[Fred T]

Around here most who bought a pickup couldn't justify the added expense of the larger motor/tranny. A lot of sixes with 3 speeds were stocked by the dealers. Purchases were made by farmers and guys working at the aircraft factories, who drove them to work and used them to haul stuff on the weekend. Most of these guys had a family car, which was the vehicle with all the comforts, and was usually the wife's vehicle.

When I bought my 74 new, all the dealer had on the lot were 1/2 tons with sixes and 3 speeds. I bought one of the two that had radios. Anything above that was a special order truck, which took 1 to 4 months to get from the factory.