Hooniverse Asks: What’s your favorite truck?

Jeff Glucker

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Remember the Lil Red Express? It was a blip on the radar, production-wise, but it remains one of the coolest trucks ever produced. A 360 cubic-inch V8 mounted under the hood fed a pair of smoke-stack style exhaust pipes and meaty rear tires. The Lil Red Express also employed the cam from a 340, a handful of parts from police-spec engines, and a beefy 9.25″ rear axle. It may have been the last true muscle car from the prior era of over-powered street beasts, built as gas prices began to soar.

The Lil Red Express remains a shining beacon of automotive hope. It should never have been, but it did happen, and it remains wonderous.

It’s one of my favorite trucks ever produced. I don’t know if it’s my all-time number favorite truck, but it’s high up on the list. Other trucks include my previously owned 1965 F0rd F100, the SRT10 Ram (which is a spiritual link to the Lil Red Express), and the Ford Raptor. What are some of your favorite trucks?

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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33 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What’s your favorite truck?”

  1. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    I am a through and through “truck guy”
    I’ve owned trucks since before I could legally drive, and I can guarantee that I always will. A favorite is really hard to pick – I love them all!
    Style wise though, hands down my very favorite truck is a ’64-’66 C10, 8 foot fleetside bed with chrome package and ‘custom cab’ accoutrements. Maybe one day I’ll own another.
    https://www.autabuy.com/photos/66609756_5458312143206.jpg
    (man is it ever hard to google search for a pic that doesn’t have either the unattractive factory hub caps, or is bagged and sitting on extremely fugly 17″ plus wheels. Just give me a nice set of 15″ rallye wheels, or chrome wagon wheels with the factory rake)

    Reply
  2. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    To my mind, trucks are weirdly specific shapes. Most of the time, the open “boot” is a huge disadvantage. Ride quality in every truck I have tried was dismal. But for getting wood, I could imagine having one in my fantasy-carpark. Nowhere near the top 10 though.
    https://d39a3h63xew422.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/30155341/honda-acty-20-1000×666.jpg

    Reply
    1. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
      SlowJoeCrow

      This is why I describe my pickup as a “get stuff done truck” I got it to tow things and haul things, although it does get used as the second car when needed. Kei trucks are both very practical and interesting looking, as long as you don’t have to drive long distances and fit in the cab.

      Reply
      1. crank_case Avatar
        crank_case

        Cabs aren’t that bad, but then again, I’m not a six footer. Kei trucks are/were sometimes sold in countries that didn’t have kei regulations so sometimes you’d get the same truck but with a bigger engine or even electric power.

        Before favorable tax rules for diesel pretty much killed petrol trucks, Ireland and the UK got some “big block” suzuki carrys with 1 litre and even 1.3 litre engines (I know, madness..) also badged as the Bedford Rascal. It’s still going to give you a migraine if you drive it distance, but a bit more tolerable.

        There was also the Piaggio Porter which is an electrified hi-jet, but that thing only has something like a 30mph top speed and is only intended as an urban delivery vehicle.

        Personally, my dream truck is either one of those Kei trucks or a Tatra 813, I’m a man of extremes, I’m not really interested in all your middley middle stuff.

        http://www.military-today.com/trucks/tatra_t813.jpg

        Reply
    2. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      I’ve actually been day dreaming about building one of these out to be a MTB hauler. I keep browsing listings…

      Reply
      1. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        You’re gonna need a bigger truck: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Tsqd914.jpg By קודקוד צהוב – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

        Reply
    3. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      For better ride quality, put the cab between the two axles: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6438559faa3cb703574a9d3de6cc7ae466dab877b3cda06f7debc127e36780f2.jpg

      Reply
  3. onrails Avatar
    onrails

    I am a truck fan – but only of trucks that are actually used as trucks. Not trucks that are used as inefficient sedans with really impractical trunks. This means that my (very unpopular, looking at sales) opinion of the the last one I really liked being many years ago is a bit off. A regular cab long box with no frills that was bought because the owner needed to haul stuff around and a place to work from, vinyl floors to hose out, and nothing it didn’t need. A good old GMT400 generation Work Truck.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f545ad665517a30bc678781a3d2568ffe2468e556a0a6263557cbf787190a6f0.jpg

    Full disclosure though: I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed the best kind of truck – someone else’s or a rental – when I occasionally really have a need to do truck stuff. But a few times a year doesn’t justify year round inconvenience of owning one.

    Reply
    1. Professor LavaHot Avatar
      Professor LavaHot

      Ditto, that is just beautiful – a vehicle that I can expect to start every time, and if it doesn’t – every part of this truck is available at every auto parts store everywhere you look.

      Reply
  4. William Byrd Avatar
    William Byrd

    I’m definitely team Raptor. And oddly enough with all my press loaners and trips and such I’ve never driven one!

    Reply
    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      You should try to fix that

      Reply
  5. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    I am a through and through “truck guy”
    I’ve owned trucks since before I could legally drive, and I can guarantee that I always will. A favorite is really hard to pick – I love them all!
    Style wise though, hands down my very favorite truck is a ’64-’66 C10, 8 foot fleetside bed with chrome package and ‘custom cab’ accoutrements. Maybe one day I’ll own another.
    https://www.autabuy.com/photos/66609756_5458312143206.jpg
    (man is it ever hard to google search for a pic that doesn’t have either the unattractive factory hub caps, or is bagged and sitting on extremely fugly 17″ plus wheels. Just give me a nice set of 15″ rallye wheels, or chrome wagon wheels with the factory rake)

    Reply
  6. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    My Syclone wasn’t my all time favorite car that I owned, but it’s definitely my all time favorite car that I’ve hauled a riding lawnmower in. And, at various times, a refrigerator, plywood, washer/dryer, the engine from another Syclone, a bunch of fire sprinkler plumbing…

    https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,pg_1,q_80,w_800/hcxn0prbcamodcj44ayn.jpg

    Reply
  7. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    The late 1940s Diamond T. Now, “favorite” is hard boil down for me, but the rarity and old-time, lookin’ good while workin’ hard charm of these fascinates me. I’ve never seen one in real life, and that makes them ping my radar like an Imperial Battlecruiser.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fa46d20cab14c28e592c619034f0bba6960a96c5398532f8d5b5d4a1b23b43ce.jpg

    Reply
    1. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      REO Speedwagon also fits that description. And how many trucks have sold 40 million records worldwide?

      https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1021/8371/products/FT4_036_a3cffbef-a4b6-4624-8563-1105fdacdd00.jpg

      Reply
      1. Batshitbox Avatar
        Batshitbox

        Two great tastes that taste great together!

        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8bc6004fba123a477e15fa488a13543efcdb565df62ad9d82606c71418bf7f94.jpg

        Reply
  8. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    I love trucks so I have a lot of favorites. In terms of trucks I’ve spent a lot of time in, the late 80s Mazda B series was a favorite because they had decent power, a slick 5 speed and the extended cab was roomy. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/1985-1988_Mazda_B2000_Cab_Plus_2-door_utility_01.jpg

    I also have a lot of seat time in square body Fords from the late 80s, although I prefer the final edition without the opera windows on the SuperCab. I was acutally looking for one this spring but ended up with an aero body F-150

    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/1994_Ford_F-150_Flareside.JPG

    I also really like the first generation Ford Transit

    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/1966_Ford_Transit_Camper_1.7_Front.jpg

    Reply
    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      A Mazda B series is the only truck I have driven a fair bit. It was tired and rode like someone had replaced the springs with stacked stones. Endless utilitarian charme though

      Reply
      1. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
        SlowJoeCrow

        When I was driving B2200s regularly they were only a few years old and very well maintained so they rode nicer than the F-350 dually which needed at least 1500 lbs in the back to ride properly.

        Reply
        1. outback_ute Avatar
          outback_ute

          They probably had different springs in the US where they weren’t expected to carry the best part of 3000lb.

          Favourite pickup would be a Falcon, if I didn’t already have a ute I’d like to build a lifted RTV version of the last generation.

          Otherwise my favourite truck (not pickup) would be the International Acco, because of spending a lot of time in my grandfather’s. Similar to this one. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0fb6dd7cf030c34aace6079118a82e537b2400d3982e3ab399747092d8e28308.jpg

          Reply
          1. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            I love how they ignored aerodynamics at every designing crossroad they got to.

  9. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    I think you meant 5-speed stick. A 4-speed behind a Dodge 6BT would have been a slushbox.

    Reply
  10. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    There is no way I could pick a favorite.

    Do everything: Raptor
    Do one thing well: 2nd-gen Lightning
    Unicorn: Marlboro Syclone
    Street rod base: 1955 F100
    Nostalgia trip: McFly’s Toyota
    Non-pop-culture-related nostalgia trip: First-gen S10 with the Baja appearance package
    Towing: Cummins Ram

    To choose one to include as a picture, I’ll go with the one least likely to be posted by someone else:
    https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/chevy-baja-front-e1506084491302-630×323-1.jpg

    Reply
    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      Marlboro Syclone – Yes!

      Reply
    2. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Before seeing the Bowties I thought it might have been a Shelby Dakota

      Reply
  11. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    My favorite impractical truck is the wartime Power Wagon, although I’ve never had one. My favorite trucks that are easy to live with are OBS Fords in Long Bed Single Cab form. I have one of those and, aside from the rust, it’s nearly the perfect truck.

    Reply
  12. Wayne Moyer Avatar
    Wayne Moyer

    My heart will always go to my first truck even if my mind has a few true classics that I really want to own. This isn’t mine because I don’t have a digital picture lying around of it and I’ve mentioned it before. I put 60,000 miles on my 95 1/2 Tacoma in one year. I adored that thing. Regular cab, 5 speed, 4×4 with the 2.7 liter. So impractical but boy did I put it through its paces. I overloaded the bed with flagstone because I was young and stupid. The springs were bending and begging but didn’t let go. I never got it above 93mph because the nose started to lift and it felt really dangerous. That’s the fun of those 31″ wheels. During the 60,000 mile year the front manual locking hub locked open (read as rusted) during a snow storm. That was fun. That was covered by warranty.
    At the end of the 105,000 miles of ownership it started to get quirks. If you put it in 4×4 then the brake pedal fell to the floor. There are no connection points between A and B but that’s what happened. We had a baby on the way and this a 2 seater. So I traded it in. Since I lied about this there was karma to pay with my trade that I’ll mention when it comes up in another thread.
    I have been so tempted to get one as a classic but the prices are so damned high. They are getting $17k in good shape and that is just ridiculous for a truck I paid $15k for with 4,000 on the clock in ’97.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7d1c9ee292cb172ae8b629e09e129b1f27ed164109049992e79c8692dc43bf27.jpg

    Reply
  13. Fuhrman16 Avatar
    Fuhrman16

    I’d have to go with 70’s Fords, particularly the ’78-79 model years. My father had a 460 powered extended cab that he used as a daily driver when I was young and I have fond memories of it. It looked almost exactly like this one, but in a brighter red and with 70’s era white wagon wheels.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c4b30be435f54e8376479031a776a62d41d7ce7cf40630c593e911cb3a1854ea.jpg

    The runner up would have to the the first gen Ford Courier. They looked like cute, shrunken full size Fords.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/398cab8adb63b07fb121db7cbf883b49a4e49d6b33413fa5eb7fb729a3ec2a96.jpg

    Reply
  14. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    That’s a tough call. I like so many different pickups for so many different reasons, but if I had to pick a must-have truck from any era, it would be a Ford bumpside. Preferably not as nice as this one shown.
    https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49895826888_bf2e9f0d91_h.jpg

    What I’m likely going to get– if the pandemic restrictions loosen up so I can travel– is pretty much this: a green ’91 F150, with considerably more “patina” than is shown in this image. (And by “patina”, I mean what is left when late-80s/early-90s clearcoat paint goes all to hell.) I’m considering ways to get rid of the Volvo-240-esque headlamps and retro it up a bit… maybe borrowing from the front of a Range Rover Classic.
    https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49895845498_b7f36cfea6_c.jpg

    Reply
    1. GTXcellent Avatar
      GTXcellent

      Love those old bumpsides. My in-laws (well, my mother-in-law specifically) just spent a ton of money restoring their first brand-new truck. A ’72 F100. 8 foot bed, regular cab. Custom trim (i.e. plain-old base truck) with a 240 six, 3 on the tree, black vinyl seat, vinyl floor, am radio with a single speaker. Royal Maroon. It’s a pretty truck, but worth more in sentimental value than actual cash.

      Reply
    2. GTXcellent Avatar
      GTXcellent

      Love those old bumpsides. My in-laws (well, my mother-in-law specifically) just spent a ton of money restoring their first brand-new truck. A ’72 F100. 8 foot bed, regular cab. Custom trim (i.e. plain-old base truck) with a 240 six, 3 on the tree, black vinyl seat, vinyl floor, am radio with a single speaker. Royal Maroon. It’s a pretty truck, but worth more in sentimental value than actual cash.

      Reply
  15. neight428 Avatar
    neight428

    The ~67-72 F100’s look best to my eye. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6ede797516a059f52aa78886fd7a6fa1e57242b4dc944c5ac2008bb9b896d9d4.jpg

    Reply
  16. longrooffan Avatar
    longrooffan

    I’m kinda partial.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/859c4d0d8ba9dbc0e8fd8cb4b20dc45ee210915fa3b1283503f6a3a6d50ec7e4.jpg

    Reply