2006-08-24 22:27
2006-08-25 22:38
2006-08-29 21:24
almost a year! Now to divide this up into pages.
BULK REPLACE: change Dodge Photo Section to the Gallery
the date from 2005-09-19 to WHATEVER.
G001 -----------------------------------
James' Custom Californian
James' dad was the original owner of this 1976 D100 Custom Californian. He bought it new in 1977 from a local dodge dealer. It has a heavy duty half ton package that makes it a 3/4 ton. Currently it has a 318 with a 2BBL carb and long tube Hedman headers that run into dual glasspack exhaust. The 727 trans was recently rebuilt and is the original unit. He has been driving it since highschool and is still using it to commute to college. The truck has almost 200,000 miles on it. James would like to get a bigger engine with fuel injection and an overdrive transmission...but right now...he is working on his 55 Bel Air. Please email James at dinger15@yahoo.com
G002 -----------------------------------
Mark Takes His 1978 Power Wagon Ice Fishing!
Mark has owned this 1978 1/2 ton W150 400 Club Cab since 1989. He bought it with 78K and it now has 178K. He has left it stock expect for tan trim and pin striping which he added about 8 years ago. He had the engine rebuilt 8 years ago at 138K and added an RV cam and Ford velour seats. Mark's truck is used mainly for camping. He lives in far eastern Arizona, in the pines 6500' elevation. He takes his Power Wagon ice fishing in the winter. He goes fishing 55 miles away to 9200' Reservation Lake for Rainbow, Brook and Brown trout, 2 or 3 times a year for 5 or 6 days at a time. Marks says it is gorgeous country...pines, spruce, fir and aspen at the base of Mt. Baldy which is 11,500'. His Power Wagon gets him there and back with no problem! Mark plans on keeping this truck until he wins the lottery! Good luck! If you want to talk "trucks" or "fishing" send Mark Goodman an email at: campman@webtv.net
G003 -----------------------------------
Joe's RARE 77 Adventurer SE 150
This is a rare beauty! It is a numbers matching, 440, Stepside, Adventurer SE 150. We figure there were less than 100 produced like this in 1977. Joe's truck still has less than 100K. He has stripped it down to the frame, had all the body work and paint done. He builds custom furniture so he made the wood slats for the bed our of Hawaiian Koa Wood...and is it gorgeous. All the chrome is either new or rechromed. Joe found his Adventurer in the free classifieds in Hawaii where he lives. You can send your comments to Joe directly by emailing him at: HawaiiMopars@aol.com
UPDATE: Slowly the little stuff goes back on! Looking great!
UPDATE: FINISHED! GREAT JOB!
G004 -----------------------------------
Roger's 1980 Ramcharger
Roger started the restoration on his 1980 Ramcharger two years ago. It is 95% finished. Frame, underbody and interior were sandblasted then POR-15 coated. He added new paint, carpet and seats. Roger replaced the 1980 hood and cowl with 1978 parts because he liked the "birdbath" hoods better. His Ramcharger has Skyjacker 4" lift, poly body mounts, Rancho shocks, 3.91 gears, Locker, Goodyear MT 35x12.50x15 tires, rebuilt 727, Cheetah floor shifter, 360 crate motor, Holley Avenger carb and Hooker headers. He has spent a lot of nights and weekends working on his truck and he's sure he will spend a lot more. From the pictures, it looks like he is having a lot of fun with it too! Roger's email address is Headramrod@aol.com
G005 -----------------------------------
It took 5 trucks to make this Beauty!
Rich's truck is technically a 1980 but it took 5 trucks to make this one! Rich got the truck from a friend who built it from the ground up. It has a 318/340 cam and an aftermarketi intake topped with an Edelbrock 600.The suspension has 1 ton springs in the rear with "add a leafs" in the front. In the future Rich plans to add a 4" suspension lift with 33s and a good paint job. Rich can be reached at: RBaer@RainbowMovers.com
G006 -----------------------------------
Michael's 1978 Power Wagon
Michael's 1978 Power Wagon is a 440/727. The drive train is stock with a 3.91 Dana 44 front differential and a 3.91 Chrysler 9.25 rear differential. If you saw the stock picture before he lifted it 8" it was "Grandpa's 5th wheel tower". This is evident by the holes in the bed and the holes in the frame from the airbags. The interior is worn in such a manner that it appeared most of the time there was only a driver...never any passengers. Everything looks good except the drivers seat. Michael originally bought this truck on a whim in Denver because he had this exact truck when he was in high school. While all of his friends kept their trucks (all 73-87 Dodge trucks) he got rid of his and bought a Dakota. He has regretted it every day since he sold it. Now that he has one back he plans on restoring it with almost all the factory options that were available. Some time soon he wants to create a web site with detailed pictures and instructions for adding almost any factory option correctly to this era truck. When he does, we will post the web address here for you. If you would like to contact Michael please email him at: IamDRUMgod@aol.com
G007 -----------------------------------
Stewart's 66 Camper Special
Stewart is the third owner of this 1966 Camper Special.. It is the 3/4 ton version with a 318. The engine has been modified with the addition of aftermarket Weims 4 barrel manifold and an Edelbrock 4 barrel carburetor and air filter. Expept for that, it is stock. It has an automatic with a dash mounted shifter. She has a long 8" metal bed. Even though this 66 has been painted twice there is virtually no bondo. The original owner used her for summer vacations with a camper on the back, so the bed liner is "almost" unabused. Winters were spent in a barn so all the wiring has been chewed by mice. Stewart never knows what will go out next! With 88,000 miles on her, she is still a beauty. She started off in northern CA but is now in Ventura. You can reach Stewart at tgardner@ci.ventura.ca.us
G008 -----------------------------------
John Gets A Lot Of Looks With This 1957 Beauty!
John Corman bought this truck on eBay from a guy in Arizona so there was no rust on it. Other than the rear fenders (which we found for him) it was very straight. The truck was originally a flat head six with the push button auto. The drive train now is all out of a 64 Plymouth Belevdere and has a newly rebuilt poly 318, push button 727 automatic, and a car 8 3/4 non-posi rear end. He couldn't believe the receipts he got with it when he went to pick it up. Over $1000 in the engine alone...new everything, carb., alternator, distributor, fuel pump, starter, rebuilt heads and bored block. Another $1200 for new brakes, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, weather stripping, air shocks, front shocks, king pins and other stuff he can't even remember. Looks like the guy had done about everything but the body and paint work. John bought a 58 locally to get some of the things he still needed like the correct heater,drivers window and some of the bed rails. The bed wood was cut from a 1922 electic pole and is western red cedar. The color is Viper blue and the cab, grill and headlight bezels were shot in white with blue pearl. He still has the interior and rear roll pan to finish. John is going to install 72 Cuda taillights and a 70 Challenger backup light for the roll pan. For the interior, he is hoping to find a newer Dodge pickup seat with the integrated seat belts. In the future John may install a 360 he has so he can use some of the performance parts he already has. John also plans to install a posi in the rear end. That way if he winds up using it to pull his car trailer, it will have more traction. One weird thing about the truck when he got it...he figured the passenger front fender must have been rusted or crunched because there was about a gallon of bondo on it. It was so thick it hadn't even cured all the way through. John kept sanding and sanding until he got down to the straight rust free surface. John has tried to use all Mopar parts in redoing the truck and so far everything but the front bumper (International Scout) is Mopar. This is a DAILY DRIVER and John says itis really fun to cruise in. NICE JOB JOHN! You can find out more about this truck by emailing John at: john.corman@dmea.com
G009 -----------------------------------
Donald's 74 Ramcharger
Donald bought his 74 Ramcharger SE from the original owner in 1986. It was all original with a 318, air and fully removable hard top (no door frames). He sold it to his father two years later where it stayed for 8 years. From there it went to his bother for a few years. When Donald got the truck back in 2000 it had rusted out along the bottom. Donald added a four inch lift, wheels and tires, removed the hard top and installed a Kayline top. NOTE: Donald still hasn't figured out how to fill the gap around the windows...if you have any ideas please email him. He replaced the rusted sheet metal and repainted the truck. Donald stripped the interior and had Line-X spray the inside. Now he uses it as his family "TOY" and the kids love it. He gets "looks" everywhere they go! Please email Donald at: o2tech@cavtel.net
G010 -----------------------------------
Paul's 72 Power Wagon
Paul Prouty bought this truck from the original owner 20 years ago. He has all the original paper work including the window sticker. It had a hard life as a landscape truck for may of those years. It has a 360, 4 speed 4x4. The restoration took a little over five months. The work was done by Glenn Baumann of GCAR in Hollister. The most difficult part of the restoration was killing all the rust. The original owner often took the truck up north to hunt with and used the hood and tailgate as a very convenient place to put the salted hides. You can imagine what years of that did to the truck. The truck is now covered in PPG basecoat clearcoat in the original metalic blue with a Line-X sprayed bed liner. The truck was kept completely stock. Paul says his truck has hit retirement age and he plans to use it to pull a matching trailer with a camper shell on top. In the mean time, the heaviest thing that will be in the back will be the groceries or the barbecue and the fishing poles. You can reach Paul and Glenn (GCAR) at GCAR426@aol.com or visit the GCAR web site: http://www.gcartrim.com (there are more restoration pics of Paul's truck there.)
G011 -----------------------------------
Sam Loves His Trucks!
Sam has several trucks. The first is a 1978 W150 Club Cab 400 Big Block, auto, a/c, am/fm stereo, with the Adventurer SE package, tilt, clock. volt/vac gauges, cargo lamp, dual tanks, tow package with step bumper and trans cooler, 3.55 gears, 5 slot chrome wheels, and skid plates. This was a 2 owner truck before Sam got it. The truck came from Washington and has 51K original miles on it...and it was all original. It was a great find for $2800!
Sam's second truck is a 78 Ramcharger SE 440, auto, tilt, cruise, highback buckets, deep tint windows, tach, volt/vac gauges, roll bar, am/fm/cb radio, a/c, 5 slot chrome wheels, 35 gal fuel tank, 3.55 gears with sure grip, skid plates...and everything works! He is the 2nd owner of this truck and loves it. He wishes they would still paint vehicles like they did back then.
Sam also has a 76 D100 and a 78 "Macho" truck. If you would like to ask Sam some questions about these vehicles please contact him at: Dynotunelilred@aol.com
G012 -----------------------------------
Dave's 83 Stepside
Dave has had his 83 Stepside for 9 years. He is now working on the stock 318. He has changed the stock two barrel carb and intake. Dave put a new Edelbrock 600 cfm in it. He is thinking about adding a RV cam along with a set of 360 heads. Dave also has a 97 Ram extented cab that has a magnum 360.
G013 -----------------------------------
Jeremy's 79 D100
Jeremy and his brother inherited this 78 D100 1/2 ton 2WD truck from their grandfather. They have started to restore it. Right now it is in a "trillion pieces". They plan to restore it from the ground up and make it better than new. They have taken the frame down to nothing twice and still aren't happy so will try it a third time. It came stock with a slant 6 but someone over the years put in a 318 with a 727 transmission. They have since removed that. Plans include a 496 Big Block, 727 transmission and an 8 3/4 sure grip rear with 4.56 gears. We are looking forward to posting pictures of your completed project! You can send encouragement and advice to: RdFast3@aol.com
G014 -----------------------------------
Chris' Weekend Warrior
Chris recently purchased this 77 Trailduster for only $300. All he had to do to it was put in a freeze plug, fuel line, and change the plugs. It is a 4x4 with a 318. He thinks the tranmission is a 727. He knows for sure that this is a "TRUE WEEKEND WARRIOR". He promises to send more pics when he gets it painted and rebuilds the motor. You can reach Chris at: bigdawgie88@hotmail.com
G015 -----------------------------------
Doug's Drag Racer
Doug has been deployed to Qutar and had to leave his wife and truck behind. Please send letters of encouragement to Doug at: douglas.mcdaniel@seymourjohnson.af.mil Doug has a 1988 Dodge 150 short wheel base fleetside. The motor is a 360 that has been bored 40 over with an Edelbrock aluminum intake and Holley 750 double pump carb and MSD ignition. The transmission has a B&M Shift kit, and high stall converter. It has headers that can be uncapped and dual Flowmasters and a trac-lock rear end with 15" Centerline rims. The dash has been redone with all in dash Pro Comp gauges. The inside is done in maroon cloth and the outside in black. He plans on using the truck for 1/8 mile drag racing. He loves dusting 5.0 Mustangs on the street when they pull up beside him and think they have something.
UPDATE: Doug has returned from the "Land of Sand"
G016 -----------------------------------
Dave Shelby's & Ellen Tani's "SHAMU"
Dave and Ellen's 75 Ramcharger came to Davis, CA from North Carolina in 1976. One of Dave's friends (a faculty member at UC Davis) gave it to him in 2002 in exchange for Dave getting the vehicle through the California smog test. You can see why their Ramcharger is called “Shamu”, given its unique paint scheme. The exterior paint, including the white accents, is 27 years old.
Originally equipped with a ragtop, the hardtop was added about five years ago. Most of Dave and Ellen's attention has been devoted to the interior, rebuilding rusted areas on the floorboard with metal and fiberglass, coating the floor and rear bed with rubberized bedliner, adding new carpets, seat covers, etc. They have added an Alpine CD player, repaired the heater controls and dash lights, replaced the door seals, and added the factory vacuum/volts gauge cluster to the left wing of the instrument panel. Most importantly, they found the missing "D" which allowed them to restore the "DODGE" lettering to the front of the hood.
Shamu has full-time four wheel drive, a four speed manual transmission, and a 318. She came to Davis with a 4" lift kit. Since she came from North Carolina, she has no catalytic converter. The exhaust system consists of dual glass packs with pipes exiting just behind the doors. She's got power front disc brakes but everything else is manual. Total miles are 118,000. Mechanical work has been limited to milling an exhaust manifold to eliminate an exhaust leak, minor gasket replacements, and repair of a front brake line that had been crushed. Dave and Ellen's next projects include detailing the engine, installing a NOS class three trailer hitch, and repair or replacement of the steering box.
Since the above picture was taken they have added an original Hooker Headers front push bar, and will add a pair of NOS Hella fog lights. They promise to send up another pic when they get the fog lights on. Nice job Dave and Ellen! Dave's email address is: drshelby@ucdavis.edu
G017 -----------------------------------
David Jones' 85 Power Ram
David traded a Honda Accord for his 85 Power Ram 150! It has a 318 and only 120,000 original miles. He plans on restoring it some day.
UPDATE: David bought another truck...this one is a 79 Power Wagon.
G018 -----------------------------------
Hal's the Original Owner of this 1978
Check out Hal's license plate!
Hal purchased his SE Adventurer October 1977 in Anchorage. It now has 142,000 miles. He rebuilt the motor at 98,000 because a rod started knocking. Hal had the block honed, and installed an RV cam in an attempt to get better fuel mileage. The only modifications he has made are the cam, headers and a new stereo. In return for all the good service this truck has given Hal and his family, he is going to restore it. It is going to have a frame up restoration and will be painted Deep Amethyst. His wife plans on taking it to the local car show and showing it next to their 71 Road Runner. Good luck Hal! Keep us informed of your progress. Hal's email address is: halhendrickson@cs.com
UPDATE: Hal finished installing the engine. Nice job HAL!
UPDATE:...Hal has started on his restoration project. He should have the cab and bed ready for painting in April. The dents are already out and its ready for the filler. He promises to send us progress pics...Can anyone tell what he is working on yet?
Hal's 71 Road Runner picture was taken at the Fall 2003 "Mopars on Ice" show.
G019 -----------------------------------
Tyler's "BIG MO"
Tyler Hall's 1978 Ramcharger is all original with only 40,000 original miles. The first two owners took great care of it. Under the hood is the original 440, with a mild cam, and a 750 Edelbrock carb. It also has 3.55 gears and a full time rear posi. It has a 6" suspension lift, and 35" BFG's. It is his "baby" and is affectionately know as "Big Mo". Tyler's email address is: jhall@cove.net
G020 -----------------------------------
Bob Smillie's Unique 1965 Power Wagon
Bob's father purchased this W200 Power Wagon in August 1964 and it remains in the family today. The factory (Warren Truck Plant) stretched the frame 8" so the 8' bed could be added. To compensate for the center of gravity imbalance the entire front drive assembly was shifted forward 2". The original 146" wheel base is now 156". Although he can't prove it, he believes the frame stretch was done by Kafferbarger Welding in Ohio. This Power Wagon has only 113,000 miles on it and still runs great with it's Poly 318. The dry desert area of Southern CA has kept it rust free. The truck is #375 in the 1965 model year run. All paper work refer to it as a 64 but the vehicle sequence # indicates it's a 65. This will be changed when they get ready to move to Tennessee. Author Don Bunn and historian Paul Cook (Texas Power Wagon Museum) have made comments about this unusual truck in the Nov-Dec 2001 issue of "This Old Truck". Bob has the original DMV receipts and maintenance records. He has been told this truck is the only one of it's kind. Bob can be reached at: smillie@accex.net
G021 -----------------------------------
Shaun's 1978 Dodge Custom Truck
Shaun's truck sports a 69 440 with .060 over pistons, 284/484 street strip purple shaft cam. Behind that is a rebuilt 727 transmission which goes to a 8 3/4 rear with a 3.23 sure grip. Truck has a deep purple exterior with a black dash and door panels and a gray 96 Dodge Ram seat. It has a Clarion CD player with a 12" JL sub and two 6 1/2" mids. It also has a Grant steering wheel and a B&M Ratchet Shifter mounted on the floor. Lonnie's truck sits on a set of Weld drag lights. He is hoping to start additonal modifications soon.
G022 -----------------------------------
Shaun's Brother James Ryan has a truck too!
James has a rust free 85 Dodge short wide bed. The body work and paint was done by David Bates. He has a 360 they took out of an old farm truck with a 727 transmission behind it and a stock rearend. Truck runs and drives smooth as can be! You can reach Shaun and James at: lryan4@cox.net
G023 -----------------------------------
Bill Hansen Jr's Ramcharger Loves the Mud!
Bill lives in Wallingford, CT. This is his third Ramcharger. It is an 88 with it's an untouched original 318 TBI with 65,000 miles. Transmission is a 727TF, rear axle is a 9 1/4 and front is a Dana 44. The truck is in great shape, little rust, perfect interior. With help from his father and his business, "Turnpike Auto Repair" he has purchased 1-ton axles, and cleaned the truck up to show shape. The rims are American Racing polished aluminum 15x8's surrounded by Dunlop 32x11.50's. He plans to install a 440 stroker, beef up the tranny and t-case, and put it in the 1-ton axles to take the punishment of 38" Super Swampers. This beauty is offroad often and loves the mud. Email Bill at: dhansen02@snet.net
G024 -----------------------------------
Chads Father's Truck
When this 80 D100 2WD Ram came into the family it had already been upgraded from a 6 cyl to a 318 4BBL. Chad felt it needed more torque to be up to the task of pulling his race car, so he built (with his dad footing the bill) a "mild" 440, .030+ TRW pistons with 9.43-1 compression, Performer RPM intake, 516 heads with 2.08-1.74 valves and mild bowl cleanup, comp 268-222 464" lift hydraulic cam, Holley Avenger 770 vac carb, and 1 3/4 Hedman headers, 2.5" Dynomax Hemi turbo mufflers, 727 trans, tight 11" dynamic converter with 1600-1800 stall. He has tinted the windows and done a brake job. Good brakes sound like a excellent idea since he ran 14.01 @ 98.3 the first time out. He is using a B&M truck mega shifter and has replaced the stock gauges with Summit white faced gauges. He gets around 15 mpg, which is great, considering the amount of power the truck makes. Nice truck Terry! Nice job Chad! You can email Chad at: Hast74@aol.com
UPDATE: Chad's new best et/mph is 13.56 at 101 mph. WOW! IMPRESSIVE!
G025 -----------------------------------
Cheeto's 78 Adventurer SE
"Cheeto" has had his Adventurer for about 3 years. It is a 360 automatic with a 2.76 ratio rear differential. It came with factory air, cruise and tilt steering wheel and now also has a factory tach and vacuum & volt gauges. He has dropped the front 5" and the rear 7". He is using 18" wheels. He stripped and polished the grill, shaved antenna and trim and put in a custom fuel door. The interior is from numerous 80's trucks and has been dyed grey. It also has a stock dash to go along with new ACC carpeting and Grand Cherokee seats. Cheeto is thinking about putting in a big block conversion and an airbag suspension. WOW! IMPRESSIVE! AND A LOT OF WORK! Cheeto can be reached at: Cheetojoes@aol.com
UPDATE: WOW! Take a look at the paint detail on Cheeto's Adventurer now! WOW!
G026 -----------------------------------
Jesse and the "Outlaw"
Jesse found this 78 truck at the salvage yard for $500 and is ready to fix it up. Hopefully we will see the "after" pictures soon. Keep watching for UPDATES. It has a 318 and a blown out 727 transmission. Jesse has done some minor work to the 318. He has installed headers, an ignition system and added a K&N air filter. He found out that the more he fiddles with the distributor timing the better performance he gets. He is working on a 360 out of an 82 to put into this "Outlaw". Then comes the body work!
G027 -----------------------------------
Keith's 2 Year Project
Keith bought this 1979 Trailduster in Arizona and it only had 107,000 miles on it. He drove it home to Texas with no problems! The motor ran strong (as all Mopars do). Since the truck was from Arizona it had no rust on it. Keith started tearing into it right away and two years later...not to mention lots of money later...here are the results. Everything is new and he gets lots of looks when he is driving it. Nice Job Keith! Keith's email address is: KeithDawnYC@aol.com
UPDATE: Keith has redone the interior and added 2" of lift to the body to clear the tires. He will be sending some new pics for us to add to this site shortly. Keith is also thinking about selling this beauty!
G028 -----------------------------------
Patrick Sey's 1982 Crew Cab Ram
Patrick Seys is a Dodge owner who lives in Belgium. He is a professional race mechanic for Audi/Porsche. This is his 82 Crew Cab, with a 440 Magnum which has been “tweaked” a bit. It is running on LPG gas (which is a third of the price of regular petrol). It has a homemade stainless exhaust, upgraded 727 gearbox and heavy duty axles Dana NP 205 transfer case, 36” tires on alloy rims (10x15.5). Inside he has color matched the seats and interior. Patrick has one more modification planned for the interior. He is changing from a column shift to a floor mounted shifter. One of his other vehicles is a 70 challenger R/T pro street which is nearly finished. Hopefully he will send us a pic and we can post it. If you would like to contact Patrick, his email address is: fa295849@skynet.be
G029 -----------------------------------
Dave's All Stock 92 Ramcharger
Dave Reynolds bought this beauty with only 62K from the original owner in January 2002. He looked for almost 6 years to find one this nice. When he got it the hood and roof had some acid rain damage and there was only minimal surface rust around the tail lights. He had the entire vehicle repainted in it's original colors. He added new Goodyear RT/S 31x10.5 tires and is going to install Monroe heavy duty shocks and front and rear chrome differential covers. If you would like to contact Dave his email address is: roadstar@zoominternet.net
Update: Here is Dave's finished 92 Ramcharger. Nice Job! He titles this pic " Non Finer".
Another Update: Below is Dave's latest project. A 1990 Dodge 3/4 4x4
Dave Reynolds Finishes Another Project!
Dave bought this truck from the original owner about 2 years ago. It is a 318 CI, Auto, with 47,678 original miles. He installed new Monroe heavy duty shocks and new OEM rear step bumper. Color is Chyslers Champagne. The wheels are from a 97. And there is still more! We're impressed!
G030 -----------------------------------
Dave in G029 has lots of toys and lots of pix. No 030
G031 -----------------------------------
Ric's "Rare Beauty"
Ric bought his 77 Adventurer SE 3 or 4 years ago for $800. He didn't know what he had until he did some research. It turned out to be a 440 numbers matching truck with the original 440. Many dollars and a lot of time and effort later, he is still working on it. He just keeps improving it. Ric thinks this truck is 1 of between 5 and 10 produced. It was a special order truck. A rare beauty! Email Ric at: cu74da@yahoo.com
UPDATE: Ric is still putting his truck back to the original look. He is planning on pulling the bed off and restoring it. His highly optioned truck has done well at local car shows. Nice Job Ric!
G032 -----------------------------------
Jeff Warren's 79 Ramcharger "Work in Progress"
Jeff's 1979 Ramcharger has a 360 that will be replaced with more horsepower. This picture was taken a couple of days after he got it painted. He still hasn't got all of the trim back on. He promises to send us more pictures so we can watch his progress. Jeff's email address is: darjeff777@nehalemtel.net
G033 -----------------------------------
John Guedel's 1977 W200 Club Cab
John's truck has only 57,000 original miles on it! It is a full time 4WD, 360 with headers and dual exhaust. This 77 has a long bed, Club Cab and is a 3/4 ton truck but is built like a 1 ton. It cannot be stopped. John has pulled 10,000 pounds with ease! What a great truck! John's email address is: jguedel@yahoo.com
G034 -----------------------------------
Don Benson's 1972 D200
Don's 1972 D200 3/4 ton truck originally belonged to his Father-In-Law. Don has the original invoice and all the documents that came with the truck. It was built on July 21, 1972 and purchased at Fremont Dodge in California. It now has 70,000 miles on it. If you would like to get in touch with Don his email address is: DonHotWhel@aol.com
G035 -----------------------------------
Tom Schaefer's "Big Blue" and "Mellow Yellow" Trucks
Tom calls his ride "Big Blue". It is a 1978 Dodge Ramcharger SE with a 360 bored out to 380. It has A/C, a mild cam and a K&N air filter. He has the truck lifted 6” using Rancho and home built parts, Ranch shocks and steering stabilizer, and 33 x 12.5 x 15 BF Goodrich A/T’s on aluminum rims. The rest of the drive train features a NP203 with a part-time kit, Dana 44 front differential with Warn hubs, and a limited slip rear differential. Big Blue has a one piece tilt front end and lots of chrome! The interior has bucket seats, a factory roll bar and a fully carpeted interior. Future plans include swapping in Dana 60 front and rear differentials, with Ox-Track cable actuated lockers, and a NP241 transfer case. Other plans include air compressor and tank, onboard welder, soft top, 35” swappers, heavy duty bumpers/bush bars and nerf bars, receiver mounted winch and an off road trailer to match.
Mellow Yellow in Action!
Tom also has “Mellow Yellow” which is a 1986 Dodge Ramcharger Custom 150. It is an ex-police truck, equipped with a pursuit 318 heavy duty/police performance engine, heavy duty pistons, heads, valve train and cam. It has a heavy duty cooling package with an extra capacity radiator, oil cooler, transmission cooler and power steering cooler. Mellow Yellow also has Rancho shocks, heavy half ton suspension and lots of rust and dents! If you would like to talk to Tom about either of his trucks you may reach him at: tommasschaefer@rogers.com
G036 -----------------------------------
A Successful Father and Son Project
John and his father bought "Old Yeller" in October last year for a project truck and for hauling wood. It is a 1980 Adventurer Shortbed D150. It has a V8 318. John was 15 when the project began. John and his dad did all the body work. They raised the back end 5" with 3 ton helper springs and installed new shocks. They also put in a new trans. They used fiberglass to put a heavy patch in the bed, added a new hood and replaced the fender wells. Most of the trim was rechromed. The cab floor was also replaced with one from a newer truck. The interior has a new custom carpet and BIG speakers for a now 16 year old John. Future plans include new engine chrome and new wires.
UPDATE: John is now 17 and has completed the interior of his truck...he promises to send us more pics soon. If you would like to email John about his truck you can reach him at: DodgeAdventurer@aol.com
G037 -----------------------------------
Eric Williams' Camper Special 9000
Eric saw this truck in the Home Depot parking lot and asked the owner if he wanted to sell it. He said, "SURE...give me $2000"...and that was about 4 years ago. What a deal! Eric's friend painted this 1975 Camper Special 9000 light blue (original color was golden). The motor is a 360 with a mid cam, and headers. It runs like a top on the freeways. One day Eric hopes to restore it but right now he uses it as a work horse and is proud of it!
G038 -----------------------------------
David Bates' 1972, 3/4 Ton Beauty
This crew cab has a 360, automatic trans, power steering, power disc brakes, and a.c. converted to 134a. Everything mechanical is new. Truck is an original big block truck (400 2bbl). It’s actually a 72 but he installed the 77-78 grille and it was a 3/4 ton but he converted it to 5 lug halfton. The truck was pulled out of a field and was in real bad shape, all the glass was gone. It had a big hole where a sunroof used to be and large holes in the bedsides. The truck was originally silver. David rebuilt this truck completely about 12 years ago and sold it about 10 years ago and David recently got it back and plans on redoing it again. David owns a body shop and a salvage yard so he is always building something, mostly mopar muscle cars but lately he has been getting into the Dodge trucks as you don’t see many restored ones. You may contact David at: beepbeepsixtynine@yahoo.com
G039 -----------------------------------
David Bates' Completes Another Truck!
David’s truck is a 1974 Adventurer p.s., pdb, a.c. converted to 134a, 318, Edelbrock 600, MSD ignition, K& N filters, TCI 727, 323 Suregrip 8 3/4, Cragar Superlites with yellow lettered Goodyear Eagles, tinted windows, Energy Suspension cab and body mount kit, painted the original B5 blue with Dupont chroma base, blue spray in bedliner with rubber mat, and roll pan. The truck features a NOS 77-78 grille and front bumper, NOS park lights, sidemarkers, and taillights. The interior has a Sony cd player, 300 watt amp, 2 10" kicker subs, 2 6 1/2" kicker door speakers, all new weatherstripping and rubbers. New door panels and black carpet from ACC, black vinyl seat with salt and pepper houndstooth insert stitched in the factory pattern highlight the inside. All the work was performed by David in his shop.
UPDATE: David has swapped out the yellow lettered Good Years and Superlites for a new set of 17x8 Eagle Alloys on 255 50 ZR 17 BF Goodrich G Force T/A's. He has also lowered it another 1 1/2" in the front.
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Kurt's 1979 Power Wagon is His Pride and Joy
This 79 Power Wagon has a 360 engine with Crane Cam, Edelbrock intake, and Performance Series 600 carb. It has Mopar Performance valves and valve covers, headers with Flowmaster Glass Packs, dual exhaust, and K&N filters. The engine is bolted to a 727 automatic transmission. It has only 50,000 miles on the engine. Leaf and coil springs with air bags up front to help ease the pounding when carrying the 7 1/2' western plow in the winter. Kurt's truck is a DAILY DRIVER. Interior is in great shape and there is no glass or bondo anywhere on this truck. Kurt's email address is: kurtkeebler@hotmail.com
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Thumbs Up for Raul Garcia's 1955 Daily Driver
Raul bought his 1955 in Springfield, MO a couple of years ago and drove it home to California via Route 66. It has a 318 V8 auto/trans, cruise control, power disc brakes, '78 Dart front clip, and rear end. It has a 3" chop, electric doors with one piece windows, custom front tilt foward hood, front bumper smoothed off, 1954 Buick headlights, rear roll pan, frenched rear license plate area, frenched attenna, and much, much more. He gets thumbs up everywhere he goes. It's a DAILY DRIVER. He is proud to say he puts over 15,000 miles per year on this babe!For more info you may contact Raul at: rfgarcia@ez2.net
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Joshua Schroeder's 1976 Power Wagon Built for Intimidation
Joshua's truck is a W200 daily driver and is itimidating on the road! People don't usually try to cut him off. They don't like seeing
that grill in their rear view mirror! This 76 Power Wagon has been in the family since it was brand new. The interior is in great
shape. Joshua bought it from his dad 3 years ago. It has been repainted by his dad twice, and it had an engine overhaul at 138,000
miles. It has a 400 engine and a 435 4 speed transmission. It is full time four wheel drive. And...EVERYTHING WORKS! It has two
fuel tanks... which you need these days with the gas mileage these things get! The bumper weighs 500 lbs. The grill guard is two pieces and weighs the same. It takes two people to hold it up and one to bolt it on. When you look at the back bumper there are two vertical scrapes, one on each sid of the license plate. Those came from someone who decided to rearend him in their full size Toyota truck with a grill guard. Needless to say he didn't drive away from the thirty mile an hour collision! It caused about $5000 damage to his truck. Don't think he'll do that again. For information on this INTIMIDATOR you can email Joshua at: jlschroeder@lycos.com
UPDATE: OOPS!
Joshua had a little accident with the mud this spring! He slid sideways down the muckhill into the run-off ditch. He says he probably could have gotten out, except for the fact that the front tires were almost bald and he had no room to get any momentum.
Joshua took his truck on a 500 mile round trip recently to Gunnison. The way he has the carb jetted it didn't much care for the 13,230' Cottonwood Pass they had to go over, but she still managed a respectable 25 mph! For 28 years old, he thinks she did quite well in all conditions... rain, hail, fog etc which they hit going there and back. Now that he know his truck is running well he's ready to start the restoration. Good luck Joshua!
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Brian Krause has 2 projects underway
Brian has a '74 Trailduster 360/727 duel exhaust, black daytona rims with 31x10.5 Goodyears, factory tach and cruise control. This
truck is an early '74 and has the first design removable top (later 74's have a different top or so he's been told). This truck is his baby
and he's in the process of restoring it and possibly putting a big block in it. Not a bad looking truck for only $800!
Brian's 81 Power Ram 250 Club Cab rebuilt 360/4 speed 32x11.5 tires. When he bought this truck he kept wondering why for a 3/4 ton it had 5 lug wheels on it. He found out later that the axles were swapped out and put on to a 79 Ramcharger. He figures that's why he got it so cheap ($850). He is trying to turn this one into an offroad truck.
PROJECT UPDATE:
Brian's Trailduster now has a 4" lift kit, a completely new front end with new rims and tires. Brian got rid of his 81...it had way too many problems. He does have a new "toy"...a 1967 D100. It started life as a 6 cylinder 3 on the tree. It now sports a wide block 318 with a 727 automatic. It has dual exhaust. There is no bondo anywhere in the body. It is super clean and he stole it for only $550. Brian if you read this...we need your new email address.
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Michael's 1979 Power Wagon doing what it's supposed to do!
Michael's Power Wagon is a 150 Custom 4x4. His father gave it to him in 1998 for his 16th birthday. The truck came with a 318 and he put a 360 in it bolted to a 727 automatic. When he got the truck he tinted the windows and put a stero system in it. It has a JVC head-unit, an Alpine 800 watt amp, and two Sony 12" subs. Next he bought 31x12.50 Super Swamper Thornbirds, and installed a CB and scanner. Michael now plans to paint his Power Wagon electric blue with metallics and silver with metallics. He also plans to put in a 4" lift kit with all four new leaf-springs and 33x14.50 MT claws mounted on new 15x12 chrome wheels. He is going to add chrome bumpers, chrome brush guard, chrome nerf bars, chrome bed rails and a triple-double roll bar and several other components.
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Keith's 1977 Plymouth Trailduster
Keith purchased his truck for $1295.00 from second owner with 87K original miles. He swapped 360/727 for 440/727, lifted it with 5" Superlift System and it's running on 35" Dunlop Radial Mud Rovers. Engine is a 76 truck 440 honed for moly rings, new cam, rod and main bearings, stock pistons, rods and manifolds. Cam Eldebrock 750, and it has 2 1/2" dual exhaust.
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Ron Kiyomura's Utiline
Ron owns this Custom 100 that just turned 23. To contact Ron please email him at: 72256.2737@compuserve.com
I bought my Utiline in September of 1978. My '73 Honda Civic had bit the dust in the desert and so I wanted something that could take long drives through hot weather. My first thoughts were of a big, strong American built pickup truck.
I asked around, but since it was the beginning of the new 1979 model year, pickings were kinda slim so far as deals went. Considering what I had for a budget, I looked at a well used International Harvester in the used car lot on a Thurday afternoon.
Fortunately for me, and perhaps unfortunately for the dealer, a brand new salesman persuaded me to take a look at the '78 Custom 100 that I now own. When I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Dodge white, big fenders, 318 V8 with a ThermoQuad and a bulletproof Loadflite 3-speed automatic transmission. Just like the old '55 Ford F-100 that I used to own, only not beat up, but brand new.
The salesman was pretty green and hadn't realized that the '78 was supposed to be an "Ad Truck" not to be sold before the weekend! The dealer manager was a real jerk and wouldn't allow me any leeway in buying the truck. Heck, I knew zip about arguing with dealers and he wasn't going to let me even try. I also had to argue about a missing tail light, mirror, aircleaner nut and some other things. He was trying to tell me that it was an 'as is' truck.
Well, I had to wait on the steps of the dealership early Saturday morning with check in hand until they opened. If anyone came in ahead of me to buy the truck, it would be theirs and not mine. I got it, with a sticker price of $4995. I had a stereo/cassette added to it, a non-Dodge Audiovox that is still in the truck today. I made the mistake of buying an extended warranty, but that is a story for another time.
Manufacture date on the ID plate is February 1978. It had 11 or 16 miles on the odometer when I bought it in September. (Can't quite remember!) This truck is slightly different from most others as it was built in Canada. So much for my wanting an American built truck! (I have since learned that Dodge trucks were built in Mexico as well.) Smog pumps are a problem as mine has the hose come out from a different location of the casting. One time during a smog inspection, I was accused of changing the two barrel for a four barrel carburetor. Seems that for a while, there were no 318 TQ's listed in the books.
No frills on this truck. Probably also why it has been easy to maintain and keep running all these 23 years. No air conditioning, with standard vinyl seat covers rubber floor mat and a steel roof (i.e. no headliner).
I was supposed to have the towing package on this truck, but I am not sure that all of the parts on it are the correct heavy duty version. (better alternator and radiator.) If I don't watch the guys who work on it, most will tend to install the regular duty parts instead. I often have to have others work on my truck as I do not have a driveway or a garage to work on it. As it is, the poor thing has to sit on the street at night.
As for changes, my truck is nearly stock as manufactured. Just about the only thing that I have done to it was put bigger tires and rims on it and an aftermarket rear bumper. Originally I had 8 inch rims and G70 15's in the front and 10 inch rims with L60 15's in the rear. Nowadays, if I were to ask for these tire sizes, I would get a strange look from the tire dealer. My first set of rims finally bit the dust about four years ago and now I am using 7.5 inch rims with SR235 P70's in the front and 10 inch SR275 P60's in the rear. I am still not used to these new tire sizes.
As for the bumper, I was kinda broke when I picked up the truck and so I opted for rectangular tubing bumper from Jackman instead of a factory bumper. (Rear bumpers back then were an option and not standard equipment.) The Jackman bumper is strong! I have had a couple of people hit me from behind. One was a GMC pickup about eight years ago. Punched a hole in his front bumper, but mine was Ok.
Although pretty well worn out, I managed to get about 284,000 miles out of the original engine. For better or worse, I went to the Dodge dealer and got another 318 long block installed by them. Not exciting, but I love the reliability.
BTW, it is a sad comment when a guy pays a dealer for an engine install, and still has to troubleshoot and fix little problems that the mechanics missed. I could go on, but I won't. Although I had left behind my hot rodding days before I bought this truck, I got drawn back into it as today's mechanics do not seem to know how to fix the old stuff anymore. The Loadflite has given me problems only once, back in 1983, and is the same Loadflite that came with the truck. Aside from a some work on the tailshaft housing, I have not had it rebuilt yet.
Curiously, my truck originally came with a 16 gallon gas tank, but when a dealer broke it about eleven years ago, my regular dealer found me a larger 18 gallon tank that fit without problems. Over the past three years I have gotten the seat covers replaced by a shop that did a great job in recreating the look of the original covers. The new dash panel that I bought from you looks great along with the rest of new work done in the cab. Everyone who sees my truck is surprised that the interior looks so good. I will have to take a picture and sent it to you as well.
Since the truck has to sit outside, I have had to get it repainted twice so far. Both times I had a dealer do the work. The first time A Chrysler dealer worked on the body. I have had great service from the Chrysler dealer overall, but since then the ownership has changed and the new owner refuses to work on my Dodge. The second time a Dodge dealer did the body work.
As I have mentioned, the truck is a daily driver, actually the only vehicle I own. With each succeeding year, I have had to do more and more of my own work on it as many mechanics today rely upon diagnotic equipment that plugs into the system for troubleshooting.
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Cam Hamilton's 1974 D300 "Texas Cadillac"
Cam's "Texas Cadillac" is a 1974 Dodge D300 crewcab - 360 NP 4 speed manual with no frills. He purchased it sight unseen from private owner in Georgia, except for small photo on Trucktrader web site (now Autotrader), in July 2000. He contracted with Hot Shot Express to bring the beast home. Plans were to strip it down, start over from scratch. Due to being "workforce reduction"ed out of employment in January 2001, it will become a daily driver for now. Hopefully one day it will be Cummins powered, Eaton AutoShift 6 speed trans, custom interior, exterior kept as original as possible, Dodge Brilliant Blue paint, Alcoa rims and aluminum flatebed for pulling 5th wheel trailer.
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Rich Reimer's 1976 Dodge Truck
HELP! Have you seen a truck like this one?
Rich is requesting information about his truck. Have you seen a truck with this paint scheme? Please let us know if you have any information about where it was offered, what the option was called or how many were produced. You can contact Rich at: reimers@rea-alp.com
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Darrin Nelson's 1990 Dodge 1 Ton
Darrin's 1990 Dodge 1 ton dually with custom made rims has a 440, 435 4 speed Dand 60 front differntial, Dana 70 rear differential (both locked) and rides on 14x16.5 rims with 44 swampers. Frame is from 1977 cab and chassis (double frame). He has been building it for 3 years. Darrin is still looking for a 1993 style front bumper. If you can help him out please email him at: cuda2go@bellsouth.net
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Bart Schiks' 77 W200 Dodge Truck
Bart bought his '77 W200 ex army M887 5 years ago from a friend who had only put 3000 miles on it. All Bart had to do was change all the fluids and it ran perfect for him. He now uses it as his daily driver. In April he took his truck to Libia for a month! To prepare for the adventure Bart checked it over thoroughly and added an extra fuel tank and a pressurized air system to fill tires and blow out the radiator. He took 1500 kg of fuel and spare parts with him but didn't have to use any of the spare parts. His Dodge W200 ran perfectly for him. His adventure lasted 10,000 km.
If you would like to find out more about Bart's adventure or his '77 Dodge W200 you can email him at: schiks1@zonnet.nl
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Fred Gilmore's 73 Challenger
Fred bought his Challenger in February in California and had it transported back to Kansas where he lives. The paint and body work was already done but the interior needed a lot of TLC. The car is a numbers matching 340, 4 barrel with a 727 automatic and a limited slip 8.75 rear end. It has factory air that he converted to 134a. The wheels are aluminum Center Lines. Fred is having fun restoring his car and showing it at local car shows.
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Cooper's 73 Dodge Truck
Cooper's truck was inherited from his mother. She bought it 7 years ago for a daily driver. Cooper then put the above stock 318 in it and is cruising it everywhere.
You can contact Cooper by email: gran@ticnet.com
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Tom Kapish's "MUD" 87 Dodge Ramcharger
Tom's truck is an 87 Dodge Ramcharger with a 4" suspension lift and 33 inch super swampers wrapped around 15x10 American racing rims. The engine is a 440 bored .30 with mild 9 to 1 pistons, a Cowerbeast cam and a Carter 650 cfm carb. The tranny is a 727 mated to a NP208 transfer case. Up front is a Dana 44 with a Trutrac and 4.11 gears and a 9 1/4 is in the rear with a Detroit locker and 4.11's. The paint is old and many battle scars surround the truck but it is hardly noticed with all the mud...The truck spends 80% of it's life off-road.
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Patrick Murphy's Trucks
70 & 71 1/2 Ton Dodge Trucks, 2000 Dodge Ram 2500
Pat owns three great trucks. Above left is a '70 1/2 ton, 318, 4-speed, long bed. Above right is his '71 1/2 ton, seized 318, short bed and the new one below is a 2000 Ram 2500, V-10 (488ci), 5-speed.
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Judy Parker's Little Red Express
Judy Parker is the proud owner of this Little Red Express. She picked it up at her first Mopar swap meet. She has always liked the Little Red Express and when she saw this one she knew what she wanted to do with it. She was surprised when she looked under the hood and found a 1957, 392 HEMI engine. The engine is stock except for the cam. The person who installed the engine, did a very good job mechanically. He had to make a custom adapter plate to be able to use the four wheel drive. Judy did a lot of the electrical work and all the woodwork and finishing.
If you would like to contact Judy to talk about her pride and joy you may email her at: j.a.parker@worldnet.att.net
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Greetings from the High French Alps!
Lilian's Ramcharger is a 79 4x4 with a 318 and a 727. It rides on 8 1/2 x 15 American Racing Torque Thrust wheels and BFG All Terrain tires. It has chrome front and rear differntial covers. Lilian is almost ready to install a 360 with Mopar performance valve covers and air cleaner. The exhaust system will also be upgraded with Hooker headers, 3" stainless exhaust pipes and 3" glass packs. The exterior is cadet blue metalic and ensign blue metalic.
Lilian has owned this Ramcharger since 1995 and has put over 180,000 KM on it. Lilian is the 5th owner and the Ramcharger only had 100,000 KM on it when he got it. He uses it to make deliveries for his work, and to get to good hiking areas in the mountains (except in the winter). Ramchargers are are quite rare in the French Alps, so when his mom needs to use a powerful truck, she borrows his. Lilian can be reached at: Lilian.Melo@tele2.fr
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SOLD: 1961 Power Wagon
Daniel sold his 1961 3/4 ton 4x4 Power Wagon that has been in his family since it was new. He has to move and can't take it with him. Daniel says the 318 engine runs very well. It is not in new condition but it is still road worthy. The only major problem with it is that the hydraulic clutch is bad and the cylinders need replacing. He believes the brake cylinder probably should be replaced as well. The front drive line is missing but does not interfere in everyday driving. At this point, you can start the truck while in gear and go for a drive without shifting. The body has some rust on it but there are no dents or major body damage. All glass and mirrors are intact. He bought new tires and rims for it just before it broke down a couple of years ago. He still has the original split rims that will go with it as well. The seat is usable but otherwise trashed. There is also a radio/tape player stereo in it that works. Daniel hopes this Power Wagon will go to someone that will eventually restore the truck and let it "live forever". For more information please email Daniel at: ProDrummer2000@aol.com Daniel lives in the Sacramento, CA area and is asking $500 for his Power Wagon.
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Bill's 73 MOPAR Dodge Power Wagon
Bill Francis Jr. bought his 73 Power Wagon for Christmas in 1972 for $4025. Bill has put close to 1,000,000 miles on his truck over the years, back country hunting and fishing, and lots of cross country travel as a professional entertainer. He has gone through three 360 engines. At present the engine is a 75-76 440 out of a Chrysler New Yorker. The heads are reworked (comprssion requires premium) and the 750 cfm carburetor with a hi-po intake and headers provides gas guzzling power that no other old or new truck and most street cars can match. He has even given grief to others while pulling a boat!. The truck is equipped with a side winder winch (12,000 lbs) (200 ft of extra 5/8 cable goes along when he is on a long hard hunting trip), dual batteries, 4 gas tanks totaling about 105-110 gallons (behind the seat stock tank, two side tanks and 65 in the back under the tool box). His Power Wagon has good shocks, the tranny is beefed and shift kitted with a small torque converter that's a bit more than stock, but not enough to slip too much pulling the boat. Bill's 73 truck has a nice stereo and "President" CB. The latest addition is the new axles and disc brakes (front and rear) from a 76 or 78 Ramcharger. To contact Bill his address is: Billyfrancisjr@cox.net
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Don's Lil Red Express
Don's '78 Lil Red Express is all original. He replaced the interior and the bed wood has all been redone. Nice job Don! He has 2 rechromed bumpers he is going to add and it's going to get a paint job shortly. If you would like to email Don his address is: don_claybaugh@yahoo.com
UPDATE: Don has given his 78 Lil Red Express new paint, new bumpers, renewed the interior, replaced the wood in the bed and refinished the wood on the outside of the bed. It has 122,000 all original miles. Nice Job Don!
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Bart's 76 W100 Restoration Project
Bart started with a '76 W100, 318 stick fulltime 4WD truck with a Chevy 6 lug Blazer axle under the front. The old axle was in the back, hubs were junk and the carrier was shot. Bart totally rebuilt the front axle with part-time knuckles and hubs, and installed a Trac-Loc carrier. He swapped rear axles to a 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern to match the front. He also installed rear Trac-Loc and a Rough Country 4" lift kit. He has totally rebuilt the bed, painted the frame and he is currently rebuilding a '78 440 for it. Once the cab is painted he will start on the wiring. Bart's email address is: maverick@theriver.com
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Chuck Olay's 76 Adventurer Sport Camper 7500 Edition
Chuck is the 4th owner of this Dodge truck, acquiring it from a friend in 2000. It only has about 90K on it. The interior and the box bed are both in mint condition. It originally came from British Columbia and Chuck is now in the process of restoring it. It has a 360, automatic, 1 1/2 ton floating hub rear end. Chuck wanted this truck because he had never seen one like it in Canada. We think the 7500s were relatively rare because they were expensive and mostly "purpose built". They were mainly used by utility companies and other entities that needed an extra heavy duty truck. Production was probably around 1500 a year or less. Most of the trucks were used until they dropped then thrown away ( most of the 76 model year ones were probably gone within 10 years). Chuck has one of the rare "survivors". If you have any more info you can share about this Adventurer Sport Camper with Chuck please email him at: olah@sympatico.ca
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Len's 75 Club Cab D100 Adventurer Restoration Project
This Adventurer is a numbers matching 440 truck with 48K original miles. It is a completly loaded truck that is optioned more like a luxury car than a truck. The picture was taken shortly after Len bought it and cleaned it up some. It was completely filled with trash, inside and out. From the pictures the truck looks fairly nice but in reality rust had taken its toll due to a lack of factory sealant in the roof seams and because the windows had been left open for quite awhile. Len has had to do some major rust repair. His Adventurer is still apart but slowly coming back to life. Len has tracked down production numbers for his '75 and as of right now he believes it is only one of two known (the other one is in Canada). If you know of any others please email Len as he is wanting to start a registry on these beasts. The only thing not going back to stock on this truck is the color. It was two tone gold but will be Hemi Orange. Len assures us he will be sending us updates. If you would like to email him his address is: leonard.andrescavage@scott.af.mil
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Tim Sheldon's 78 Power Wagon
Tim has been a Mopar fan since the late 60's. His 2nd car was a 68 Belvadere and he has had about 20 different Mopars ever since, ranging from sport coups to pickups. This is his latest...a 78 Power Wagon 4x4. He found it at at wrecking yard, realized it had potential, so saved it from being smashed. He paid only $175. Three of the tires were flat and it had some minor dents on the drivers side, a little rust around the rear fender wells and some of the trim was missing. The rear bumper and tailgate were banged up pretty bad, and the motor didn't run but the tranny and transfer case turned out to be good. Tim stripped it down and cut the rust out and after many hours of body work it got it's primer. He pulled the heads and all looked good. It even had fresh antifreeze in it. So he bought a new set of gaskets, plugs, wires etc and put it back together. He removed the fuel line going to the carb and spun it over. It looked like chocolate milk then he pulled the carb. It was rusted inside the bowl so off came the tank and he replaced them both. He also added an electrical fuel pump. Tim put it all back together, fueled it up, turned it over and it fired right up...It's been running good ever since. One day Tim plans on putting a big block in it. Right now it has a 318. It's now painted and ready to drive. One added note...the original bench seat did not have a tear in it! If you would like to contact Tim about his Mopars please email him at: tshelton99@aol.com Also, here's the 71 Dart Tim saved from the wrecking yard.
UPDATE: Tim Acquires Another 78 Power Wagon!
Tim's 78 Power Wagon has a 440 in it and is actually in better shape then the first one he purchased. He had looked at it about 7 years ago when it was sitting in a field where it had stopped running and the owner just left it. It hasn't been tagged for the highway since 1984. It was being used on a farm until it broke down over 10 years ago. A few months ago the farm was sold to a developer and the truck had to be moved. A friend of Tim's purchased it for $250 and got it running. The gas tank had a hole in it and the lines had rusted shut. The truck was going to take more time and $ than Tim's friend wanted to invest, so he sold it to Tim for what he paid for it...$250. Nice deal! It has 81K original miles on it. Thanks for saving the Power Wagons, Tim!
UPDATE #2: Tim has been busy! He found a nice pair of bucket seats for his white 78 and has them installed already. He also rebuilt the 318 in his white 78.
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Phil's 78 Dodge W150 Truck
Phil is the third owner of this truck. He bought it from a friend in 1997 in original condition with 52K miles. It has 400 CID and 727-TF 3.54 gears. It was painted mint green, mirrors, rims, bumpers and all. Phil installed an Wiend dual plane intake manifold and Edelbrock Performer cam and kit with a 650 CFM carb. He rebuilt and beefed up the 400. Phil has a long list of what has been done to this truck. If anyone wants more info or just wants to talk about Dodge trucks or 4x4ing they can email Phil at: dodgeit451@charter.net. Phil did most of the work on this project except for the machine work that was preformed by WMS in Carson City, NV. Phil's truck now has 71K on it and is a dependable back roader. If any one knows of a 4x4 club in his area or wants to go 4-wheeling please contact him.
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John Turner's '82 Dodge Ram Project
Johns '82 Dodge Ram 1/2 ton has the original 225 slant 6 complete with a 4 speed transmission. The truck has no rust and is all original. John purchased it for $600 and plans on restoring it. John plans on installing a 4BBL hyper pack manifold, having the head milled, adding a 450 CFM Holly carb, rebuilding the tranny with a shift kit, installing a cat back exhaust and having the interior redone. He also plans to repaint it in it's original color of Pearl White. John promises to update us on his progress. If you have any words of encouragement, suggestions or advice please contact John at: turnerjc03@yahoo.com
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Jason's "Ol Blue"
Jason inherited this 79 4WD Ramcharger from his dad. It only has 47,000 original miles on it. Everything is original except for the paint. It has the stock 318 in it. He just had a pair of Hooker headers inatalled and a couple of Flowmasters. He is hoping to get it restored to show quality condition...but living by the ocean makes that very difficult. You can contact Jason at: Explosion369@aol.com
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