check this out

[J.D.]

I dunno about Isuzu, but I know they're called "Duramax" and I don't believe they make them...

[Jeb]

I'm not sure who makes that DuraMax diesel. I believe it is Isuzu, But I know it's not GM.

anybody remember their old 350 diesel conversions???

The 100K comparison mentioned earlier is easily explained. the majority of the Ford pickups at 100K saw allot harder working miles than the Chevy's at 100K. :shock:

It would be interesting to see. Take a chevy 1 ton and an F-350 and work them side by side in a harsh environment for 100k miles being very stringent with factory recommended maintenence on both trucks and then see which is in better shape and which has the longest repair history. :-D

[Billy Golightly]

I'm not sure who makes that DuraMax diesel. I believe it is Isuzu, But I know it's not GM.

Thats what I thought Jeb. How I remember the story going is GM contracted out to Caterpillar to build them a deisel motor, and Caterpillar contracted Isuzu to do it.

[Kilborg]

This argument again? why? This happens all too often...

Now I'll get this out front..I am a hardcore gm fan. I drive a ford right now (as my chevy is down do to some extenuating circumstances casued by yours truly), and I'm actually starting to like it. I will still take a chevy over one any day, but its still not a bad truck.

Now, as a mechanic and with the other various jobs i have had, I can tell you this (and this is not biased whatsoever). Ford is a touch beefier in STOCK form, but this only really applies to heavy work. The ford has stiffer suspension, whereas the chevy is slightly softer to improve the ride (this is most applicable to 1/2 tons and not so much larger models). I feel that GM makes better gas engines, as all the v8's and the 4.3 are excellent engines. The fords are good engines too. Engine wise, I see the chevy as a bit more of a "race" engine, whereas the ford is more like a tractor and makes a very linear powerband. Reliability with the gas engines All years are very comparable, but I give a slight nod to chevy. Tranny wise both have had their good and bad, the same as the rest of the drivetrain. The frames are both very strong, but made very differently so the uneducated will be saying how fords are thicker and therefore stronger.

Deisels are a different story. The engines ford has used have consistantly been much better stockers then the gm's until about now. Let me get one myth out of the way, The 6.2 and 6.5 gm deisels are actually good engines with a little work. The 6.5 td is a very favorable competition for the 7.3 PSD once you drop the compression (it runs fairly high compared to psd) and raise the boost (6lbs stock gm 17lbs sotck psd). The 6.5 needs less boost to make as much horsepower then the psd. Both are very reliable, but stock for stock the psd is nicer. Nowadays the 6.0 is king of the hill but they are having a myriad of problems (mostly injectors), once they get them worked out they will have a fine engine. The 6.6 duramax is a good engine too, and will only improve.

Oh what about dodges? Theyre pretty good too. As far as gas trucks go, all three makes are comparable throughout the years. If you put enough thrashing to break one, it will more then likely put the same hurting on the other brand. Ford and Dodge have ran the better deisels and still run solid front axles on the 1 tons, which gives them a light advantage. I think the Gm IFS is a pretty good system but needs a little improvement still.



Trikekid, you talk to me every night and im a chevy guy...what gives? You should stop being so brand loyal and open your eyes, because the other brands out there are still fine trucks. One thing I have always seemed to notice about ford guys is they are rabid and not open to any other makes for whatever reason. I drive a ford and can't see it....

[ATC crazy]

Kyle and JEB...I agree with you 110%. You make a great point and tell it like it is. I have already "sworn" that I would never get a chevy, but if some little pinch of luck comes my way and I'm offered a chevy for free, I'd take it......but then trade it in for a FORD ASAP. And YZ250#1...Our '91 Ford Aerostar has over 160,000 miles on the 4.0 and all it has needed was a muffler every 5 years or so and one thermostat last summer and it still runs like new. And thats from a VAN! My dad's company gave him a '98 SS-350 chevy truck for his new job and in '00 the company had to put $8,779 in to the engine and transmission alone!!! And by the way, I have never seen a chevy with over 110,000 miles on it in my life.

But the best vehicles are not Ford, Chevy, ot Dodge...But INTERNATIONAL'S (IH)

[Kilborg]

The chevy i recently rolled had nearly 141k on it, never a hiccup. I beat the piss out of it for 30k and my mom drove it before that...it never had a single problem.

The 1980 chevy 3/4 ton my father had ran about 280k on it and still ran graet and had plenty of power. It did need a valve job at this point..we had some carb troubles and blew a rearend with the truck but otherwise it was rock solid. Most of the chevy's we have had were very similar, though we had a few ratboxes *moreso with other brands.

[TrikeKid]

JB u just dont get that Ford and Dodge loyalists must be rabid because we take so much crap from the dark side (GM drivers) we simply get into a bad mood when someone bad mouths our trucks. But I have to admit that ATC Crazy is right IH is the best truck.

[ATC crazy]

Yeah...I have a 1975 International Travelall with the 392ci V-8. My dad bought it in 1988 I think with only 80K miles on it. We had it for a month and then It was put to the test. We pulled a 30' enclosed trailer with everything we owned from Sacramento, CA to Chesapeake, VA...Over the Rocky's, Applachians, ect. 3,350 miles it was if I remember correctly. Not a problem the whole way except the weight stations (yes we actually had to through them...state police order) (ya don't believe me do ya??) Dad said we weighed just over a empty semi with the trailer. After we moved to Roanoke, it sat in the driveway for 7 years, and now its in the garage being restored. We want to convert it to a 4x4 but don't know whether to swap in a front axle or a 4x4 chassis??? Its got around 210k miles now. She still has 90,000 to go before a tune-up

[TrikeKid]

My dad has had about 8 of early fifties IH pickups. IH by far had the best trucks. We curently only have an R-120 that was going to become a 4x4 street rod (yuck) but now it just sits in the shop for me to finish. If i was you i would just swap in a front axel and suspension for your rig. :-D

[kyle]

atc crazy brought up a good point, the new chevys do have a lot of things go wrong, my step dad had a 2000 chevy silverado 4x4 327 v8 vortec. and within the 1st month, 4wd stopped working, electrical took a dive on him, and now he has a 2003 silverado 4x4 same motor, they did make some improvements. im not saying ONLY chevy has problems, cause they all do!!!! but latly i have heard A LOT going wrong with new chevys. i hope im not making any enimies on here , but i like to speak my mind, i have been around trucks a long time and i see the good the bad and the ugly in them all.

[bigred110]

My 85 elco has over 150k, don't exact realy know because it only goes up tp 99,999 miles miles on my speedo, but I've turned over. And that thing still runs strong, it just leaks oil a little, just needed a new computer and a tranny. We had a mercury sable and I blew that tranny out big time. My friend has gone through like close to a dozen trannys in his mustang, and it's a 4 banger with a 5 spd. And his 390 that he has in his 64 T-bird blew the lifters and needs to get a new engine, he's planning on putting a 350 chevy in it now.

[TrikeKid]

A 350 in a TBird is BS :evil:

[kyle]

350's are a dime a dozen and very cheap and easy to modify.