Simple trucks

[skid]

I should mention, the first vehicle I ever drove was a 1968 International 4wd pickup truck. 304 V8 no smog crap, just points and plugs, oil changes and some grease.

4-speed manual transmission, granny first gear, the truck was unstoppable!

My first truck was a 67 International long box step side I bought well-used from a farmer at age 16. 304 V8 with a 3 on the tree. Everything was metal. Oil bath air cleaner - had a back fire and the carb started on fire, being a dumb kid I pulled the oil filled air cleaner off, spilled some oil (maybe gas in there too) and whoosh, started a bigger fire and singed my eyebrows and hair off. Managed to put the fire out by smothering it with my jean jacket and away I went again. Had a lot of good times in that truck although that wasn't one of them.

[mkm5]

But if the Frontier's too big for him wouldn't the Dakota be as well?

Phill has a point. Can she be rebuilt? Theres at least two cars in my past I wish I'd just redone rather than let go. (Course, there's also that car one puts way too much into when they should cut it loose.)

Yeah, the first gen Dakotas are about as small a truck I'd recommend. I can't imagine driving anything below a mid size, and not sure what use they would be except maybe for an off-roader.

An old Jeep Commanche is a very simple truck to maintain and repair, and the 4.0 liter with 5-speed manual is pretty bulletproof. Very few electronics compared to anything newer too. Problem is, these things are getting really expensive to buy in rust free condition!

[mkm5]

My first truck was a 67 International long box step side I bought well-used from a farmer at age 16. 304 V8 with a 3 on the tree. Everything was metal. Oil bath air cleaner - had a back fire and the carb started on fire, being a dumb kid I pulled the oil filled air cleaner off, spilled some oil (maybe gas in there too) and whoosh, started a bigger fire and singed my eyebrows and hair off. Managed to put the fire out by smothering it with my jean jacket and away I went again. Had a lot of good times in that truck although that wasn't one of them.

Such a great '70s story, been there, done that!

I might be getting old and embellishing a bit, but I'm pretty sure when I changed the spark plugs on the '68 International, I just crawled in the engine compartment and stood between the inner fenders and the engine to do the job! Plenty of room to work back then.

I won't tell the nightmare story of changing all 16 spark plugs on my 2008 4.7L Jeep. Okay, I will, all 16 coil packs were "welded" to the plugs, no dialectric grease apparently. I remember an engineering professor who always said "keep it simple stupid," and man was he right!

[Phill]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

A local welder said he can cut out the rusted zones and weld in fresh metal. I'm just worried that when he removes the bed, he'll find rust that previously was hidden. I don't want to cause a safety risk for myself or others. A full frame swap would solve this, but they are difficult to find.

My dad taught me to drive stick on this truck and how to change oil. I learned a lot more over the years, too.

If its already rusty, its already a "safety risk" so repairing what you have can only make it better.

If you like the vehicle and engine/gearbox/diff is good, find a way to do the frame swap if yours is too far gone. How stringent are the rules regarding frame swaps/registration/engineering? Can you use a set of rails from another vehicle that's more common and similar enough to make the swap viable?

Any decent chassis shop/body builder can do something for you if it all gets too hard, provided the Rules don't preclude it, and your wallet isn't fussy.