Old trucks can be really fun. Not only do they look awesome with their square bodies and bare-bones interior, but they often come with some iconic powertrain parts. That’s exactly the case with this mint 1985 Chevrolet K10 pickup. It’s rocking Chevy’s venerable iron-block 305 cubic-inch small-block V-8 with a two-barrel carburetor. Chevy made millions over the 60 some-odd years these engines roll off GM’s assembly lines. Old equipment isn’t always a good thing though. Brakes, transmissions, lights, and worn suspension parts can cause issues, especially when towing.

Well, the guys over at TFL Truck just took their newly purchased 1985 Chevy K10 pickup over and down the infamous Eisenhower Pass, or in their slang, the Ike Gauntlet. This stretch of road is the steepest and highest elevation interstate highway in America. Its seven-percent grade makes climbing the hill extremely hard on driveline components and even harder on brakes when coming back down.

So how did the big truck do? It completed the Ike Gauntlet hill challenge in 16 minutes and 34 seconds – nearly twice as long as every modern truck the TFL Truck has tested. Just for reference, the 2016 Ford F-150 with the 5.0-liter V-8 did the challenge in eight minutes and 12 seconds and crested the top going 59 mph. The long time and slow speed was expected, though, as the small 305 V-8 (that’s a 5.0-liter for you younger kids) and its two-barrel carburetor just didn’t have much guts to pull the 6,000-pound trailer more than 35 mph up the hill.

But don’t let that spoil the video. There is a ton more information in the 20-minute video from TFL Truck. They also show how to (somewhat) diagnose wiring issue with trailer lights. For those who tow, you know what a headache that can be. Anyway, leave us a comment of what you thought.

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