It’s not the first time I’ve shared my endless abuse of my long-suffering ’66 F100. The last time, I estimated that my load was some 3,000 – 3,600 lbs, or about 2,200 lbs over my truck’s 1200 lb nominal rating. This time, it was a pallet (plus more) of freshly cut, very moist sod. Weight? beats me, but like so many other times, the rear springs had no work to do on the ride home.
Rear suspension is strictly by rubber block, as well as the flex in the tires; the springs are just keeping the axle in place. Speaking of, I’d say they’re about ready for replacement, given the checking between the treads. They’re about….17, 18 years old. And only the second set I’ve ever put on it in the 27 years I’ve owned it.
The 240 six is telling me it would like a tune up; it’s stuttering a bit under a heavy load above about 2800 rpm or so (easy enough to avoid, as I rarely exceed that). Well, it has been about a decade since the last one. I know I’m going to jinx it by saying this, but my truck has needed absolutely nothing in the past 8-9 years, except a battery. Always starts right up, even during our crazy arctic cold this winter. If it’s lucky, it gets an annual summer-time oil change and chassis lube. That’s it. If it ain’t broke, I don’t fix it. I’m going to regret this…
By the way, that sod is not for our house. I’ve spent the last twenty years digging ours out, bit by little bit, as Stephanie’s amazing cottage garden slowly expanded; wall-to-wall flowers this time of year.
When we moved here, it was wall-to-wall lawn. Now there’s none left in the front and side yard, and only a little patch in back. Lots of work… This sod is for one of my rental cottages that I’ve been doing a complete renovation on, and this is the finishing touch.
We never go away for Memorial Day Weekend; the weather is never really good, and there’s too many folks in the woods and at the beaches (strictly in relative terms). It’s our big gardening weekend; time to plant the summer vegetable crops. How do you spend it?
I love that yellow truck. Cover pic looks like its got a whole garden in its tray.
I envy you for being able to keep a truck like that. Service work ate up several trucks I had. Now I just dedicate a trailer to a type of work. Happy memorial day.
Your pickup is the same color as the ’70 F100 my father used to have. He loaded (over)loaded it just as much! It rarely need work, also.
We are also stay at home folks for Memorial Day. However this year we are in Kansas City visited friends and we are going to Worlds of Fun amusement park today. I’m so ecstatic about it.
The flower garden is beautiful.
The solution to today’s tall pick-up trucks: gardening.
Today’s trucks are so tall their load beds are useless. Instead they pull trailers.
Let’s hope the trailers don’t follow the trucks’ trend then.
Never have had trouble hauling any load in my “useless” bed. Perhaps it’s operator error.
I would love to hear the story of this F-100 being driven up to Eugene from California. The yard looks great, never been a big fan of endless grass.
The minivan and truck are snuggled so close together in that driveway you’d think they were planning a late night rendezvous. 😛
Nice old truck being used as it was designed to be used .
I do hope you occasionally drain & refill the tranny and rear end .
Top up the steering box with Penrite or gear oil too .
-Nate
I would strongly advise to NOT change the trans or, especially the diff, fluids, unless you have a real reason, like parts failure (shrapnel) or KNOWN contamination. Those sixties fluids are organic and far superior, even when old, to any modern synthetic replacement. I know you mean well, but I hung around with the old guys (I’m now 65 …. ouch) long enough to have this drubbed in.
FWIW ;l
I am an old guy and a Journeyman Mechanic besides , I do not own any modern vehicles and I drive my oldies hard and 800 + miles every 7 days so I know what works and what doesn’t .
Anyone who thinks old paraffin based lubricants were even 1/10th as good as to – day’s synthetics , simply doesn’t know anything about the subject , period .
Good luck with that .
-Nate
Reminds me of the loads I hauled when I started my landscaping business in the mid-80’s; that was with the 1980 F-150. It had the 300-I6 and a 3-speed manual, and nothing else. I think it was rated for 1500-1600 pounds. The previous owner replaced the factory issue 3-sped overdrive. Regularly hauled loads of 2500-3000 pounds. My record was 4500 pounds verified by the landfill tare weight receipt. That truck was a worker, but also a nickel and dimer, it had to go.
I had tires that looked as dryrotted as yours on the back of my old Chevy. I bet they were 15-20 years old. Be careful, one of mine started to “chunk” and threw hunks of the tread off the tire. It did hold still hold air until I got to work and put on the 25 years old spare. When I replaced the rear tires the shop offered a “lifetime warranty”. But I found out it was for only the “life” of the tires (7 years). Not my lifetime or the trucks or the tread so I passed on that. I was always more careful about not running old tires on the front, I didn’t want to lose steering control if I got a blowout. (never did). I drove from California to Washington with secondary coil spring overloads on the axle tubes that collapsed into a solid spacer holding up the rear. The Chevy had coil springs in the rear and these were the only overloads that would work. I had a 30 ft 5th wheel trailer and my motorcycle and tools in the bed. The tires held together on the trip but a couple of months later when it was empty the tire started to chunk. I did put new front’s on before I left.
Look out for your back! I scored some “readylawn” off a friend a couple of weeks ago, to do a small patch next to my garage. Biffed 12 rolls in the back of the wife’s wingroad, it was a pretty sedate, and humid, drive home! Then I hurt my back in the process of getting it out of the trunk and laying it.
Trucks were never my thing until I had a home where I could store multiple vehicles. Of the Slicks from 1961-1966 my eyes always fell upon the 65 model. Just like the grill better. Found mine, with a 1972 360 engine, back in 2006 and she needed work. Engine block fine but all peripherals had to be worked on. COM tranny in very good shape being taken care of all those years with a transmission cooler. Drove it 30 mjiles home in traffic on a Sunday no less. One week later the brakes went out on my coming up on a stop sign which I blew through. Needless to say she went up for repair and the long process of dealing with everything. The brakes and hubs being the toughest to deal with.
However, she has run great for years and did her job in hauling landscaping home and old fence wood to a recycle center. That earned her the right to get a fresh look back to her stock original colors and interior. In fact the bed has just been finished and I took the column out today for a new turn signal switch and new paint. Even out here you see few of these trucks and when I see them at shows they are modified not stock.
Also a stay at home person being a solemn weekend. Will only go out tomorrow to the USS Hornet for a Memorial celebration taking me 88 year old dad. He did ask which car I will pick him up in.
There are two I know of. Caught a glimpse of one at the DMV while the other is always seen out in Walnut Creek by some auto shops and dealers. The Walnut Creek one.
The DMV one is also a 65.
The last one a junk yard dog in which the hood, both fenders, grille and bumper were in such great shape I had to take them as backups. Didn’t want good sheetmetal crushed.
You know me, I want that Toyota! Also me and Jerry and slaving around our yard as well. Gotta make this place pretty for the wedding. He’s at Lane County Forest Products right now dumping a load and getting another load of bark mulch. Meanwhile I’m doing my best to de-moss the front yard with a rake. UGH.
We started a new tradition this year. Took the boys to jefferson barracks in STL to place flags on the tombstones with our Cub Scout PAC.
In years past we would drive down there to visit my wife’s grandpas grave. It’s always good to think about the past and give a little thanks.
I’ve been driving the Dirty Dart around in between messing with it sessions. Heck, I’ve been driving almost all the old cars around. I greased the hub and all the bearings in my new to me ’73 Kool Lemon Schwinn Speedster. I flew kites with my dad and hung out with my wife…didn’t go anywhere special, just the way I like it.
Dont feel too bad Paul a concrete placer I did a pour for overordered so he could take some home in two half 44/55 gallon oil drums in the bed of a new Ford Ranger it sank like your old yella but I doubt it will still be around in 50 years.
The lead picture looks like another one from Franck Bohbot. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-the-photography-of-franck-bohbot/
You make me miss that old 74 C10 I sold last year.
My neighbor has a 96 Tacoma with a little over 270k. It has been hit in a few places, but mechanically, it’s the most perfect pickup in town. He maintains that thing like white on rice (and uses my mechanics).
If I were involved in the real estate side of the world, I would have still unloaded that old 74′, or at least lowered it a bit to make it more functional. That Chevy had a 350 and I believe it could haul well over 5,000 pounds since it had the towing package from way back when.
I just prefer having a vehicle where I can touch everything inside without having to climb in it.
A few years ago I used my ’02 Ford F250 Super Duty diesel to haul 1300 lbs. worth of scrap paper ( old invoices, flyers, etc. ) from a friend’s failed car detailing business. That truck just didn’t care. No noticable change in ride height, and no significant loss in acceleration either.
A few years before that I used my 1990 Chevy 1500 with its tired 4.3 V6 engine to haul two half pallets of decorative split paver bricks from Home Depot to my parents’ house. Poor thing. Thanks to the totally worn out rear leaf springs, the back end was riding on the bump stops, Meanwhile, the little 4.3 with over 200,000 miles on it was groaning with effort. It made it ok, but I wouldn’t want to drive any considerable distance that way. If that truck doesn’t sell, it’s getting upgraded 2500 model springs and a fresh 4.3.
Love the pale yellow of the truck against that fantastic garden…just really works as a photo. Absolutely amazing garden! Especially compared to the plain expanse of lawn that was there beforehand. And I’ll also say kudos to a truck of that age still being used as it should. Tough customer.
Spent my Memorial Day around the house, mostly. My anniversary is a little more than a week before (depending on the day) so it’s convenient to travel then and be back home before all the crowds take to the roads.