Ford Rant

[ultrarunner]

Hey, my 1931 Ford Model A Roadster is still going strong and it is all stock.

My 1911 Ford Model T Speedster is very reliable but it lacks all the modern creature comforts of the Model A. The "T" good enough for around town, but I don't take it on trips anymore...

I now prefer the newer Model A for road trips! Having a windshield wiper and electric headlights sure are the "Cats Meow"

....Cheers

 

[Egon]

On really steep hills do you drive forward or back up with the model T ??

 

[ultrarunner]

Egon... Actually, I live on a very steep hill and the road is 7/10's of a mile straight up... well like San Francisco steep, and yes... I did have to drive home in reverse and backing up that hill... as a side benefit... I got to know a lot of my neighbors along the way!

Anyway, the family was getting a little embarrassed, so I finally bit the bullet and bought and ELECTRIC fuel pump and now I can drive home without having to back-up that last 7/10's of a mile.

The 20 HP motor has plenty of power, the problem is that the original gravity fuel system is limited to how steep a grade you can ascend... no problem going up backwards because the tank is then higher than the carb....

No problems with the Model A, I can go up in 2nd gear!!

Since this is a Ford Thread, let me say that I am a satisfied customer and have found no issues with quality when used as intended...

 

[alchemysa]

I've just had better luck w/Ford pkups than any other vehicle except, ahem, Toyota..........

I read a thought provoking article in a 4x4 magazine this week. Here in Australia we have more 4x4's per head than just about anywhere in the world but we don't manufacturer any ourselves so we don't have any misguided loyalty to some second rate, locally made product. The result is that Australia has simply supported the best available imported product. We've had plenty to choose from but the biggest selling, most trusted 'big' 4x4 over here, by a country mile, is the Toyota Landcruiser. If you go 'outback' in Australia, Landcruisers outnumber everything else by about 5 to 1. The slightly smaller Toyota Hi-Ace pick-up (I think you call it a Tacoma) also has legendary reliability too. Second favourite is probably the Nissan Patrol. England's Land Rovers are nice but they have a bad record for reliability so you rarely see them in the bush, and, to put it nicely, Ford Explorers were just never taken seriously. Certainly they were never taken off the bitumen. (They're not even available over here anymore). Personally I'm a Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero) driver, its probably the 3rd biggest selling big 4x4 over here, and I've got a Suzuki Sierra too, but the Landcruiser is definitely the 4x4 to travel in if your life depends on it. The Toyota Prado is the biggest selling of the 'mid-sized' 4x4's.

 

[scott_vt]

Since this is a Ford Thread, let me say that I am a satisfied customer and have found no issues with quality when used as intended...

Mornin Ultrarunner,
Thanks !

 

[RoyJackson]

EDITED We've had plenty to choose from but the biggest selling, most trusted 'big' 4x4 over here, by a country mile, is the Toyota Landcruiser. If you go 'outback' in Australia, Landcruisers outnumber everything else by about 5 to 1.

I know what you mean about the Toyota Land Cruiser! Buddy of mine had one...had to be late 60's or early 70's...when they still looked like a military vehicle. We just couldn't break the sunofagun!

 

[Toiyabe]

In the US, what is sold as a Toyota Landcruiser is a Toyota Prado everywhere else. Nowadays, it is a luxury vehicle. Can't get a "real" landcruiser in the US anymore. The Toyota Tacoma in the US is now its own platform, not based on the Hilux. The FJ Cruiser was recently introduced to try and recapture some of the real off-road market that the classic Landcuiser had, but it is also based on the Prado. Confused yet?

The Nissan Patrol is not available in the US. The Mitsubishi Montero is the same as the Pajero (except no short wheelbase option), but is discontinued in the US market as of 2006. It was also focused on the luxury urban assault vehicle market.

In the parts of the US most like the Australian outback Japanese trucks are pretty rare. The 60's to 70's Landcruisers are still sought-after by recreational offroaders - a large reason for the continued popularity is that they used a GM derived motor, which makes it easy to swap in small block Chevys.

 

[RobertN]

I am a died in the wool Jeep guy when it comes to off roading. I was born in a '42 Ford MB(war time contract production; Willy's was the main builder, but could not supply enough units). I do not have a Jeep now, but forever have been a red/white/blue Jeep guy.

I knew the Land Crushers were a decent vehicle, but they were not a Jeep, and were made overseas.

I was very surprised a few years back, when I googled some history, and found that the original Land Cruisers were built as an all weather replacement for the Jeep in the US military. It was also part of trying to rebuild Japan's industry after WWII. Although the design and execution as excellent, it never flew to put a non-US vehicle in to the US military.

I would still take a Jeep first, but there is no doubting the Land Cruiser as a capable dependable vehicle. In fact, they were probably tougher than pre-'76 Jeeps; the old Jeeps were tough but had a c-channel frame that was prone to cracking by the spring hangers when wheeled hard.

The shame is, wen the Jeep frame was made tougher, it was still an AMC. AMC was not known for quality... An early CJ7, or the '77 and newer CJ% with the box frame, inline-6, t18 granny box, and t20 xfer case, dana-44 rear axle, were a pretty solid unit...

The Land Crusher is popular for V8 conversions in the States; they are down right heavy. They need a V8 to be able to get out of thier own way The lower powered 6-cylinder was one reason it was tough; there was not so much power that it easily broke stuff. The same goes for the older Jeeps with the flathead 4-cylinder. My Dad was kinda rough sometimes on that old MB. It was stock, except 10.50-15 tires(back in the 60's and 70's when that was a pretty big tire and there was noone making "lift" kits). That Willy's didn't really have the power to hurt itself; it just kept going and going...

I know what you mean about the Toyota Land Cruiser! Buddy of mine had one...had to be late 60's or early 70's...when they still looked like a military vehicle. We just couldn't break the sunofagun!

 

[ultrarunner]

I am a died in the wool Jeep guy when it comes to off roading. I was born in a '42 Ford MB(war time contract production; Willy's was the main builder, but could not supply enough units). I do not have a Jeep now, but forever have been a red/white/blue Jeep guy.

Hello Robert... I would recommend the jeep story to anyone interested in American Ingenuity. Amazing how the little American Bantam Company in Butler PA designed and built the first BRC jeeps in a matter to months... not years... and the rest they say... is history.

 

[tlbuser]

The Ford 6.4L has been a very solid and trouble free motor so far. Ford has gained leaps and bounds on this truck.

John M

Yea, what, all 6 months that it's been available from INTERNATIONAL??? Now, hope Ford and navistar work out all of the legal issues before you have any real issues with the engine. The problems started here;
International : News Detail