View Single Post
  #6  
Old May 27th, 2017, 12:48 PM
POWERSTROKE POWERSTROKE is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Madison, WI
Truck: I don't own one - YET!
Posts: 118
Rep Power: 93
POWERSTROKE is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Toro-Flow- G.M. vs. Cummins

Yes, I'm very familiar with the Super-Duty Fords gas truck engines, Before I was old enough to drive I rode Shotgun with my Dad hauling livestock to the various stocky Ardsley, sale barns, and packing plants. Sundays were always a big day at the Chicago Stock yards. Hundreds of truck loads of cattle, hogs, and a few sheep showed up for the Monday markets. It was a pretty good testament of what the best gas powered trucks of the day was. Pruitt Trucking from Litchfield, Illinois, down by St. LOUIS ran a huge fleet of Ford's. The Fords always seemed to run the fastest. I never heard of the Ford diesel project but I did hear there was a bigger, around 600 Cid V-8 in the works. IH actually made a 605 Cid V-8 but for stationary industrial uses, never made it into a truck. Guy Dad drove for slowly changed from his V-6 GMC'S to IH CO-190's with Red Diamond 450 power. It seemed like everything on the road passed us. The Interstates were under construction in those days, passing was a function of knowledge of the road, trust in the guy your passing, and pure luck, and Horsepower and gearing. Sometimes a couple attempts to pass were needed on the 2-lane state routes.
There were 6-7 livestock truckers around home, all used gas powered trucks around 1960, by 1965 they had half diesel power. By 1970 there was only about 4 companies left and everyone had some diesels. By 1975 there was two left, one all diesel and the other one kept one gas 427 Chevy for the farmers that still had to have gas trucks haul their livestock.
The guy Dad drove for traded the two CO-190s for Emeryville, and a new Chevy C-70 with a Toro flow became the local truck. It had the cab style of the GMC B- series. Dad enjoyed driving the new Chevy much more than the Emeryville. Shifting a transmission with a lever directly attached to the Trans beats that monstrosity of a linkage the Emeryville had. The lower cab height and power steering made the Chevy handle like a half ton pickups with air brakes.

Last guy I drove for that had the borrowed F-750 with the 8.2L bought a 70's vintage Loadstar 1800 with 478 gas V-8. That tiny 1/4 inch fuel line from the fuel pump to 2 bbl Holley carb had no business trying to flow 20 gallons of gas per hour but it did. It would have been considered a BIG TRUCK 20 years earlier. I've run a pretty interesting mix of 50s, 60s, and 70s vintage medium and heavy-duty trucks. I won't count the 1940s vintage Chevy farm truck I drove one load of corn to town in. Remember the ones the starter pedal was right on the starter next to the gas pedal?

Speaking of Super-Duties again, my 1978 Ford factory service manuals still have the service procedures and specs for the Super-Duty engines. Like you said, Nothing in common with any other engine. My Uncle had a 56 F-750 farm truck. MY cousin still has it, has many many miles. Their local Ford dealer had a Super-Duty powered Ford semi-tractor he hauled livestock with, kinda a rolling advertisement. He passed EVERYTHING on the road. He sold several trucks & tractors every year. One customer complained his truck didn't run like the dealers. After 4-5 trips in for service, tune-ups, this nearly new truck had the carb removed, set on the floor and smashed with a 16 pound sledge hammer. It was sent in for warrantee stating simple " broken". The truck ran MUCH better with the new carb.

Are you familiar with the Ford GAA engine? 1100 Cid, 500+ hp tank engine. Another neat piece of automotive history.
Reply With Quote