Choices: 1942 F15 vs 1942 C15

[Lang]

Doug,

I am going to risk a reply on a topic which will probably generate a lot of partisan and subjective opinion. I have owned both types of vehicle.

If you are just getting started I would go for the Chevrolet every time. There is nothing between them for most of the truck (body, chassis and axles are pretty much the same to work on). Parts and books are equally available.

Power is within a few horsepower when you compare the two. Fuel consumption is equally poor.

My reasons for choosing the Chevrolet are firstly the gearbox. Both are quite reliable but the GM box is a delight to use compared to the clunky Ford box.

Chevrolet steering, although just slightly less responsive than a formula one Ferrari, is at least better than a Ford. I think GM ads said "If it drives like a truck it is not a Chevrolet!"

The main reason is the engine. The Chev 6 is probably quite a bit cheaper than the Ford to do a full rebuild on and I suspect parts are more readily available, but there is no shortage of either. No matter what Ford enthusiasts claim, the flat V8 is a more unreliable engine in the scheme of things (I know, there will be people coming back with stories of 2 million trouble free miles).

It is just there are more things to go wrong - the major ones being the water pumps and distributor system, plus two heads. Because they are bigger across and their V shape they are an absolute pain to work on in the truck compared to the Chev which can be almost fully accessed with ease.

You also only have to buy 6 of everything instead of 8 any time you are rebuilding, replacing plugs etc

Anyhow that's my input, I will await outraged Ford enthusiasts' responses.

Lang