OK, so Feature Editor Jerrod Jones decided it was time to stir up some controversy in the new June 2006 issue with a list of The Best 4x4s on Earth. Now it's your turn, but don't just tell us which is the best, tell us why. And yes, we've heard FORD stands for Found On Road Dead and GMC is Gross Mechanical Ca-ca, etc. - let's see if you can make Jerrod eat his words with a side of cold hard facts.

I would have to say that the 73-87s are pretty high on the list.. they are plentiful, which makes them cheap and parts cheap.. they had a variety of engines available.. good transmissions and t-cases.. the 1tons even came with the 2 most saughtafter axles.. the dana 60 and 14bolt.  How could a single vehicle that has provided so much to the offroading world not be the GREATEST 4x4 on Earth?  

yeah the 73-87 4x4 chevys are pretty good trucks, they are solid, most parts can be swapped from the k10-k20-k30 and between gmc and chevy.  most of the chevy v8 motors will pretty much bolt in without alot of change.  all the chevy turbo hydramatic transmissions can be swapped from motor to motor and truck to truck.  the aftermarket is very large for the chevy sb and bb motors.  they have desireable t-cases the 205 and the 203 (for doubling).  they have the dual saddle gas tanks, and even if you wanted you could get a 40 gallon suburban gas tank and drop that between the frame rails for the really long trails.  parts are cheep. also if anyone knows about where you can find aftermarket bumpers for a 79 k10 please post something or email me at stoddard_2008@hotmail.com  

I am no fanatic of any brand, foreing or domestic. As the owner of diferent brand vehicles and my experiences on the trail, I would say the 72-77 Ford Bronco is the best of what I've seen. Specialy the 76-77. They come with a Dana 44 and disc brake coil sprunged front suspension with great articulation and the nicest ride quality of any 4x4 I've owned. The rear axle is a 28 spline 9 inch, is not 31 spline but plenty strong. The 302 and in line six are reliable engines. Both the C4 and manual tranies are strong, and all this full size gear comes in a small package that can fit in a tight trail. You will need a decent built jeep to get to the level of the stock Bronco, and I have a Cj 2A to prove it. Practicaly all the drive train was swaped in. Sorry Pewe! Parts are plentifull, though not as cheap as Chevy's. And just to let you know I love Chevy cars. You can easily swap a NP 435, 31 spline axles, specialy the big bearing axles, fuel injected 5.0 or transfering the shifter to the floor. To modify it into a decent off road vehicle you just need to cut the rear fenders, lift it, and add some lockers and tires. It is a strong, nimble and versatile vehicle. What else do you need in a 4x4?   

The best 4x4 ever made was the 2000 Chevy C3500 cab and chasse.  

I agree, so far with what's being said here about the '73-'87 Chevy product line. Reliability, durability, and for the most part, not very difficult for the do-it-yourself back-yard mechanic to work on, and perform mods.

Especially fine products are the venerable 350ci engines, The Dana 60 axles, and New Process 205 Transfer cases. You just can't go wrong with that combination. Parts are abundant, and relatively not expensive to obtain. I'm obviously biased since I own two '70s K5 4X4's, but I belive myself to be pretty open minded, and able to give credit where it's due. I've driven Ford trucks for years, as company vehicles and the odd Dodge truck too. A good friend of mine has a late '60s PowerWagon and we've done a lot of work and mods on it - A very respectable product in my opinion. I can't say much about Fords though from my experience with 4X4 trucks, and their flagship vehicle the 'taurus'. I can go on at length on their faults from my experience with them. Some of the power plants are reliable, as is the 9-inch rear axle, but for the 'best 4X4 on Earth' The '73 to '87 Chevy Trucks have my vote...by a long shot!

I thought Ford's flagship model was the Crown Victoria. It's the only car the make that looks remotely comfortable and desireable to me...  

I'm not trying to be rude, but the Crown Victoria is not a 4x4. It's a cop cruiser in my neck of the woods.  

What's the difference between the late 60's to 72' Blazer's compared to the 73' to 87' Blazer's?

As far as I'm concerned the late 60's to 72' Blazer's have better engines as for power.( Muscle car power )

Do the 73' to 87' Blazer's have other mods. that make them better?

As after 72' the gas crunch was a major factor and the horse power rating's went south.

Let me know what you think or know about this post.

GMC stands for ( Gay Mens Club ) HaHa, just kidding. I used to mess with a guy at work about the hat that he wore. GMC is pretty much Chevy other than some change's to the front end and some interior differences. GMC is of a higher class vehicle thing to me. As far as I'm concerned the Bowtie is # 1. Not to sure on the years. I'd probalbly go with what Redbeast said as this guy knows his ***

Old Chevy's are the way to go. As for the truck that you posted you might as well buy a rice-burner, as all of the new Chevy's have parts that are made over-seas, including the other two out of the big three.  

The differences I believe is the 60-72's had a different body style, more power per cu. in. and they are a lot older then 73-87 trucks. That makes finding a 60-72 in good shape would be harder and probably more expensive. They made that style for only 12 years but the 73-87 lasted 14 so that also make it easy to find good bodys, parts etc.

If I had a ton of money, I'd rather have a 60-72. Since I don't, I wouldn't feel as bad about flogging or driving in winter a mid 80's truck versus a mid 60's truck. Either would be heart breaking to watch them fall apart within 3-5 winters, if they were my daily driver.

I hate salted roads. To me there are only two good uses for it; seasoning food and crusted up around the rim of a margarita glass.

The main question I was really after was about the axels.

What axels were in the 60's thru 72's and what are the axels in the 73 to 87 models? Are they the same or are they different?

I don't keep up with most info of "Ferds" except for personal experience. Maybe 'flagship' was not the correct word, but I thought the Taurus was their top selling, and most popular model a few years back.