Old Trucks as Tow Rigs?

How old of a truck would you consider for tow rig use? In this case I only need it to tow an integra, and for now only on a tow dolly but I'd like room to grow as well.

I am slowing getting more and more into taking my car to track days, which means that the car is getting more and more uncomfortable and has a higher chance of not making it home under its own power in the future. At the same time I'm ready to sell my old Ford sedan so I'm thinking about getting an older pickup for towing and to keep a 'classic' vehicle around. The oldest I am considering is 1970, likely a Ford or Chevy 4x4 depending on what I find available. Four wheel drive because I live in the snow belt and might even use this for plowing to avoid buying a quad. These should have the old car feel I like, with power disc brakes, and modern ignition systems. I'd consider upgrading to a later model factory EFI setup as well. Are trucks of this vintage going to be that much worse than a comparable early to mid-90s truck that I can find for similar money?

Something along the lines of...

I used to run an 82 dodge dually with a 360 and a 4 speed. It did pretty well but was low on power compared to the newer stuff. It did have decent ac surprisingly. I wouldn't have a problem towing with full size trucks from the 70s and 80s. You won't have the comfort and convenience the newer stuff has, but those older trucks have a lot of character.

All 3 of the American truck companies went to disk brakes right around 72. Biggest concern for GM and Dodge 4x4s from the 70's will be full time 4x4 and the fuel economy penalty that goes along with it.

You are looking at pretty much straight front axles and any of the trucks will feature engines that can update for efi. Ford and Dodge used the same axles, and gm and dodge used the same transfer cases, so the real differences are engine and trans.

i towed my capri behind a 76 f150 2wd with a 300/3 speed. usually a 2 hour tow each way but on fairly flat ground. trailer brakes are a huge help!

The full time 4x4s can be converted to part time easy enough with a kit. Two of my mid 70s GM trucks were converted, but I still have one that's full time and it does impact the fuel mileage a good bit.

Personal preference, of course, but I'd rather have my truck with comfy seats, low NVH, modern brakes and steering, and great reliability for long tows. Old trucks are very cool, but after running at the track all weekend and loading up, I just want to get home safely and comfortably. "Character" in this case is not a good thing, IMO.

I pull my 28ft enclosed with a 79 GMC 1 ton Dually and it does a good job at it. Sure it isn't as nice as the newer trucks, but it is comfortable enough. It has good brakes (JB8 hydroboost setup) and stops no problem. Older 1/2 tons brakes may leave something to be desired, but they can be upgraded. Edit: I did put in a newer 454 TBI engine which is nice. Starts up easily, but a good carb setup will work too.

Towed my miata + trailer behind a 95 Ram 3500 without breaking a sweat. Not sure that a 95 is considered "old" though

Its a toss-up. Newer trucks have become so beefy. I towed my 31' TT with a SRW 1-ton 98 chevy and it did beautifully. I took it across town with a 76 F350 dually and I darn near soiled myself. Wimpy brakes, sloppy steering... all of which could have been repaired, but old trucks aren't as beefy and over engineered like new trucks are. Even with all new suspension parts, they weren't engineered like today's trucks.

These days towing 10k with a 1/2 ton is marginally fine. Towing 10k with an old truck can be a bit spooky.

In fact, I towed 8k with a 95 7.3 powerstroke F250, then borrowed my friend's '12 F150 ecoboost when my F250 got a flat. I think the F150 did better.

I see no reason to not tow with an older truck, just be aware that you'll probably need more truck the older you go.

Tom_Spangler wrote: Personal preference, of course, but I'd rather have my truck with comfy seats, low NVH, modern brakes and steering, and great reliability for long tows. Old trucks are very cool, but after running at the track all weekend and loading up, I just want to get home safely and comfortably. "Character" in this case is not a good thing, IMO.

My buddy tows with a 2012 f150 and it's a hell of a truck. The towing performance literally blew me away, but it was also way out of my price range. I tow with a bare bones 97 k3500 now which tows well, but isn't near as swanky as my friends newer f150. I love the old stuff, and it gets the job done, but you're right the new stuff is a very nice place to spend time in while towing.

My 1990 F250HD tows great but I've done a bit to the engine and transmission. The brakes handle the load just fine and anything that's really big has trailer brakes anyway.

MFGs seemed to start building good haulers in the 1990's

1990 was the first or second year of the E4OD transmission in the F-series, it makes the truck a lot better to drive on the highway with the 4.10:1 gearset in the rear axle.

The 250HD got the bigger brakes and heavier suspension from the 350 as well as the 460EFI.

GM and Dodge both had equivalent truck in their lineup so pick the one that suits you the best.

It doesn't get the mileage that newer trucks get but it's paid for. A new truck that will do the same as this one will cost me around $60,000 Canadian for everything I want and I still have to put fuel in the new truck. $60,000 will put a lot of gas in my not-worn-out-yet old truck.

To put things in perspective, my boss has a 2004 GMC Sierra 3500 DRW with a Duramax that's all dialed up with Banks Big Hoss bundle, EGR Delete and a built Allison transmission. His truck gets 12mpg on diesel and makes about 900 lb-ft of torque.

My truck is a 1990 F250HD SRW with a 460EFI, Banks Powerpack system, a few 460EFI fuel system tweaks and a built E4OD transmission. It gets 12mpg on 94 octane and makes about 500 lb-ft of torque.

From 1993 till 1999 I used a 1968 F100, it had triple tanks and would go 500 miles before needing to fill up. I towed with a single axle trailer in that time I had a Formula V, Datsun 1200 and a Showroom Stock Miata. It had a 4 speed tranny which worked well both up and down hill. I shelled out $600 for it and got a deal on a fresh motor for $500. From 99 to 2007 I had a F350, it was a beast and towed awesome, I paid $300 plus traded the F100 to friend who installed a fresh 390 engine in it. It actually had A/C.
In 2007 I bought a 1990 E250 camper van for 3K put another 2k in it upgrading it to what I wanted.

 First old trucks tow just fine, what you find is the interior noise is higher than a modern truck. They also do not drive as nice so yes they will tire you out a little more.  I would stick with anything 73 or newer, I didn't run an old truck for the novelty I ran it because if I bought a $30,000 truck I'd have no money left for anything else.
  I see more racers struggle to find a budget to run the races they want but they have 40k in the truck and trailer. Get a 3/4 ton truck and a decent trailer and go have fun. With the old truck it will take a few minutes longer to get where you are going and it will suck down a little more gas..............it's sweat equity, you save money by being less comfortable. You are not dragging 10,000lbs around.
When you have more money buy something newer nicer or not.

Trucks didn't change much between the early 70s and late 80s. So pick one you like and go. A half ton will pull an integra on a dolly fine, but you might want to bump it up to 3/4 for a full on trailer and bigger car.

The cool thing about old trucks is they get CHEAPER as they get bigger and beefier, given the need and room I'd totally buy a old 2 1/2 ton or bigger for a tow rig, add AC and go.

That's why I bought my 250. Everyone thinks it's too expensive to feed.

I realise that I need to burn fuel to do a job.

We were in California a few weeks ago and a 1963 Ford F250 rolled in to the camp ground pulling a 28 foot travel trailer. The truck was awesome and he said it towed from Colorado just fine and kept up with traffic. He had dropped in a 390 and a newer automatic. Don't know about the brakes. I guess the message is, get an older truck and dump some money into it and people will come and pester you in campgrounds.

It sounds like my idea isn't too far fetched and an older truck, as long as it is a 3/4 ton or better should fit the bill just fine for what I want to do. This truck won't be used daily, just for towing once or twice a month and the occasional 10 mile drive to work. I understand the lack of comfort as I daily drove my 68' most of the summer, if the car had a full frame I'd consider turning it into a hauler but I'm ready for something new.

When I was first married my new bride and I took my 1970 F100 4X4 (still have it!) to the Kootenays which is three mountain ranges from here. No hopped up 390 in that thing. 170 hp gross and on the steep hills I was in granny low pulling a 17 foot TT.

The question is: why? Why would you want to?

A 1970's thru 80's domestic 4x4 pickup is going to fetch as much (if not more money) than an equivalent 90's or early millennium pickup. The technology on 4x4's has not gone backwards at all EXCEPT POSSIBLY in durability... but if you are not off-roading it is a non-issue, especially with light duty towing. Also, don't fool yourself, a straight axle 4x4 rides nothing like an IFS 4x4 of the early 90's and onwards...

Get as new of a tow vehicle as you can afford. A 1993 TBI GMC 1500 4x4 extended cab (my old tow rig) was rated to tow 7000lbs with 3.73 rear gears. It would knock down anywhere from 10usmpg (through the mountains) to 14usmpg on flat land, all towing at 60-65mph. Never had to kick down further than 3rd. Started every time, ran flawlessly even with 300k kms on it. How can you possibly beat that for $2k purchase?

In reply to HiTempguy:

I do believe the GMT400 line with the W/T package to be the pinnacle of trucks built for truck stuff, with the 73-87 C/K it replaced placing a close second, but Nitroracer asked how old it was possible to go, not how new.

I had a 1990 1/2 ton Suburban I used to keep the Oval Kart in but it was used to tow a "Super Street" V-8 Tube frame dirt car with a total weight with trailer at around 5000 lbs with no problems. Plus, they are fairly cheap to buy and own.

I'm an expert on this very topic, for I have used a vintage truck for towing my car to the track for the last 5-6 years:

It was the hit of the paddock, let me tell you. It's a 1965 F100 with a 352 V8 an 3 speed column shifted manual. I did convert it to disc brakes from a '79 (the chassis is identical 65-79, which should tell you something about how 'modern' 1970s trucks actually are). Only with a really piled full bed did I ever want a 3/4 ton; the half did just fine. Cruised down the highway beautifully and gave about 12 mpg towing with an all-stock driveline. However, as charming as it was I got to a point where I realized progress is a wonderful thing. Shortcomings abounded: highway gears meant pulling out was a huge PITA of clutch-slipping, 178 hp was barely adequate, manual steering meant parking was like doing Pilates for half an hour, the only thing that drowned out the mechanical noise was the wind, the brakes were still barely adequate (had trailer brakes too), high temperatures could cause it to vapor lock, and using it for a tow vehicle meant it could never be down/apart long enough to do the restoration of things it needed to make it truly nice.

I loved the truck, but eventually came to look wistfully at newer trucks with air con, seats that I didn't stick to in the summer and radios that could actually be heard over 50 mph. With great reluctance I admitted charm wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and sold it after buying this:

240 hp, overdrive automatic, air con, cloth seats, parts available everywhere (vs days away from catalogs) and brakes that actually slow the vehicle when you apply them. Oh, and rust resistant enough that I won't feel my skin crawl every time I drive it in the rain or salt. I made this decision as a guy who tows maybe half a dozen times a year; if you're towing twice a month I'd think even harder about the kind of truck I'd want. The up-to-97 Ford trucks are still very much 'trucks' but with enough creature comforts added you won't feel like you're abusing yourself every time you tow with it. I also can't express strongly enough how nice it is to go to the U-Pull-It yard and always be able to find what I need. There are still literally millions of these era trucks trolling the roads. They are at the bottom of their depreciation curve, still easy to work on and parts are cheap. A tool for the job of towing is like comparing Harbor Freight to Craftsman tools--they both can do the job, but one will do it with a lot more confidence and less stress.

Mine was $2,300 with towing package, twin cloth bucket seats with power lumbar bladders and power everything. [URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/DSCN0247.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/DSCN0244.jpg.html][/URL]

Have both, an old body on a later model frame? 3/4 ton with discs up front, 360, dana 60,12V amd heat!

In reply to 914Driver:

Ummmmmmm... Trade ya?

Big subject. I have a 72 GMC that you may have heard of, and I daily drove it, hauling (although never towing) occasionally.

Now, my leaf springs were bad, but man, when they say 1/2 ton, they mean it. The thing couldn't do an ounce more. Also bear in mind that brand new that 350 made... 190 hp. You're not going to tow much quickly with that setup.

My Dad towed for the longest time with a Ford 302 truck from the 80s. He would regular tow his drag car to and fro, maybe 5k lb rig. I remember vividly sitting on the nasty hot non A/C vinyl, with my sister in the middle, on the Thruway in NY. He always called one hill near Rochester "The hill from hell", and floored the beast until he got to about 80 at the bottom. Keeping it matted, he was under the speed limit at the top. I can't even find that hill. It's hard to describe just how down on power it was.

You can do it, but either expect to have a ton of work to get it up to modern standards, or be prepared to not have modern performance.

They sure look a ton cooler, though.