What is a REAL truck?

[2INSANE]

the problem with this thread/your direction, is you are asking for opinions, but stating your opinion as fact?
thats not a discussion, its hey you come hear how awesome the voices in my head are. it sounds like in your head you have already decided what makes the perfect truck, so then why even have a thread asking what makes the perfect truck? its poppycock, all of it.

I knew this would be a touchy subject because everyone has an opinion. But there has to be a fine line in reference to calling something a REAL truck. I saw a Ford Pinto towing a small trailer the other day. Is that a REAL truck? I don't think so... Also saw a lifted "Truck" so high, you have to use a ladder to get in that! Is that a REAL truck? Can we put a rack on the back of a motorcycle and call it a REAL truck? Naaaa... So my goal with creating this thread is to express my opinion on what a REAL truck is and to hear what others think a REAL truck is. I want to compare opinions and then build a REAL truck

Why is this thread in a tech forum to begin with?? We have a Lounge for chit chat b/s, use it.

Correction:

The Garage (216 Viewing)
(All Access) This forum is for the general discussion of almost any truck-related topic.

 

[Big Ray]

When I think of a REAL truck... I think...

What a REAL truck is not...

1. Lifted more then 4".

2. Lowered more then stock.

3. Gutless. Lacking Horse's and torque

4. Has a shell.

5. 2WD

6. Can't tow

7. Pretty

8. Gearless

9. A daily driver

10. Can not get stuck.

11. Does not have some type of bed.

12. A Ford

13. A dodge

14. A Toyota


I'm trying to think of how I want to build the Ultimate truck. What's your take?

sooooo......your truck isn't a truck....


I is confused

 

[2INSANE]

sooooo......your truck isn't a truck....


I is confused

I think of it as a big ATV But street legal

 

[meanboyjr]

This thread is now about burritos.

I like burritos.

I hear that trolls like burritos, too...

 

[2INSANE]

If were going off topic... Twinkie anyone?

 

[ktmoutfront]

A real truck has 3 axles, both rears are drivers. And it has a massive diesel engine so you can GVW 80,000lbs.

 

[blazinzuk]

This thread is now about burritos.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm

Burritos

Thing is this I think they are all real trucks. Not everyone likes Horton, I don't really care. If you don't own it you can't define it.

Real is the wrong term, cool to me would be a more correct term

 

[byggyns]

This thread is now about burritos.

I discovered a new place to get burritos. It's called Hot Heads- some chain restaraunt, and they have specials on Fridays. I may stop there after work.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......mmmmmmmmmmm

 

[4xcrazy]

A "TRUCK" is NOT a passenger car, plain and simple. Everyone has different setups, configurations, looks and usages for a truck.

Trucks were designed, I believe, to do the work a passenger vehicle could not, like haul loads of excessive weight or capacity. Trucks will always come in all different configurations, depending, again, on the persons intent on it's use.

Our Avalanche here is a truck, it has a bed, capable of hauling cargo a car could not, it doesn't get used as a truck, but is still a truck.

As far as the whole commercial vehicle labeling,,, here in Arizona, my lowered 1-ton 2wd dually, was licensed as a commercial vehicle, only due to the vehicles classed weight rating. Irk'd me a bit because of the higher registration fee, but whatever.

Blazers and Suburbans, SUV's are labeled as station wagons through DMV as well, not trucks. Classified trucks here usually have a different style of license plate as well, and the commercial plates are different from both.

The whole thing about wanting to know what consists of a "real trucK" (and don't take too personally) reminds me of the days back in high school, punk, egotistical brats boasting about how much bigger their d!cks are and your sh!t sucks because my truck is better and had more money dumped into it than yours.

just my opinion

 

[4xcrazy]

and that new cheesy Dorito shelled taco from Taco Bell is pretty darned good too.

 

[meanboyjr]

and that new cheesy Dorito shelled taco from Taco Bell is pretty darned good too.

Mmmmm...tacos.

 

[2INSANE]

A "TRUCK" is NOT a passenger car, plain and simple. Everyone has different setups, configurations, looks and usages for a truck.

Trucks were designed, I believe, to do the work a passenger vehicle could not, like haul loads of excessive weight or capacity. Trucks will always come in all different configurations, depending, again, on the persons intent on it's use.

Our Avalanche here is a truck, it has a bed, capable of hauling cargo a car could not, it doesn't get used as a truck, but is still a truck.

As far as the whole commercial vehicle labeling,,, here in Arizona, my lowered 1-ton 2wd dually, was licensed as a commercial vehicle, only due to the vehicles classed weight rating. Irk'd me a bit because of the higher registration fee, but whatever.

Blazers and Suburbans, SUV's are labeled as station wagons through DMV as well, not trucks. Classified trucks here usually have a different style of license plate as well, and the commercial plates are different from both.

The whole thing about wanting to know what consists of a "real trucK" (and don't take too personally) reminds me of the days back in high school, punk, egotistical brats boasting about how much bigger their d!cks are and your sh!t sucks because my truck is better and had more money dumped into it than yours.

just my opinion

Come to think on it, I don't think the Military classifies the K5 Blazer as a truck. More of a Passenger vehicle.

and that new cheesy Dorito shelled taco from Taco Bell is pretty darned good too.

I have not tried that one yet. Sounds yummy! Pics?

 

[schuttothrill]

Come to think on it, I don't think the Military classifies the K5 Blazer as a truck. More of a Passenger vehicle.

Command/control vehicle? The trucks are "carriers" of sorts IIRC.

 

[2INSANE]

Command/control vehicle? The trucks are "carriers" of sorts IIRC.

M1009 - Utility version of the General Motors Chevy K5 Blazer 2nd edition. The M1009 is a utility rig built from a Blazer and could be used for command and control, as well as simple hack-around duties. It was often seen with radio sets installed, however the large square tube stock mounts prevented the rear seat from being lowered. The M1009 was rated for a 1,200 pound payload and a 3,000 pound towed load. It used the heaviest duty GM springs available for the chassis and the rear axle was a 10-bolt unit. It rolled on 10.00-15 tires, had 3.08 gears and a rear Eaton ADL.

 

[schuttothrill]

Roger that! Someday I'll get one to put my axles on........

 

[GonicGM]

For sure.

And I (and most anyone) can get anything stuck

And does the truck being a daily driver make it more or less of a "truck"?

Agree on both points.

 

[GonicGM]

I more or less built my 1983 K30 to be a truck that does everything I need it to do.



These are the features that make sense FOR ME as a TRUCK:

• 4WD, I live in New Hampshire with lots of snow, ice and mud, even so, I get stuck regularly in snow and ice.
• Locking rear differential, even so, I get stuck regularly in snow and ice.
• 9' Fisher snow plow. For my circumstance, I can't see owning a 4wd without a plow. 102" snow in 2007/2008
• Massive receiver hitch, designed and fabricated from scratch. There is no commercially available hitch that compares.
• Short of members with specialty commercial vehicles and those over 10k GVW, I strongly expect that I can lift/hang/move more tonage off the front and rear of my truck more quickly than most any other member on the forum, with implements I have designed and manufactured.
• Rear cargo lamp, so I can load and unload in the dark.
• 8' bed, the more I can haul, the more money I can make or save. I'd own a Longhorn if they made them after 72.
• Dual tanks, I have selectable fuel and octane, I can tank up 40 gallons on the most cost effective fuel and have 40 gallons liquid ballast for plowing.
• No computer or catalytic converters, this truck never had them, never will.
• 9400 GVW, 9 leaf pack with single auxiliary leaf
• Over 8500 GVW, emissions exempt.
• Winch cables front to rear for trailer winch, jumper cables or most any 12V device I need.
• In bed pivoting cherry picker behind wheelhouse. I can load and unload from ground into bed, and visa-wersa, without help. I cringe at loading a Dana 60 front axle, but I have done it.
• I can haul a slide in camper and tow a trailer at the same time.
• This truck makes me money and saves me money.

Truck should have an auxiliary battery for accessories and to isolate main battery from accessory use. Have complete conversion, not yet installed.

The motor is a bone stock 350M LT9 with a new factory rating of 165 HP IIRC. Thirty years later and with todays reformulated fuel, it's likely shy of that. So I think it would fail on "3. Gutless. Lacking Horse's and torque"

The bad:
I agree it is under-powered
I have never gotten better than 12.5 MPG empty, before reformulated fuel.
Appearance, truck is solid but mostly in DP60 Blue primer. Would like it to be pretty but I get into brush plowing so it would get scratched anyway.
I'm not willing to drive it on salted roads.
I try to keep up on maintenance but most everything is still old and needs regular inspection, regardless of mileage. Simple age affects things that even mileage does not.
These trucks are disappearing fast. Once upon a time, most any salvage yard had several, not anymore. It used to be fun to build these because the parts were plentiful. That's not so true anymore. Don't get into these trucks for regular use unless you have a stockpile of spares. Fortunately, I do.

Even so, FOR ME, this qualifies as much as a TRUCK as any on this forum.

 

[Blue85]

Here's a truck:

In some parts of the world "truck" means pickup truck. Configurations without a bed are SUVs or "Broncos"

 

[super k]

This is really a silly topic.
A real truck is defined by using it as a truck. Trucks are utility vehicles designed for multiple uses. Some vocational,some recreational. The more a truck has to make it more capable for it's utilitarian use makes it more of a real truck. A real truck doesn't have to be used as a real truck,it just has to be able to. I've been a real truck guy for a few decades. I love my trucks. I take pride in them and try to find nicer ones you don't see a whole lot of. I'm building a '67 GMC shortbed 2wd that will be lowered,fast,have bucket seats,and willlook real good. But,I will be sure anything I do will not keep it from being able to do the work of a truck. I've built show trucks,but now anything I own gets used. Been there done that.

I daily drive a '92 GMC K3500 6.5TD/5spd. It is more truck than most solid axle trucks. It has always hauled a load and I've worked it like a truck since new...nearly 300,000 miles. I have never done any front end work other than center link replacement...that's it. It weighs over 4t all the times. It has bucket seats and I ordered every option I wanted. It still looks good.

I built a '70 CST/30,yes 2wd,with an 11' Reading low-profile bed and worked out of it for years. It was a CST/Custom Camper with all the frills a '70 could have. That was a real truck. Worked it's ass off and looked damn good doing it.

I had a '72 K/20 Custom Deluxe Custom Camper w/Highlander package that had about every option you could get. I hauled and towed anything I needed with that. It had a 400SBC,4spd,4.10s,No-Spin,6"lift,315/75 Pro comp Xterrains.

I had a '78 Scottsdale 30 2wd dually Camper special w/wood bedfloor. That truck was pretty. It had a 454/4spd and was my work truck for a few years. It did anything I could throw at it.

I also had a '95 K3500 I redid into a real truck for my uses. It was a base model I did a custom paint job,Reading low-profile utility bed,air bag/leaf rear,and an endless list of power mods and cosmetics to. It was a 6.5TD/5spd

I'm also driving an '85 Jimmy these days. It has 3/4t axles and I work out of it more than haul people. All last summer the rear area was loaded with swap meet stuff in boxes and the passenger floor up front carried my work tools. I have a 10'utility trailer I use to haul things the Jimmy can't haul alone. It's tough,can haul big loads,and has pulled a few 1t or larger work trucks back to the pavement. No,I don't call it a truck. I call it a Jimmy. But,my point is,while some get caught up in what is and what isn't a real truck I am out there using my Jimmy as one.

I also have a '71 Custom/30 tow truck. That's 2wd and is certainly a real truck. There ain't no list.

 

[2INSANE]

I more or less built my 1983 K30 to be a truck that does everything I need it to do.



These are the features that make sense FOR ME as a TRUCK:

• 4WD, I live in New Hampshire with lots of snow, ice and mud, even so, I get stuck regularly in snow and ice.
• Locking rear differential, even so, I get stuck regularly in snow and ice.
• 9' Fisher snow plow. For my circumstance, I can't see owning a 4wd without a plow. 102" snow in 2007/2008
• Massive receiver hitch, designed and fabricated from scratch. There is no commercially available hitch that compares.
• Short of members with specialty commercial vehicles and those over 10k GVW, I strongly expect that I can lift/hang/move more tonage off the front and rear of my truck more quickly than most any other member on the forum, with implements I have designed and manufactured.
• Rear cargo lamp, so I can load and unload in the dark.
• 8' bed, the more I can haul, the more money I can make or save. I'd own a Longhorn if they made them after 72.
• Dual tanks, I have selectable fuel and octane, I can tank up 40 gallons on the most cost effective fuel and have 40 gallons liquid ballast for plowing.
• No computer or catalytic converters, this truck never had them, never will.
• 9400 GVW, 9 leaf pack with single auxiliary leaf
• Over 8500 GVW, emissions exempt.
• Winch cables front to rear for trailer winch, jumper cables or most any 12V device I need.
• In bed pivoting cherry picker behind wheelhouse. I can load and unload from ground into bed, and visa-wersa, without help. I cringe at loading a Dana 60 front axle, but I have done it.
• I can haul a slide in camper and tow a trailer at the same time.
• This truck makes me money and saves me money.

Truck should have an auxiliary battery for accessories and to isolate main battery from accessory use. Have complete conversion, not yet installed.

The motor is a bone stock 350M LT9 with a new factory rating of 165 HP IIRC. Thirty years later and with todays reformulated fuel, it's likely shy of that. So I think it would fail on "3. Gutless. Lacking Horse's and torque"

The bad:
I agree it is under-powered
I have never gotten better than 12.5 MPG empty, before reformulated fuel.
Appearance, truck is solid but mostly in DP60 Blue primer. Would like it to be pretty but I get into brush plowing so it would get scratched anyway.
I'm not willing to drive it on salted roads.
I try to keep up on maintenance but most everything is still old and needs regular inspection, regardless of mileage. Simple age affects things that even mileage does not.
These trucks are disappearing fast. Once upon a time, most any salvage yard had several, not anymore. It used to be fun to build these because the parts were plentiful. That's not so true anymore. Don't get into these trucks for regular use unless you have a stockpile of spares. Fortunately, I do.

Even so, FOR ME, this qualifies as much as a TRUCK as any on this forum.