anyone towing/towed oldschool?

I am thinking about getting a late 60s early 70s Chevy C-10 as a project truck and would like to eventually make it my daily driver but I am wondering how an older truck with less hp will tow? I only have a ski nautique 2001 so its not like im towing the weight of an xstar.

Does anyone tow with an older truck or have towed with a 60s 70s truck? Post any pictures that you have old or new. Would be cool to see some old rides that people have

My brother tows his XTI with a 78 Ford F100 4x4 with a fresh 400/C6 AT. The thing has balls, but the gas guage goes down as fast as the speedo goes up.

what do you think his mpg is when towing and daily driving? Sweet setup. That truck is beautiful

He bought that truck off Ebay for like $3k. The motor had just been rebuilt & had zero hours, the body was stripped & interior was toast. He painted it Malibu red, installed an Isotta steering wheel, a new custom seat, 35" tires & some glass packs. It gets like 8 or 9 mpg whether it's towing or not. But he lives in Redding, like 5 miles from Shasta, which is about the only place that truck & boat ever go anymore. And it pulls those big hills on I-5 like their flat.

(Message edited by bill_airjunky on January 04, 2008)

Your not going to notice a horsepower difference. However the absence of EFI on the older motors will show at the pump. I had a coworker of mine yesturday telling me about an old rescue truck they use to have with a big block and a 4 barrel carb. He said the PD's crown vics couldn't keep up with it.

Older trucks may get worse mileage, but it's offset by not have a $400+/month payment. Oh, and the fact they don't depreciate much, if at all.

BillK, that's a great looking Ford.
Here is my Blazer I just sold......

Nice Blazer.
Makes me wonder how much improvement there would be if someone were to invest in an older rig with an aftermarket EFI unit on it.

I would love to have an old school combo of a SN2001 and pretty much any short wheelbase C10 from the late 60's up to a 1987 or a K5 of the same vintage.

I used to tow with this old girl, It really bounced around alot and was a dog with 3.50 gears, but with the 4.56s you didn't know the boat was there, other than the non stop bouncing... it was a stock 351M and did better on gas with the better gears, even though it was tackin higher,

I used to have a 72 Chevy c-20 with a tired 350 I pulled my SN2001 with. I sometimes wish I never sold it, But 100 deg. temps in Norcal during the summer got old. And I got a smokin deal on a 99 F350 PSD. The old truck had 4.11's so it didnt go very fast but wouldpull anything hooked to it.

The 67-72 Chevy/GM trucks are classics, and hold their value. If you can get into one without breaking the bank, and build it with good pieces it would be sweet. Wehad a 72 3/4 ton when I was a kid. I miss it
The half tons have a coil spring hotchkiss style rear suspension that isn't the best for towing anything, in my opinion. You can easily get a set of leaf springs under the truck which will make it much more stable and stout when towing.
As for power, a SBC with attention paid to gearing, and spending some bucks on either an 5 speed or a O.D. auto might make it livable for a semi-daily driver.
Don't over carb or over cam it, keep the compression down, and you'll be fine. I'm an old guy, and would build this truck long before I'd drop 20k on some newer rig that would depreciate like a rock, cost a fortune to insure, smog, etc.
Got a '56 f-100 in the shop right now...old trucks rule...
just my opinion....

If this were 1988 I would be the man. 88 suburban with an 86 SN but I wanna go with an older truck like a 69 c10 with a 350 or a 454

Bill, that Blazer got 14mpg average even with the 35" tires. It was a 1990 with tbi injection. Towed my VLX just fine with 3.73s.

I used to tow with this '70 Chev, but like hillbilly said it gets pretty hot in the summer around here. Couldn't carry family and friends anyplace either( 2 cars or more every trip to the water). Open road it got 18 mpg and I didn't even feel the boat behind me.I miss the old boy, but I still visit him from time to time(sold it to a guy a few blocks down the road). I now tow with a family friendly '86 Burb (it's in my profile pic). I'll always stay old school!!

Thats a Damn good looking old Chevy ! And I even talked to the guy who now has my truck about getting it back, But he likes it to much. And the no smog thing is def. a plus.

Thanx Hillbilly. My youngest son reeaally wants me to get it back for him to drive. }Truck was born and raised in Oregon. I owned it for 20+ years and bought it from the original owner back then. I stay in touch with the new owner because he is not mechanically inclined, so I still get to tinker with it from time to time. Heck, I might even talk him into pulling the boat next summer for the memories LOL.

This is my old school ride with my boat. Telling ya, late 80s I woulda been a pimp

Eric, nice combo!We have reversed combos you and I. Your '88 pullin the '86, and my '86 pullin the '88. Ya can still be a Mass. pimp! Ya just need to add a feather to the hat, some "BLING" around the neck and your'e set to live out your fantasy. Don't forget the 22's on the Burb and trailer either. Enjoy your boat...

(Message edited by tuffenuff on January 06, 2008)

Ya that is my hick truck. I love looking like a hick in that thing but keeping it gangsta by listening to rap music to offset the truck itself. We roll up to the boat ramp with 6-9 people in the burban and cram into my little 2001 and have a kick ass time...as long as its not a sausage fest

i towed my boats with a 81 shortbed chevy for 3 years. wow the tranny got hot! i had a vortec motor in it. it pulled really good for a short wheelbase truck. ill round up a pic here tonight

Rodney,
Vortec in an '81 ??
I'm pretty sure those weren't around until '97-'98.-- Was it dropped in later?
Sounds like a nice set up anyway ... love those old Chevys

Here is My 87 Jimmy. This body style truck is a total tank. It's the last year of the square body with a removable top. TBI injection. Its got a turbo 350 trans in it now but the truck should have a 700R. The engine is stock so it tows ok.


I need to get a commuiter vehicle so this beast has got to go. Anyone interiested please send me a e-mail



With some more $ this thing would rip as a tow vehicle. Switching over to a tune port injection from a late 80's Corvette, a 383 crate motor or if you have assemble one for about $3500 that will put out over 400# of torque.

I know my bro posted my rig already, but this is a much more current shot.

Air Junky, thats a beautiful set up. Is that your daily driver? And whats your mpg?

Thanks! Its not my daily driver anymore, though it was for about 5 years. MPG is about 10, unless I can keep my foot out of it, then I can get 11 or 12. Towing doesn't do much to the mpg.

Yeah I have to say that red Bu is freaking awesome love that tower is that a titan tower?

ya chris they came around in 97 i believe. it was me and my dads little project. we stuck a 700r4 behind it.i would say it ran like a champ. nothin beats new technology in an older ride.

Yep, changed out the old Titan Illusion Tower I got on it in 03 for the new Titan III tower last summer, much better.....

Jake, do you have any current videos of you guys flying on that sky ski?

Hey Trent, I'm sure there is some home footage floating around, email me privately and I'll try to get you a few clips. You can hit me at jake@skyski.com....

How about a '88 Cavalier? I had an '88 chevy cavalier and would tow my '95 mastercraft to the launch for the first few years. Needless to say, I couldn't go faster than 10mph up even a small hill. At least I had my priorities straight back then. Boat first, everything else later!