Why thank you, Jim! Marlow is *so* wrong about you!!
Not to keep throwing punches after the bell, but ... Todd, I, too, loved the originality of my truck and kept the 216 for a long time. But the rear end upgrade really made the gearing too tall for the engine. She huffed and she puffed and she could hit 65 (once she got there ...) ... until the slightest up grade or headwind came along. And in town traffic was sketchy at best, especially in the three-lanes of high speed traffic between lights. As long as all the other cars were 240D Mercedes, mopeds or Citroen 2CV's, I was ok. Otherwise, it became a NASCAR "rubbin is racin'" free for all to get around me. Upping the engine to a 261 really made my truck driveable in the 21st Century. It is still very much the same truck, but it doesn't have to travel on the trailer anymore.
Take a look here. Other than the Alpine Green color, there is only one visual cue in this image to tell that this isn't a 216...
~ John
A kid raised on Hotwheels, Matchbox and Tonka cannot be reasonably expected to own only one vehicle as an adult.
1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 1963 Kaiser M38A1 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
