The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Old truck Myths

Number one;ya can't drive an old GM truck at hiway speeds,rubbish.Took a trip to the ATHS meet near Ft Wayne Indiana,my 51 and the other GMC's driven by Kook and Bill Miles have stock suspensions,but radial tires and a front sway bar.The average cruising speed on the Interstate was 65 MPH.I left before them to return,between Toledo and Cleveland,the traffic was flying at night.My truck has OD,I cruised at 80 mph for an hour,the 261 engine was running along at 2200 rpm,it was working ,but not straining.The truck tracked straight,no problem at all.
Second,your engine will blow up at over 2500 rpm on a long trip,more rubbish.Kook has 4.ll gears with 16 inch tires,stock unrebuilt 228 engine.He and Bill made a nearly 2000 mile round trip,(for me it was 1200 miles)Kook's engine speed was 3000 rpm at 65 mph.While passing large trucks he often went 70 for a few miles.Sure it's noisy,he wore modern battery powered noise canceling ear muffs,it wastes fuel,but it can be done.
Myth number three,the drum brakes are unsafe on the highway.Partly true,discs are better,but an alert drive can use proper driving techniques to be as safe as possible.And many 60's Muscle cars have drums.
Myth number four,the ride is too stiff,more rubbish.It's an old truck,it rides stiff,but no worse than an 80's 4 wheel drive with straight axles.It's all in the seat,just like over the road trucks,a good seat makes up for the stiff ride.
Myth number four,you can't drive in fast moving rush hour traffic.Hmmm,we drove through Cleveland in heavy fast moving traffic,dodging and weaving with best of them.Of course the high center of gravity requires some thinking on the driver's part,probably safer with an alert driver in an AD truck than an SUV driven with on hand on the wheel,one hand on the cell phone and the third hand holding a cup of coffee.
No need for grafted on car suspensions,V-8's,or auto trannies,a suspension and steering in good order,good tires and shocks,a sway bar,let that motor sing on the hiway

Right on Tony!

Myth number five: "You NEED something newer to get be more reliable and get better gas mileage."

I can't tell you how many times I've heard that from the relatives making fun of my not-so-old (1973) Chevy truck! My Ol' Blue isn't "pretty"; it's a working farm truck that has outlasted and can outwork any of their vehicles. I get the exact same mileage as my uncle Roger does with his fancy com-puke-erized, fool-infested Dog truck.

My 64 w/230/3spd/3.73 gets nearly 16mpg consistently, my bro has 2004 Silverado w/4.8/autoOD/3.42 gets 20 hiway on a good day,has black box,EFI, plastic everything, can't even turn the lights off/on manually. C'mon 40 years of technology for 4mpg??? Base price on my 64 was $2025, his stripped(a/c & radio but rubber mat etc, work truck "option") was stickered @$20k, he got it for around $17k. I drive my 64 everyday, I do get passed a lot but who cares. Brian

I just returned from my trip to Connecticut, and my '66 C-10 with the original 250 cruised along at 60-65 mph, and got about 17 mpg. It may not be very fast, but it got me there and back safely. To top it off, the ride was very comfortable, even on those crappy Northeastern roads.

Whoever thinks that an old 1960's Chevrolet truck is unreliable and uncomfortable is full of dung.

Myth #6, vacumn wipers don't work. BS, I had mine rebuilt and they will fling the water clear off the truck. With 19" of vacumn, even hills don't slow them down much.....

Joe H...I like my vacuum wipers, but they just about stop when accelerating..How can I get some more vacuum to them?..235 motor in a 54..Thanks,Steve

http://www.wiperman.com/

p.s. amen Reverend Truckedup.

Tony, my brother, you ROCK! So do Rob and Bill. Hopefully someday you can convince everyone that old trucks are made to be driven, and have been since the day they were built.

Thanks for the info, I just checked his site..Steve

Barry,you woulda fit right in at Auburn,we had a great time,laughed till our faces hurt.Popcorn came by on his Harley,he fit right in,great guy.
Anyone can do with they want with their own truck.But it doesn't take a frame swap to make a long trip in one.It's the journey in an old stiff riding truck that makes it an adventure instead of a boring ride down the hiway like any modern vehicle.

yer right on Tony - if a guy wants a truck that acts like a modern truck, all they gotta do is buy a modern truck! OTOH, what's w/ the bent pushrods? I've never carried spares of those!

these old bolts ride and sound like trucks did when they were the 'workin man's ride', and when I'm on the hiway I always think about the workin stiffs that use to make their livin pushin this technology across the continent for days on end for their whole [short!] lives

Bill

Other than rebuilding the motor, your best option is to get a vacuum tank with a one-way valve off a newer vehicle. Put it in line to you wiper motor, it will help even out the vacuum.

As far as driving old trucks, I put about 20,000 miles on my 52 3/4 ton last year. 235, 4.10 gears, 31" tires, stock suspension, brakes and bias-ply tires on the front axle. 60 mph in heavy traffic at 2,600 rpm, sped up to 70 as needed. No problem with keeping up with traffic, just had to be careful about saving room to stop. Then there was the day some kid tried running me off the road. When I pulled back up beside him at 95, he liked to crapped his pants!

shoop rob ficken is on the money. if you need anything. he,s about 5 mi. east of me onlong island. regards, steve sr. tony p... what can i saybut exactly what barry did. rock on

TONY by the way have you or anyone for that matterseen or heard from chiphead,he of the 261 destruction co.

One other thing that helps with vacuum wipers is a dual stage fuel pump,it'll have a vacuum pump built in. With that and a big ol' vacuum tank,you won't have to worry about the wipers stopping again.My uncle used to make vacuum tanks from the big freon tanks like the A/C shops use for all his old farm trucks,but I guess the EPA would frown on that nowadays,wouldn't they?

We drove the 41 to Italy way down to Ancona (490 miles)for the big 40es and 50es Summer Jamboree in 2003, where we played with our Western Swing band and as a backup band for Sid King and his Brother

[img]http://www.oldwoogies.com/PhotoSJ2003/sid&billy.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.oldwoogies.com/PhotoSJ2003/IdaRedBandOnStage1.jpg[/img]


From Germany you have to go to Austria and than over the Brenner Pass (mountain pass over the Alps) 4495 ft high and than down to the "Po Ebene" (lowlands in northern italy) where the temperatures jumps up to 110 F. (I was glad we had the Thermadore Swamp Cooler at the Window)

Kind of italian death valley in late August.

We drove back over the Alps in pouring rain for hours.

My family said:
1. you are totaly nuts
2. you never make it over the Alps
3. if you make it over the Alps the temperatures in Italy will cook your radiator
4. you will have to trailer it back
5. your vac wipers are not good enough for heavy rain

I´m proud to say we had no problem at all with the old girl. Such trips were made back in the days when our rides where new and with some TLC they can be made today.

And these guys even came all the way from Sweden with the stretched Cadillac (1200 miles)!
[img]http://www.oldwoogies.com/PhotoSJ2003/caddy46-b.jpg[/img]

More pics of the Summer Jamboree here: Jamboree

Tony, you guys had too much fun.
Stovebold, that sounds like an adventure I'd attempt.

Cletis,next year the ATHS Nationals are in Baltimore,a long ride for you but the boys are worth it.No need for power steering,auto trans, or car suspensions,just slide behind the wheel of that slow hard riding truck and join the fun.

Hey cletis,, get that GMC ready and lets go...speaking of stiff stuff, if you cant handle you will never make it pass 55,,guess I had better stop this response,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Fred

Trucked up, I forgot to add,, you dont look anything close to your age,,,,Joy must take real good care of you..(cooking)....Fred

Bump, I am going to keep this at the top,,wanna make sure all see it,,Trucked-up(Tony) is telling it like it is.....................Get out and drive those trucks.......Fred

Fred I look younger cause I think younger,the stiff ride,and wrestling the steering wheel keeps ya in good shape.
"See the USA in your Chevrolet"

oh I agree, I will be 64 on the 17th and I know that I dont act my age going take a little trip Friday and let Hardy-restorer take a look at my AD truck,,heck, he might wanna give up his,,,,,Fred