Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with this old 1951 Dodge pickup truck, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. I got my hands on this beauty a while back, and it was in pretty decent shape – no rust, which is a huge win. It is an army truck and as I know only 11,000 were made!
First thing I did was give it a good once-over. These old Dodge trucks, especially from the early 50s, they don’t get as much love as the cars from back then, but they’re just as cool in my book. And they have never shied away from making a statement. This one’s got that classic look, you know? Anyway, I started by checking out the engine. It has a flathead Chrysler-6 cylinder gas engine. It turned over, which was a good sign. But it definitely needed some work.
I ended up swapping out the engine for a 218ci L-head inline-six. This truck originally came with a “three on the tree” shifter, which was kind of neat, but I decided to keep it simple. I’m not a mechanic, I just like to tinker, so I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew. It is not hard to make me want to time travel just for a test drive.
The body of the truck was solid, no major dents or anything. It’s got that old-school charm. I did notice the serial number – B2218029, and the model number is B-3-3-108. GVWR 4850 lbs. I guess it means it’s pretty heavy, haha. I spent a good chunk of time just cleaning it up, getting all the grime off. Underneath all that dirt, the original paint job was still there, kind of faded but still cool.
Next, I tackled the interior. The seats were ripped up, so I had to get those reupholstered. I went with a simple design, nothing too fancy. I also replaced some of the gauges on the dashboard. They were all cloudy and hard to read, so I found some replacements that fit the original style.
After that, I started focusing on the mechanical stuff. The brakes were shot, so I had to replace those. The suspension was also pretty worn out, so I ended up replacing that too with the spring suspension. It was a lot of work, let me tell you, but it was worth it.
- Checked the engine, it turned over, but needed work.
- Swapped the original engine for a 218ci L-head inline-six.
- Cleaned up the body, no major dents, original paint was faded but intact.
- Reupholstered the seats, replaced some gauges on the dashboard.
- Replaced the brakes and the suspension.
It took a few months, working on it on and off, but I finally got it running smoothly. It’s not perfect, but it’s a blast to drive. There’s just something about these old trucks, you know? They’ve got character. Every time I take it out for a spin, it turns heads. I even took it to a local car show, and people loved it.
So yeah, that’s my story about this 1951 Dodge pickup truck. It’s been a fun project, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. If you ever get a chance to work on one of these old beauties, I highly recommend it. Just be prepared to get your hands dirty!
