[lesmore49]

I'm thinking the truck has overload airbags and the switch and gauge are for that setup.

I never thought about that, you could be right.

One thing I did wonder about was if the truck has an ARB front locking differential setup, which is activated by air.


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact...trqseZRXLNi8bc

I think it's more likely what you have suggested though...overload airbags.

[Just1MoreDave]

I'm thinking the truck has overload airbags and the switch and gauge are for that setup.

Rockets!

[lesmore49]

Rockets!

No...not rockets. If I remember correctly Sean Connery (James Bond) released the rockets by pressing a button, after he flipped up a cover...on the Aston Martin's gearshift knob.

[builttospill]

The truth about Ford* is - consumers really don’t want their sedans. Chevy Impala (Holden platform), Honda, Toyota and Hyundai / KIA meet the sedan demand.

* Lincoln and Buick are probably going away altogether.

I agree. Up until the Fusion, no one really ever wanted a Ford car. Their trucks have a much better reputation. My brother loves his Fusion. Ford did well with the Escape too.

Honda doesn't offer a V6 as an option anymore?! Hmm, years ago I drove a 1993 Accord with a slant-4 cylinder 2.2 liter with a manual transmission. It was the best Accord engine (and transmission combo) I've ever driven in a Honda. I'd beat my buddies in an unofficial drag every time, even though they had V6s in their Accords.

Buick has been GM's most profitable division for the last several years, especially in China. They still make and sell the Riviera there. I don't think they are going anywhere any time soon.

[monochrome]

I’m on on my third V-6 Accord - and apparently my last. I think they’re set up for old men and we don’t generally buy Honda as often as younger people.

Buick is rumored to cease selling the brand in North America.

[builttospill]

Congrats ! Nice looking truck. I've always thought Dodge truck styling for the past couple of decades is the best among the big 3 domestic truck lines. I know the truck line is now called Ram, but I still think Dodge when I see one. On the farm we had a 1948 one ton Fargo truck, with medium duty truck wheels and an aftermarket electric lift for the box...also 3/4 inch plywood bolted into the side walls of the box, additionally supported by chains at the top of the plywood. The extra height on the box was to increase the amount of grain volume .

We used it as a spare grain truck in the '50's to '80's. It had the Mopar flathead inline six cylinder. It was a tough truck and could move weight...not fast...low gearing eh, but it did the job on the farm. On the Canadian market the brand name Fargo was used instead of Dodge...on essentially Dodge trucks...but when they were sold by Canadian Plymouth dealers.

As a side note, Ford trucks sold by Canadian Mercury dealers were branded Mercury from '47 to '68. My family for their business had one of the last of the Mercury trucks...a 1968 M 250 (3/4 ton) , with the inline Ford 300 cubic inch (4.9 liter) truck six and 3 on the tree. Canadian marketing of truck brands from FoMoCo was the reason for the Mercury truck brand, sold by Canadian Merc dealers.

It's nice to see the picture of your Dodge with it's rare 6 speed standard, you don't see that often.

When you're running solo, without a trailer and no cargo, do you think you will be starting off in 2nd gear ...or first...or Low as Dodge has it on the shift knob ?

Looking at the 'L' marking on your Dodge's shift knob, takes me back to the first standard transmission I was familiar with...it was an early '50's English made Austin. It was my parents and I recall my dad telling me that these British cars had a 4 speed transmission...Bull Low, then 2nd, 3rd, 4th. I believe that's the way Austin described it.

I note what appears to be a trailer brake controller by the shift lever...when we were towing trailers, we had one very similar under our different vehicle's dashboards...but the gauge and on/off switch has me baffled ?

Very nice truck, I think you'll have a lot of fun and utility use out of the beast...and it'll be a bonus treat...just being able to hear the Hemi V8 engine note as you upshift and downshift through the gears.

Yup...I'm envious.

Thank you. Yes, the Ram trucks are good-looking. I also really like the High Country edition of Chevy's Silverado. You have a lot of experience with trucks. The thing I'll miss the most on my F-250 is the foot switch to active my high beams (well, and the 7.5 liter engine).

My F-250 also has a granny gear. I always start in second gear in the Ford, sometimes even when towing my 27' camper, unless I'm starting on a hill. I shift to second gear between 3-5 MPH. In the Dodge I can get to about 7-10 MPH before it's time to shift to second, so it's not geared quite as low as the Ford's.

Yes, that's the trailer brake controller, and the switch and guage above it control the airbags in the rear suspension.

[kadajawi]

All the car makers do this now. The Honda Accord is built on a stretched Civic / CRV platform. They don’t even bother to give Accord a 6-cyl. option any more, only a VTEC Turbo four. The Odyssey / Pilot / Ridgeline are built on one platform and get all the 6 cylinder engines Honda can make.. The HRV is a Fit underneath, etc.

And lets not forget about VW, which has everything from the 4053mm long Polo to the 5073mm long Atlas sitting on the same platform... and I once read that one factory is able to produce multiple different vehicles based on this platform on one production line.

Their system is a masterclass in efficiency.

Ford will continue producing the Focus etc., so they don't even have to lower the cars again. They just have to bring in these models.

I was amused when I heard they were going to bring in the EcoSport in order to replace the Fiesta. Really. The EcoSport is regarded as one of the worst cars these days, certainly amongst the ones made by Ford. It's a dreadful third world car (though they have tried to fix that, and maybe newer versions are okay?). Brilliant super mini, vs. terrible small crossover.

There's nothing in the "new" Ford updated lineup (amongst the cars replacing the sedans and hatchbacks) that could get me even mildly interested. But I'm not an American. The Raptor is cool, but it would be a nightmare to live with over here.

What has made me stop considering Ford in the past was their interior, the interior design. It's just ugly and outdated. It's a shame, because in terms of driving dynamics they are wonderful (apart from the EcoSport). Used to drive a 1996 Ford Fiesta for a while, and it was great fun. Similar era Ka? Go kart with doors. And the Focus from the late 2000s? Good fun, too. Thankfully the latest Focus fixes the interior...

[Sailor]

No...not rockets. If I remember correctly Sean Connery (James Bond) released the rockets by pressing a button, after he flipped up a cover...on the Aston Martin's gearshift knob.

I've been searching for that option on potential purchases, but haven't been able to find it. I'm thinking that button was used to operate the ejecting passenger seat - either way, ejection seat or a rocket, it would be a cool option that on occasion could be pretty useful.

Jer

[monochrome]

And lets not forget about VW, which has everything from the 4053mm long Polo to the 5073mm long Atlas sitting on the same platform... and I once read that one factory is able to produce multiple different vehicles based on this platform on one production line.

Their system is a masterclass in efficiency.

Ford will continue producing the Focus etc., so they don't even have to lower the cars again. They just have to bring in these models.

I was amused when I heard they were going to bring in the EcoSport in order to replace the Fiesta. Really. The EcoSport is regarded as one of the worst cars these days, certainly amongst the ones made by Ford. It's a dreadful third world car (though they have tried to fix that, and maybe newer versions are okay?). Brilliant super mini, vs. terrible small crossover.

There's nothing in the "new" Ford updated lineup (amongst the cars replacing the sedans and hatchbacks) that could get me even mildly interested. But I'm not an American. The Raptor is cool, but it would be a nightmare to live with over here.

What has made me stop considering Ford in the past was their interior, the interior design. It's just ugly and outdated. It's a shame, because in terms of driving dynamics they are wonderful (apart from the EcoSport). Used to drive a 1996 Ford Fiesta for a while, and it was great fun. Similar era Ka? Go kart with doors. And the Focus from the late 2000s? Good fun, too. Thankfully the latest Focus fixes the interior...

My son has a V-8 Raptor (not the new V-6 Turbo). It rides better than any truck I’ve ever ridden in on pavement and does everything except rock crawling off-road. It’s his company car and he actually uses the truck functions delivering product - and the Raptor image stands out with his customers.

[builttospill]

I've been searching for that option on potential purchases, but haven't been able to find it. I'm thinking that button was used to operate the ejecting passenger seat - either way, ejection seat or a rocket, it would be a cool option that on occasion could be pretty useful.

Jer

Ha. My 1989 Pontiac Grand Am had all power window switches in the center console instead of on the doors. Power windows were still an extra option when I owned the car in the 90s. I can't tell you how many times I told passengers the windows were voice activated. I could easily use one finger to press the switch up or down without moving my hand from the shifter as I'd tell the car to roll the "passenger window down."

[lesmore49]

I've been searching for that option on potential purchases, but haven't been able to find it. I'm thinking that button was used to operate the ejecting passenger seat - either way, ejection seat or a rocket, it would be a cool option that on occasion could be pretty useful.

Jer

I think it would be important to first precisely identify the purpose of the button, before you activate it. If you wanted to launch a rocket...yet hit the wrong button...say the button that operates the ejecting passenger seat instead...and your wife was in that seat...that might be difficult to explain to her....later on.
Just a thought.

[builttospill]

I think it would be important to first precisely identify the purpose of the button, before you activate it. If you wanted to launch a rocket...yet hit the wrong button...say the button that operates the ejecting passenger seat instead...and your wife was in that seat...that might be difficult to explain to her....later on.
Just a thought.

It depends. If you can push the rocket button fast enough after pressing the ejector button...

[cooltouch]

Buick is rumored to cease selling the brand in North America.

I'm not surprised by this. Buick seems pretty directionless to me nowadays. Heck, Pontiac had more "direction" before it was shut in than Buick has these days.

Personally, I don't think Lincoln is going anywhere. They don't appear to be as interested in competing directly with Cadillac in a performance arena, but it does seem they are trying hard to appeal to the "DINK" graphic (DINK = Dual Income, No KIds) and/or successful singletons.

[ChrisPlatt]

The USPS national technical training facility is located in Norman Oklahoma. I am required to attend classes there every so often.
Norman is of course also home to The University of Oklahoma and their famous Sooners football team.

I have noticed the vast majority of pickup trucks there - and there are plenty of them - are Sooner Red, especially on Saturday game days.
When they play arch-rival Oklahoma State University I always look for but haven't noticed any in Cowboy Orange.

My brother lived in Denham Springs Louisiana in the 1970's. He said many folks in the area painted their homes purple with gold trim,
the same as the uniforms of the LSU Tigers. Later they changed the uniform to mostly white, so those homes may now be less garish.

Chris

[Sailor]

I think it would be important to first precisely identify the purpose of the button, before you activate it. If you wanted to launch a rocket...yet hit the wrong button...say the button that operates the ejecting passenger seat instead...and your wife was in that seat...that might be difficult to explain to her....later on.
Just a thought.

AAAAWWWWW . . . . . . . you mean I've got to read the manual!?!

And you're right - it would be tough to explain; in fact, I can already feel the size of the dent in my head.

Jer

---------- Post added 04-30-2018 at 01:19 PM ----------

Ha. My 1989 Pontiac Grand Am had all power window switches in the center console instead of on the doors. Power windows were still an extra option when I owned the car in the 90s. I can't tell you how many times I told passengers the windows were voice activated. I could easily use one finger to press the switch up or down without moving my hand from the shifter as I'd tell the car to roll the "passenger window down."

In '75, I brought a brand new Camaro LT with sport suspension, 4-spd and a 350 4-BBL, which was pretty anemic in this first year of the cat converter but was as good as you could do in a Camaro. The car was loaded with practically all the options in the catalog, including power windows with the switches located on the console. I thought this arrangement was the epitome of cool.

Jer