So there I was, perusing good ol’ Craigslist the other day for weird old stuff the other day, and this thing pops up in my search, a 1970 Dodge Dude pickup!:
1970 DODGE TRUCK, ONE OF THE RARE OFFICIAL DODGE ‘DUDE’ SERIES THAT WERE ONLY MADE FOR 2 YEARS. THE TRUCK NEEDS EVERYTHING, OR JUST DO THE MECHANICALS AND DRIVE IT AS A “PATINA TRUCK” AND STILL LOOK REALLY COOL. ITS BEEN SITTING FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. RUST IN BED FLOOR FROM LEAVES COLLECTING IN IT AND SOME IN THE CAB FLOOR`S. SLANT 6 AND 3 SPEED COLUMN SHIFT. NO TITLE BUT VIN CHECKS OUT CLEAN. $950 OR TRADE.
WHOA… A DUDE!!! Well, what is a Dude, you ask? In 1970-71, Dodge offered a trim package on their trucks known as the Dude package. It’s more or less a tape and stripe package that was available on the D100 trucks, but it was possible to order one with all sorts of options. You could get one with anything from the 225ci Slant Six to the 383ci V8. You could also order them in some of the “High Impact” musclecar colors that were popular at the time, so basically, you could build a muscle truck out of one of these with the looks to match. Advertisements for the truck included TV and movie star Don Knotts telling you how tough the Dude was. These trucks were pretty rare, and according to the Mopar gurus over at Allpar.com, an estimated total of 1500-2000 Dudes were produced between 1970-71. This one here is rough, but it’s the first one I’ve seen for sale in a LONG time.
Yep, that’s Don Knotts, the guy that played the aloof Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show, starred in movies such as The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, etc. He was the spokesman for the Dude trucks. I never pictured Don Knotts as a tough guy, but here he is, vouching for the toughness of the Dude. What, were Jack Palance and Charlton Heston too busy to hawk The Dude? Alrighty then!
The truck is missing a few parts here and there, but looks to be largely complete. It does have some rust issues, but it’s not a deal killer.
This Dude is powered by the basically indestructible 225ci Slant Six with a three speed automatic on the column. The ad doesn’t say whether it runs or drives, but I bet the thing fires right up with fresh gas. I remember reading an old Car Craft Magazine years ago stating that you could lubricate the Slant Six with sawdust and that it would run off dog water. They are probably right. I have strange thoughts of keeping the Slant Six and somehow adding fuel injection and a decent sized turbo, and upgrading to a modern floor shifted manual transmission.
This may be the worst part of the truck: the bed. This Dude has lived a very hard life, and according to the ad, leaves sat piled in the bed for years leading to the rot holes seen here. Do they even make patch panels for the old “Sweptside” Dodge trucks that would help the situation?
Other than the bed floor and the driver’s corner of the hood, the truck appears to look pretty solid. Appearance-wise, I’d get a pair of new bumpers, a set of vintage slot mags or Torq-Thrusts, fix the bed and hood, and drive it as-is. It has a cool vibe just the way it is.
Inside, the dash is cracked and the seat needs to be reupholstered, so some work needs to be done to make it a decent place to spend some time. A new dash cap or cover, a new rubber floor covering after repairing the previously mentioned rust, and maybe a seat out of a later model D100-150 would go a long way in here. I’d also add a vintage Sun tach to the column; you can definitely get away with that in this old beast.
The only thing that makes me weary about this truck is the lack of a title. Depending on where you live, this may or may not be an issue. If the VIN truly checks out, and you live somewhere where this isn’t a problem, this would make a good project truck. At an entry price of just $950, it’s hard to go wrong. While I prefer the later 1972-93 trucks myself, there’s just something about a weird old Mopar truck with a factory stripe package like this Dude that just oozes coolness.
What would you do with this old, scruffy Dude? Stuff a Mopar Big Block under the hood? Get weird and toss a Cummins six in there? Set it on fire and run away? Let us know below!
The original ad can be found here.
Altough the turbo slant six idea rocks – judging by the fact that the interior probably harbours enough bacteria to wipe out all life on Earth and that this truck has been well beaten with the ugly stick the crusher is its only fitting destination.
Some things just aren’t meant to be – dude!
The Dude abides!
Insert Lebowski references below…
All I can say is this Dude is dead!
Long live “The Dude”.
Trucks are SO easy! Frame off, 440, clean the rest up to resto mod; drive the wheels off it. Oh, wait, its not a GM product, the wheels won’t fall off it! Drive it for the rest of your life…
You know damn well what I would do with it….PARTS BABY! oh yeah, parts parts parts….Perfect parts truck for our 71. Dudes asking way too much tho, I payed 1200 for a running driving truck with only minimal rust on the floor boards…I’d be in at 300 for this heap….
The Dude is righteous & worthy of attention.
I will see your Dude and raise you a crew cab
http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5344182165.html
To bad it’s been so used and abused. Worth saving?
You would have to restore that perfectly then add Keystones and a 440. How could you not restore a truck called the “Dude”. I think its a cool.
I’d square up the paperwork before I spent a dime on it. Hit the junkyard for some decent seats and maybe a console, junk the bed and build a nice stake bed, incorporating the Dude theme onto the cab. Stay automatic, but put a built Mopar overdrive (sorry, I mostly like Mopars but I don’t know the designation for a Mopar overdrive tranny) behind a 400hp 340. 4″ lower and front discs if not so equipped, white 17″ wagon wheels with the widest 60 series tire that fits all around and a kick ass sound system. But don’t EVER play the Eagles. “I hate the f#@%&/g Eagles”
5.9 6BT swap+new tires and I’m done. I’d drive the s&^% out of it.
Hey,………………………………..DUDE……………..
Best buddy has one of these in blue sitting in his fence line along with about 20 other old Mopars.