2011 Ford Mustang GT

In 2011, Ford introduced an all new, redesigned Mustang. Unlike in earlier years, this redesign was completely different than any that had come before it. Earlier redesigns had been focused on either body design, or a new drive train. It was very rare to have them both redesigned in a single year. This year, Ford started with a clean slate and introduced a fully redesigned Mustang from the ground up. The new car has been a hit with many Mustang enthusiasts, bringing back many styling cues of the early mustang. The all new Mustang GT is proving itself as one of the greatest modern muscle cars today.

The biggest new feature that was introduced in the Mustang is the all new Coyote motor. Ford decided to bring back the mustang heritage by introducing an all-new 5.0 liter motor, or 302 cubic inches. Up until 1995, Ford had used a 302 motor in all of the GT's. This new motor was completely different though than earlier 5.0 liters, it was fully redesigned from the ground up and shares only the name with its predecessor. It's a fully aluminum, V-8 block, that was designed by Ford Racing, and is capable of producing 412 horse power stock. This is a vast improvement over the modular, 4.6 liter, V-8 that was found in the GT's just a year earlier. The 4.6 liter motors only produced 315 horse power, which is considerably less in comparison to the new Coyote. The new GT's are backed by a 6-speed standard transmission, with a 3.31 ratio, limited slip, rear differential. With these features, the all new, redesigned, 2011 Ford Mustangs are the beginning of a new era in modern muscle cars.

1979 Ford F250 HighBoy

In 1979, Ford was ending the last year of a major era in pickups. In 1980, Ford was releasing an all new line of pickups.  The body and design of the pickup had been barely changed since 1973, with the exception of a different front grill design that was introduced in 1978. The 1979 F250 Highboy, had only two big block motor options for 1979, the 400 and 460 cubic inch motors. Although the 400 and the 460 were the only engines offered the last year, many other engines had been offered in earlier years in this body style. Engines such as the 360 and 390 big blocks, are known for their longevity. The F250 was offered with either an automatic or standard transmission. The automatic transmission was a c-6, which is a three-speed with overdrive. The standard transmission was a regular wide ratio four-speed.

The 1970's Ford pickups are known for their toughness and longevity. During the 1970's, Ford was one of the first automakers to start using galvanized sheet metal in their vehicles. Galvanized steel, which is steel with a coating, prevents the likelihood of rust occurring. This decision increased the quality of all of Ford's pickups to the point that in 1976, Ford took the title of selling the most pickups in the country that year. It is a title that Ford has retained since. In 1979, the F250 as it was known was ending forever. After that year, Ford pickups were never so purpose built for sheer toughness and strength. It was the end of an era.

1999 Ford F250 Powerstroke

In 1999 Ford redesigned their f-series pickups from the F250 and up, but excluded the F-150 in the redesign because it underwent one in 1997. The body of the pickup was a new start in comparison to the earlier F250's. A couple new features were included in this body design that became innovations in heavy-duty pickups. A big innovation was the mirrors. The new mirros could extend out from the pickup, if need be, to provide greater visibility for pulling trailers. Along with the mirrors, the front of the doors were cut out for greater visibility of the mirrors and the road. These subtle details made a big difference improving the visibility for the driver, especially while pulling trailers. The F250 was now new and improved.

While there were many new to the industry features, Ford changed some existing features for the better. The already used 7.3 liter turbo diesel, which is known for its longevity and reliability, was modified to have an inter-cooler. An inter-cooler is like a radiator for the pressurized air coming from the turbo, cooling it before it goes into the engine. Cooler air means that the air is denser, which means that more horsepower is produced. Another change that was made was the removal of the TTB independent front suspension. TTB stands for twin traction beam, and had been standard in Ford pickups since the 1980's. The TTB front suspension had many design flaws that made it hard to align the front differential for proper tire wear. Ford replaced it with a stronger, Dana 90 solid front axel, even though it was older technology. The 1999 Ford F250 Powerstroke, in my opinion, is one of the best and long lasting work pickups created.

1994 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel

In 1994 the Chrysler Motor company released a much needed redesign of its entire pickup division. The result was a much more modern and sleek looking pickup, but still had many qualities of its predesessors. One major decision that the company made, was to keep the solid front differential, as opposed to changing to a type of independent front suspension. The purpose of this was to show that their focus of the redesign was not just the ride and comfort of the vehicle, but to show the continued brute strength that the pickup was known for. Both Ford and Chevy had already turned to a indenpendent suspension system at this time. The biggest feature that was continued from the earlier Dodge diesels was the engine that they used. Only a 5.9 liter, inline 6 cylinder engine, the Intercooled Cummins twelve vavle was a legendary work horse thats known for its capability to pull, while still being able to get descent fuel economy. This engine has become iconic to Dodge pickups.

After the new design was relaesed, it was a hit. The Ram 2500 was much more modern and sleek in comparison to its earlier design. The pickup was offered in either a automatic or standard transmision. The new standard transmisson was the NV4500. Its has become known as one one of the strongest and longest lasting standard transmissions in the Dodge pickups. The NV4500 is known to have only one major issue that commonly occurs at high mileage. The lock ring behind fifth gear commonly unscrews during heavy shifting. The automatic transmission is just a normal 4-speed automatic, which was an improvement over the 3-speed automatics that were used earlier. The Dodge Ram 2500 with the Cummins twelve valve was one of the best workhorses that's ever been produced.