Greetings all!
Just found this thread. Can’t say I’m surprised by the vintage Dodge pickups being this appreciated where the equally iconic Chrysler A Body folks would gather. Have to admit to being of a similar mind myself and proud of it. Here’s a few pics. Thanks for looking!
My present A Body project. My “hall pass” to this excellent website. Simply wild 1-of-1 build sheet proven, custom ordered, dealership show pony. Documented first time sold? 2022. Options intended to highlight the towing based sales focus of 1973. Vintage, never used class 1 Curt towing set up in place.
Purchased 11:40PM Halloween night (Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil) 2023. More on this car in an upcoming update.
Before the 1973 Moredoor arrived last year, the gem in the garage these past near 30 years was my slightly modified 1983 Dodge D-150 Miser short, widebox pickup in Bright White. Built in 1997 from an originally /6 and an A-833, no options truck. It was disassembled and everything but the frame, cab and windshield wiper motor was dumpstered. From there, I built the truck the way I wanted. Although I’d like to focus the observers attention on the drivetrain, it’s really just a nicely built 318/727/8.25 combo. Nothing impressive but at least well displayed.
No, the real eye popper here is actually the suspension system. In a Dodge truck from a 90’s build? I unintentionally bought and installed a complete rare (I didn’t know at the time) Chisolm suspension system with a 4 inch drop and fairly aggressive Addco roll bars. It handles nicely. Nothing with this much drop should ride and drive as nice as this does. Truck got a minor refurb a couple years ago and it is still a great truck!
As luck would have it, during its original build, I had a nice opportunity to drive around a flatbed truck that was carrying the 1983 back from a shop, looking at it from different angles. At a stoplight, just ahead of the flatbed was an early 2000’s Dodge 1 ton wearing a Rawson-Koenig utility bed with a ladder rack. Thanks to my location in my other truck, I saw the potential visual that would be caused by the 83 shortbox being towed by a commercial Dodge work truck on a basic car trailer and I was stunned.
From that moment 20 some years ago, that image was permanently burned into some chalky flat brain cell that I still have. Somewhere. I wanted that combo as a show rig if I ever get the chance. And 20 years later, it’s 2AM and taking one last look at Craigslist as usual and there is Otis. And Otis is for sale: $3250 (and, no, I didn’t leave off the “1” on the left). Otis needs tires and shocks.
Otis is a 1989 Dodge D 350 with a Rawson-Koenig utility bed, 73,000 original miles, new fuel injected 360, PS, PB and A/C. Lived a significant portion of its life in the basement of Trinity College in San Antonio.
Bought Otis on the spot. Halloween, 2024. The “vision” is very close now. I can easily assure you that within a matter of moments after the 83 is rolled off the car trailer, that lovely 73 Moredoor has a date.
Enjoy the pics. More about the A Body to come.
