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Court77

New member
Greetings all!!
Just joined and looking at buying a 1966 1000a pick up. Its an automatic, with a/c, newer tires, and aftermarket wheels. Its the original owner and he still has the manual lol. The engine was rebuilt a number of years ago but he says very few miles put on it since then. There is a bit of cancer where the bottom front of the door meets the fenders but the rest is spots of surface rust. The interior is original and is borderline perfect. No leaks, well maintained, was repainted but its fading, and I think it looks cool.
Im looking for a truck to pull a 4000lb food trailer and wanted some advice about what else to look for on these and get some feedback on the idea.
Thanx!!
P.s sorry if this is posted in the wrong spot.....none of the places made sense to me lol
 
Welcome and congrats on the purchase. Sounds like a great find. A 4k# trailer sounds like a bit much for an ancient half ton peekup to handle. That truck probably isn't much over 4k# itself. I'm sure the power is there. It's the stopping and tail wagging the dog I'd be most concerned about. Upgrade your braking system and make sure you equip the truck with a quality trailer brake controller...wait, your trailer does have brakes, right?
 
Hey scoutboy,
thanx for the reply!
Yes, it will have brakes. I say 4k# but that's on the high end I'm pretty sure. He had the brakes done recently but not sure how extensively. I will mostly be driving in la, so not much highway at first at least. Do these trucks have anything specific that are problematic I should look at? I see a lot of old ads for them pulling airstream so I'm not tooooo worried lol!
 
Do you know what engine is in the truck? Towing in traffic can be tough on a cooling system. Especially with an automatic and ac so #1 make sure the fan shroud is complete and in place. Have the cooling system thoroughly flushed and then inspect the fan clutch if present. If no fan clutch is installed it would be a good upgrade. Your ride down the freeway will be much quieter most of the time and you'll save a few $ on gas.

Naturally you'll want to change all the fluids and pull the pan to change the filter on the trans.

Enjoy your new find and welcome to the club. These were some of the finest tow vehicles available in their day. I've towed a 5k# rv trailer from the sf bay area to the grand canyon and death valley with a '74 Scout with out a glitch.
 
Hey fd!
Thanx!
It's the original v8, and was rebuilt some time ago but he has put very few miles on it since. I think it's very well maintained. Again it's the original owner and he's 81. The truck means a lot to him, and his wife said they kinda had to talk him into selling it. Unfortunately being in la traffic is always an issue and I know what ya mean about the freeway but I'll do my best to keep the driving to a minimum for the trucks sake as well as my wallet haha:d
 
The original v8 could be anything from a 266 to a 392 ( I think they were still making the 266 in '66 and had started making the 392 by then). Most likely it's a 304 or 345. The size of the engine will make a difference in how well you'll be able to keep up with traffic while towing.
 
That makes sense. I didn't know there were options within each year. I will find out today which one it is. Someone said that the 6 cylinder would be a better option as far as gas goes, so I was hoping g any of the 8's would work.I really feel that between the lack of decent trucks out there in my budget, the cleanliness of this one, and being a single owner it's my best option. He's asking 5000 if I didn't mention that before. Driving 4 hours to see it today so please chime in if anyone has opinions or info!!
Thanx again everyone! !
 
Post pictures here.
1. We all want to see your (potentially) new toy
2. Tons of knowledge and knowing eyes here, you never know what someone will recognize and offer more guidance.
 
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That is a clean 66. Wish you 67 was in that shape!! Did you figure out for certain which motor it has? Good find!
 
I would recommend starting your own post with as many details and photos as you can. Then the resources here will be much more valuable. Depending on condition, that's potentially a great price, again, depending on condition.
 
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