Ideas and Examples
There are all kinds of wonderful and unique things that can be done
with '61-'71 Dodge Trucks. Customizing and personalizing is fun and
surprisingly easy to accomplish with a good focus and a little work. Here
are a few pictures and descriptions to get you thinking.
Phil Sumpter's `69 D-100
One of the cleanest and meanest Sweptline Era Trucks around, Phil Sumpter's `69
D-100 is an excellent example of the potential that Dodges of this Era posess.
Lurking under the hood of this beauty is a highly modified `69 340 with the
following specs:
- 340 V8 bored .030 over
- W2 Cylinder Heads
- Forged 340 crank steel 340 Rods
- TRW forged pistons
- Crane race cam & roller rockers
- Crane double roller timing chain
- Holly Dominator intake
- Holley 750 CFM 4bbl carb
Phil says that the truck, "has tremendous go power." Not that you wouldn't
believe him. Specifically, he noted that the engine makes 550HP currently (tuned
down from a 700HP maximum). Backing up that potent powerplant is a Mopar auto
tranny with Hemi torque converter. Finally, to remove the fumes is a set of
custom stainless headers, three inch tubes and a set of stock `99 C#*vy Police
Special mufflers. A fuel cell in the truck's bed feeds the engine ample fuel.
Centerline 15" billet wheels (10" rear, 6" front) shod in high performance tires
put all that power to the ground through stock heavy duty suspension. He plans
to add IFS up front and get bigger tires and wheels for it in the future. Most
would agree, it's perfect as shown. More pictures:
The Chopper
Image from Truckin' Magazine
This truck was built by Randy Janson of San Diego, CA. It is a 1965
D-100 shortbox with the venerable 225 Slant-Six. The picture came from a
full feature in the March 1996 issue of Truckin' Magazine. If you'll
notice, Randy added a trick purple paint job with clean pinstriping and
solid bodywork. He also went with the nostalgic chrome spotlights and
whitewall tires to make "The Chopper" really stand out. The lakes pipes
add to this theme, as do the ultra shiny chrome hubcaps with bullet
centers. The lowered in the weeds stance really rounds out the whole
effect.
Although lowering these trucks isn't as easy as with other
trucks, it can be done as Randy's D-100 proves. He lowered his truck
using a custom front axle and c-notches in the frame in back.
Consequently, you must decide if giving up ride for looks is a worthy
cause. In any case, subframing is also a viable option that might give a
better ride, but your truck will have to be un-drivable during the swap.
Look for a sutable donor car(such as a Plymouth Volare or Chrysler Cordoba)
that has big disk brakes to slow you down. These will come in handy when
you start adding mass quantities of horsepower to your street truck.
Clean, Mean Utiline
Here's a clean, custom early sixties Dodge Utiline set up for towing a drag
car. Inspired by a 318 Wideblock and stylin' with a set of true slotted mags,
this truck is cool from any angle. Can you think of a better vehicle to pull
a race car or go parts running in? The key to this rig is its simple and
effective modifications which were applied wisely to create one awesome street
truck.
The "Grape Ape" 1965 A-100
Photos submitted by Quentin Rushing
This is the infamous Grape Ape which has been caught at a rare moment
parked near the burger joint. It includes a 318 for power, which
was swapped for the previously underpowered slant six. In either case,
the thing looks great, complete with matching tonneau and custom bumpers.
Could there be a more appropriate wheel choice? American Racing Torque
Thrust Wheels wrapped in street treads finish off the clean and mean
stance.
The "Deliverer"
Images from Mopar Action Magazine
This is George Cox's Hemi powered D-100 stepside.
As you can imagine, this beast a terror on the
street. The 392 Hemi power really adds to the creativity points and undoubtedly
the fun factor. The striking features, other than the powertrain include the oak
bed, chrome smoke stacks and unique bed side spare. This truck is built clearly
to match the likes of the owner, not going trends. Trends are nice, but how
often do you see a vehicle like this exemplifying unique style and
creativity?
Building up a '61-'71 Dodge Truck is actually quite unique to start with.
Sadly, these trucks are not often customized. The numbers of F*#d and
especially Ch&%y trucks in custom form massively outweigh those Dodge
Trucks from the same vintage. But how creative is it to build up a Ch&%y
or F*#d? For instance, how many old Ch&%y truck parts suppliers are out there?
Tons. It is much more challenging to find parts for and build up
a Dodge Truck as they require more effort. As you can see in the above
instances, there is no doubt that the owners enjoy the end results of
their hard work.
Ed Bogiano's '69 1/2 ton
Image from Hemmings Motor News
Here is a prime example of a restored
original Dodge Truck. With a 383 and a 4-spd, one can just see Ed cruzin'
around with a big smile on his face. Origially bought in Houston Texas from
the original owner, Ed used Hemmings Motor
News to find parts for it. Ed's truck is a testament to the fact that
parts for these vehicles do exist and where one can find them.
Low Down and Primer Perfect
Photo submitted by Steve Botkin.
Who needs a big-buck rod to look cool? This early sixties Dodge shortbox has
everything one needs; good lookin' wheels shod in street treads, shaved trim
and emblems, as well as a low stance. Under the hood is a slant-six
detailed in turquoise anc chrome. Bodywise, all emblems were shaved, the
tailgate was molded in, and the taillights were frenched. This is much
like "The Chopper" above, but is an earlier model with a slightly different
focus.
Bill Cain's '67 A-100
Images from High Performance Mopar
Magazine
If it's hard to
find a A-100 pickup, imagine how hard it is to find one as nice as this!
Complete with Mustang II independent front suspension and a pro street rear
setup, it's functional and fast. Speaking of speedy, the body was appropriately
painted in Viper Red. Running 10s in the 1320 must be exhilarating.
Motivated by a stroked 440 with B-1 aluminiun heads, the total displacement comes
out to 498ci. Along with NOS, 11.5:1 compression, roller cam and 1150-cfm Holley
Dominator the powerplant is nothing to laugh at. Distribution of such great
forces are handled by a 727 tranny prepped by Bill himself, and a Dana 60 rear
with 4.56 gears.
Charlie Buzzell's Mid-Engined A-100
Image from Mopar Action Magazine
A-100 owners know exactly what they're doing when building up their trucks,
and Charlie's Hemi powered version is no exception. If the vertical exhaust
collector pipes aren't quite obvious enough, there's also enough polished
chrome and orange motor mounted in the bed of this beast to make one
quake.
Specifics on Charlie's rig include 3.23 Sure-Grip rear, Blown 426 Hemi
motorvation, custom engineered drive system (due to Hemi location), 4-core
radiator, and a parachute.
David Mayrand's Slightly Modified `69
Another clean example of a D-100 shortbox is David Mayrand's `69. Although he says
that it is only slightly modified, there's more to the story. The 0.030 over 383 under
the hood came from a `70 Cuda and has a number of power enhancements and dress up
items. The powertrain includes a narrowed 8 3/4 rear differential with a 3.91 ratio
Sure-Grip pumpkin to make sure the tires hook (or that both fry off at once). The body
has been shaved of all emblems except the D-100 designators and the bright yellow paint
is off of a F*#d Probe. Keeping it all in the family, David got his Father in-law
to help him with the body mods. Plans to gain better handling via a Cordoba
front suspension graft are proposed for the near future.
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