The $100 Dodge Pickup Thread

Ok, so via Craigslist (the 8th wonder of the world), I got a 1952 Dodge Pickup for $100. It has the stock 230 Dodge Flathead and 3 speed transmission. When I drug this rascal home my father (who has been building cars for years) remarked that I paid too much for it This truck is ROUGH. I mean almost nothing is usable other than the cab and maybe the hood, but I'll drive the heck out of it as is! It looks like someone bought it new and immediately parked it in a field to rot away for the next 60 years. Anyway I got this beauty on Halloween and proceeded to pull the engine and tranny and start tearing it down. I got everything out but the crank,rods, pistons and valves out of it today. My question is how far should I take this thing? I really like the truck but they are worth very little even after they are built. I see them (Dodge trucks) running and driving on craigslist for 3k-5k all the time. If I build this motor right, I'll have close to $1500 in it plus the rebuild of transmission, rear diff, plus all the brakes have to be gone through before it can run and drive. I am NOT doing this because of the money but then again I don't want to dump 3k-4k into the drivetrain of a truck that is worth $2500. My current plan is to build the motor 0.030 over , have the cam reground, buy an intake and headers, and call it a day. $1500-2K Id guess for engine alone. Should I just scrap it and move on? Opinions please! Oh and here are some pics.

 

I'll match your first post with my first post.

To be Old and Wise, you must first be Young and Stupid.

Your dad is Old and Wise. Follow his advise and scrap it.. You'll make some money and save yourself a lot of heart ache. It's going to take more then a power train and brake overhaul to make the old girl safe to drive.

Glen

 

Get a good junkyard V-8 & trans, some bucket seats, a 47 ford front straight axle and a IHC tractor grille & make a hot rod truck....

 

The biggest problem you'll have is that nobody makes any replacement sheetmetal for it. So you'll be hunting online trying to find pieces that are too rotted out to save.

You can put a more modern rear axle in it ( I put a 96 Jeep Cherokee rear in mine ). You get better brakes and a rear ratio that makes it easier on the engine to hit highway speeds.

There are a number of Hambers driving these and a bunch of great guys at the PilotHouse Forum too.
http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Check the numbers to make sure that's a 230. A lot of them came with 218's...just make sure you get the right parts when you rebuild the engine.

The rear bumper you have can be hard to find...they were an option and a lot of trucks didn't have them. If you do scrap the truck, let me know...I'd like the bumper and brackets for my truck (if it's not too rusted).

 

Are you building it because you like it and want to build a vehicle, or are you looking to turn a profit?

It doesn't look too bad to me, what I can see of it.

 

Pick up an old Dakota pickup and swap everything including the front clip and rear end. V6 or v8 power, all newer stuff. Before ~ 91(?) they had 5-lug Dodge pattern wheels so your old ones will work.


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I think its buildable,fix the floors and find some doors and get it running. Other then the floors the rest of the sheetmetal looks good so dont scrap it.

 

IMO ya got yerself a decent parts truck...I see too much swiss cheese for my taste, but that rear bumper is hard to find. It looks like the bottom of the cab is shot, but if ya got the skillz, that can be cut out & grafted onto a Dakota floor. If ya want a nice custom driver, the '87-'91 Dakota chassis is an almost perfect fit to swap the sheet metal over. For the WOW factor, the 230-T5-Dakota/Jeep axle on the original frame has been done several times. The missing doors could be a problem, cuz when I've found good doors, they're attached to a good cab. Ya might want to keep cruisin' CL and ya might find a better truck for a project that will be easier on the wallet.

 

Fix it if you love it. Some guys make money with this hobby. The rest of us just do it for the pleasure of seeing/driving the old iron. Make it safe. Make it stop and go. Have fun. Good luck and I wish I could find a deal like that someday.

 

Scrap it? Wow, really

 

Nice intro.

 

Got doors for it?

That truck looks a lot better then the one I put together and drove for 12 years until some gal turned in front of me a little over a year ago.

Installing a more modern drive train will be much cheaper then trying to rebuild what is there. These trucks do fit on Dakota chassis real nice, but unless the original frame is bent or rotted away, its almost as easy to bolt the modern stuff on the existing frame.

It shouldn't be too hard to turn that truck into a decent driver for way less then $3,000-$4,000 if you don't get carried away. I must live in the wrong place, no older Dodge trucks of this era, in the price range you were referring to, are anywhere near drivable within 500 miles of me. I have looked. Lots of people with trucks that look like your truck think they are worth $2K-$3K! Gene

 

Some people get it, and some people, well, don't. See above.

 

where are you located?

 

Forgot to say it, but anyone who wants to scrap it should have their head examined, at least if they are posting here. Lots of nice drivers have started with less. Just takes vision and determination. Or a massive stubborn streak. Do not scrap it. Someone will take it off your hands.

 

I never make money on old cars. Fix it if you like it. Pass it on if you don't.

 

Forget the scrapping idea. That's a pretty decent truck/ classroom, you'll learn a lot. Besides, it's a 5 window, hard to find.

 

I think this would be a great learning experience for you. Sounds like you have already dug into the motor and also are realizing this particular truck is not worth dumping a ton of money into..........but you may not have to do that if you shop wisely and make a lot of parts.

If it were me I wouldn't mess with the old flathead 6, I would start looking for a donor motor and transmission or even a whole donor car to take the drivetrain out of. There should be some low milage 70's -80's car that was hit hard in the rear end, leaving all the running gear in good condition. A little cleanup and painting of the parts and they would probably serve you pretty well, and certainly be more highway friendly than that old 6. (anyone who has spent any time behind the wheel of an original Mopar 6 will tell you they are not fireballs.............dependable as hell, but not fast. )

Did you get the doors ? If not you better start looking before you spend a lot of money on anything else, those might not be easy to find.

Don

 

Sweet find! there needs to be more dodges on the road, i beg you though dont discrace it and throw a chevy motor in it or you might as well sell it for scrap, plenty of dodge v8s out there. IMO. a donor dakota would be the most respectable, cheap, easy way of getting that thing road worthy and Fun. good luck on it!
-Joel

 

What do you mean "almost nothing is useable" , you got the whole truck there !!

Knock up a tube frame for the doors , skin them with canvas , throw a set of rings and bearings in the engine and drive the snot out of it. !

OK , do the brakes too if you really must spend some cash .......................

 

If you're in it for the dollars then you're barking up the wrong tree.... I'd rip your arms off to have that for $100! Rope in your old man and have him teach you anything you still need to learn on this....
Bonding and learning with a real reward at the end of it (if only i could get my old man into the classic tin ).

Get some decent full on and side on shots and start dreaming on your sketchbook or with photoshop


Best of luck

 

mine was worst than yours when i started on it, but it was a freebie.just dive in and build something. its a good learning tool.this was my first chop. i had nothing in it so i had nothing to loose.i used a s-10 chassis. same wheelbase.

 

Well, after thinking about it for a couple hours last night I have decided that I still don't know what I'm going to do! I did find another Dodge truck on Craigslist for $2500 that runs and drives. I think we could all agree I'd have more than that in my little jewel before she would putt down the road, so I may buy the other one and have a parts truck. My truck also doesn't have a title which isn't a huge deal but one more thing to have to fight with. It did come with the doors though but they have rust in the bottoms of them (surprise!) also when I said scrap I didn't mean literally take it to the scrap yard I just meant sell it to someone that wants to build it or use it for parts. I would NEVER scrap ANYTHING with round headlights!

 

hey 100$$$. Welcome to the HAMB. It'll be a great experience for you here if you keep your eyes open and your ears ready to hear all the advice (wanted and unwanted). There is a ton of knowledge on here and some awesome teaching threads. I live right down the road from you in Nahville, so feel free to message me and I'll try to lend a hand when I can. Good luck.

 

I'll come down there and give you 100.00 for it if you want to get it off your hands.

 

I have a great running engine I just pulled out of a 49 Panel , to hotrod it , I'd sell it for a couple hundred , But, I'm in Montana , Someone nearer to you must have rodded a mopar of that vintage , too, Put a wanted ad in Craigs , I'm sure they are tired of tripping over the old flat six in the middle of their floor , too!

 

As stated, a Dakota frame and drivetrain swap is a natural for the Pilot House Dodges. There is a great web site for these trucks that is a great tech and parts source for you. Parts are not nearly as scarce as some are trying to have you believe. I've owned two, and had a pretty easy time of finding good sheet metal and other parts.

Google or Bing "Dodge Pilot House trucks" and you will find the site; I do not have it bookmarked on my work computer.

 

I'd pay $100k to work on another project vehicle with my dad, whether it was a junker or not.

 

You might, many of us wouldnt. All depends on what you know how to do.

 

What I meant was it'd take $2500 to rebuild the original running gear. I could certainly get a donor car and get her running for $2500. I wish I didn't like that darn flathead as much as I do!