'71-72 C30 vs. F350

[nibulus]

If you get high blood pressure only from hearing "Ford", please don't read further...

While surfing on the internet, it's hard not to stumble on (older) Fords every now and then. I was quite surprised as I saw a 5th gen. F-Series the first time. To be honest, they look pretty similar to the '67-72 C-Series, at least at first glance. Especially for someone, who hasn't been in the "classic truck-scene" so long (like me).

I tried to find out some differences especially between the '71-72 C30 and F350. It seems Chevy offered disc brakes as standard (Ford optional) and was able to push out more hp from their engines, but what other differences were/are there?

I know there are many hardcore Chevy-only-guys on here (less surprising), but I know there is also a huge knowledge / experience with early 70s trucks in general on here too.

I'd be glad if we could keep this thread objective, thus, let's (try) to stick to facts and (ideally first-hand) experiences.

Thanks for your contribution!

[Grumpy old man]

Well... You have Chevys and then you have those other trucks that are


Found
On
Road
Dead trucks ...

[harpo231]

This is a chevy truck forum. all i know is 99% of ford trucks built are still on the road 1% made it home

[harpo231]

https://www.ford-trucks.com

[Chevyland]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Well... You have Chevys and then you have those other trucks that are


Found
On
Road
Dead trucks ...

I thought they were actually
_u_ked
Over
Rebuilt
Dodges

Sorry, I had to Niko
Good old American humor

[AussieinNC]

Found
On
Rubbish
Dump


Fails
On
Race
Day

[Ol Blue K20]

The 71-72 Dodges resembled the GM trucks too.

[truckster]

The biggest difference? The Chevys are still around and still gaining in popularity.

[bigdog55]

I am a chevy person my self. but I like the body style of the '49. '50 model fords. I didn't like the handling of the 70's ford (to me they drove like log wagons ). I have family that swore by them.

[abig84]

Originally Posted by firedemon

didn't fords of that era use that twin I beam front suspension that was the worst handling junk ever built along with leafs out back for a little more of a lumber wagon ride . the interior was just as sparse as ours but at least the general used some buckets for a little visual upgrade even though theyre not much better comfort wise than a bench . I personally like the gm electric system much better I find its easier to get to and repair and replace along with a more natural layout . fords are more expensive to fix or rebuild and I would imagine more so where you are

thats what always scared me away from fords, it may be a stupid simple thing but when i was a teenager i had a crappy old k5 blazer i used to go out with a offroad club pretty much every week so there was lots of blazers and broncos out there. the fords always seemed to break 5 times more then the chevys, weather it was just lazy owners or design flaws (like distributor in front of the engine) was debatable. but i seen those front suspensions break multiple times. even on the older broncos with the dana44s up front, ive seen those control arms that go back to the middle of the frame rip off a few times. and i personally have never seen a chevy break a leaf spring or ball joint.

chevys have always just been very simple and reliable, 20 years of owning old beat up chevys and only been towed home once.

i have been looking for a old 70s step side chevy and have checked out older fords as i love the late 70s style but i have so much experience and such a huge parts pile of chevy parts it only makes sense for me to stay with the bowtie

i also remember the ford guys complaining about fitment issues kinda like newer cars where they change the design of stuff every 2 years, where as far as chevys go you can take the transfercase off a 82 suburban and it will bolt up to a 93 s10 (done it)

[OARNGESI]

Any true guy can appreciate ford dodge and chevy all made cool stuff throughout the years like the 67-72 fords were actually really nice trucks. I'm a chevy guy but a cool car is a cool car.

[tarafied1]

Originally Posted by OARNGESI

Any true guy can appreciate ford dodge and chevy all made cool stuff throughout the years like the 67-72 fords were actually really nice trucks. I'm a chevy guy but a cool car is a cool car.

I agree. I never really understood the violent rivalry. I get teasing friends and stuff but some people get down right nasty. Anyway, I have owned all makes and I have had some junk and some really cool stuff. The worst truck I ever owned was an 88 Silverado. The second worst was probably my 97 Ram. Neither were very reliable but keep in mind I used them as trucks and worked them hard. But I love my 72 Cheyenne. One of my favorite trucks was a 79 XLT F350 4x4. It had a 400M and it did ride like a log wagon. But it would pull or haul anything. My Cheyenne rides like a luxury car but can't put much weight in it or on the hitch or it will drag the tail. I haven't had a Ford with the twin I beam design so I can't speak to that. I did like the 73-79 Ford trucks though. I had a friend in HS that had a 67 F100 SWB with a Pontiac 400 and 4 speed. It was a pretty cool truck. It might have had the twin I beam. I never looked or gave it any thought back then. It rode and handled pretty well for a pick up with a big block but to be honest most of the time he was just burning the rear tires off when I rode with him!

here is an old picture of my 79 F350

[SIXTY9]

F-flip
O-over
R-read
D-directions

[dave6672]

Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

[bigdog55]

Originally Posted by OARNGESI

Any true guy can appreciate ford dodge and chevy all made cool stuff throughout the years like the 67-72 fords were actually really nice trucks. I'm a chevy guy but a cool car is a cool car.

I agree with you they all have made a cool car at some time or another,

[B. W.]

Back in the day, all of them shared many common parts. They all used dana axles, NP205 transfer cases & very similar transmissions (SM465, 420,435 etc)
The engines were all good, solid designs also. IMO, the Dodge sheet metal wasn't to my liking but I think the Fords were good looking, solid units. If I found a deal on a highboy I wouldn't pass it up.

I believe GM's ignition systems (especially when they went HEI) & their fuel systems (Rochester carburetors) help set them apart but, then again, I'm partial to the GM's.

[Coley]

Yeah Ford hung onto that 'Twin I-Beam' thing for a lot of years....then quietly pretty much copied GM...for good reason.
The GM design from the 60's simple proved to be very simple, cost effective, reliable and easy to modify or fix.
That said, Fords have always been good 'haulers' to my knowledge. I think Ford always made it a rule to 'out GVW' the GM's by at least 200 lbs in every series.
I must be getting older because now when I see an older ford truck cruising around I always give the guy a wave and a thumbs up.....good on him for going classic.

All Good
Coley

[nibulus]

Some good inputs folks. The suspension of the F-Series seems to be an issue, especially if it was/is setup wrong. Here's a quote of a "senior user" on one Ford board:

I drove lots of Ford trucks, E 100,150,250,300,350 dually) , F 250 all the way up to F600, back in the early to mid 70's. I drove for a company that pretty well used Ford trucks, exclusively, except for a couple of chevies.

I liked all the Fords I drove, good trucks, reliable, could take a load, etc., but I absolutely hated that Twin I beam suspension. It may have been rugged and able to handle a load.

Problems? We could never keep them in alignment, they went through tires wearing them out in , very quickly, compared to the chevies, which kept their alignment, under the same conditions.

The Fords would wander all over the highway. I was constantly correcting, while the chevies were, one hand steerers in which you could set the course, and they wouldn't wander, unless you changed the course of direction.

This was a pattern, (Twin I beam problems) with all the Fords. Maybe they improved after their '60s and 70's trucks, I don't know.

I used to think, the Twin I Beam, ruined, what, otherwise, was almost a perfect series of trucks.

Ford truck engines, like the 300 six and 460 V8 were great. The 302 truck engine was a bit short on beans, at the low end.

I would rather use a torquey, 300 six for moving the load, in city traffic, than a 302 Truck V8.

The 460 , was my all time favourite, light truck engine. Thirsty, though, but then lots of cubes to feed.

Anyway, I was always amazed that Ford stuck to the Twin I Beam as long as they do.

Do they still use it in the E series? That could be the one thing to deter me from getting an E series van.

That's pretty much what some of you guys wrote.

[manimal]

Can
Hear
Every
Valve
Rattle
Oil
Leaks
Engine
Ticks

Now seriously, I have had Chevys, Ford, and currently have a 74 Dodge for my son. I know some people are gonna get their panties all wadded up, but this is MY personal experience....If I NEED a truck for work or a 4wd, then hands down it will be a FORD. The front half of the frame on FORDs 4wds were boxed, the twin I beams made the trucks ride like a car, VERY smooth....GM and Dodge A arm design, will let you know the raod is rough...NOT A PLEASANT drive(for me). The sheetmetal on Dodge..too thin, you look at it, it dents. If I want a truck to cruise around in and look cool, lowered, hot rod, then its a GM ruck for sure. But as far as using a truck for its purpose..FORD all the way....BUT like I said, this is MY personal opinion based on MY personal experiences....and Fords are no more expensive than GM trucks. Dodge on the other hand....$$$$

[toolboxchev]

VS???

CHEVROLET????

My roommate has 4 trucks.

#1 2017 Toyota on its first oil change...waiting for the recalls.

#2 69 Ford 4x4 f250 in pieces.

#3 75 Ford 4x4 f250 c6 trans i believe, in pieces.

#4 99 Dodge Cummins 12v, in pieces.

Its really a no brainer for me! But then again I am biased, slanted, tainted, running on probably a 370,000 mile, 47 year old rusted hunk of Detroit Iron!

I am going to go and rinse some of the rust of it!

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by harpo231

https://www.ford-trucks.com

OJ's Big Brother!

[special-K]

Both Ford and GM ran a 67-72 body style. Both got heavy in this era on camper models, upper trim levels, and other creature comforts. For Ford it was, one year prior, the Twin I Beam disease broke out. I guess they were trying to do something half way between GM's A-arm/coil and Dodge's Beam/leaf deal. Ford offered crewcab short bed in this period, as did Dodge. Ford stayed more boxy and GMs got more handsome. GM had the tried and true SBC and the BBC. Fords, well, they didn't. No discs on Fords except as option. All GMs in '71. Both offered 9' Stepside/Fenderside/Flareside pickups in 1t. GM offered the 8'6" Fleetside/Wideside. On the Ford Stylesides (1/2 and 3/4t) the bedside outers were 2pc with a seam running the length of it. Were Ford bedsides double wall yet? I don't know enough about the Fords to compare anything else. You really didn't see many 1t pickups back then and the cab & chassis trucks all did the same jobs for a really really long time. They were all great trucks back then.

[manimal]

Well said Tim. Of all the Ford engines, the 300 and 360/390 were tbest there was from them. Ive never like the 302 for much of anything. In later years the 460 was a GREAT engine, with 540cid capavle with bolt on/drop in parts... Stock block can handle upwards of 900hp...thats a 2 bolt main.
But like you said...ALL trucks of that era were VERY cool.

[Ol Blue K20]

My first tow truck was a 70 dodge 300 it was a cool truck but rough riding. My second was a 73 Ford f350. It rode so much nicer. My last and favorite was a 84 Chevy 30 Silverado. It rode so much nicer than all of them. It was also fully loaded for comfort. Long story short, I loved them all.

[jkeady]

Resurrected a '72 F-100 4x4 (from a very dead state- should have left it alone...) and I feel like I have a pretty good handle on Ford v. Chevy in these years. I really actually like the Ford FE motors despite their being kind of crude.

Mechanically- there's not a ton different between the Ford and Chevy. The twin I-beam is a target for the GM crowd but I think if it's well maintained and you get someone that can do a legit alignment on it, it's not markedly worse than the upper / lower control arm arrangement (but certainly not better).

One thing that I always appreciated about the Chevy over the Ford was the interior. I feel like the '67 - '72 Chevy interior is much nicer overall than the Ford. I know that 'ergonomics' weren't exactly a huge consideration for trucks back then but I always felt like everything from the gauges to the HVAC controls to the lighting controls in the Chevy were better than the Ford. (That said, and sorry for the heresy, I think by the late '70s, Ford was starting to pass GM in the truck arena and would stay there through the '80s.)