An older pickup truck that looks good and runs well has a touch of class many cars could would struggle to approach. That pickup truck is a working man and woman’s statement of durability and the owner’s willingness to getting their hands dirty when the need arises. When someone drives an older pickup truck, they’re saying that a little sweat is a badge of honor. But, a pickup truck doesn’t grow older without a commitment from the owner to keep that truck in optimal condition.

What can you do to keep your pickup truck running long beyond its ‘planned obsolescence?’ Follow these tips and that newer pickup truck may grow old with style, too. Here are some tips that, incidentally, will also keep a car running longer:

Read the owners manual for your pickup truck

Probably the first thing you want to do is to familiarize yourself with the owner’s manual. What, you don’t have the owner’s manual and the pickup truck is so old you wouldn’t know where to find it? Actually, the Internet is a very handy tool if you have this problem. For instance, a quick check for a 1946 Ford Pickup Truck Owners Manual on ebay came back with manuals priced from $9.12 to $24.69. You may find that the owners manual for your pickup truck isn’t available but, with a little effort, you may also find that it is.

What’s so important about familiarizing yourself with your pickup truck’s owners manual? Chuck Yeager is the world’s most famous pilot – first man to break the sound barrier and live to talk about it. As a test pilot, Yeager was paid to take risks. He reduced those risks by knowing everything he could about the aircraft he tested. Your pickup truck is not a super-sonic test plane but the principle holds true. If you want to safely maintain your pickup truck for the long haul, the more you know about it, the better.

Don’t miss any oil changes

One tip you’re sure to see in that owners manual is the ‘strong’ suggestion that you change the oil religiously on schedule. Oil is the lifeblood of an engine. Overtime, its lubricating properties breakdown and the oil gets dirty. That’s particularly true with a pickup truck that is operating off clean-paved highways with some frequency. It’s also important in terms of the strain you put on that engine. Pull a trailer or put a heavy load in the back and that engine will have to work harder. The engine oil becomes increasingly important in the process.

Keep track of your fluids

The fluids in your pickup truck include the windshield washer solvent, which is important to clear vision when you drive. It also includes the brake fluid, which is important when you want to stop. It also includes the coolant/anti-freeze. Overheating is excessively stressful for an engine. And freezing can crack an engine block. You want to maintain quality coolant/anti-freeze in your pickup truck to the prescribed levels.

Filter the air for your pickup truck

The oil lubricates, the coolant carries heat away, the gasoline feeds the engine and the air filter cleans the air a pickup truck engine breaths. Don’t allow your pickup truck to breath dirty air.