Good morning and happy Friday to you all! Today as has become the custom, the price cap goes out the window, but the cars remain imperfect. As it’s the Friday before a holiday weekend here in the US, I thought we’d take a look at a pair of vehicles suitable for towing a vintage trailer. My vintage trailer, in fact. But before we get there, we need to see how our winter beaters did:
Well, not much gray area there. We’ve gone from our closest vote straight to our most lopsided. And yeah, that Nissan is an act of desperation, and it should cost about half what it does. The Grand Am sold before most people got to even see the ad, which speaks volumes.
Now then: You may not know it, but Mercedes isn’t the only vintage camper aficionado around here. My wife and I are the proud owners of this little number, a 1966 Aristocrat Land Commander:
(Image credit: me)
We’ve had it two or three years now, and taken probably 10 trips with it. It’s watertight, and we’ve fixed it up mechanically, and I just did a major electrical upgrade to it including solar panels, but cosmetically it’s still very close to original. It has good patina, as they say. And I love that about it. Gives it a little character.
We pull this beauty with a very nice and competent Infiniti QX4, but ever since we got it I’ve daydreamed about rolling into the campground in some period-correct tow vehicle, preferably color-coordinated, especially when we take it to the Goin’ With The Flo Vintage Trailer Rally in October every year. We can’t afford another tow vehicle right now, but that doesn’t stop me from looking. Window shopping is free, right?
1968 Ford F250 Camper Special – $8,000
Engine/drivetrain: 360 cubic inch V8, 3 speed automatic, RWD
Location: Portland, OR
Odometer reading: 80,000 miles
Runs/drives? Like a top
In the ’60s, slide-in truck campers were all the rage, and automakers responded to the trend with “Camper Special” editions of three-quarter-ton pickups. These trucks were equipped with tie-downs for campers, uprated electrical systems, and heavy-duty cooling systems straight off the showroom floor. They were usually a little nicer and better equipped for comfort and convenience than typical trucks, which at the time were still primarily work vehicles. This Ford F250 is the top-of-the-line “Ranger” trim level, with a downright plush interior for a truck in 1968. I mean, it has carpet and everything!
Even though it was intended for use with a slide-in camper, this truck would do a fine job of pulling our little Aristocrat. It has a 360 cubic inch “FE” V8, backed by a C6 automatic transmission. Properly cared for, this combination should last indefinitely, but it won’t be kind to you at the fuel pump.
It’s also equipped with power steering and power brakes, so the driving experience should be less primitive than other trucks of the era. One thing I don’t see, however, is air conditioning; we would have to remedy that.
Cosmetically, it would fit right in with our camper. Nice overall, but not without its flaws. I do wonder about the locations of some of the bad paint spots; right in the middle of the hood, for instance. How does that happen? The discoloration and fading below tha gas cap I understand; 54 years of carelessness can take its toll. Overall, though, this is a damn nice looking truck for its age, and price.
But it is still a truck, with all the noise and rough ride that that entails. With an open pickup bed, you have fewer secure and dry places to haul gear, too. And it’s hilariously overkill for our little 16-foot trailer. But it would look cool in front of it.
1965 Rambler Ambassador 990 Hardtop – $9,000
Engine/drivetrain: 327 cubic inch V8, 3 speed automatic, RWD
Location: Bend, OR
Odometer reading: 101,000 miles
Runs/drives? Beautifully, it sounds like
Back when our trailer was made, most buyers wouldn’t be pulling it with a truck. The Land Commander is the “big” Aristocrat trailer, and even it only tips the scales at around 2100 pounds empty. “Tin can” travel trailers like this were meant to be pulled with the family car, and in the days when most cars had V8s and were rear-wheel-drive, almost any car would do. For instance, this ’65 Ambassador.
The Ambassador was the top of AMC’s Rambler range, completely redesigned for 1965 and finally considered a full-size car. It’s a handsome machine, with stacked headlights set in angled bezels and a vaguely Lincoln-like rear end treatment. It was available in 2 and 4 door sedan bodystyles, as well as a convertible, a wagon, and the 2 door pillarless hardtop shown here. It’s powered by a 327 cubic inch version of AMC’s V8 engine, backed by a floor-shifted automatic.
This Ambassador has had a lot of work done to it, including new paint (over some previous badly-done body damage), new upholstery and carpets, and a complete mechanical freshening. It’s a handsome car, and as one of only around 5000 ’65 Ambassador hardtops built, it’s certainly a rarity.
The advantage I can see to something like this is that it would be a whole lot more fun to drive around when you weren’t pulling a trailer with it. This is a really cool mid-Sixties coupe that you don’t see very often, that would just happen to have a receiver hitch on the back. I like the angles on the front end; they correspond nicely to the angles on the trailer. And not that you’d ever see the two side by side, but this car’s upholstery is a near-perfect match to the upholstery in the trailer.
The biggest trouble I can see with this particular car is that it might be too nice, and make the trailer look shabby by comparison. But I guess that would just be incentive to refresh the trailer.
As I said, we’re not in any position to do anything about it now. But it is really cool to see some of the possibilities that are out there. I’d have a hard time choosing between these two if we were shopping, so it’s nice that I have the ability to put it to a vote. Which one would you choose?
QuizMaker
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Tough choice, but gotta go with the AMC. Great looking car. Make sure the hitch is as invisible as possible.
I voted Ambassador assuming you could find a hitch for it, cause you aren’t getting one from Curt, and I can only find info for the sixth generation 67+.
As long as your dreaming, at 2100 lbs that 16 footer is well within the 3500 tow limit of a new Sienna!
I didn’t play the game correctly, as I took the towing criteria completely out of the equation. Voted for the Ambassador just on looks. But I can see a case for both
Truck please.
You don’t want to drive that Rambler up the Gunflint Trail, or any other place that has unpaved roads, you’d destroy the paint.
I’d take both because I’m a glutton for punishment.
Whenever I scoped out Jeeps with the AMC 327 they seemed to be considered very robust and easily rebuildable.
When I was a kid I wanted a 3 row Rambler Ambassador wagon of this vintage. The 2 door looks good too.
I voted for the Ambassador. The truck looks like just another old truck (though a lot less beaten-up than many), but the Ambassador looks special. Caravans are for holidays, not work, and you’re supposed to be happy on holidays, and the car would help put everyone in the right mood.
The first one in a while where I actually like both options. Went F250 though because I want to balance out one of the reflexive “I hate all trucks” votes.
They’re both overpriced in my mind, which shows my age and I guess my grumpiness. I had a ’68 F250 Camper Special just like that only powder blue. Same engine. I had plans to swap in a 390 crank to get maybe a tad more torque out of it. I got it from the 2nd owner, who’d owned it since ’70, the father in law of a buddy of mine, and it came with its original dealer-installed camper, along with a third gas tank that brought the overall capacity to 60 gallons. He’d maintained it religiously, and only offloaded it when gas first topped $2 a gallon in 2003. Since it got about 8 mpg, he figured he couldn’t sell it for much, so he gave it to me for free.
I loved that truck. Got lots of use out of it, both with and without the camper shell on it. (It was all polished wood inside, slept six, with a nice little kitchen and a period correct Port-a-Potty that worked great!) But I ended up giving it back to my buddy in 2012 or so. The FE engine was horribly inefficient and frequently leaky, and though I had plans to convert to a more modern drivetrain, I just never found the time. It’s probably the cherished work truck of some gardener now. I do miss it a bunch, but not to the tune of eight grand. For that money, I’d reluctantly go with the AMC. It’s very pretty.
Both please!
I went with the Ambassador. Great looking car, and reasonable to boot. However, if you do not have a pickup, you should consider the 250. Old honest pickups are so damn handy to have around. My ’94 F150 long bed is INDISPENSABLE. I have replaced a lot of parts on it, and have done some body work on it to make it a great 10-footer, but I am not worried about a scratch here or there. Yeah, I only put 1000 miles on it a year, but when you need a truck, you need a truck!
“Yeah, I only put 1000 miles on it a year, but when you need a truck, you need a truck!”
Agreed and it sounds like you USE a truck AS a truck, not as a cowboy cosplay commuter or mall crawler.
Yeah, it is for craigslist finds, hauling lumber and mulch, and occasionally taking things to the dump. People borrow it for weeks on end for projects, too. I understand people wanting a nice truck if that is your only vehicle, but there is just something great about a real honest work truck.
Forgot to mention, I do have a truck. I love my truck. One of my worries is that if we got a truck to pull the camper that my wife thought was “cooler,” there would be pressure on me to get rid of my “inferior” truck.
Ahhh. I knew that! Ex-US forest service Chevy listed right there in your bio. Duh. Perfect. My Ford is a former municipal vehicle, so we have similar tastes as far as that goes…
I just reviewed this poll with my wife and brother in law, both of whom I work with. I’m a little surprised, but when I explained the nuances of this poll in detail, my wife went with the Ambassador (and she’s a huge 5th and 6th gen F series fan) and my brother in law went with the truck. Since I seek marital peace and tranquility, Ambassador it is.
I went with the truck as it fits the part, has plenty of tow capacity, room for stuff in the bed.
Add a Vintage Air system and you have good climate control.
I am tempted as I had a 1969 F-100 and this is a good truck for all around use.
I also owned a 69 in this color scheme with the 390 and 4 on the floor. Would have been my greatest vehicle but life made me sell it for next to nothing to get out of a tight spot. I regret not having it every day.
That being said manual brakes and manual steering meant it was your foot/arm strength and faith in a higher power that kept you alive at highway speeds.
My 69 was a 3 on the tree with a 390 and power nothing. Gears got stuck? Whack it with a hammer.
How much full, pull the seat forward and knock on the tank.
Mine had an auxiliary tank on the right side of the bed, in addition to the cab tank and the big one between the frame rails. My gas gauge had a switch to swap between cab tank and main tank, but for the aux tank I had a 1/4″ squared dowel that sat under the seat with increments carved into it that I literally used as a fuel dipstick. Worked great!
My vote is for the Ambassador, but I completely get why others would like the F-250 more. Both of these vehicles do their era proud. I don’t think you can go wrong with either of them. The Ambassador just exudes coolness and class to me, and among car nerds it will be a show stopper every time you drive it.
I’m surprised at myself that I like the look of the truck better, but in my mind you just couldn’t beat the cool of looking like you drove right out of the background of a 60’s movie. You should take it all the way and wear a cardigan and thick frame glasses while grilling “fresh weenies” for anyone who’s hungry. Anybody thirsty for some Tang?
There is just something nostalgic about an old American V8 car pulling those vintage trailers. Like you said, travel trailers were designed for use with cars in the 50s-70s. It just feels right.
And that Ambassador is awesome! The F250 is pretty nice too, but for close to the same price? No question, AMC takes it!
The Ambassador definitely fits into the “unloved but cool” old car that you can get for relatively cheap and have an interesting cruiser.
On the other hand, that truck is in good shape for its age, but not too nice where you couldn’t use it as a weekend warrior home improvement supply truck.
Regarding the hood, I wonder if something caught fire over the past 50+ years and ruined the paint there.
Guess I’d save $1k and take the 250.
Man…. I have an 86 F-150 now and am always on the lookout for older Ford trucks BUT the past few weeks I’ve been scoping out Rambler ads too. It like you were in my brain. Both of these are far too nice for me but I had to go Rambler.
I’d take the truck for cross-country adventures, because parts availability (see Torch’s adventure with the F-150 DT bought him). The bed can receive a roll-up top or a shell to add utility and security. Add in the benefit of likely-stronger brakes and cooling system, and I’d feel much more confident using it as a tow rig. Also more likely to convince Mrs. BoxRocket to use it instead of something modern.
The Ambassador is a looker for sure, and quite nice. But I’d wanna keep it that way. No fast food stops, no undue stress to the powertrain, no gravel roads. Take the family to a drive-in? Yep. Car shows? Definitely. Drive to work on a particularly nice day with low traffic? Sure, why not?
The Ambassador hands down. I wouldn’t drag a trailer behind it though. I’d just daily the shit out of it. It’s beautiful.
That spot on the hood of the F250? Looks like it was caused by heat. Potentially a little fire out of the carb? Maybe it overheated at one point? Still looks like a great truck, especially with the obligatory seat cover.
Oh, the horse blanket is mandatory in a truck of this vintage. I ALMOST went that route when the vinyl bench seat cover was shot in my old F150, but found a surprisingly well-fitting seat cover made specifically for my truck on Rockauto for it a few years ago.
Eh, A little flame shooting out of the carb is all that unusual for 60s cars. I usually toss a brand new Eldlebrock or Carter on first thing, until I can go through the original. If you start with a fresh carb and fresh distributor you can eliminate a bunch of diagnostics.
“Rambler on
And now’s the time, the time is now
To sing my song
I’m goin’ ’round the world, I got to find my girl
On my way
I’ve been this way ten years to the day
Rambler on
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams”
Gettin the Led out!
Gotta be that asshole in this case, it’s a song about the hobbit and it’s ramble on, not rambler.
At least you owned it and didn’t preface your comment with “I don’t mean to be an asshole, but..”
On the one hand I should refrain from mansplaining your mansplaining, but here I go regardless: rewording classic rock lyrics to comment on stories is a thing that Dubble does (i.e. he knows the lyrics).
Alternatively, in text-only form:
The Joke
your head
Even if I didn’t hate pick ups this would be an easy vote for the Rambler. It looks great, I love that blue interior, and it would give me the opportunity to overuse “ok ramblers, let’s get rambling”.
That F250 is gorgeous. I love old trucks.
That Ambassador is just lovely and far cooler than yet another truck.
I don’t know which to pick, but these are both gorgeous machines.