I6 with no overdrive and at least a 4.88 rear axle, if not, like, 5-something, generally starts protesting at anything above 55.
Needless to say, I got it up to 70 going down the steepest hill in the county, screaming at–what exactly? 4500 rpm? How the hell should I know? No tach, no problem.
And yes, that was terrifying as well. Driveability with no weight over the rear axle is nonexistent; steering is a suggestion at such high speeds. I’ve got a seatbelt, but all it’s doing is keeping me from flying out the window.
With overdrive, my engine is turning about 2200 rpm at seventy, a nice cruising speed.
See, that’s what I’d like to find, a bullnose F-150 (’80-’86) with the 300, 5-speed overdrive, and no more than 3.55 gears in back, for decent gas mileage. I’m about the only guy I know who’s got a car, but no pickup truck too. Rural life does that to you, makes you “need” something that isn’t necessary. But I don’t say “want” because it’s not just a want, there is some practical value to an old pickup like that.
My 63 F-100 had so much free play in the middle of the steering wheel I don’t think I could have herded it past maybe 65. I could never tell because the speedo would get wacky over about 45. Mine had no OD, and my six was the smaller 240. That would be a good thing to ponder – which was scarier at 60-65 mph – my Model A or my 63 F-100?
I drove a 7.5 ton truck across Europe once that had a gross amount of play dead centre. But the truck tracked pretty well, so I got quite good at pointing it in the general direction I wanted to go, and then just nudging against the edges of the free play to keep it on the road.
That was an interesting trip actually – all the way from Bristol, UK to the centre of Bosnia and back again, just as the war was wrapping up. Saw a few things…
You beat me to it; that’s the technique. All the old trucks I drove, from small to very big, pretty much were the same. I’m sure newer trucks are better.
I think it’s high time manufacturers brought back the real stepside beds like this this one. With the spare mounted up like this they could sell another of one those high dollar alloy wheels.
The 1973-1987 GM stepside fenders would nearly match the flared front fenders of the current and forthcoming models.
Nice pickup I like the rear bumper have you found a secret kiwi speedway fan we put bumpers like that on our race cars for Saturday night fun a 5mph bumper is as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle in full contact motor sport you gotta build em strong. By the way speedos are notoriously inaccurate since I have a portable GPS its easy to see how govts are keeping speeds down every single car Ive put it in has a fast reading speedo only trucks are accurate and have limiters correctly configured.
I paced my speedo a few years back, 54km in 30min against 100km/hr indicated – guess why I was prompted to check it…
On the subject of speed in trucks, I rode with a gent a few years ago in his restored 1948 Commer truck that he drove at 35mph. I asked if he’d considered re-gearing it given that it wasn’t going to carry 3-5 ton any more (can’t remember the capacity), he might have been able to lift it to 50mph. No he said, the steering and brakes at 40mph were getting a bit uncomfortable, he was happy to leave it as-is.
To this slight attempt at a sketch of ancient Scottish manners the public have been more favourable than the Author durst have hoped or expected. He has heard, with a mixture of satisfaction and humility, his work ascribed to more than one respectable name. Considerations, which seem weighty in his particular situation, prevent his releasing those gentlemen from suspicion by placing his own name in the title-page; so that, for the present at least, it must remain uncertain whether Waverley be the work of a poet or a critic, a lawyer or a clergyman, or whether the writer, to use Mrs Malaprop’s phrase, be, “like Cerberus—three gentlemen at once.” The Author, as he is unconscious of anything in the work itself (except, perhaps, its frivolity) which prevents its finding an acknowledged father, leaves it to the candour of the public to choose among the many circumstances peculiar to different situations in life, such may induce him to suppress his name on the present occasion. He may be a writer new to publication, and unwilling to avow a character to which he is unaccustomed; or he may be a hackneyed author who is ashamed of too frequent appearance, and employs this mystery, as the heroine of the old comedy used her mask to attract the attention of those to whom her face had become too familiar. He may be a man of a grave profession, to whom the reputation of being a novel-writer might be prejudicial; or he may be a man of fashion, to whom writing of any kind might appear pedantic. He may be too young to assume the character of an author, or so old as to make it advisable to lay it aside.
Wow. I’m not seeing any sign that this is running anything other than a GMC six. Looks like stock wheels and stock ride height, no prominent modified exhaust. Either it’s an honest work truck or it’s the stealthiest of stealth trucks., right down to the dirty/rusty license plate.