GTP Cool Wall: 1977 Ford F250 4X4

[Zenith]

Old small pickups are cool.

Small.

 

[Badasp5.0]

Old small pickups are cool.

Small.

Indeed

'MERICA

 

[skynyrd]

I kinda like it. Big trucks like this have a lot of space inside...something I really appreciate at 6'3". It's a good work truck; you can do everything you can do in a pickup truck in it...carrying things, towing things, whatever. Trucks like this are comfortable. You can just relax in it. No, the seats won't adjust fifty different ways (forward/backward, back tilt, sometimes up and down...but only sometimes*gasp*shock*horror*), you won't mistake the seat material for the hide of some rare endangered yak subspecies that only lives on a single mountain hidden somewhere in the Siberian wastes, and, let's face it, nobody but fans of this specific truck series are ever going to turn their heads and watch anything but the most pristine, show-winning example as it drives by unless it's lost its muffler or been turned into a lifted redneck truck, in which case they'll think it looks stupid unless they're into that kind of thing.

In short, I wouldn't turn one down if I needed a truck and it was reasonable.

But there is no way this thing could ever be considered cool.

While I don't subscribe to Famine's idea of cool (do you think anything is cool?!) I've got to say he has a point...most of the remaining trucks like this that I've seen are either driven by rednecks or old rural people with hats that say something about fishing. One of the most infuriating people I know drives one of these, and he's about as irritatingly redneck as you can get. Most of the people who used them heavily for work broke theirs or wore them out long ago and got something newer...what remains is basically cheap general transportation/hunting/mudding with the occasional bit of 'regular' work, something that can be done by any pickup. It served its purpose and did it well, now everyone else has moved on.

This truck is a great big MEH. Decent looking as far as pickup trucks go, but I've never seen an unmodified pickup that stirs up enough emotion for me to call it cool.

 

[White & Nerdy]

While I don't subscribe to Famine's idea of cool (do you think anything is cool?!)

He probably does, but I can't really get a lock on what. My best guess is that a car, to be cool to him, must be trendy and somewhat distinctive, but not too distinctive, and not anywhere near agressive.

 

[Parker]

In stock form it gets a solid cool from me, the moment it gets a lift, bigger tires or anything like that it immediately drops to seriously uncool.

This definitely isn't the pinnacle of a truck, not by a longshot. If you're buying a truck and actually plan on using it to tow, haul or work then you want a diesel engine. Obviously the diesels offered in those days (I don't know if Ford offered a diesel then, I know Dodge had a Mitsubishi diesel they offered in those days) were garbage compared to what we have today but the point still stands. I'd rate the '89-'93 Dodge Ram 250/350 as much cooler because they are the first trucks to have a good diesel engine that actually made decent power in stock form.

I'm a truck fan though, so that it why I think it is a cool (stock) vehicle. I can definitely see how someone who couldn't care less about them would rate it as uncool or seriously uncool. Like I said before, the moment someone modifies it to go "muddin'" it loses all its cool factor to me, if you want a work truck you don't want huge tires that sap all your power.

 

[YSSMAN]

My Grandfather had one of these with a camper on the back. It was nice at the time, and that was about it. Very green, with lots of houndstooth and orange. So '70s it hurt.

Pickups of similar vintage can be cool, there isn't any question about it. But I tend to gravitate more toward the C10, K5 and the standard F100.

 

[Joel]

The Koenigsegg is one of the coolest cars ever, but I honestly think this is cooler than my car, and worlds cooler than the various "other" compacts of then and now (especially anything with a stylized H or A on it).

Hey! What's wrong with Hyundai? Didn't know you had such a dislike for AMC either.

 

[White & Nerdy]

Hyundai is just boring, and I'm not sure about AMC. In any case I was talking about Honda and Acura.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

For the first time, I am voting meh. I just don't find anything cool or uncool about it. Pickup trucks don't often interest me, except for the sport trucks such as the GMC Syclone and Ford F-150 Lightning.

 

[Roo]

Towing.

In that case, why not just buy a Unimog? You get the same size and fuel economy issues, but with the ability to tow more weight than an F250 without all the hassle of having to import the truck - which again brings us back to buying an inferior product just to be different, which is not cool.

 

[Jetboy.]

Looking at the vehicle in question 100% objectively, it serves the purpose it was built for incredibly well: it's a workhorse. They're dependable, hearty, and nearly indestructible. That to me is awesome. Seeing a well-kept example or a properly restored one is a delight. See the typical treatment that's been foisted in this thread is not, but that's not how I grade "coolness". I feel that blaming a vehicle for the people that drive it is similar to blaming a normal woman for giving birth to a defective baby. Doesn't wash.


That being said, it does lose points off Sub Zero for me from poor Ford build quality and from poor performance of the era. The 300 I-6 was a hell of an engine; I won't take that away from it, but some of the other offerings.. the 400 Modified or the 351 Modified, both could serve better purpose holding ships in bay during a hurricane. I voted Cool.

 

[Azure Flare]

Hyundai is just boring

Have you forgotten about Genesis coupe, aka "The Hoonday"?

 

[DK]

That doesn't count because it's not American and/or lacks a V8.

 

[Wiegert]

That doesn't count because it's not American and/or lacks a V8.

Would have imagined he'd appreciate the fact that the optional meaty V6 was built in Alabama (Ignoring the fact they built I4s for it at the same facility, and that the facility itself is under Korean ownership).

 

[Famine]

He probably does, but I can't really get a lock on what. My best guess is that a car, to be cool to him, must be trendy and somewhat distinctive, but not too distinctive, and not anywhere near agressive.

You could always look back through old Cool Wall threads and see how I voted and the comments I made.

As for "trendy"

 

[Roger the Horse]

I tell ya, those K'reans 're all dirty commies, da lot o' them! Don' trus' tha' K'rean stuff ki's, tryin' ta 'ndocrina'e ya!

 

[zujca]

Meh, doesn't look good. I don't like pickups.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

There are a few cool pickups. This isn't one of them.

 

[Bopop4]

In that case, why not just buy a Unimog? You get the same size and fuel economy issues, but with the ability to tow more weight than an F250 without all the hassle of having to import the truck - which again brings us back to buying an inferior product just to be different, which is not cool.

That's a commercial vehicle, it's not something you can tow a 40ft trailer with, and then take the kids to school.

(Well you could, it just wouldn't be very practical.)

 

[Badasp5.0]

In that case, why not just buy a Unimog? You get the same size and fuel economy issues, but with the ability to tow more weight than an F250 without all the hassle of having to import the truck - which again brings us back to buying an inferior product just to be different, which is not cool.

Unimogs haven't been sold in the US since 2007....

 

[White & Nerdy]

Have you forgotten about Genesis coupe, aka "The Hoonday"?

I did, actually. I was mainlly thinking of the Elantra, which is known for not being very fun to drive and seems to me a good example of small-car feature bloat as well (though unlike the "big three" compacts it doesn't seem to be too heavy for it). The rest of their lineup isn't much better.

 

[homeforsummer]

I did, actually. I was mainlly thinking of the Elantra, which is known for not being very fun to drive and seems to me a good example of small-car feature bloat as well (though unlike the "big three" compacts it doesn't seem to be too heavy for it). The rest of their lineup isn't much better.

The Elantra isn't "fun" by most traditional metrics, but it is possible to have fun in one in the right scenario. Like, if it's a rental car and you've got some of Colorado's best roads in front of you. Which is basically what happened to me last September.

 

[Tyger]

That's a commercial vehicle, it's not something you can tow a 40ft trailer with, and then take the kids to school.

(Well you could, it just wouldn't be very practical.)

What's the big deal with towing? All of the alternatives Roo suggested can tow just as well as the F250, probably a lot more so if comparing with the 70s model in the OP. And how is a Mog any less suitable for taking the kids to school? You can get Mogs with quad/crew cabs too, it may seem normal doing the school run in a pick-up truck in parts of the US but in the big bad rest of the world, for the most part it would be unusual and impractical.

 

[Roo]

Unimogs haven't been sold in the US since 2007....

But they are sold in the UK. As I said in my first post, I have no experience of the USA, so my vote is based on my experience of US trucks in the UK. Here a) the F250 is physically too big to be practical and b) there is an alternative, if size is not an issue, in the form of the Unimog.

I have no doubt that they are immensly capable vehicles, but in this country they don't make sense.

 

[Famine]

Unimogs haven't been sold in the US since 2007....

1977 Ford F-250s haven't been sold anywhere since 1977. What of it?

 

[Slash]

What's the big deal with towing? All of the alternatives Roo suggested can tow just as well as the F250, probably a lot more so if comparing with the 70s model in the OP. And how is a Mog any less suitable for taking the kids to school? You can get Mogs with quad/crew cabs too, it may seem normal doing the school run in a pick-up truck in parts of the US but in the big bad rest of the world, for the most part it would be unusual and impractical.

I beg to differ. This model 250 happens to be one of the stoutest in that ability other than maybe modern diesels and for much less cost. And you still have all the bed room for stuff as well.

 

[Bopop4]

What's the big deal with towing? All of the alternatives Roo suggested can tow just as well as the F250, probably a lot more so if comparing with the 70s model in the OP. And how is a Mog any less suitable for taking the kids to school? You can get Mogs with quad/crew cabs too, it may seem normal doing the school run in a pick-up truck in parts of the US but in the big bad rest of the world, for the most part it would be unusual and impractical.

Towing is one of the main reasons you get a 3/4 truck.

A modern 3/4 truck can tow almost as much of all the other trucks put together.

Trucks are meant to be daily drivers, a Unimog is not.

(Unless you want a torrent of road and engine noise everyday.)

 

[Roo]

What's the big deal with towing? All of the alternatives Roo suggested can tow just as well as the F250

The numbers I found whilst doing research for that post suggest otherwise. A Hilux is rated at 3000kg/6613lb, the Defender 3500kg/7716lb. The 6th generation F250s (depending on engine and gearing, as far as I can work out) will have a maximum towing capacity from somewhere between 2948kg/6500lb and ~5443kg/~12000lb. Unimogs, depending on engine, gearing and tow hitch, have a maximum towing capacity of anything up to 1,000,000kg/2,204,622lbs, but by that point you're very much comparing apples with oranges (and thus shouldn't be taken too seriously ).

 

[Slash]

12,000lb towing capacity is a bunch of bull. I've seen them in person pull over 85,000 lbs.



@Jetboy.

The 351M/400 is actually a detuned tall deck 351 Cleveland. Quite a stout motor if you swap 351C parts into it.

 

[Roo]

12,000lb towing capacity is a bunch of bull.

Then take it up with the Ford truck forums. That's where I got the figures from.

I've seen them in person pull over 85,000 lbs.

Just because it can pull 85,000lbs doesn't mean it should. The point of a manufacturer staing a maximum towing capactity is to let people know what the most they can pull safely is.