Silverado or F-150

[TwoHundredEx]

I had a thread a while back about selling my Jeep to buy my dads built '79 GMC. If you read the thread, I ended up keeping it
Well this last weekend I went wheeling in an '03 F-250 diesel, 8.5" long arms, 44" boggers, Bushwackers, etc. and had a Blazer come along with a 5" and 40's.

Needless to say, that trip made me want a fullsize. :D

I'm not looking to go as crazy as them because this will be my daily driver, but I'm looking for something that I can build into a respectable mud truck/daily driver/trail rig.

Right now I'm thinking around 7"s of lift, on 37's.
Lift would probably consist of 4" springs, 1-2" blocks/shackles, and a 1-2" body lift.

If you had the choice, between an early-mid '90s Silverado, or a '92 -'95 F-150, which would you go for?

Lets say they're both in respectable shape, decent interiors and I'd want a regular cab with a short or regular box. The Ford would have the 302, and the Chevy would be the 350.

The 302 is pretty easy squeez decent power out of by throwing on some Mustang heads, headers, and a decent intake.
But the 350 could make some decent power fairly easily too.
I like the look of both trucks, maybe prefer the Chevy a little more, but the Fords have a little nice interior styling which is somewhat important to me even though I plan on thrashing on it once in a while.

So they both have their pros and cons and you can see my dilema here.

[Brockey]

I'm a Chevy man so you know my choice. I own a 78 K5 Blazer and don"t want any other truck. Cheap parts, easy to maintain, and hardcore machines.

[hancadam]

I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either. I also believe fords have better interior and Chevy's look a little better. Also I think Chevy transmissions are a little better. I have owned both and love both brands.I have a 2007 Silverado now.

[TwoHundredEx]

These are close to what I'm going for in each truck. The Chevy has 6.5" on 35's.

http://www.rockymountainsusp.com/randy_chevy.jpg
http://www.roughcountry.com/Graphics/Customer-Rides/Large-1992-F-150.jpg

Thats the first time I've compared those 2 pics and I have to say, I'm really leaning toward the Chevy right now. Looks a lot more "modern" to me. I'm trying to stay away from the older look of the Fords, which is why I chose the '92-'95 Fords, anything newer than that and you start getting out of my price range.

[edog]

Z 71 all d way.

[200xcellent]

Im more a a chevy guy but I think you can get more lift for less money with the ford. You could always get an F150 with the 351 too. I have 9in of lift on my 03 z71 with 37s on it and theres no way I could take it offroading, simply not enough tire clearance for that stuff.

[TwoHundredEx]

Im more a a chevy guy but I think you can get more lift for less money with the ford. You could always get an F150 with the 351 too. I have 9in of lift on my 03 z71 with 37s on it and theres no way I could take it offroading, simply not enough tire clearance for that stuff.

Well thats where the fender trimming comes in. I'm not afraid to do that at all.
I'll just throw some flares over it.

What do you mean exactly by more lift for the money on the Ford?
I've never personally owned either of these style trucks but my dad has owned and lifted a few F-150's since I've been born and now a Chevy and I didn't really notice much different in suspension between the two.

[firehart]

My 95 F-150 has a 351. It's all stock except for the 31's and the running boards.

[TwoHundredEx]

Yeah I know you can get the 351, but the 302 seems to be more common.
Better parts availability around here too and I just prefer that motor.

[200xcellent]

Lift kits for those years fords are generally cheaper than the chevys and less complex. plus the fords can fit larger tires right from the factory so thats a plus. cutting will make up for most of the difference though.

[TwoHundredEx]

The '88 and up Chevy's arent IFS are they? Thats one thing I didn't check, I just assumed it was a straight axle.

[200xcellent]

im pretty sure 88 and up is ifs, which will generally cost at least a grand to lift 4-6 inches where comparable years f150s are almost half as much, but all this depends on what brand you go with and what features you get. for trailing a solid axle is where its at and what you should look for no matter what brand. stronger, cheaper to lift, and a lot easier to work on.

[TwoHundredEx]

Oh I'm definitely going to go for a straight axle. I just assumed the Chevy's were straight axles also.
Now see what you mean about more lift for the money with the Ford.
Oh well, looks I'll be looking for an F-150.
Thanks for the info.

[smokinwrench]

I have owned a 1993 f150 4x4 with a 302 what a gutless pile of crap. I then bought a 1994 f150 with a 351 that was a good pickup. Better mileage 10 times the power. I will never buy another pickup with a 302. Go test drive a couple and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[TwoHundredEx]

I have owned a 1993 f150 4x4 with a 302 what a gutless pile of crap. I then bought a 1994 f150 with a 351 that was a good pickup. Better mileage 10 times the power. I will never buy another pickup with a 302. Go test drive a couple and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Really eh?
The reason I wanted one was because my dad had an '88 with the 302.
Mustang heads, headers with true duals, and it was damn fast.
Blew away my grandpas '95 with the 351 like it was standing still.

[300rman]

that red f-150 up there looks badass! i love the look of a CLEAN older 150, lfted with some boggers. problem is most of them are rusted out.

get a clean one, and do her up!

FORD BABY!
and remember...Chevrolet =
Constantly Having Every Vehicle Emphatically Recalled Over Lousy Engineering Techniques

[TwoHundredEx]

Oh I'm deifnitely going to be finding a clean one.
I'm really trying to stay clear of the whole "beater" image with this one.
Hoping to make a nice, clean, simple looking rig.
I've found a clean white '92 for $1800 right now but I doubt it'll still be there by the time I get the Jeep Air Cared and sold. I'm sure their will be others though

[The Goat]

...you've got the straight six in that jeep...throw some money into some gearing and such.

a friend of mine from highschool had a hot pink suzuki sidekick sitting on 44s. Yes...44s. That little thing is a terror. It's a 1.8L stock with maybe 120hp. Til this day I still see it riding around occasionally. Now if that little thing can turn 44s...it's definitely all in the gearing. Best part is, I remember it being reliable as all hell.

I could tell you the other story about the guy who dropped 30 grand into his Z71 and could burn both 44s in the rear from about 10 or so...but the damned thing broke every time it was driven.

Your jeep is bulletproof.

[TwoHundredEx]

...you've got the straight six in that jeep...throw some money into some gearing and such.

a friend of mine from highschool had a hot pink suzuki sidekick sitting on 44s. Yes...44s. That little thing is a terror. It's a 1.8L stock with maybe 120hp. Til this day I still see it riding around occasionally. Now if that little thing can turn 44s...it's definitely all in the gearing. Best part is, I remember it being reliable as all hell.

I could tell you the other story about the guy who dropped 30 grand into his Z71 and could burn both 44s in the rear from about 10 or so...but the damned thing broke every time it was driven.

Your jeep is bulletproof.

Breaking is inevitable though. Wether I'm in the Jeep or a truck, I'm gunna break eventually.

The way I look at it is, I want to run 36/37's. To run 37's on my Jeep I'll need to go up atleast another 3"s, swap axles, wheels spacers, beefier steering, etc. I'm looking at thousands of dollars there, easily.
A decent 8.8/D44 combo will run me around $1000 drum to drum each, add another $1000 for the bigger lift and I'm into this thing for around $4k including what I've already done to it. And I STILL only have a 170hp 6 cylinder. If I want more power, I'd go for a 4.7L stroker, which is another $1500 give or take. Now I'm into it for over 5k, without tires and A LOT of work, excluding the cost of the Jeep.($2k)

Now why do all that when I could go buy a $2k truck, already equipped with a solid axle combo (probably D44/8.8 already), spend $1000 on a 5-6" lift, throw a $100 2" body lift, Spend $1000 on the motor and easily make 250+hp.
So now I'm into it for $2100 without tires (cost of the truck is cancelled out by selling my Jeep)
I'll find a used set of 37's for around $8-900 and a decent set of rims for $500 and I've got a 7" lift, 37's, 250+hp, and I'm only into it for around $3500.

I understand what your saying about the Jeep, because beleive me, I love my Jeep and I know that they're extremely capable but I'm in a stage right now where I want to go bigger and it's just not practical for me to do it. For what I want to get out of it, it would be far from bulletproof.

[The Goat]

eh...didn't think about the cost of the lift, as I thought yours was already lifted.

I wish you were closer, I'd take that jeep of your hands and you wouldn't have to change anything to clean up that exhaust...grease a hand or two down here and bam...you just passed inspection.

not that I would EVER do that...seeing as how I'm in a 2005.

[TwoHundredEx]

eh...didn't think about the cost of the lift, as I thought yours was already lifted.

I wish you were closer, I'd take that jeep of your hands and you wouldn't have to change anything to clean up that exhaust...grease a hand or two down here and bam...you just passed inspection.

not that I would EVER do that...seeing as how I'm in a 2005.

Yeah, I'm already lifted, but I don't have the clearance and hieght that a truck would at the same size lift.
That, and at 4.5"s with 33's I'm at pretty much the highest I can go without starting to worry about major things like driveline angles, steering angles, and blowing rear axles.

I wish it was that easy for me to get this thing on the road.
Luckily it's already been inspected, but it's the "Air care" thing we have up here. Retarded setup that only cars, and SUV's have to go through.
Basically tests your vehicles emissions output and if you don't pass, you don't get insurance.
Trucks can go through a loophole and bump the GVW to 5001. Anything with a GVW of over 5000 doesn't have to go through Air Care because it'll be insured as a commerical vehicle.
Just another perk of owning a truck up here. :D

[The Goat]

well, they acually instituted a new system to where the vehicle has to be plugged in and results are recorded on a statewide server I think, but eh...switch vehicles with one that's guaranteed to pass...and you're done.

it's just a big issue with import cars around here mainly, no cat, coolers on the front, they'd fail inspection if a child was doing it. lol.

There's no way for you to get through that same loophole>

[tecat-z]

All those 1/2 ton fords are ifs. Twin I beam. The best choice imo is 96 up chevy/gmc. Vortech 5.7 (350) upgraded interior from 95 over all 94 and below. Here's a pic of the one we just sold in Oct. This is a 1997 and was my wifes. It was stone stock mechanically, even the exhaust was oem. Added new 95 take off wheels and tires when out originals wore out. This was actualy cheaper and i liked the look of the 17's. Had 5.7, tow pack, 3.73 locker, high capacity air cleaner, power windows and locks, factory cd with six speaker sound, power lumbar seats, tilt, cruise, vanity mirrors and lighting, power outside mirrors, exterior appearance package. It was fully loaded for a standard cab and only had 73,000 when we sold it. Needed something a bit more family oriented, so we bought a new pontiac Torrent. I really was sad to see this truck go. It was such a smooth and quiet truck, but very strong. I maintained it to a tee and never had one problem. I even drove this to TF 06. This truck to me is CLASSIC. I miss it.

[tbirdscott]

Forget about the F-150's get a F-250, better frame & solid front axle right off the bat, look for a 351W or even an older one with an M series engine they are real torque monsters.

If you want to seriously get into it find an f-350 with a big block, my buddy is currently building a 1976 f250 sb with a 460/C6 dana 70's (I've got a pair of rockwells hes just itching for :naughty: ) running it on 44's and I'm not sure of the exact lift but the front bumper is at my throat, Painted john deer green :D

Hers a pic of his old f-250 on my old sprint, and yes it ran fine afterwards, its true those suzukis dont die! he woulda made it farther with bigger tires, damn axle kept getting hung on the a-pillar.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/tbirdscott/cyborder.jpg?t=1207165081

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/tbirdscott/timstruck.jpg?t=1207165686

[threewheelin-feelin]

chevy!!! you dont want a F'ed over rebuilt dodge...it will be found on road dead:naughty:

[tbirdscott]

...it will be found on road dead:naughty:

I've got 485,000 km on my 1997 ranger, original engine and drivetrain. Ford and Chevy make good dependable trucks, Chevy just hasnt made a good looking one since the 80's :p

Just whatever you do stay away from the Dodges, you dont wana become one of them guys :crazy: haha *unless its a powerwagon.

Besides you know what they say about chevy guys, theres a reason they like chicks with big tits and tight http://www.voidspace.org.uk/emoticons/animals_cat.gif







'Cause they have big mouths and small http://69.90.174.247/photos/thumb_small/66151/66151,1174674613,2.jpg





:lol: It' s a JOKE, dont get angry now and beat your wife :D


Scott


PS: First On Race Day

[TwoHundredEx]

Thanks for all the info guys, after a few decision changes, I've gone back to my original idea of a '92-'96 F150 with the 302.
The IFS lifts are a lot cheaper than I expected, and after a little bit of research on some F150 forums, I've found that the TTB setup and 9" should be fine with 37's. Right now I'm fairly set on a 6" Rough Country, with a 2" body lift and 37's on either black rock crawlers or a simple set of aluminum rims. Other than that, and a set of gears, I'll just throw some bolt ons to the engine. Headers, possibly mustang heads, and exhaust.
Of course, if I can find a F250 for a resonable price I'll jump on it, but they seem to be pretty scarce around here.

[tbirdscott]

1987+ F-150 302 & 351's should have the E7TE heads which are what the mustang GT's came with, with an exhaust porting (mainly grinding away the thermactor bumps) a B303 cam (5.0HO factory cam) and a set of headers it'll wake up pretty good and is Cheap, Cheap is always good! I'd be leary of running bigger than 35's on the D44 front axle, its been done though.

Where are you anyway? in Prince George F-250's are like belly buttons!


Good luck with whatever you buy, Post up some pics when you get it too.


Scott

[TwoHundredEx]

Oh, I didn't know they already had the GT heads. Is the GT cam really that much better? I figure if I'm going to put a cam in it, I might as well put a decent one in there. That won't be for a while though,
I want to get the lift and tires out of the way, that's going to be the most expensive part. Once that's done I'll look into engine mods.
I'm in BC. F250's are around here too, but just not alot in my price range, atleast in the '92 and up style.

[Bryan Raffa]

way higher resale value in a chevy than the ford..in the last month alone I have wrenched on 5 fords with blown trannys ..and one chevy in 2 months with a bad transfer..workin on fords gets old not too mention there computer boxes suck.. and is a pita to flash the the new brain box.and they have a piss poor sway bar setup.

[tbirdscott]

way higher resale value in a chevy than the ford..

Remember your on the other side of the continent, its is Ford territory over here, Chevy's are dirt :D And sway bars are for road racing, not mud holeing ;)

I only mentioned the b303 because they can be had cheap from stang guys upgrading and they are a nice improvement over the stock cam.

Scott

[TwoHundredEx]

Remember your on the other side of the continent, its is Ford territory over here, Chevy's are dirt :D And sway bars are for road racing, not mud holeing ;)

I only mentioned the b303 because they can be had cheap from stang guys upgrading and they are a nice improvement over the stock cam.

Scott

Yeah, the sway bars will be gone when the lift goes on.
Thanks for the info on the cam, I'll deifnitely keep it in mind. I'm starting to get anxious now, I really want to pick one of these up.
One of my friends has already offered to buy the Jeep whenever I'm ready to sell, so basically all that's holding me back now is the Cat. converter, a set of rear shocks and a couple really small thingsd so I can get it road worthy and Air Cared.
I'm hoping to get it all done and have a new truck by the beginning/middle of May.

[TwoHundredEx]

Well, my dad may have found one for me.
'85 F150, carb'ed 302, automatic, 3" body lift, and some kind of polished intake.
The guy wants the tires and wheels off of it though, and it'll need a rear axle.

Best part is...


It's FREE

Apparently one of our neighbours friends had the truck and just wanted to get rid of it.
My dad offered him $250 for it and the guy took it. He was originally just going to sell it for parts and make some money off it but, he offered it me first.

I haven't seen it yet but he did say that it's going to need some work, it'll need the registration, a rear axle obviously, and some small things. I'm not too worried though, because I can afford that now seeing as I can use the money I get out of the Jeep plus whatever else I have.

I kind of wanted something newer but I'm thinking I'll just throw a '92-96 front clip on it and get it painted.
Fenders on ebay are like $45 and the grille is $15! I'd be stupid not to.

I'll be going to see it sometime this week and I'll try to remember to get some pics while I'm there.

[tbirdscott]

A deal at twice the price! I've got a 7th gen f-150 and it was free aswell lol except I'm still patching bits of melted wiring harness trying to get the lights to work when they should... I think it's one of the toughest looking designs ford had.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i11/turbosprunt/e150.jpg?t=1208962149

Thats mine when I first brought it home, it looks marginally better now :p


Scott

[TwoHundredEx]

Well, I went and looked at it today and I gotta say, your truck looked better than this one did tbirdscott.
Had some pretty serious rust on the front fenders and box. Cab looked OK, but far from good. All in all it was a little too much work for me right now. Looking for something atleast somewhat presentable so I don't have to sink all the money into the body and paint.
I did like the carb'ed 302 though. Too bad that was about the only thing I liked.
Oh well, back on the hunt.

[Jonpin]

Hey you could have always done the ifs to straight axle conversion never done one but they look real easy on tv ;)