Smart move to post this on both boards. You should see a 180 degree flip of oppinions.

catch you on the flip side
BadBowtie

 

hahaha

89 K1500 Skyjacker 2.5" 33" SSR's

 

At the risk of sounding biased, Go with the ford. The engine in the GMC in my opionon will give you better milage and more power. Probably also engine work will be cheaper on the GMC. A 302 isnt underpowered in a 3/4 ton, regardless of what the chevy guys will tell you. Granted the chev 350 is better, but test drive the ford and see for yourself. But:
1. lifting the GMC is gonna be expensive, Ford suspensions are much cheaper to work on. In '88 chevy went from a solid axle suspension to ifs. If you really must buy a chevy i would ger one at least a year older so you can get the solid axle. Either truck can be great off road, but the ford is going to be cheaper to modify, and its already a 3/4 ton so it will be stronger.
2. Stepside beds are abosolutley completely useless on a pickup. Why would you want a pickup that cant haul anything?
3. No comparison on strength and durability, if you want an example, look at service vehicles in construction and logging for those years and see how many chevy/gmcs are in use compared to fords. The fords far outnumber anything else (fleet service vehicles) here in oregon, and i would assume its the same all over. Not trying to knock the GMC, i would drive one if i had one, but given a choice of 1/2 ton chev or 3/4 ton ford, ill take the ford. The only advantage the GMC has is the engine, but ford makes a better overall truck. In my opinion toyota makes the best pickup on the road, but if you need a fullsize pickup, there is no comparison, buy a FORD!

93 F250 7.3 Diesel, 4 inch tuff country lift, 35 inch Wild Country's

 

Did you just say that toyota makes the best overall pickup on the road???? Did you also know that Ford used to market nazi literature at their dealerships in the pre WWII era.

catch you on the flip side
BadBowtie

 

well one thing the ford probly has a 5.8...reliability buy the ford,cheaper too fix a ttb.chevys better on gas...
the f250 the ride might not be so good...as far as on off road couldnt tell ya there...

fullsize fanatic

 

well one thing the ford probly has a 5.8...reliability buy the ford,cheaper too fix a twin traction beam......
chevys better on gas...on the f250 the ride might not be so good...as far as on,off road couldnt tell ya there...

fullsize fanatic

 

I noticed you asked about mileage! This leads me to believe that you dont really need either of these trucks. When you consider buying a full size truck especially a 3/4 ton mileage usually doesnt play a role. Both of these trucks werent designed for mileage, they were designed to work, if you dont work them or have some specific purpose you are wasting your money not only on the truck but on the gas as well. Consider buying a small truck or perhaps a car !?

 

My dad has a Ford F150. It is a great truck, both on road, and off(my dad dosn't know about that). Aparently though, the 5 speed manual is a mazada trany, and really expensive to repair. the reverse went out and cost 1500 to fix. I hear this is a common problem with them.

1990 samurai spoa
soon to have 2.8 and c4 auto
33" thornbirds

 

Then why do you want to put a ford engine and tranny in your Zuk? Badbowtie- Nazi literature? Well i hadnt heard that, but i did know that earlier than the WW2, 'ol henry was spreadin around an anti semetic newsletter. Wasn't aware that it was nazi though. interesting. So does that mean ford is not american? Henry's dead.

93 F250 7.3 Diesel, 4 inch tuff country lift, 35 inch Wild Country's

 

And... I had a T100 pickup with a 3.0 v6 and wimpy little 32 inch tires and i got in an argument with a guy with a 3/4 ton chevy (350 powered). Wasnt very smart thinking at the time, and i wouldnt do it again, but we were just drunk enough to hook a chain up and go at it tug of war style (not on the road). I kicked his A$$ with that wimpy little toyota. True story. Course the guy wont even talk to me now about doing it again now that i have a ford. So maybe toyota is the best built truck off the road?

93 F250 7.3 Diesel, 4 inch tuff country lift, 35 inch Wild Country's

 

hey zuk i had a friend that had the same thing...no reverse...it was a bit cheaper that we took it out...

fullsize fanatic

 

MY appologies Sean D. I had just watched a documentary in school and they said that henery ford used to market that stuff in his dealerships before WWI ( I hit he "I" again by accident). I did not mean to offend anyone and by no means say ford was unamerican. One of my best friends drives a ford f-150. I dish out a lot of crap but it is all good natured. take it easy man, I was just messin around.

catch you on the flip side
BadBowtie

 

Hey no problem, i didnt mean to sound offended. If you look into our history during that time, you will find that henry fords thinking wasnt exactly uncommon. He was just stupid enough to put his famous and wealthy name on it. Wasnt rying to defend him either, the ford name now has little to do with henry's no doubt racist ideas.

93 F250 7.3 Diesel, 4 inch tuff country lift, 35 inch Wild Country's

 

toyotas are overrated. The 22RE has no power and does not "last forever" as most people blindly state. It's so damn overworked in a truck that it gets bogged alot, which kills its longevity. They are easier to handle because of they're smaller size, but I'd like to see somebody pull a load of firewood up a hill in one of those things. But with some lower gears and 35's they will go places off-road for sure. But I wouldn't drive one, because i bought a ford to support the nazis.

It's a Jeep thing? My Bronco thing will run over your little Jeep thing.

Muddybronco

 

How much wood could a bronco haul if a bronco could haul wood?

93 F250 7.3 Diesel, 4 inch tuff country lift, 35 inch Wild Country's

 

hahaha,
If Ford supported the Nazi's, then how come he built the engines for our united states air force planes to bomb the sh1t out of Germany? Actually, if any company was pro-nazi, it would have to be mercedes benz. They were the guys who built the engines to gas the jews.
Toyota vs Ford....Although I am a Ford guy, I've got to say that Toyota is more reliable from personal experience. I had a Toy truck that went 250k mi before it needed a rebuild, where as all four Ford vehicles that I've owned has needed rebuilds between 100 and 150k mi, and I ragged the sh1t out of both brands. But quite simply, like someone brought up before, Toyotas have squirrels in their engine bays, where as we've got some healthy ponies in ours.
And how much wood have I hauled?...Well, let's just say that your mama's stump was a pretty rough gettin on the trailer...

 

If the GMC is a 5-speed, it will have a Getrag, which is the biggest POS known to man. The Ford will have the Mazda trans if it is a light duty, and a ZF (this is a German made transmission that is used by all the big 3)if it is a HD. Neither are great, but nothing is worse than a Getrag. If it has the auto, the GMC will have a 700R4..... also a major POS (especially so if you want to tow anything... they like to spit out their front seals). The Ford will have an AOD, or possibly a C6 (though doubtful).

The GMC will have the a-arm front suspension, which is weak (they are known to bend the a-arms), and much more expensive to lift. They also require more lift for a larger tire vs the Ford (they made the wheelwells much smaller on the 88's). The Ford will have the tried and true TTB. It is much stronger and also cheaper to lift. Also, a smaller lift is required for the same size tire as on the GMC.

The GMC will have a throttle body injected 350 (looks like a hollowed out carburator with wires going into it), vs Fords sequential injection (works like port, only it batch fires). The 350 will have more power, but the 302 has fantastic aftermarket support, and it is very easy to make a 302 a real monster.

The GMC will be the first year of a complete redo. These trucks were known for having alot of problems. I have owned, and do own both Fords and GM's. However, I own an auto repair and towing business, and know what I work on more (long live the 700R4..... I make good money on those). The funny thing is, my shop is in a primarily Ford area.

Hope this helped.
Gloria

 

Well, assuming you own a 16 ft trailor, a bronco will haul quite a bit of wood. I didn't mean to rag toyota, just don't like hearing all my friends say that they'll sell their fords and chevys to get a toyota that will last forever, when in fact anything taken off road that isn't taken care of will have problems.

It's a Jeep thing? My Bronco thing will run over your little Jeep thing.

Muddybronco