This is ClydeSDale, my 1984 Ford F250HD XLT pickup truck.  Brown and beige with white "feet" it became my work horse.  I met Clyde in 1996 when I got an 11'3" slide-in camper and needed a truck to haul it.  They seemed to use a lot of "cast iron" in the construction of that huge camper but Clyde handled it so well I only had to raise the back ~1 1/2" to level the rig on a good pad. This is ClydeSDale. Built not far from where I live at the St. Paul Ford Plant 10/83 it had 38,500 miles on it in the spring of 1996 when I bought it from a guy who had only recently bought it from a horse farm as a daily driver but couldn't afford to "feed it".  From the factory it came with the 460 V8, the C6 automatic and a set of 3.54 gears.  It also had dual tanks (38+ gallons), the big receiver hitch, a HD suspension with both the camper special and trailer towing packages, originally set up to tow horse trailers. Hauling the 10,000# load The slide-in was soon replaced with two different fifth wheels, the last one was this 26.5RL Hitchhiker that weighed in at 10,000# rolling.  We were doing every other year trips cross country to southern Colorado then up into the mountains west of Trinidad.  Sometimes running in triple digit temperatures I added coolant and transmission temp gauges, ducted cold air intake, replaced the TT radiator with a super cooling 4 core unit, added a second transmission cooler in series and ran all synthetic fluids.  The 7.5L 460 with the stock 2 1/2" single exhaust generated so much heat it would boil the fuel in the front tank which runs parallel on the other side of the driveshaft.  The 3" system with a huge low restriction muffler solved that problem.  With this camper's extra weight came a change over to a set of 4.10LS gears.  The wind deflector was supposed to help with mileage (6-7 1/2 towing on a good day) but helped the most with stability, especially running in crosswinds across the high plains. Over the years I've also added a tilt-wheel with cruise control, the in-dash tach cluster and a bunch of other stuff including a tuned quad set of horns that sound like a railroad switcher.  It's now approaching 88,000 miles and with the sale of the fifth-wheel will be needing a new home one of these days. ... View more

I heartily agree the GM "vista" wagons should have been included.  The mother-in-law had one that I rode/drove in, very unique and enjoyable wagon.  I agree also with GrumpyOne questioning who's making up these lists.  Dodge Magnum wagon?? Seriously? Wagons have fit our life style for years.  Even today we're running a Prius V wagon, love the mileage (40+), the ride and the flexibility.  Sadly Toyota dropped it. Our first was a '77 Dodge Aspen wagon that I ordered new.   Loved the color, loved the chrome and the bucket seat interior.   With the 318 V8 and the four speed (fourth OD) it would catch 2nd gear chirp (with radial tires) anytime but knock out 25+ mpg on the road.  Great combination and it handled towing our fishing boat better than my F150 did.  Downside .... at 100k+ the body started "melting away" into puddles of rust. ... View more

I've had a lot of what I consider really nice cars over almost sixty years, my first a '50 Chevy Fleetline 2dr.  Among others; a 1952 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina Deluxe ($3600 retail in '52), a couple tri-five Chevy BelAirs, a gorgeous turquoise 303hp '64 Catalina convertible with that amazing multi-colored leather interior, a 1970 Barracuda convertible ( a real POS but collectable), a '94 laguna blue Miata and an assortment of other hardtops, 2dr sedans and even some wagons and trucks that I loved.  BUT if I could have one car back in the condition I sold it it would be my most beloved Mayan gold 1961 Pontiac Catalina Sports Sedan that I owned when I was in the Air Force.  It had great lines, it was smooth, it was comfortable, it was fast and had a huge trunk that I used when I shuttled other airman to and from the airports to earn a little extra gas money.  Behave yourself on the highway and I got low 20's, not bad for the day! I found a '61 in a junkyard one time years ago, climbed in behind the wheel, took in the once familiar view of the dash and shed tears.  I loved all my Pontiacs but my '61 really was the love of my life!  I am truly envious .... ... View more

After reading some of the posts on Facebook I've come to the conclusion that the platform on top is indeed there for a tent.  I've seen it done on other vehicles in the past.  Not a bad idea if you plan on rough camping in snake country?  It may have been a factor in the lower mileage expressed in his commentary.  On the other hand it may have helped to keep the interior a little cooler, providing some shade for the car roof. ???  My uncle was a rural mail carrier up until the 70's and drove a variety of different vehicles.  One he really liked for some reason was a dark grey '47 Chevy 2dr sedan.  After running it a couple years he'd had the roof painted a high gloss white and commented on how much it cooled down the interior in summer.  I wonder if the tent platform was there for more than one reason?? Great story!  ... View more

I was working as a police officer in Austin, MN when the 750's were first introduced.  Another officer called me over to the dealer's shop on a Sunday morning to see what his friend had just unpacked ... his first Honda 750.  I was totally in awe when it was fired up.  It simply purred!  I commented, "Premium fuel?"  The dealer reached out, flipped open the fuel filler and said, "Every couple days you just slide in a pound of hamburger."  Totally believable!   ... View more