(By Greg Rourke) – I admit it, I get a stiffy for big trucks. No, not the seen-one-ya-seen-’em-all Volvos and Freightshakers one sees hauling who knows what down the super slab. I like the stuff from the era when the trucks had some style. I say that, but then look at the lines of this Dodge big rig.
Dodge was in the heavy duty cabover market from 1964 to 1974 when they decided it wasn’t profitable. The cabs were mostly aluminum with a few fiberglass trim panels. They clearly didn’t budget much money for the design department, looks like a guy with a straight edge designed these on his lunch break, all straight lines. I mentioned style?
This 1970 example has a claimed 177,000 miles. It was born as a single axle tractor and hauled furniture, so light loads. Unless it hauled those damn hide-a-beds I always got roped into helping someone carry up three flights. It’s second life had it’s frame extended, a pusher axle added ( non powered axles ahead of the drive is a pusher. Behind the drive is a tag) and a grain body installed. They claim no winter use, seems plausible. It’s got a 250 Cummins and a 10 speed Fuller trans, which the seller claims will make 65 MPH wound up tight, the complete lack of aerodynamics not helping one bit. The tiny sleeper would never accommodate my lardass.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to hit eBay and shop for some double clutchin’ boots and a chain drive wallet, 10-4?
Big Truck Find: This 1970 Dodge 1000 is big, rare, and 100% square
Love those cracker box cabs!
Me and a friend of mine looked at one a few years ago. The owner of the truck we were looking at gave us some really good advice most people probably wouldn’t think of until it was too late.
He said if you buy an old Dodge big truck(Big Horns, etc), NEVER buy one with hydraulic brakes. If you do then you’re stuck having to find 50 year old, Dodge only parts for trucks they barely made any of in the first place. In other words…good luck!!
No matter what company made the truck, the air brake systems on any of those old ones is basically the same as the air brakes they still use today so you’d actually be able to fix it.
Not very round? Hell, that makes a Studebaker Zip Van look like a Corvette. Cool, though – for a Dodge.
I believe Dodge and GMC had the ” cracker box ” trucks of this time.Thats what they were called ,because that’s what they looked like This one would make a great hauler for your Mopar ride. Take the tag axle out,you won’t need it. put a slant deck on it to haul a car. And pull you 70 Avion behind it. You need the Avion to make something aerodynamic about the complete rig
If that’s too square for you, have a look at these bang shifty beauties:
https://bangshift.com/bangshiftxl/ramp-truck-battle-buy-sweet-1963-ford-cab-equally-sweet-1966-gmc-state-case/
Those early sixties chevy and gmc cabovers have always been my favourites