Daring To Be Different

Oddball, Orphaned, and Overlooked Trucks

- Ron Ceridono

There’s no disputing the fact that the majority of trucks seen at events and in the pages of Classic Trucks are Chevys and Fords of the post World War II variety. The reasons for that are simple enough; those trucks are readily available, good looking, and are easy to build, thanks to the abundance of aftermarket parts available.

Of course, when it comes to building a classic truck there are always those willing to push the envelope just a little, and then there are a few who just ignore it completely. The truth of the matter is making a Ford or Chevy cool isn’t all that hard; on the other hand, choosing a Dodge, International, Studebaker, or one of the many other makes produced over the years is more of a challenge (send all hate mail directly to Ryan Manson).

Dodge trucks established a reputation for toughness in World War I and in the ’30s began to emphasize styling by incorporating design elements found in their passenger cars. In 1939 the trucks were redesigned, and other than minor changes, such as repositioning the headlights, they remained the same through 1947. In 1948, Dodge introduced the “Pilot House” cab with seating for three; again, other than changes to the front sheetmetal little changed through 1953.

For 1954 Dodge introduced a redesigned pickup, and then in 1957 a completely new line of trucks was introduced with unique sheetmetal that included the short lived Sweptside pickup with car-like fins and taillights (presumably in response to the Chevy Cameo). There was another redesign in 1961 and then again in 1972. Not well known, but Dodge produced a performance pickup with what was described as the Custom Sports Package in 1964 1965. It included the legendary 426 wedge V-8 so it really would haul in the performance sense of the word.