Rough Start: Go Big With A 1974 Dodge D-500 And Give The Old Farm Truck A Fair Shake


Rough Start: Go Big With A 1974 Dodge D-500 And Give The Old Farm Truck A Fair Shake

The Mopar itch is never too far from this soul, it seems. I might be up to the elbows in Ford products right now but there’s still a part of me that is dying inside for an older Chrysler ride of some kind. The question is, what would the next one look like? Would I stick to my oddballs or would I finally cave and go for a Duster, since that might be the last muscle-era Mopar that is still affordable and relatively common to find? Chances are good that the next older Chrysler product is probably going to be a truck, really. I’ve got a thing for 1972-80 D-series trucks…yeah, I know, the truck line is more or less the same up through 1993. And I’ve had a couple of the newer generation trucks over the years. But there’s something about the earlier versions that just feels properly classic. It’s difficult to pin down the exact thing, but it’s not like it’s a bad call. As I’ve said before, you can select pretty much any American pickup truck made between about 1967 and about 2000 and you’ll be doing just fine.

But this big boy…this isn’t the ordinary truck selection. Meet the 1974 Dodge D-500, a medium-duty rig that shares the cab, and little else, with the rest of the D-series. Dodge would produce the medium D-series in ranges from 500 (1 1/2 ton) through 800 and would run anything from the trusty if overmatched 225 cubic inch Slant Six through the 413ci V8 in it’s holdout role as a torque well for a work truck. This D-500 is a plain-jane unit that is sporting a claimed 3,329 miles on the clock. If that’s legitimate…and we’d want every ounce of proof…then this truck never, ever left the farm. Hell, it’s probably never seen half of the farm!

But what would I do with an old rig like this? Well…I’m personally thinking something along the lines of a super-sized Warlock. Alcoas, stacks, and some dark green metallic paint with striping would be sweet. As far as an engine goes…well, that’s a pretty open ended question. A Cummins swap using a Ram 5500 chassis would be ideal, but is it necessary? Hellcat? 392? Decisions, decisions…

Facebook Marketplace link: 1974 Dodge D-500 SWB stake truck


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One thought on “Rough Start: Go Big With A 1974 Dodge D-500 And Give The Old Farm Truck A Fair Shake

  1. Bill Greenwood

    Great foundation for a retro-modern ramp truck. Swap in a 6.4 GenIII with a 5-speed. Make the interior upscale but reasonably period correct. Chrome grill, bumper, and mirrors. Make it a nice B5 blue. Add a custom sleeper bin, and a nice ramp deck with custom tool boxes, and a nice A990 Plymouth to haul around.

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