If I EVER...

[1965]

Never seen a FORD that the front tires wore evenly!!!

[Maddog13407]

agree, twin I beam Ford dream was a big POS

[j hancock]

I had a 1994 F150 FWD and it had a split drive axle on the front end and it never wore tires in a bad way.  Also have had a short list of Super Duty's and haven't needed ball joints until 100,000.  I do find it interesting that I have found the SD's with FWD/solid axles and leaf springs ride better than the SD's with coil front springs and FWD/solid axles.  Never should have sold the 03 F250 because you could drive to CA and never have to get out to stretch your legs.

[HeavyGunner]

I own both brands, an 04 HD2500 Silverado and a 96 F350 crew cab. Both have been excellent trucks and both have high miles on them with very little done to them other than routine maintenance. Chevy 160k+ ford 175k+.  In the end all opinions put aside they all run and all have their quirks and weak points. I

[TeamsterGrrrl]

If you look at Consumer Report's owner's reliability survey, the Ford 1/2 tons and Super Duties both rate a bit above average. Chevy's 1/2 ton rates below average, and their 3/4 and 1 tons are about average. This leads me to suspect that a lot of Chevy's problem is their wimpy 1/2 tons getting overloaded, as their standard GVW is so low that a bunch of typical older Americans in the crew cab and a few coolers full of beer in the bed will overload it before they even hook on the big boat and trailer. Ram is pretty much hopeless, the surveys seem to show that the joke about the Cummins powered Ram pickups being a "million mile engine wrapped in a hundred thousand mile truck" are true!

[41chevy]

16 hours ago, 1965 said:

Never seen a FORD that the front tires wore evenly!!!

If and it's a big if, the factory alignment procedure is followed they tires wear evenly. Most techs do not know the Ford procedure or even care because it takes 15 or 20 minutes longer to set it up. No worse than the bigger GM's that had an off set upper ball joint that you turned to set caster. Most times it was ingnored because of the PIA or lack of knowledge. Pretty easy to call something  piece of crap when the tech causes the bad rep.    Paul

[HeavyGunner]

4 hours ago, TeamsterGrrrl said:

If you look at Consumer Report's owner's reliability survey, the Ford 1/2 tons and Super Duties both rate a bit above average. Chevy's 1/2 ton rates below average, and their 3/4 and 1 tons are about average. This leads me to suspect that a lot of Chevy's problem is their wimpy 1/2 tons getting overloaded, as their standard GVW is so low that a bunch of typical older Americans in the crew cab and a few coolers full of beer in the bed will overload it before they even hook on the big boat and trailer. Ram is pretty much hopeless, the surveys seem to show that the joke about the Cummins powered Ram pickups being a "million mile engine wrapped in a hundred thousand mile truck" are true!

True about light duty half ton Chevys in my opinion. I do think they are purposefully built that way for he ride which is a huge selling point. Always drives me crazy hearing someone wanting a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to riide like a car. I don't expect mine to be smooth but I understand they're built for work and I work the hell out of mine weekly. 

Edited September 9, 2016 by HeavyGunner
Damn autocorrect

[BillyT]

I've never owned a twin I beam Ford but heard that only a few guys would take the time to align them properly.I owned a 1970 c30 Chevy wrecker with 80000 mi on Pittsburgh's potholed streets with the original front end,but I greased it religiously! I agree that the Dodge chassis is lighter built than Ford or Chevy. I knew a guy that put a 5.9 Cummins with a 10 speed r.r in a Ford F350 hotshot tractor.Had a little electric compressor to run the range selector and the horn.

[1965]

On September 9, 2016 at 11:59 AM, 41chevy said:

If and it's a big if, the factory alignment procedure is followed they tires wear evenly. Most techs do not know the Ford procedure or even care because it takes 15 or 20 minutes longer to set it up. No worse than the bigger GM's that had an off set upper ball joint that you turned to set caster. Most times it was ingnored because of the PIA or lack of knowledge. Pretty easy to call something  piece of crap when the tech causes the bad rep.    Paul

Didn't call anything a piece of crap; I've got friends that are dye hard ford; they were glad when ford went to an Aarm front end; 1 guy calls it Chevy front end on 2 wheel drives; got others that have 4wd & had 1 bought new in 1999 & it always had front end problems; he bought a new ford same time I bought my new gmc; said it  it was so much better; I asked him when riding with him in his ford then how come he kept turning the steering wheel when going down a Straight rd. If we would have been in that gmc; if you turned the wheel that much we would be in & out of the ditches

[1965]

Also

worked on newer Fords & you can't get plugs out without them breaking off in head; then you got to do the retap thing; 

[m16ty]

Had a 3/4 ton Dodge 4x4. Ball joints lasted less than 100k. Replaced them with some you could grease and put on another 200k on them without problems. In my opinion, the main problem is not installing grease fittings at the factory.

[41chevy]

50 minutes ago, 1965 said:

Didn't call anything a piece of crap;

Not you and not just Ford, but in general people tend to sometimes take a persons opinion of an item at bface value. Most every manufacturer makes something or does somethiing that leave a person scratching their head.

Chrysler's Lean Burn, Caddies  4 6 8,  GM's Geo Metro,Chevies 305/350 soft cams, Vega's Aluminum Silcate block with a steel head gasket and Cast Iron head, GM's 4100 3 main bearing block and Fords Pinto fuel tank, the list goes on.

Edited September 11, 2016 by 41chevy

[1965]

12 minutes ago, 41chevy said:

Not you and not just Ford, but in general people tend to sometimes take a persons opinion of an item at bface value. Most every manufacturer makes something or does somethiing that leave a person scratching their head.

Chrysler's Lean Burn, Caddies  4 6 8,  GM's Geo Metro,Chevies 305/350 soft cams, Vega's Aluminum Silcate block with a steel head gasket and Cast Iron head, GM's 4100 3 main bearing block and Fords Pinto fuel tank, the list goes on.

Agree!

[fxfymn]

Quote

On 9/10/2016 at 8:21 PM, 1965 said:

Didn't call anything a piece of crap;

Not you and not just Ford, but in general people tend to sometimes take a persons opinion of an item at bface value. Most every manufacturer makes something or does somethiing that leave a person scratching their head.

Chrysler's Lean Burn, Caddies  4 6 8,  GM's Geo Metro,Chevies 305/350 soft cams, Vega's Aluminum Silcate block with a steel head gasket and Cast Iron head, GM's 4100 3 main bearing block and Fords Pinto fuel tank, the list goes on.

Amen! (and you left out the infamous GM 5.7 diesel) We had a saying in the fire service that it's not OK to train on the citizen's property. I wish the auto manufacturers felt the same way.

[41chevy]

23 minutes ago, fxfymn said:

Amen! (and you left out the infamous GM 5.7 diesel) We had a saying in the fire service that it's not OK to train on the citizen's property. I wish the auto manufacturers felt the same way.

I shouldn't have forgotten that! Heated my shop for a few years on the diesel fuel from doing diesel to gas conversions on Olds and quite a few  Caddy Sevilles to 350's.   Paul

[mowerman]

1 hour ago, 41chevy said:

I shouldn't have forgotten that! Heated my shop for a few years on the diesel fuel from doing diesel to gas conversions on Olds and quite a few  Caddy Sevilles to 350's.   Paul

lol....funny thing me and a freinda mine were just talking about that few days ago........ i was working in a freinds gulf service station  part time back then....we used to shake our heads to these big beautiful cadillacs coming in buying diesel fuel......cars were loud and they stunk bad,,,,we would wonder why they bought them.guess they were all hussled with the better fuel miliage.....bob

Edited September 12, 2016 by mowerman
periods in wrong spot

[41chevy]

1 hour ago, mowerman said:

lol....funny thing me and a freinda mine were just talking about that few days ago........ i was working in a freinds gulf service station  part time back then....we used to shake our heads to these big beautiful cadillacs coming in buying diesel fuel......cars were loud and they stunk bad,,,,we would wonder why they bought them.guess they were all hussled with the better fuel miliage.....bob

LOL  Some owers seem to like punishment. One I did was a lawyers 76 or 77 Seville, put a 350 and a turbo 400, car was fast with the diesel gears, he sold it about 6 months later and bought the FWD fast back Seville... diesel  too. Converted it to a 260 Olds V-8.  What a pig!

[mowerman]

Lol that is funny he s probably in a hummer now if he s still driving.bob

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[mowerman]

I could understand it in a pickup but not all that racket n stink in luxury car

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[other dog]

On 9/6/2016 at 3:20 PM, mowerman said:

i dont do anything anymore to my newer stuff,,,just send them to repair shop....i used to do it all few years ago,,,now it seems easier to have the work done and just pay the bill.lol but we also have a few honest and reasonable repair shops in town here...bob

That's pretty much how I am, I don't have the energy I used to have anyway, and don't know much about the newfangled- electronical- computerized stuff they have now.

[Keith Pommerening]

On 9/7/2016 at 6:07 PM, 1965 said:

I havnt bought new truck since 06; probably never will again; always GM man; never seen a Ford that would out do them in any way; I don't like the problem that GM did; probably wouldn't buy a new 1 because of it; but I never seen a Ford that could run or haul what a Chevy could; there front ends were terrible; you can ride in a Chevy loaded or unloaded & you got to drive a ford!!

Remember the last new Cheby p/u I bought.  Pretty red 1978 with silver slab sides.  Was hauling a load of firewood out of the woods, when it jumped way up in the back and came crashing down.  Thought I tore the rear end out from under the truck!  The crown of the road caught the spare tire and tore it out from under chassis.  Had it about a year when fluid started to leak out of the transmission case.  Dealer told me it was probably a porous case.  Friend who repairs Cheby transmission said that the splines machined into the case rolled and pulled metal from case causing the leak.  Friend was correct.  Traded it in for an X-11 Citation, that was another mistake.  Dealer sent me a bill for new transmission.  I didn't pay it.

Engine always used a little oil.  Was using Arco Graphite oil, newest greatest thing at the time.  One cold northern Minnesota morning, that means about -35 below zero, I took a can out a the shed and stuck it in the oil fill.  Went inside to warm up and have breakfast.  Came back out to retrieve the can and oil wasn't into the spout yet.  Had to put can on wood stove and heat it to get the oil to flow out of can.  Thanks,  Keith

[1965]

1 hour ago, Keith Pommerening said:

Remember the last new Cheby p/u I bought.  Pretty red 1978 with silver slab sides.  Was hauling a load of firewood out of the woods, when it jumped way up in the back and came crashing down.  Thought I tore the rear end out from under the truck!  The crown of the road caught the spare tire and tore it out from under chassis.  Had it about a year when fluid started to leak out of the transmission case.  Dealer told me it was probably a porous case.  Friend who repairs Cheby transmission said that the splines machined into the case rolled and pulled metal from case causing the leak.  Friend was correct.  Traded it in for an X-11 Citation, that was another mistake.  Dealer sent me a bill for new transmission.  I didn't pay it.

Engine always used a little oil.  Was using Arco Graphite oil, newest greatest thing at the time.  One cold northern Minnesota morning, that means about -35 below zero, I took a can out a the shed and stuck it in the oil fill.  Went inside to warm up and have breakfast.  Came back out to retrieve the can and oil wasn't into the spout yet.  Had to put can on wood stove and heat it to get the oil to flow out of can.  Thanks,  Keith

I shouldn't have started the mudsling! 

I thought in 70's the turbo 350,400 trans. was 1 of the best thing they had; my momma had a 77 caprice; I didn't even know they made a 200 series trans. It was junk!!

[Maddog13407]

I think the 200 and 700 r 4 were both junk compared to a 350 or 400 and m a diehard gm guy. guess its al how you use them.

[Keith Pommerening]

22 hours ago, 1965 said:

I shouldn't have started the mudsling! 

I thought in 70's the turbo 350,400 trans. was 1 of the best thing they had; my momma had a 77 caprice; I didn't even know they made a 200 series trans. It was junk!!

Do have to admit one thing about that p/u.  It started and ran at -35.  Parents had a 200  series tranny in an Olsmobile.  I drove it to Alaska and back.  

[mowerman]

Lol don't know anything about reliable but I have to admit 78 Chevy pick up and the 77 Caprice beer really nice lookin rides....bob

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