Help me pick a truck.

[bcfre]

Hey guys, I'm a new poster. I've been trying to read and research a lot - now I come to you for advice. Please excuse me if this is the wrong place to ask.

I'm getting ready to finally pull the trigger on a truck, I would really like your opinions on which size/style truck would be best for me. I have a vision for what I want and I intend to do most of the work myself. I don't expect it to take any less than 5 years (and probably much longer) to reach the final result. At this point, I'm looking for sturdy, good bones to build on.

Here's a breakdown of what I'm eventually trying to accomplish:

• I will be living and traveling in this truck 100% of the time from day one; meaning I need to have a functional, livable truck right out the door.
• I prioritize in this order:

1. Performance
2. Durability
3. Reliability
4. Ride quality/comfort
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. Fuel efficiency
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. Cosmetics

Essentially, I care about how well the truck performs more than anything, followed closely by how much punishment it can take. I don't care at all about how much or little gas mileage it gets, and I care even less about how it looks.

• I live in the desert and will be traveling extensively - on a daily basis the truck needs to be able to traverse most moderate/rugged desert roads at 40-60mph, climb some moderate trails, and still be street legal in California. I'm not expecting to accomplish JKU levels of crawling capability or Hammers trophy truck levels of long travel capability, but something decently ok at both and more of an emphasis on the LT side of things.
• I travel light and minimal, however I do expect to be under at least ~500-700lbs of load most/all the time.
• My budget for the base vehicle is $20,000, and again it needs to have at least some of that capability right out the gate.

I'm currently looking at used 1/2 ton RCSB trucks. Specifically I have my eye on a 2010 Sierra 1500 5.3 & a 2004 Ram 1500 5.7.

Any advice welcome, and again my apologies if this is the wrong place.

Update - love at first sight:

 

[Anak]

I have a vision for what I want and I intend to do most of the work myself. I don't expect it to take any less than 5 years (and probably much longer) to reach the final result. At this point, I'm looking for sturdy, good bones to build on.
...

Essentially, I care about how well the truck performs more than anything, followed closely by how much punishment it can take. I don't care at all about how much or little gas mileage it gets, and I care even less about how it looks.

If you could share your vision with us (there is not much detail in what you have posted) we could probably give you better advice.

If the priority is the ability to take punishment I will strongly encourage you to look at solid front axle trucks and scratch all the IFS trucks off the list. IFS is generally the weakest link in a 4x4 truck. Next would be to look for manual transmission trucks. After that I would also be looking for geared transfer cases (as opposed to chain driven).

And since you say fuel economy and appearance are not high priorities, I think a good candidate would be a '73-'87 Chevy/GMC 4x4 with an SM465 transmission and an NP205 transfer case. A K2500 (that means 3/4 ton 4x4) should come with GM Corporate 14 bolt rear end and either a D44 or 10 bolt front end. That will be a tough truck. It will also be a platform for which parts are easy to come by.

 

[bcfre]

If you could share your vision with us (there is not much detail in what you have posted) we could probably give you better advice.

If the priority is the ability to take punishment I will strongly encourage you to look at solid front axle trucks and scratch all the IFS trucks off the list. IFS is generally the weakest link in a 4x4 truck. Next would be to look for manual transmission trucks. After that I would also be looking for geared transfer cases (as opposed to chain driven).

And since you say fuel economy and appearance are not high priorities, I think a good candidate would be a '73-'87 Chevy/GMC 4x4 with an SM465 transmission and an NP205 transfer case. A K2500 (that means 3/4 ton 4x4) should come with GM Corporate 14 bolt rear end and either a D44 or 10 bolt front end. That will be a tough truck. It will also be a platform for which parts are easy to come by.

Oh no I'm unsure on whether or not you're able to see my post because of the formatting. Let me remove that.

Here's a breakdown of what I'm eventually trying to accomplish:
I will be living and traveling in this truck 100% of the time from day one; meaning I need to have a functional, livable truck right out the door.
I prioritize in this order:

Performance
Durability
Reliability
Ride quality/comfort


Fuel efficiency


Cosmetics


I live in the desert and will be traveling extensively - on a daily basis the truck needs to be able to traverse most moderate/rugged desert roads at 40-60mph, climb some moderate trails, and still be street legal in California. I'm not expecting to accomplish JKU levels of crawling capability or Hammers trophy truck levels of long travel capability, but something decently ok at both and more of an emphasis on the LT side of things.

I travel light and minimal, however I do expect to be under at least ~500-700lbs of load most/all the time.

My budget for the base vehicle is $20,000, and again it needs to have at least some of that capability right out the gate.

If I had to summarize my vision, it would be like this: a street legal truck that I will live in 100% of the time that is capable of extensive moderate/heavy long travel (50-60mph through the desert daily) and some mild-moderate trails at least a few times a week. The truck would also be equipped ideally for rogue camping in the city/parking lots as much as it is equipped to be in the desert/mountains. Do you think a 3/4 or full ton truck would be capable of this?

 

[MMc]

I have friends that own fleets of trucks that are driven by employees on dirt roads everyday. One owns a company that serves the engery business, the other severs the AK pipeline, they both say Amerian trucks hold up better over time. I know there will be other to say different here.
I wouldn't put much weight in what a bunch of strangers think about what I should buy ether. Get what works for you! As you narrow down the list go on those boards and see what those strangers have to say.
These are things that I love for a reason, that same reason is why you hate it.

 

[Anak]

Oh no I'm unsure on whether or not you're able to see my post because of the formatting. Let me remove that.



If I had to summarize my vision, it would be like this: a street legal truck that I will live in 100% of the time that is capable of extensive moderate/heavy long travel (50-60mph through the desert daily) and some mild-moderate trails at least a few times a week. The truck would also be equipped ideally for rogue camping in the city/parking lots as much as it is equipped to be in the desert/mountains. Do you think a 3/4 or full ton truck would be capable of this?

The level of detail I am looking for is the "where are you going to sleep?" "how many days of self-sufficiency (i.e. how much food and water do you plan to carry)?" "what sort of equipment do you plan to be carrying around (mountain bike? dirt bike? camera gear? work related gear?)? etc.

It sounds like you plan on sleeping in the vehicle. That makes a difference. How tall are you? That will make a difference too.

If you plan to sleep in the vehicle and carry a bunch of food and water and other gear you start running out of room pretty quick with most vehicle platforms. Are you an ultra-minimalist? Your answer to that may eliminate or bring back into the option pool some platforms.

In terms of what can be done with a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck, take a look at the military CUCV type vehicles. There are a whole bunch of those square body full-size GM trucks that the military found useful. I rather doubt they led easy lives.

 

[M Rose]

Oh no I'm unsure on whether or not you're able to see my post because of the formatting. Let me remove that.



If I had to summarize my vision, it would be like this: a street legal truck that I will live in 100% of the time that is capable of extensive moderate/heavy long travel (50-60mph through the desert daily) and some mild-moderate trails at least a few times a week. The truck would also be equipped ideally for rogue camping in the city/parking lots as much as it is equipped to be in the desert/mountains. Do you think a 3/4 or full ton truck would be capable of this?

I lived in the back of this truck for 3 months and out close to 30,000 off-road miles during that time period. 2000 Dodge Ram 2500, the last picture is my buddy going through a hole I just went through.

 

[Dilldog]

I would say Ford Superduty. The shop I work for and many of our customers use them. We have a generator service department so some of our Superduty trucks are going through some very rough terrain over loaded. Same with one of our customers. They build and service communication towers, their trucks are all lifted on 35s with service bodies and always come in with rock rash and such. The Dodges they have run didn't hold up, they are just now trying GM. Because of the punishment I have seen them go through and how well they drive I would really look for a Superduty. I would go with the gas v8 to keep things cheaper and more simple, and to keep the rig smaller but still have room for gear standard cab long bed.

 

[Farook Ismail]

Tundra. No reason just.yhink it will.do what you want it to do.

Good luck with your search.

Btw what not to get.
Acess cab tacoma. I have one too small.

Good luck.

 

[Smileyshaun]

I would pass on the 1/2 tons . Most 3/4 - 1 tons have full floater rear axles , way bigger brakes , ball joints , steering components ect ect and when loaded down with gear will take the weight a lot better .

 

[tjZ06]

I would pass on the 1/2 tons . Most 3/4 - 1 tons have full floater rear axles , way bigger brakes , ball joints , steering components ect ect and when loaded down with gear will take the weight a lot better .

True, but you can't get a RCSB in any of the big-3 3/4 tons. A RCLB would leave him lots of options for a camper shell, bit RTT on a rack, etc. that would make Overlanding really nice though. Still, I agree with you, but I'd add to go with a Ford or RAM 3/4 ton for the solid front axle. I'm a "Chevy guy" and I've had a '11 Silverado 2500 HD (Duramax/Allison) that I love and I've even taken on Overlanding trips, so that might seem like strange advice from me. But I never bought my truck to be an "Overlander." It was my DD and has been a tow rig (both on and off-road) and expected to work hard but be comfortable for long, long days in the saddle from day 1. Reliability was also key, and it's been exceptional for me. So, "can" you Overland a IFS Chevy 2500? Sure can, I do, and for the pavement or "soft road" portions of things it'll be more comfortable and nicer to drive. HOWEVER, for a dedicated Overlander for a person that wants to go deeper in more extreme terrain it's hard to argue that a solid axle isn't the way to go. Also, both Ford and Dodge bodies fit more tire more easily (in other words, larger tires with less lift - which is the right recipe for Overlanding).

That said, the $20k price point will largely be the limiting factor in a 3/4 ton diesel application. At $20k one *should* be able to find a clean 7.3 PSD or a 5.9 Cummins truck. In fact, I know of a very nice, clean '06 Cummins extended cab, 4x4 that already has larger wheels/tires and some nice subtle mods that I believe would fall under the $20k cap. If the OP is interested I can get more info on that. Personally, in a 3/4 I'd only consider a diesel. Range is so much better, power/torque is so much better (in the *right* diesel) etc. That said, a later 3-valve V10 Ford wouldn't be too bad if no heavy towing is intended, or a RAM especially if the budget could cover the later 6.4 Hemi trucks. Whatever the OP does, I cannot stress enough DO NOT BUY A 6.0 OR 6.4 PSD FORD. Every time I say that you get the one guy that either has 1,000,000 miles on his 6.0 with it turned up and no maintenance or the guy that will argue that "6.0s are great once you... spend about $20k rebuilding everything and replacing just about every major system on the motor with aftermarket stuff." The bottom line is basically EVERY 6.0/6.4 has major problems eventually, all of those problems are hugely costly (they often take out the whole motor) and almost all the repairs for them are cab-off endeavors.

Autotrader - page unavailable

www.autotrader.com

^That's only a 5.7 Hemi, but something like that especially in a 6.4 would be a great Overlanding platform. Basic interior/exterior you don't have to stress as much about getting dirty and scratching up, good 'ole floor-shifted T-case, 8' bed for building out a real nice "living quarters" with a camper shell etc. Great GVWR to load it up, fits 37"s with very little lift, lockers available, etc.

-TJ

 

[Dilldog]

True, but you can't get a RCSB in any of the big-3 3/4 tons. A RCLB would leave him lots of options for a camper shell, bit RTT on a rack, etc. that would make Overlanding really nice though. Still, I agree with you, but I'd add to go with a Ford or RAM 3/4 ton for the solid front axle. I'm a "Chevy guy" and I've had a '11 Silverado 2500 HD (Duramax/Allison) that I love and I've even taken on Overlanding trips, so that might seem like strange advice from me. But I never bought my truck to be an "Overlander." It was my DD and has been a tow rig (both on and off-road) and expected to work hard but be comfortable for long, long days in the saddle from day 1. Reliability was also key, and it's been exceptional for me. So, "can" you Overland a IFS Chevy 2500? Sure can, I do, and for the pavement or "soft road" portions of things it'll be more comfortable and nicer to drive. HOWEVER, for a dedicated Overlander for a person that wants to go deeper in more extreme terrain it's hard to argue that a solid axle isn't the way to go. Also, both Ford and Dodge bodies fit more tire more easily (in other words, larger tires with less lift - which is the right recipe for Overlanding).

That said, the $20k price point will largely be the limiting factor in a 3/4 ton diesel application. At $20k one *should* be able to find a clean 7.3 PSD or a 5.9 Cummins truck. In fact, I know of a very nice, clean '06 Cummins extended cab, 4x4 that already has larger wheels/tires and some nice subtle mods that I believe would fall under the $20k cap. If the OP is interested I can get more info on that. Personally, in a 3/4 I'd only consider a diesel. Range is so much better, power/torque is so much better (in the *right* diesel) etc. That said, a later 3-valve V10 Ford wouldn't be too bad if no heavy towing is intended, or a RAM especially if the budget could cover the later 6.4 Hemi trucks. Whatever the OP does, I cannot stress enough DO NOT BUY A 6.0 OR 6.4 PSD FORD. Every time I say that you get the one guy that either has 1,000,000 miles on his 6.0 with it turned up and no maintenance or the guy that will argue that "6.0s are great once you... spend about $20k rebuilding everything and replacing just about every major system on the motor with aftermarket stuff." The bottom line is basically EVERY 6.0/6.4 has major problems eventually, all of those problems are hugely costly (they often take out the whole motor) and almost all the repairs for them are cab-off endeavors.

Autotrader - page unavailable

www.autotrader.com

^That's only a 5.7 Hemi, but something like that especially in a 6.4 would be a great Overlanding platform. Basic interior/exterior you don't have to stress as much about getting dirty and scratching up, good 'ole floor-shifted T-case, 8' bed for building out a real nice "living quarters" with a camper shell etc. Great GVWR to load it up, fits 37"s with very little lift, lockers available, etc.

-TJ

Like I said above Dodge trucks simply don't hold up to hard use, especially the new ones. Also Dodge front axles use thinner wall tubes than Fords. Also the front wheel bearings on Superduties have a fail safe that the Dodge unit bearing does not. If that bearing fails your wheel is coming off in the Dodge, where as with the Ford the wheel will stay on the spindle allowing you to stop safely. Also I have seen Dodge 4500s with 50k on the clock where ball joints, tie rods, track bar, and wheel bearings are all shot. Typically I won't see that level of wear in a Ford 450 or 550 until 90k. Straight up Dodges don't hold up to hard use, that's why you see Superduties on most job sites. only reason to go with Dodge in my opinion is for that sweet coil sprung rear suspension. One of the guys I work with has that set up and it's amazing off road, and rides very well.

 

[Migraine]

I have a 3rd gen Tundra and love it. My other choice would be a GMC 3500. My dad has an F350 and it is very nice too. I quit looking a dodge a while ago, love the look of the gladiator but it stops there. It comes down to budget and taste. Nisan Titan's looked awesome on paper a friend had one hated it from day 4 until he sold it. Best of luck in your search.

 

[Dilldog]

I'm not sure if Toyota has fixed it but I know of one oil field outfit that sold all of their Tundras due to frequent steering rack failures. They went back to running Fords. I know I may sound like a Ford fan boy but I'm just tossing out my experiences. I'm actually a GM guy, but after working on Ford's that have been used hard I'm a believer.

 

[TexasGMG]

Just my 2 cents worth, but I'd give a look at older (70s) Ford or Chevy 3/4 truck. They're tough heavy trucks, limited electronics, easy to find parts for and work on. Put a winch on it, a swing out tire carrier on the back , a camper shell/topper on it with a roof rack and you can sleep in the back and store stuff on the roof. Roof rack also lets you build and install and shower on top.

 

[Dilldog]

Just my 2 cents worth, but I'd give a look at older (70s) Ford or Chevy 3/4 truck. They're tough heavy trucks, limited electronics, easy to find parts for and work on. Put a winch on it, a swing out tire carrier on the back , a camper shell/topper on it with a roof rack and you can sleep in the back and store stuff on the roof. Roof rack also lets you build and install and shower on top.

If you go old school I would defiantly go GM. The interchangeability of the square body trucks is insane, and the axles GM ran are the strongest out of the box light truck axles.

 

[Dilldog]

so true...
and the availability of parts is beyond comprehension- you could practically walk into a drugstore and get a distributer for a sbc

Yup, I think the interchangeability is a big part of what feeds parts availability. I will say GM stuff of this era is far from the best, but it's the easiest to source and work on. And let's be honest, when you abuse equipment it is going to break, so we need to look at how easy it is to find replacements, and what the cost of said replacements will be. The 72 to 88 GM light truck (91 for the suburban, k5 and k30) has this in the bag.
So really if you want old, I say GM, if you want new I say Superduty. I personally would steer clear of diesel mostly to keep weight and service / repair costs down.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Sadly I think I remember the part numbers for a sbc tune up , in standard motor products the cap is a dr450 and the rotor is a dr318 , plugs are auto light 26 and wires I believe where a 3410 .... I think

 

[bcfre]

Hey guys thanks for all the advice. After reading through this and testing out an RCSB 04 Ram, I think I'll go for something a little more brawny and a little less puffy.

Hoping to try out an older Ram 2500 with the v10 and a newerish F250 with a 6.2. They're both reg cab long bed. I really prefer reg cab, but ex cab short bed is nice too.

Just my 2 cents worth, but I'd give a look at older (70s) Ford or Chevy 3/4 truck. They're tough heavy trucks, limited electronics, easy to find parts for and work on. Put a winch on it, a swing out tire carrier on the back , a camper shell/topper on it with a roof rack and you can sleep in the back and store stuff on the roof. Roof rack also lets you build and install and shower on top.

Man I would love to, that's the dream. My CU won't finance older vehicles for me.

 

[M Rose]

Like I said above Dodge trucks simply don't hold up to hard use, especially the new ones. Also Dodge front axles use thinner wall tubes than Fords. Also the front wheel bearings on Superduties have a fail safe that the Dodge unit bearing does not. If that bearing fails your wheel is coming off in the Dodge, where as with the Ford the wheel will stay on the spindle allowing you to stop safely. Also I have seen Dodge 4500s with 50k on the clock where ball joints, tie rods, track bar, and wheel bearings are all shot. Typically I won't see that level of wear in a Ford 450 or 550 until 90k. Straight up Dodges don't hold up to hard use, that's why you see Superduties on most job sites. only reason to go with Dodge in my opinion is for that sweet coil sprung rear suspension. One of the guys I work with has that set up and it's amazing off road, and rides very well.

Dodge doesn’t hold up... I disagree...400,000 miles on old blue, she’s a gas 3/4 ton btw, 300,000 have been put on by me. I did everything with her from DD to towing logging equipment to use her as a service truck loaded down with tools, to Overlanding, and most recently as a mud racing truck... only issues I have had was needing a new water pump at 200,000 miles which led me to replace the radiator, timing set, the thermostat, and all the hoses since I was already in there. Then I spun a rod bearing Racing last fall. So now she sits waiting on a replacement engine.
So exactly why is Dodge 3/4 ton a bad choice?

 

[bgenlvtex]

"on a daily basis the truck needs to be able to traverse most moderate/rugged desert roads at 40-60mph, "

That is going to destroy any truck that is not purpose built.

Pick a vehicle with an SFA, slow down and buy the best supension components you can get.

Personally I would say a Ram 2500 4x4 in the 2014-2017 range should get you in the price range, have SFA and pretty strong aftermarket support.