My name is Stephen and im a simple 17 year old FloGrown kid. Born and raised in boring Port Saint Lucie, and im a senior in high school.
Im starting to do my research, and gather up some money to buy my first truck.
In general I have a respect for any brand that can put a good motor in a vehicle, However i have a major soft spot for chevy. espescially the 97 5.7 1500 and the 06 LBZ 2500 Dmax.
I joined a general truck forum to get the least amount of bias i can, instead of just and ferd, dodge, or chevy forum.
a few trucks have caught my eye, because of their durability and performance.
-12/24v cummins
-ford 4.9l Straight six
-ford 5.0L V8
-ford 7.3 PSD
-chevy 5.0 v8
-chevy 5.7 V8 (both vortec and standard small block)
I wanted to know your guys opinions and personal experience with any of these trucks, and the ones to stay away from. (6.2/6.5 Detroit diesel/international is an example)
Any info you can share is welcome, I like to be a sponge.
thanks guys!

 

Well for me personally, I've never owned a diesel before, but I can testify that a small block chevy engine is one heck of a work horse. My 5.0L SBC engines have been nothing but reliable and wonderful to work on. As far as a 5.7, I've done work on customer's 5.7L engines, but my dad's 5.7 vortec has proven to be just as reliable as any other small block chevy.

As far as working with/around other engines out there, the ford triton V8 is also one heck of an engine. I really have't seen much go wrong with them in their Econoline vans and F series trucks. I've seen more powerstrokes go down than Tritons ... can't speak numbers or actual problems, but the other guys at the shop end up working on more powerstrokes than triton V8s.

And I've never even seen a cummins in the shop. I've seen 318 engines with a couple of issues but nothing major. Ford twin I beam suspension is heavy duty as heck, but goes through tires and ball joints like nobody's business. Chevy goes through pitman and idler arms ...

Really, if you ask me, to each his own. Every truck has its own issues. Find one you like and go with it, because each truck from the big three (Ford, Dodge and Chevy, NOT Toyota ...) puts out some high quality trucks. Gauge it to what you need it to do, and roll with it. Get a 2500 for a 2500 job, and a 3500 for a 3500 job. Don't expect a 1500 to pull a 3500's payload ... use your some common sense when buying a truck and you'll be fine.

Welcome to the forum!

 

thanks man, im not against any brand with the exception of the dodge gassers.
and the only reason youd find a cummins in the shop is if it was a tranny issue.
and you see alot of 7.3's or 6.0s and 6.4s? cause the 7.3 and 12v have the same reputation. I wouldnt be doing much towing, thats why id want a 2500 over a 3500. and if i get a gasser definitely a 1500. save the little gas i can.xD Im just trying to absorb info on the trucks i like, so when i go to buy i can be smart, and not get stuck with one of the craigslist money pits.
and p.s yotas make a damn good vehicle. i got a neighbor with the 4.0 v6 FJ that pulls out 2500s from thick mud all the time. 200k miles on it and no problems. 4wd is perfect, all buttons and radio work, still worth atleast 6k. i got another buddy with a 01 tundra (350SB) and 188k on it and her only issues are 2wd, and 8 mpg.

 

I have a 5.0 V8 in my '95 Chevy short bed "Lola". She was set up to pull the boat and the boat isn't light!
When empty I consistently get between 16 to 18 mpg and have even pulled off a 20 mpg tank twice!

I had an '07 Silverado 4.8 with a trailer towing package and a 3.42 rear gear, and pulling the boat up a hill, the tach would run at 4,000 rpm or better but, "Lola" my '95 would pull the same hill at 2,300 rpm and has considerably more low end torque...

 

i've never really liked the smaller truck v8s, the small small blocks, 4.6,4.7,4.8 rev higher and are better for racing, but the bigger small blocks like the 5.7,5.8,5.9 have lower rpms and more torque. because their purpose made truck engines.
and really? mpg like that at stock height i assume?
1500 or 2500? that mileage and power combo makes a 5.0 v8 chevy tantilizing.

 

well the 5.0L and 5.7L engines make almost the same power and the same gas mileage give or take. I'd go with a 5.7L if I were to do it again. I really didn't fully realize that the truck I bought had a 5.0L in it instead of a 5.7L. My dad's 5.7L vortec with a 3.73 rear and 2wd regularly makes 15-18 mpg.

My truck on the other hand makes about 12mpg no matter what I do to it. That's with an old slipping transmission though. I honestly can't say for sure right now because I just rebuilt my trans last week, so I haven't calculated gas mileage yet.

 

I'm all about the dirty diesels.
You say LBZ has peaked your interest a bit. Good choice Good strange engine, and lots of aftermarket hop ups available for them. I'm driving the 07.5 Silverado LMM Duramax and loving every minute of it.
I'm currently sourcing out a Vortec MAX or the Vortec 6.0L for my 57 Chev truck.

Good luck in your truck research and hunt.
Keep us updated
And Welcome to Truck Forums. Glad you joined

 

I've owned many 350's since my first in a 69 1/2 ton. I prefer stepside shortbox 4x4's and they tend to be "Sportstrucks." That said, I have seen 4wd with the V6's, to me a poor choice.
If you get a Chevy, get the 350. They take up exactly as much space and weight as a 305, but not only do you get a bit more power, but you also tend to get heavier parts in your bearings, brakes, etc. Start looking at every truck like it that you can see....check out the differences between lug nut stud thickness, leaf spring pacs, and things like "Did it come with a factory trailer towing package? (Implies heavier brakes and suspension)
Go online and find out what options were offered for the truck you are interested in, then check the build sticker to see if it has that package. Chevy offered several options that were thinly disguised performance packages. The more packages, the better.
The "W/T" package is the "Work Truck" package, which means it is bare bones. Avoid them. Also, look at the grill: If it has two single sealed-beam headlights then it is a "Bottom of the line" truck, usually built for fleet or commercial sales, but many also wound up as sales leaders with a low price to get people in to see the nicer ones.
If you do go for the Ford, I have driven a lot of the 300 six cylinders in commercial work. They don't have a big following as everyone wants a V8, but in a truck it is a better choice than the 302 V8.