Always keep some WD40 on hand.

[Mule 11]

( Ah, those were the days.)

 If you consider having a big PIA compared to today's ignition systems they were. I still remember my fast '57 chevy. Every 4,000 miles I had to replace the points, condenser, plugs, and wires to keep it running right.

Never owned a 57 Chevy butt have had my share of chevys. Actually have one of those pos’s in my yard and never had to do the points, cap and wire deal more then once...

[Dee]

I never had many problems with Chevys that had points and condenser style distributors.
I had Chevys with 283s, 327s, and the old 396s.
Pontiacs with points and condensers. 389s and 400s.

They were easy to work on, easy to replace, and cheaper.

Do I want to  go back to'em. I guess if I had to.

[mcbammer]

   v8  Chevys distributer was a pain in the butt being located on  the back  of the block , Fords  were easier to get to  on the front . 

[Dee]

Agreed, but their still fords.

[geezerbiker]

I'll never get this Ford Vs Chevy rivalry.  I've had both and and a few other makes along the way and now I have both a Ford and Chevy pick up.  I like to drive the Chevy more because it's newer and a higher end model...  I'm sure my 1978 F150 would have lasted me to the end of my days but being a bottom end model it doesn't have the same level of sound insulation.  It's been a very good truck for me all these years and I plan to a few minor repairs and give it to one of my grandsons in the next year.

All car companies have had their turkeys.  Remember the Vega?  It had the worst engine ever put in an American car.

On the other hand I'm very sour on anything Chrysler...

Tony

[ironglows]

I never go tthat rivalry thing figured out either.  So you like Chevys?..Good for you, enjoy!  Or just as easily..oh..you like Fords?  Great, I'm pleased that they serve you well.. So why do you try to hound me about driving a Ram?
  Actually, I don't own a Ram..but switch the brands around to different people, as if I had the Ford or Chevy..makes no difference!  Whatever you have, Ford, Chevy, Ram, Chrysler, VW, Jeep or Toyota, no skin off my nose, and I'm glad you're happy with it !

   Now, for WD40,  I think the silicone base is what really does most of the work of removing moisture.

  Gezerbiker mentioned using an ATF/kerosene mix for penetrating oil.  Sounds like a good tip!  Although special oil is available, I usually use either ATF, peanut or Canola oil to harden blades I forge.

[Argent 88]

Ive driven all three makes as a service truck. It was like comparing apples and oranges on which one was the best. The Ford power stroke wasn't very impressive, but the Cummings in a Ram and the Chevy Duramax were good Diesels. I don't know about now days.

[ironglows]

Yes, I've seen so many of those decals of a impish looking kid, supposedly peeing on a Chevy, Ford, Dodge (Ram)..take your choice...  Never could figure what was that driver's problem. 
   So you like your Dodge , Ford or Chevy, great !  ...Why then do you insist on being abrasive with those who own another brand?

[oldandslow]

Back to points and condensers. I've owned quite a few GM products over the years and also owned a couple of Fords. The Fords were much more prone to problems but it wasn't points and condenser. The only GM vehicle I ever had to constantly replace the points and condensers on was the '57 I mentioned and it had the factory hot rod 283. They were fast but it cost you in ignition components and ethyl gasoline from a reputable supplier.

[NWBear]

" Remember the Vega?  It had the worst engine ever put in an American car."

I had a 1972 Vega and liked it alot.  I did sell it before the engine went bad though.  The real trick to those was what the factory should have done.  Line the cylinders with a steel sleeve.  Kind of like the pro's do with aluminum block engines.  The problem seemed to be that once the block (aluminum) started to wear it created "sandpaper" that really wore out the block.  After I sold it an enterprising guy started offering to sleeve the block for about $200, this solved the problem.  One other downside was the introduction of "smog controls" they had more vacuum hoses than I don't know what.  If one came loose it was game over.

[geezerbiker]

The Vega engine also pool oil in the cylinder head and cook it and also had other problems with over heating the oil.  The fix for that was to port the oil drains in the head and add an oil cooler.  The engine was a bad design all around.  Later on they used the old Chevy2 iron block engine from the Nova in the Vega but by that time the car had such a bad reputation no one would buy one.

The Pinto was the opposite.  Good engines in a not very good car.  A lot of Pinto engines ended up in other cars over the years and there used to be a pretty good supply of hot up parts for them. 

Tony

[mcbammer]

Agreed, but their still fords.

  I currently have both at the present time , an many more in the past , its not hard to find criticism about either one . 

[Dee]

Ive historically always bought Chevrolet pickups. BUT! I'm currently driving my very first ever, DODGE PICKUP!

Out of the last 3 I've bought so far, I like this Dodge the best.

I don't know who makes the "best pickup", but I've always thoroughly enjoyed pushing the Ford vs Chevy buttons and watching the fun.

[mcbammer]

Ive historically always bought Chevrolet pickups. BUT! I'm currently driving my very first ever, DODGE PICKUP!

Out of the last 3 I've bought so far, I like this Dodge the best.

I don't know who makes the "best pickup", but I've always thoroughly enjoyed pushing the Ford vs Chevy buttons and watching the fun.

  I always wanted a 1968  Chevy C-10 SWB steep side  p/u  . Wouldnt have been anything about it  I couldnt repair myself . But  the computer control  technology today has left  me behind .

[Dee]

I think u mean a short stepside. It and a SWB are different.

My youngest son has a short stepside Ford. Mine is a Dodge SWB.

The shortbeds don't usually ride as good as the longer wheel base, but I like the look.

[oldandslow]

I don't even own a pickup anymore. Most of my previous pickups have had GMC on them. Today's GMC and Chevy are the same truck with different trim. When I bough my first GMC it was a stouter built truck than it's Chevy cousin. Now I have little need to haul anything that won't fit in our Acadia and it will pull a trailer handily if I do need more space. The better option is that my son owns a a pickup.

[mcbammer]

I think u mean a short stepside. It and a SWB are different.

My youngest son has a short stepside Ford. Mine is a Dodge SWB.

The shortbeds don't usually ride as good as the longer wheel base, but I like the look.

  Yep , meant stepside ,should have checked  my spelling .

[geezerbiker]

The best pickup ever was a Studebaker.  Unfortunately they weren't very good businessmen and went belly up...

Tony

[ironglows]

Way back, when I was young, so many years ago..I would liked to have had a Studebaker pickup truck.  A neighboring farmer had one, and I thought they were the coolest.
  I did work for a while in the 1950s for a Nash/Rambler dealer, and his sevice vehicle was a 1948 Hudson pickup.  Different, but gutless..although it would probably attract attention at a show, today.

 https://www.classicautomall.com/vehicles/1095/1948-hudson-pickup

[Dee]

Dad had an old Studebaker pickup. Turn on the key, and push the clutch pedal down on the starter button.

[ironglows]

I had a 1950 Studebaker starlight coupe back then.  It was really nice, and had that same clutch to start feature.
   Another thing about Studebakers of that era..nearly all had overdrive, which in effect was a 4th gear.  Along with that was a Studebaker exclusive, called "hill holder", where if you are stopped on an uphill grade, say at a red light..you can declutch, and the car won't roll backwards. Saves an embarrassing situation, when somebody behind decides to stop right on your bumper.
  Mine looked just like this, except the owner before me had painted the roof a dark blue.

  https://www.classiccarsllc.com/vehicles/226/1950-studebaker-champion-starlight-coupe

[mcbammer]

I had a 1950 Studebaker starlight coupe back then.  It was really nice, and had that same clutch to start feature.
   Another thing about Studebakers of that era..nearly all had overdrive, which in effect was a 4th gear.  Along with that was a Studebaker exclusive, called "hill holder", where if you are stopped on an uphill grade, say at a red light..you can declutch, and the car won't roll backwards. Saves an embarrassing situation, when somebody behind decides to stop right on your bumper.
  Mine looked just like this, except the owner before me had painted the roof a dark blue.

  https://www.classiccarsllc.com/vehicles/226/1950-studebaker-champion-starlight-coupe

  I read  it has a wet air cleaner, is that the same as a oil bath breather ?   

[oldandslow]

It was said by the oldtimers that Studebaker built the best wagons and should have stuck to that instead of deciding to build cars. I've only had experience with one Studebaker pickup and it was one of the last of it's line. It was a piece of junk. Back in the fifties the little town I attended school in bought Studebakers for police cars. It was a dry county and the bootleggers loved them. All they had to do was outrun them for a while and the engines would fail and away the bootlegger went, on to take care of business. During this time when I was barely in high school I was on my way to run the cows in to be fed just before sundown one afternoon and heard a racket coming my way. A Mercury came past me down the turnrow between our farm and the neighbors's on the north side of us flying low. In a few minutes here came one of the Studebaker cop cars in not so hot persuit. They both turned north on another turnrow and went over a little rise and out of sight. The bootlegger got away and the city came out and towed their car with the burned up engine to town.

[Argent 88]

Remember the International pickups? Ugly but they were good trucks. The oil field used a lot of them way back then. There was some dealer over in Hobbs that used to sell them, but I can't remember its name.

[Bob Riebe]

I had a 1950 Studebaker starlight coupe back then.  It was really nice, and had that same clutch to start feature.
   Another thing about Studebakers of that era..nearly all had overdrive, which in effect was a 4th gear.  Along with that was a Studebaker exclusive, called "hill holder", where if you are stopped on an uphill grade, say at a red light..you can declutch, and the car won't roll backwards. Saves an embarrassing situation, when somebody behind decides to stop right on your bumper.
  Mine looked just like this, except the owner before me had painted the roof a dark blue.

  https://www.classiccarsllc.com/vehicles/226/1950-studebaker-champion-starlight-coupe

  I read  it has a wet air cleaner, is that the same as a oil bath breather ?

No a wet air filter has an oil reservoir in the filter casing.
I cleaned them out often enough on my Dad's 1950 Chevy.

Many guys do not realize that flat head engines 4 and 6s were used well into the sixties on some utility  vehicles.
Studebakers were good vehicles run by a company that no longer wanted to make cars so they shut it down.
If one takes time to read the business side stories of companies car, planes , trains why their business went where it went is often quite different from back yard bs sessions.

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[oldandslow]

Remember the International pickups? Ugly but they were good trucks. The oil field used a lot of them way back then. There was some dealer over in Hobbs that used to sell them, but I can't remember its name.

Watson Truck & Supply. They were originally located on West Broadway but moved northwest onto Grimes many years ago. They are still there selling and servicing International trucks.

Many years ago I rode back and forth from work  in a 1 ton International pickup. It might have been the only 1 ton pickup available at the time. It was slower than cold molasses and didn't have much power but it would hold up and haul, rather slowly, everything you could stack on it. The old thing never broke down but we did yank the front bumper and brush guard off a couple of time towing it out into the sand hills under the cap. It would go pretty good in the sand if you let the tires down and picked your way around the taller dunes. It took forever to air the tires up at the end of the day though so we usually just pulled it behind one of the all wheel drive trucks.