There’s nothing like that old car smell. And while the patina trend has been discussed to death, the hard truth of the matter is that my favorite old car times invariably involve beaters. When my ’65 Mustang was my one slightly shabby old car, we drove almost to the ends of the earth without a care in the world, and I’m not sure I’ve had as much fun behind the wheel of a car since. Lately, those warm old feelings are enveloping this car mad soul every time I crawl behind the discolored steering wheel of the Dirty Dart. Now I’m wondering if a beater flatbed would be such a bad idea.
“1964 Dodge D300 slant 6cyl 4spd manual trans. New clutch and brake master cylinders. Rebuilt carb. Rebuilt alternator and starter. Runs good. Minimal rust, old city truck. Lots of fun, great patina,” said the Craigslist ad. Damn it. There’s that old “p-word” again, only slightly less irritating than a “rare barn find” that’s “ready for restoration.” Regardless of the owner’s diction, this bodystyle has been twisting itself around my psyche in a double-helix dance of doom. This time, it’s not really my fault–it’s the junkyard’s. But I digress.
Fortunately and unfortunately, this one may be just a little too earthy to bring home. I don’t like the feeling that my car is developing its own ecosystem, and this Dodge looks like a haven for innovative strains of molds, lichens, and mosses. The wooden bed looks like a deck in a Thompson’s Water Seal commercial, the “before” kind. I might be in at $950, but $2950? No thanks.
That won’t by any means stop me from looking for an old Sweptline pickup. It’s weird enough to pique my interest, and it’s underappreciated, kind of like the old Savoy Brown album I’ve been overplaying as of late. Raw Sienna smacks of a ’70s color on a Pinto, by the way.
As for the Dodge, the dual rear wheels must invoke a checkmark in the old nay column. Tires are expensive enough when one has to buy four; six is two wheels too many. And the D300 isn’t really the truck of my junkyard dreams.
Like I said previously, the closing junkyard of a recent visit is responsible for this latest preoccupation, as there were a couple of ’68 Dodge half-tons patiently awaiting the crusher. Idle hands (or wheels, in this case) are the devil’s playground, and these long idle trucks have awakened the old car buying beast within me. I have a soft spots for dilapidated vagrants, and hanging about these old trucks felt like a trip to the animal shelter. Which one can you adopt? What if you can’t adopt any?
Acting as a shelf for an old radiator is this refrigerator white ’68, which was actually quite similar to the 1961 model, the first year of this bodystyle. This basic truck lasted a decade in its familiar form, with the same body being used all the way through ’71 on half-ton models. I have actually driven a ’70 model D200 with a 225 4-speed combination, as one of my students from a while back owned a very clean red example that had been in his family for quite some time. After school, he’d bring it into the school shop to work on it, and he let me drive it around the neighborhood. Nice truck. I wouldn’t mind one of my own.
As for the Craigslist D300 noted above, I’ll have to wait for a D100 with more highway-friendly gearing and an actual bed. Until then, my sweet dreams will involve beater Dodge trucks, and my sweet realities can be fulfilled by my beater Dart.
ALL those trucks are going to be crushed ? .
Seems a shame , I see lots of good parts .
That flat bed is easy to re deck , just look closely at the forward cab mounts as they’re prone to rust .
You can’t miss by making him an $800 offer , he’d be lucky to get that much for it .
-Nate
They might be crushed as of now.
These pictures were from late September/early October, and they were cleaning the land up overtime at that point. As I mentioned in an earlier writing, they weren’t giving things away; parts were full-price.
So where in Michigan was this salvage yard, looks rural, I can count on one hand how many times I have seen a sweptside in the last ten years, less than five for sure!
Right outside of Vestaburg…it’s the old Hilliard’s Yard, but Fair Auto Salvage out of Clare bought it.
That guy in the 4th photo seems to be standing on his tiptoes just to reach into the bed. Were he standing flat-footed, the bottom of the bed would be at his waist and the top almost to his shoulders, and it’s only a 4×2 model…what was that about all old trucks being low and easy to get into? 😛
I think it’s a kid.
This doesn’t look in tremendously worse condition than my old 63 F-100. It was pure beater and I am in complete agreement that there is nothing like the kind of worry-free motoring you get in a genuine old beater.
I have never driven one of these old solid axle Dodges, but I can tell you that my solid axle Ford would wear me out after a morning of driving. By the time I got it home and parked, I was ready to not drive it for the next week. But come Saturday, all unpleasantness would be forgotten as I heard the old Ford whisper in my ear, and we’d do it all over again.
I’m thinking old-school cab mounted on a newer chassis with a Cummins under the hood. Add a tilt-and-load deck on the back so it can be used to bring home more cars.
Go for it. What could go wrong?
Famous last words!!!! 🙂
The white one in the yard looks like a good candidate for a resurrection! There’s just something about a good ole beater truck to drive around in without being worried about scratching when doing good old fashioned work.
I can relate. I especially like the front end of these early versions; the only Exner truck.
It actually has a LOT of potential. Call me a fan of the P word too…this thing reeks of character. Or maybe the stench is delusion that its a near $3K truck. Half that, sure.
Aaron, if you had a serious itch for a Dodge truck of this vintage, the west coast is a good bet…IF you want to ship it. These do show up fairly frequent here. I think the Northwest has a higher percentage of Moparphiles than most areas. Of course it could be that’s just what on my radar the most. I was doing my usual craigslist stroll….
Now THIS would make the perfect starting point and worth every penny:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/4792681349.html
This one is pretty nice too…all original bought right in the area and priced reasonable:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/4802278042.html
But if its a flatbed that you must have, this would be the one. And seafoam green, no less:
http://bend.craigslist.org/cto/4804231833.html
Wow, all three look great! I know first hand that shipping a car from Oregon to Michigan is expensive. Maybe it’s time to move to Oregon!
The northwest is a great place to be if you love old cars. The rust belt…ya, not so much. What youd have to weigh out is the cost of shipping vs the cost/aggravation of extensive rust repair. Looks like you know what youre doing based on your restorations though.
It’s kind of weird…Michigan, in some ways, is probably the best place to be if you love old cars, because we have tons of events, museums, and people who love them.
On the other hand, all of Paul’s entries and your easy three Craigslist ads explain why you’re in the right place!
Those ’61-’71 Dodge trucks were tough. They were very rust-prone, but otherwise the bodywork was particularly sturdy. The 1 ton D-300 used a different chassis than the 1/2 ton 100 and 3/4 ton 200 models. The frame rails were straight from end to end, and this required the filler piece you see between the grille and bumper. The lighter duty frames dropped down under the cab and the front sheetmetal sat lower on the front frame section.
Although my old Dodge was basically a 1974 Chrysler Custom Newport masquerading as a pickup, it gave me good service for quite a few years. It moved the bulk of our household goods and all of my license plate collection when we moved to our present house. It remained rust-free and stout bodywise, and didn’t have the door hardware problems that were common on earlier models of this generation.
We used several 1962 to 1964 Dodge pickups in the large government shipyard where I worked. One in particular was with us for several months; at the end of that time both inside door handles and the driver’s outside handle broke; we had to enter through the passenger door and keep the window open. These of course are things that no one would allow to remain unfixed on one’s own truck, but the later models’ pushbutton exterior door handles and spring-loaded inside handles seem to last better.
Another note: If you find a narrow-box pickup you shouldn’t have problems finding nice fenders or other parts, as the exact same box and fenders were used from 1956 through 1981.
Great trucks, and I love the tool platforms formed by the inner fenders when the hood is opened (and it goes up more than 90 degrees, too). Look for rust on the step at the bottom of the door frames, and be aware that the gas tank is inside the cab (like many old trucks).
I’ve always liked these old Dodges, ever since a friend’s Dad had one when I was a youngster. My favorites are the ’65-’67 trucks with the “pie tin” headlight surrounds, even though they’re slightly awkward in comparison with the smoother lines of the later front end.
Also agreed that $2950 is way too much for that D300. You could always slide in a lowball offer and let him think it over as it continues to not sell at his asking price…
They shared those headlights with the van. They wanted that Chrysler Turbine car headlights look.
My all time favorite Dodge pickup. I’ve only seen two or three actual trucks as they probably came with a hefty additional cost. In those days trucks were just work and utility vehicles. You couldn’t give away used stepsides or crew cabs
Interesting that the Town Wagon & Panel look to have kept the old bodywork.
In that last ad , it shows the older 50s style Town Wagon being sold along with the new style truck. Was that just for one year ?
I believe the Town Wagon and panel retained the ’60 styling until 1966.
The heavy duty 61 also reminds me of the school bus that broke down in the movie “Duel”. Has the same front end.
I’ve always wanted an older truck (Keep in mind that I already own an 1987 Chevrolet).
My only concern has been the cost. How much would it cost to fix up a truck to be roadworthy to the point where I can trust it? I’d assume that for true work, you’d want to rebuild the engine, check the transmission, redo all the wiring and hoses,…
Even if you start with a running or driving project, I could see the costs ballooning quickly.
Sadly, I guess I’ll have to stick with my Chevrolet.
._THIS_ ($) is always the big question ~
I’m partway through a frame up rebuild (NOT ‘ restoration’ !) of my 1969 Chevy C/10 1/2 tonner shortbed step side , I’d hoped to bring it in below the cost of a brandy new V6 powered Chevy but it’ll be very close .(overhauling the engine in the dang rain is no fun) .
Your ’87 is a very good truck , that last real TRUCKS GM ever designed in fact ~ it has a tin foil body that rusts easily but they’re very sturdy and tens of thousands of them are still doing Yeoman Duty World Wide .
Just keep an eye on the tin worm and aggressively address any rust bubbles you see , it’ll out last you and they’re cheap to run and easy to make handle well or Hot Rods , lower , whatever floats yer boat .
I had a ’76 GMC 2500 Long Bed Fleet Side , a very good truck indeed , I rebuilt the engine driveline except the 292 i6 engine and ran it hard , it was just too dang BIG so I gave it away after dumping close to $4,000 into it , a $700 basic truck .
-Nate
I’m in love with the 1987. It’ll be on here someday. It’s a stripper model- 305, Automatic, and that’s about it. There’s nothing much to go wrong! We’re in Wyoming, so rust is very minimal. It was an Illinois truck, though, so there are a few spots.
I’ve had over 1500# in the bed before, I’ve towed 4000#, and I’ve done a lot of work with it.
I built it, though. It was abandoned by my father, and he gave it to me. It only needed a fuel pump, so I’m in it for maybe $1000, including tires and paint. I’ve always wanted to pull a vehicle out of a junkyard and make it mine. Because I wrenched on the Chevrolet, it means more to me than any of my other vehicles. I wouldn’t be surprised it I still am using it 30-40 years from now. I get attached to my vehicles, and spend money on them when they should be send to the Crusher.
I’d love the finished result of a complete rebuild, but unless I win the lottery, I’ll have to pass.
mmmmm. nice and chunky.
Ah, the funky brick-faced ’61-’64 model D-series trucks. Probably the only truck I’d ever actually want, and because they command respect. The sheetmetal may be thin and the tires may be skinny, but my family (who are Ford truck people through and through) have told me the legends of how these 60s and 70s D-series ran circles around contemporary Fords and Chevys out in the field. One such account regales about how a ’63 D200 managed to place itself in front of a ’67 F-100 and stop it on a steep hill after the F-100’s brakes wore out. Between that story and the rather dopey, flat, honest faces these things have I can’t help but love them. In fact, I love this particular year range so much that I feature it prominently in automotive artwork I do, even going so far as to make a ’63 D200 a part of the cast for a comic I’ve been working on (but will probably never finish). Though the D300’s a bit big, I’ll settle for a nice D100 with a slant-six over any other truck. Preferably with that wild orange paint.
get one of these with a good motor and drive train and drive it off to the door handles!!!!