Decisions

I'm looking for some input on a decision. I'm looking to buy my first truck and I'm torn between two options. First one is a 78 Chevy bonanza.
>solid engine, drive train has no issues
>a few cosmetic repairs needed but nothing too terribly bad.
>speedometer doesn't work will need to fix
>260k miles
>still decent looking and owner is selling for only 1k dollars.
My second option is a 95 Ford F-150
>150k miles
>solid engine with no hiccups
>power windows, locks, etc
>cosmetic issues are at bare minimum
>extended cab
>downside is its 4900 dollars, which means I'll need to finance it with a 1k down payment probably
What do you guys think? Should I just pay a thousand bucks and slowly do some work on the Chevy? Or should I take the Ford that won't need any work right away, but pay it off for a little while?

Chevy 350

Any particular reason why?

The f-150. That chevy is going to get terrible mileage. If the f-150 has the 4.9L buy it immediately. Its one of the best engines ever built and will give you no problems as long as you remember to keep it well oiled. Its really nice having that extra room with the ext cab. That chevy is going to give you nothing but problems.

>ford
>reliable

Fix it Again Tony

The f150 has a 5.8 liter actually.

>Pocketsand

Are you going to be using these truck for truck stuff or just as a dd? The 5.8L is a decent work engine but not for a commuter.

Just an everyday truck. But I live in a very small town where my "commute" to work is 10 minutes max.

That said I may move at some point, so I'll want to haul a uhaul at least.

Chevy, here's why.

>Squarebody
>Chevy smallblocks are seriously jokingly cheap to replace/fix/maintain/build power out of
>These trucks are all over the place, they're common at junk yards and pick n pulls, there's pretty big communities around them as well, parts aren't hard to find
>You're not having to finance it, buy it outright and own it

Here's some things to keep in mind, also cons.

>The 73-80 trucks were more prone to rust than the 81-87s, though they also are prone to rust
>Check the cab corners, floor pans, rockers, front/rear window sils, firewall, look the frame over well if you're in any salt-the-road-state or it's fucking rainy a lot
>It's a 78, it's going to have issues, so is that ford, but with the chevy you can buy it and put money into it and still come out cheaper than the ford before you factor in any work it needs

Speedo is an easy fix, may be the gauge, or the speedo cable, or the gear in the side of the tail shaft on the transmission. It's probably gonna have some things that don't work, be it lights or gauges or a blower motor for the heater, it's a 38 year old truck, but if it's not rotted out and the frame is good, and the drivetrain is solid, it's a fantastic starting point. Chances are it's a th350 transmission, even a full rebuild on those runs you $900 or so including the torque converter, as long as it's a small block they're cheap as fuck and bullet proof, they go weak and burn oil before they blow up on you if treated well.

Pic related, bought a little over a year ago and racked up 24,000 miles on it's factory 305/th350 before I decided to replace it with a 350 and rebuild the transmission, motor and trans took a beating from me and never gave up. They're fantastic trucks, they're a blast to drive, and they're kind of iconic.

That's not too bad, sure it'll be more mileage than a Geo, but if you make any sort of living it shouldn't break you. I get 10-12 in town, around 14-15 highway in my truck, mostly because I can't keep my foot out of it. If you're not romping on the thing, it'll be alright. These things take care of you if you take care of them too, I swear, my dads got one that's been through hell and back and just keeps going, basic maintenance, and keeping an eye on things goes a long, long ways.

I say go for the chevy. Now, I'm obviously slight biased in this, but heres why I say the chevy.

Parts. Are. Everywhere. And very cheap.

And that price gap between the two trucks, they shouldn't even be classified together. I say save your money and get the chevy, again, because if something goes wrong, it'll be cheap as fuck to fix. And depending on where you live, and where the truck is from, rust is a big issue, so check it out thoroughly.

Now, if you are in a position to get a loan, then I would look at a newer chevy, preferably 86+ because it'd be fuel injected more than likely, and youd get better fuel economy, and itd be easier to keep going.

Another factor is if you plan on working on your own shit or not. Carb would be fine if you know what youre doing and are fine with working on shit yourself. They chevy would be extremely easy to work on, cant say for the ford as ive never worked on one, but I cant imagine itd be any easier than the chevy.

(if you can find one in good shape for a reasonable price, get one that's 88-98, super easy to work on, prices on parts are low as shit and plentiful, and better constructed than older models, in some ways. Oh and fuel injection would be standard unless someone slapped a carb on a TBI engine.)

And no power.

As much as I agree with you on the Chevy bit, I gotta say a carb is easier to keep going than old factory injection that has probably been hacked on by previous owners, most of these trucks are on their 3rd, 4th, 5th owner, and everyone of them tends to be a backyard mechanic or it's a project they never finished. Unless you're in an area where winter is 0 or below, carbs aren't an issue, not to mention they're cheap.

I had actually replaced the carb on my 305 at one point with a reman from National Carburetors, think I paid $240 for a tuned and tested Q-jet, worked like a dream right out of the box. New motors got a 1405 Edelbrock w/manual choke, 600cfm, leaned it up just a bit and set the idle, has ran like a raped ape for nearly 10k miles now.

idk man, old TBI setups are bullet proof and easy as fuck to work on. It took me like 30 minutes to remove my TBI, rebuild it, and reinstall it the first time id ever done it. Not a whole lot to the TBI trucks

Chevy because I've got a 79 c10 with 577,000+ miles on it. Never an engine problem , only ever stranded once in about 15 years having it and it wasn't very much so the trucks fault. Used to smoke the tires as well, and it's only a 305.

Maybe I'm just biased, I love my carbs and manual choke.

Square noses make pretty good sleepers. They're cheap to fix and Chevy had a lot of interchangeable parts from the 60s to the 80s. You can fit parts off of a v8 from 1960 onto a v8 from 1980.
>pic related
Paid 2 grand for it. I have put about another 4 grand in the motor and transmission, along with a few cosmetic repairs. The paint is 100% factory original from 1984.

I own a 94 C1500 and I couldn't be more happy with it. Its reliability is unmatched.