daily driving/work truck use

[teegan13]

Hey guys. so the goal for my truck is to use it as a daily driver/work truck. im mostly gonna use it to haul my dirtbike and garbage to the dump. i would also like to use it for road trips/camping. What would be some recommendations to keep it reliable and to make it better on gas and highway driving. it currently has a 350 with a stock rochester quadrajet. (which i believe is off an older model cause my fuel filter is smaller that the 80s stock carbs) it also has the 4 speed which im not sure if its ideal for highway. just looking for recommendations to help me achieve my goal!

 

[MarineOne]

Seems like a good combination to me. Hard to beat a q jet for fuel economy

I'm assuming 700r4 wich is a very good transmission just make sure cable is properly adjusted.

Not much can really be done better for reliability purposes

 

[Keith Seymore]

it also has the 4 speed which im not sure if its ideal for highway.

Manual or Automatic?

If manual, which one? (ie, M20 - granny low; or MY6 - Mopar A833 3 speed with overdrive)?

If it's the granny version then it will be "ok" - its super heavy duty but top gear is 1:1, which is going to make your rear axle ratio choice a bit more critical.

K

 

[Keith Seymore]

Hey guys. so the goal for my truck is to use it as a daily driver/work truck. im mostly gonna use it to haul my dirtbike and garbage to the dump. i would also like to use it for road trips/camping.

That's what these were built for - daily drivers and light hauling - and what people have used them for since forever.

Is it the C30 in your signature? That thing would be so way overdesigned for what you are going to do with it (which is a good thing).

You should be fine. Mine was a daily for 30 years and 200,000 miles.

K

 

[Trucksareforwork]

I’m gonna go out on a limb here:

- change the oil regularly and keep her full of coolant.
- check hoses more often than you do with a modern truck. Soft spots, dry rot etc can get ya if you are driving daily.
- plan for heavier maintenance items over time, and actually do them ahead of things breaking. Brakes, front end rebuild, rear end oil, u joint greasing, etc. these trucks were never maintenance free.
- make sure your carb is tuned and choke works properly. Don’t want to foul plugs or run too lean.
- consider a leak down or even just a compression test to see where you are baseline on engine wear.
- maybe a bonus, but don’t be afraid to run a little bit at higher rpm’s. I like to “blow out the carbon” every now and then. Small blocks don’t mind running steadily in the 3-4K rpm range every now and then.
- you’ll probably want to know current state on your clutch and if you start to get chatter or slippage I would work that right away. No need to be left on the roadside with a busted clutch.

On a good running small block, the basics go a long way toward reliability. Driving it more should actually keep it happier. I think my 85 breaks more often when I’m not driving it frequently than when I am.

 

[teegan13]

Manual or Automatic?

If manual, which one? (ie, M20 - granny low; or MY6 - Mopar A833 3 speed with overdrive)?

If it's the granny version then it will be "ok" - its super heavy duty but top gear is 1:1, which is going to make your rear axle ratio choice a bit more critical.

K

its a 4 speed manual. it has low. then 1 2 and 3. im unsure of the transmission name cause i am very new to this whole squarebody thing lol

 

[SirRobyn0]

As for mileage it's not going to be great compared to anything new, but keeping it in good tune, plugs, wires, cap & rotor + fuel system will get you the best mileage you can.

As for reliability, same thing. Keep it up, keep an eye out for problems coming up and keep some spare parts with you just encase.

 

[Shorty81]

its a 4 speed manual. it has low. then 1 2 and 3. im unsure of the transmission name cause i am very new to this whole squarebody thing lol

That would be a SM465. Very dependable heavy duty trans. Keep it!

 

[GTX63]

The short answer is-
Is you want to use your truck for a daily driver, the best method of keeping everything in tip top tune is to....drive it everyday.

 

[Mr Clean]

 

[peats]

I wouldn't mess with the engine/trans combo, I had a suburban with the same combo. Taller tires and/or taller gears might make it more comfortable at highway speeds. Expect about 10mpg .

 

[DoubleDingo]

Swap gears to 3.55 or 3.73, and get tires to get your around 2,600 at 70 mph, and keep it in tip-top shape, and you'll be golden as long as you don't mash the throttle everywhere you go

 

[DoubleDingo]

Basically you want close to 2,600 rpms at 70 mph. The trick to highway economy is to have to engine in its sweet spot of the powerband at the desired speed.