When we were kids, we’d hear all about how the ‘tough guys’ drove pickups, and the guys would all say they want one when they start working. The fascination with pickups ends for some with the first tastes of high-school driving, for some with college cars and for  yet some others, when they enter corporate life. But for some of us, the fascination remains. If you get excited about pickup trucks or own one or would want to own one, you should read this article. Let’s begin with the basics first.

What’s a pick-up truck, you want to know? A pickup truck is essentially a light motor vehicle whose cargo area – called the ‘bed’ in trucking parlance – does not have a top. The ‘bed’ in most pickup trucks is separate from the actual cab (cabin) in order to make allowance for what is known as ‘chassis flex’ when hauling or towing heavy loads or vehicles. Now, many vehicles in North America are equipped with beds, but they’re not proper trucks. For example, vehicles like the Chevrolet El Camino or the Ford Ranchero are built on station wagon platforms. Most trucks have a channel rail or a tubular chassis along with a ‘fully floating’ cabin and also a completely separate cargo section so as to keep the sheet metal from warping and also to provide leeway for chassis flex. Continue reading →