Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Wrecked! !!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Wrecked! !!

    So last year, I proudly posted my 1972 Dodge D100 build. These trucks are getting kind of hard to find, but I found this rig in Monterey from a Craigslist ad. I wanted a pre 76 truck to be smog inspection exempt, and I wanted a v8 factory air truck, which is a hard combo to come by. It was worth the long haul to go and get it.

    I installed a 450 or so horse 360, 518 4 speed auto, new driveshaft, already had 3.55 8 3/4 sure grip. Fixed all the electrical, but best of all, custom installed a giant radiator and monster a/c condenser , nice C-171 axial compressor, and tied it all in with the factory underdash a/c setup and rewired it all on relays. On a 100 degree day it was a meat locker in that cab.

    I really liked my old Dodge, but last weekend I went to a local Mexican joint and ordered four tacos 'Al Pastor'. I figured I'd go and get a tin of Cope while they were cookin' and was looking forward to a good meal and a satisfying dip. Well, I was going through an intersection, no stop in my direction, cruising at a slow 15-20 mph to give those tacos time to cook. I was literally broadside of a vato going the other direction when he hooks a hard left and takes out the left front and a good chunk of the left boxside. It was so wierd that he hooked into me while right next the truck, my first thought was wtf, did I just blow a stop and get hit on purpose?

    I was sure there was no stop, but my first instinct was to double check, since it was such an odd way to get hit. I looked back to check the intersection in the mirrors and then turned to have a good look. I turned back around to see the guy hauling ass in reverse and getting out of there. The impact stalled my 750 Demon double pumper, and by the time it got it fired he was long gone.

    I was using the truck daily as my work rig. This really blows.
    Last edited by dulcich; June 1, 2013, 07:19 PM.

  • #2


    My first '69 Firebird was taken out by an uninsured, unlicensed dude in a late 90's 3/4 ton Dodge truck that ran a red light. Got screwed on that one. The car was a nice So. Cal. desert rust free Firebird.
    Last edited by TheSilverBuick; June 1, 2013, 05:11 PM.
    Escaped on a technicality.

    Comment


    • #3
      That blows ... Get forensics to find out the paint and find em just like on CSI!!!

      Comment


      • #4
        Man - why do bad things happen to good people, damitalltohell....

        I'm sure your sticktuitiveness will prevail and this rig - or most of its parts will soon be back on the street.

        There's no keeping a good man (and his rig) down!
        There's always something new to learn.

        Comment


        • #5
          Sucks. If you got a police report, could you use the non-insured part of your auto insurance to get it fixed?
          BS'er formally known as Rebeldryver

          Resident Instigator

          sigpic

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Scott Liggett View Post
            Sucks. If you got a police report, could you use the non-insured part of your auto insurance to get it fixed?
            Scott, I had the CHP come over and take a report. I'm not sure I want to rock the boad with the insurance co with a claim, since I can fix it for pretty cheap. I already talked to my agent and decided not to file a claim.

            Now, the plot thickens. I didn't want to waste any time getting on fixing it, so I went to the local u-pull looking for the body panels. It had to be an earlier version of this type of truck, because the front valance in the trucks like mine from 72-76 had the indicators in the bumper valance, while the much more common later trucks had the indicators in the grill and a blank valance.

            Anyway, I was cruising the truck section and thinking it was a long shot. As I made my way through there a black dude working on an 80's Chevy stopped me, just brimming with excitement, telling me, I'z gots lucky! I stopped to admire the parts he found and then said, well, Iz hopes Iz gets lucky too. I turned into the next row and right there was a 1974 stepside with an unbelievably nice body. I went back and shared my good fortune with my new wrecking yard friend, and then went in for a closer look.

            Factory 318, three speed manual, but with the double-drilled bell making an 833 four speed a bolt on. Amazingly unmolested, down to the clips on all the clutch linkage, soft splash panels in the engine bay, etc. Factory paint in nice condition. Looks like a piece of ply was screwed to the wooden box floor when near new, so the box was in time capsule condition. No dents and hardly a parking lot ding.

            Someone got the instrument panel and dash pad, as well as the rear bumper and tail lights. Yard damage to the grill and front bumper. One missing door panel, but bonus it had the factory metal door panels. Doors opened and shut like new.

            Well, I got to thinking, it would be criminal to strip the sheet metal from this jewel. Besides that, I thought, once I bolted the panels in I'd be in for a full repaint on the wrecked truck, and that means paint jail time, probably six months with good behavior.

            I had to ask and made a deal with the yard and took it home for 900-bucks. I probably would have been in it for at least half that just for the metal to fix my 2wrecked truck. Went back with an old set of tires and wheels and loaded it on my '72 F600. I can get this thing on the road pronto, and I really need a truck.


            Here's the back view. I wish I would have found it when it first hit the yard, since those rear bumpers are kind of hard to find. I already have a set of the correct (earlier round style) tail lights and brackets in stock.

            It seemed worth saving to me. I guess every cloud has a silver lining. I'm still going to fix the other truck, but will entail complete body and paint.
            -dulcich

            Comment


            • #7
              Simply amazing that a truck that clean would be in the wrecking yard - was this a cash for clunkers wrecked engine victim - or are rust free clean straight nearly complete older trucks so common out there that people just give up on them.
              as a life-long rust belter - I'm flabergasted - the truck could not have gone to a better home!
              There's always something new to learn.

              Comment


              • #8
                Milner, I was pretty surprised to find it too. No buyback program, it was just dumped in the yard and was already sitting in the parts line-up on stands with the rest of the junkers. Oddly, the brother I was talking to in the yard went over for a look and he claimed that this truck was his neighbors! It obviously hadn't been used in many years. Someone had scalped the distributor and carb, but I would lay odds that the 318 will fire right up with minimal work and purr like a kitten. I've got a spare BBD soaking in Chem Dip carb cleaner right now.
                -dulcich

                Comment


                • #9
                  Well done indeed - Even though they give up some utility in the bed space category - I have a soft spot for the step sides - this one looks very very nice as is. Will you do a power train swap from the wrecked one or marvel mystery oil / atf / acetone the OEM 318 and resurrect this one as is?
                  There's always something new to learn.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I'm just going to get the existing engine running. I pulled a valve cover and it looks very clean inside. I think this truck has under 100K miles since new, as the broken speedo is sitting in the cluster housing on the floor with an odo reading 96 k and being a pretty good judge of horseflesh can say for pretty darn sure it isn't 196k. For now I'm going to keep a bbd two barrel on it and I have a 833 OD four speed I rebuilt a few years back that will slide right in. It needs a fuel tank, since the yard punched a big hole in the plastic tank and it has fork lift damage too.

                    After running as is with the two barrel, I'm probably going to pull the front cover, replace the timing chain with a steel roller setup, add small cam, either Erson TQ20 or Comp XE262, Maybe an SP2P intake and Thermoquad. I already have all that stuff.
                    -dulcich

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      you had good luck to recover that fast.
                      it may be misjustice working for you. That happened to me in a car I did not like all that much to begin with.. but the workload was a lot, and to keep it going was just completed.
                      bam. totaled. I mean within a day of completion. no chores left. Found a rare one that actually gained value without looking, a friend of a friend found it. I was not even looking.

                      The only cam I ever swapped in was the comp 262, only did that chore once my whole road going adventure. coincidence.
                      Previously boxer3main
                      the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Sucks when an older vehicle gets wrecked! Nice score on the new truck!
                        Nick Smithberg
                        www.smithbergracing.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Normally , I'm not a step bed kind of guy. But these old dodges look cool with stacks coming thru the steps.....and painted red or blk.
                          Previously HoosierL98GTA

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            if the wreck is within a week - poll the businesses surrounding the intersection and ask if they have surveillance video. That said, in the end it probably won't be worth it because it's stolen and/or no insurance.

                            nice score on the other truck
                            Doing it all wrong since 1966

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              same stepside as a 55

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X