jps wrote:
On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:13:52 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:50:59 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:14:31 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:16:42 -0700, jps wrote:

On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:57:34 -0500, Richard Casady
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:42:17 -0700, jps wrote:

They concentrated on SUVs and Trucks until it went bust wihle others
who saw the 1000 point writing on the wall designed more efficient
vehicles.
The Ford F-150 pickup truck has been the best selling vehicle in the
country for about thirty years. Ford didn't make people buy them.

Casady
If they'd have stuck with the F150, Ford would be in fine shape. But
they're not in trouble for building F150's are they?

And you knew that.
The F150 and E150 are still their bread and butter. They dress up that
chassis to make the luxury SUVs and fancy vans but they are still
F150s when you look under the skin.
This old truck is still doing fine for me (1985)
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Brownie.jpg
It's amazing how many of the F-150s of that era are still on the road and
run well.
Cars of that vintage didn't, due to all the emission control stuff, but
trucks were exempt and as a result run well and long.

Eisboch
F150s are half ton, you had to be over a ton to get the exemption.
This has the air pump and the cat converter.
Emission control really became a non-issue in the 80s when they
started using electronic fuel and spark management systems. The bad
reputation came from the 70s vehicles that were just adding emission
control devices to old technology engines.
Your right. I am a decade off.
I used to have a '87 Ford F-150 with the 300ci six. It was a great truck
and very reliable.

Eisboch
That is what this one has. 180 k miles.
The only problem we had with it was it was a northern truck that moved
south and it overheated when I was pulling my boat. From my experience
with an E150 I knew the fix was a 3 core radiator instead of the
standard 2 core. I found a guy who paid me $50 for the old 2 core so
it wasn't that big a deal.
This is our spare vehicle, only used for hauling stuff and moving the
boat. Like my old E150, everyone I know has borrowed it for something.

I have a 1967 Chevy C-20 with a 327 and a dump bed. Three speed
column shift had a seizure 10 years ago so I cut a hole in the floor
and installed a hurst shift kit. Three on the floor. Truck looks
like crap but runs like a champ and does whatever I need.

I keep the old shift lever on the dash board just in case I need to
disarm a rabid gun owner.

If you had a gasoline electric a 30 year old truck would be in the junk
by now because of the cost of replacing the battery. From what I have
heard they have to be replaced every 6 to 8 years depending on use.
With that rate of depreciation they become disposable. Every one know
the cost of replacing batteries in your old laptop.