JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
I have a 67 F250 which is a backup truck we have always wondered how emp proof it was. Not just from the heavy steel but lack of not many electronics that if fried could be replaced fairly easily but I never looked past it that far.
It probably is. ( oops.....it is probably a gas with electronic ignition. Not EMP proof) That is about the time they added electronics to Diesel engines. Starters are pretty safe alternators not so much but probably not a lot of other electronics on the engine. My Duramax and 1973 6.5 have electronics in the fuel management system that would debilitate them.
 
The good thing on these old trucks is the ignition is off when key is off no active circuits other then the battery itself when power is turned off. Oh well something else to do some reading on.
 
Someone installed a complete CUCV drivetrain, 1 ton axles, and 24v controls into a late 70s, early 80s Suburban.... with the 6.5L turbodiesel as well.. they also installed CUCV hardwares like the bumpers, guards, antenna mounts with surplus radio system, jerry can rack, lightbar, and gun racks
.. I dont remember the gearing but it was 2wd and they reported getting roughly 24mpg on highway... impressive for a big 2wd diesel
 
My wife bought a 98 Dodge Durango 4x4 about 10 years ago. Great shape, fair gas mileage, roof rack, tow package and plenty of room. She kinda ruined it by not driving it enough and parking it under a large fir tree. I have never been a Dodge fan, but I should have taken the time to keep that Durango in good shape. Woiuld have made a good bug out vehicle with some camo paint.

I guess she didn't like driving my 1993 Ford F-250 XLT 4x4 extended cab, 460 ci, 5 speed manual and GemTop canopy. Only 53,000 miles on it. Only down side is the poor turning radius, sort of like driving a school bus and 11 mpg. Will climb a tree in 4 wheel low.
 
AWD cars/CUVs/SUVs are good for daily drivers, but they generally won't haul as much cargo as a truck.

They also usually do not have much ground clearance or travel as a 4WD pickup/et al.

In a SHTF situation you may find yourself having to drive thru rivers, over rocks or logs, thru deep mud and so on. OTOH, most purpose designed 4WD vehicles are not very practical for the commute into the office or factory. Unless you have an actual purpose for one where you use it as designed, you will probably waste a lot of money on a 4x4, especially the wear and tear and fuel and tires. Generally my trucks rarely make it off the property - the big one hasn't had its tags renewed since I drove it up here almost 6 years ago.

It is pretty easy to get stuck with almost any vehicle - or machine for that matter; I've gotten tractors stuck out in fields. What looks like solid ground can be almost bottomless mud in the winter. I had my big truck stuck in my 'yard' for several months until it dried out enough to drive it out. So I always smile when someone says they have a vehicle that will go almost anywhere. I've had to drag my dirt bike thru a mud patch because it spun the tire (a mud tire).
 
EMP

It is highly over-estimated as a threat.

First, most current model cars will probably work after an EMP blast just fine. Current electronics are a lot more resilient and resistant to electronic interference than the early EFI electronics (70s to 80s).

EMP is also a line of site threat. If you are behind a hill or in a valley, etc., then it is quite possible that your vehicle won't be in the line of site of an even a high altitude EMP bomb. If the nuke is a ground blast, or slightly low altitude, if it is over the horizon or otherwise not line of site, then unlikely to be a problem with regards to EMP. Purpose made EMP bombs are usually high altitude, but even so, no EMP bomb is going to have 100% coverage, and the strength of the blast is inversely proportional to the distance - i.e., an EMP pulse will decrease in strength by 4 times when you double the distance, 8 times when you quadruple the distance (lookup "inverse square law").

Most later model cars, if affected, will probably be fine if you shut them off and restart them. EMP makes for great PAW fiction, but its effects are way overblown in that fiction. A lot vehicles will still run just fine.
 
Small, light, big wheeled, bug-out trailer packed and ready to go and that can be pulled by any vehicle you own. Then be ready to leave at the first sign of threat (you can always come back if it is a false alarm).
If you're not amongst the first out of town and on the open-road well before everyone else is ........ If possible, it's better to hunker-down (or have a bug-out helicopter).

View attachment 468138

The problem with trailers is backing up or even turning around.
 
@The Heretic ; would it make sense to get say, a truck based modular SUV, like for example the old K5 blazer, or the Ford F150 Bronco types? Or maybe best option, 4 door cab trucks?

I have no illusions that my current vehicle will go where 4x4 is needed, and the plans are for shelter in place, however I do have gear in the Kia Sportage for emergencies.
 
@The Heretic ; would it make sense to get say, a truck based modular SUV, like for example the old K5 blazer, or the Ford F150 Bronco types? Or maybe best option, 4 door cab trucks?

I have no illusions that my current vehicle will go where 4x4 is needed, and the plans are for shelter in place, however I do have gear in the Kia Sportage for emergencies.

There are pros and cons for every vehicle. The light SUVs/CUVs are very practical for every day usage. They also tend to not sink into the goo as much as a heavier vehicle. But they generally do not have the clearance either. The short wheelbase helps when you need to maneuver in tight places - even my Toyota supercab with a 6' bed sometimes has problems in some quarters - but is much better than my Dodge with a 12' flatbed and does not get stuck as easily. OTOH, the Dodge, with the diesel, can pull a big heavy log out of a pile of logs and it hardly notices that it is pulling on something - I have used it to yard logs around the property a lot. The Toyota would sit and spin its tires with the heavier loads.

What to get depends on your needs and wants and budget. Like guns you go with what you have. A monster 4x4 sitting at home does you no good when you are at work and the big one hits. I got my Toyota because my Dodge was just too big for a lot of things - especially for a commuting vehicle (I only drove the Dodge to work a couple of times when it snowed, before I had the Toyota, and I had to park it on the street because there was no way it would fit in the parking garage).
 
It certainly has way more ground clearance than the previous 1998 suzuki esteem ecobean sedan :D since it is my DD currently, I just maintain it best I can, and it works for the most part. Taking it on trips, i see it works fine on prepared roadways like mentioned before, but I am aware of its limitations, such as only 2wd, and standard light duty tires instead of actual traction/dirt/mud tires... however it does OK with chains on the drive wheels on snowed gravel..better than I expected, though awful on snowy/icy pavement
 
AWD cars/CUVs/SUVs are good for daily drivers, but they generally won't haul as much cargo as a truck.

It is pretty easy to get stuck with almost any vehicle - or machine for that matter; I've gotten tractors stuck out in fields. What looks like solid ground can be almost bottomless mud in the winter. I had my big truck stuck in my 'yard' for several months until it dried out enough to drive it out. So I always smile when someone says they have a vehicle that will go almost anywhere. I've had to drag my dirt bike thru a mud patch because it spun the tire (a mud tire).
Been there done that. A little too far down the road at the beach into the soft sand - all four wheels spinning sand. Stopped before it got too bad and got a tow out. Slid off the driveway in the tracks that a Jeep made when it slid off the driveway. Had to wait until the snow melted. That was the year that we got over two feet on the westside. Thought that I would get enough traction on that much snow, but once I got into the ruts from the Jeep, it was all over. Never got stuck in mud, but more luck than anything.

Also had a friend that buried the school's Ford 5000 tractor up to the axles in his parents field. Nothing we could do except call a big tow truck. School's Ag teacher was not happy.
 
View attachment 468361
I don't believe so. The military bought thousands of 1986 Chev diesel vehicles of various designs with minor adaptations to military specs just because they were the last production EMP proof engines being built. I owned and drove them for decades. They were 6.2 diesels (like the Hummer's) with heavy suspensions and 24V electrical systems. They still have many of them in ready reserve. There are several for sale in the government sale this Wednesday.

The military bought them with diesels because of logistics, not because they were EMP proof. The military, runs mostly on some form of diesel, whether it is their wheeled vehicles, their tracked vehicles, their generators, their motorcycles or their aircraft. It is a LOT easier to just have fuel that can be shared among the machines. A lot of the newer large diesel trucks that the military have extensive electronics to control the fuel systems and for engine management.
 
Last Edited:
It probably is. ( oops.....it is probably a gas with electronic ignition. Not EMP proof) That is about the time they added electronics to Diesel engines. Starters are pretty safe alternators not so much but probably not a lot of other electronics on the engine. My Duramax and 1973 6.5 have electronics in the fuel management system that would debilitate them.

The '67 F250 often had the bullet proof inline six 300 ci. Most of that era had points and carbs. The trucks were/are pretty robust.

My '97 Dodge with Cummins has very little electronics; a timer/relay for the grid heater in the intake (the truck will start without the heater, and a simple switch can replace the timer/relay), a relay for the fuel shutoff (a cable can replace that), and a system for the dash, hooked into the charging system, which is not required for the engine to run. In the 98.5 model year most Dodge Cummins went to 24 valve with an electronically controlled injection pump - but they can be converted back to a mechanical pump if you have the $
 
The military bought them with diesels because of logistics, not because they were EMP proof. The military, runs mostly on some form of diesel, whether it is their wheeled vehicles, their tracked vehicles, their generators, their motorcycles or their aircraft. It is a LOT easier to just have fuel that can be shared among the machines. A lot of the newer large diesel trucks that the military have extensive electronics to control the fuel systems and for engine management.
In the many war games I participated in the conversation about EMP resistance was very common in discussions planing with leadership. It was actually predicted that the equipment with eltronics would be disabled and we practiced operating without it. The CUTV's were put front and center because they would be uneffected where newer equipment was sidelined for the exercise. Shared fuel was also a component of the EMP planing. Mechanical controlled Diesel engines are not effected along with the other inherent advantages of diesel like it being less volatile, more stable and containing more energy per gallon than gasoline. We haven't built a truly industrial gas engine since the mid 60's when Diesel was completely adopted by industry. Before that there were industrial gas or spark ignited engines. When the recent intrest developed in fuels like CNG industry actually reengineered Diesel engines back to being spark ignited because they are the only existing industrial grade engines. The dividing point with EMP resistance was between electrical and electronic. Electrical is mostly uneffected electronic is mostly effected. Things like diodes in alternators are easily blown where electromechanical brushes and regulators are not.
 
EMP

It is highly over-estimated as a threat.

First, most current model cars will probably work after an EMP blast just fine. Current electronics are a lot more resilient and resistant to electronic interference than the early EFI electronics (70s to 80s).

EMP is also a line of site threat. If you are behind a hill or in a valley, etc., then it is quite possible that your vehicle won't be in the line of site of an even a high altitude EMP bomb. If the nuke is a ground blast, or slightly low altitude, if it is over the horizon or otherwise not line of site, then unlikely to be a problem with regards to EMP. Purpose made EMP bombs are usually high altitude, but even so, no EMP bomb is going to have 100% coverage, and the strength of the blast is inversely proportional to the distance - i.e., an EMP pulse will decrease in strength by 4 times when you double the distance, 8 times when you quadruple the distance (lookup "inverse square law").

Most later model cars, if affected, will probably be fine if you shut them off and restart them. EMP makes for great PAW fiction, but its effects are way overblown in that fiction. A lot vehicles will still run just fine.

I agree but thought it should be noted in a vehicle choice if possible/
 
What are your thoughts on a good vehicle? Im new to thinking about this so this is what seems like the priorities would be: (not necessarily in the order of priority)

1. Reliability
2. Inconspicuous
3. Fuel Efficient
4. Storage (first aid, chain saw, tools etc)
5. Ability to move all members of the family

Not a priority
1. Camo paint
2. Winch
3. 4x4 (how often are you in 4x4 really?)
4. AC
5. Zombie response stickers

Given this premise, it seems like a good inexpensive vehicle for SHTF would be a common minivan.

Thoughts??
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top