Score!!!

[Boondox]

In the neverending saga of the 57 Dodge pickup and the equally endless search for replacement parts...we found the proverbial truck gathering dust in a backcountry barn! It's a 55 Dodge with a 318 and auto tranny -- complete but not running -- and a 57 for parts! Plus an extra flathead six and a spare pair of front fenders for less than half what we paid for our truck!

With three trucks and some spare parts, we might actually be able to put at least one of them back into original condition! Oh, happiness and joy! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Pete

 

[ScottAR]

Congrads on your find. I too know the thrill of the hunt for old parts... My biggest score was a PTO winch for the bronco.

 

[karmakanic]

Stand back folks! Stand back,,,in fact, you all go on about your business. I know the sight's gruesome, but there's nothin' we can do for ole' Pete. Dragging parts cars home! He's gone now, there's no hope,,,I hear the subscription to Hemmings is already in the mail.

Those old simple and open as a book machines do it every time. They look at you and say" oh yeah, come on in,,,I can be restored,,,I'm simple and like "right there",,,no silly electron control modules needed to make me work."

well,,,sometimes it won't be so simple,,,but the dance is a blast. As one to another, welcome,,,you'll have fun!

Dave

 

[Thomas]

Now thats country shopping./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[s1120]

<font color=red>Dragging parts cars home! He's gone now, there's no hope,,,I hear the subscription to Hemmings is already in the mail.</font color=red>

Isn't it great!!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Pete, welcome to the club. Your jackets in the mail./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Theres nothing like hauling them old parts cars home. You just feel SO proud of your self you just want to tell all your frends about it. As aa vetren of this kind of stuff, I have to tell you that most people will just shake there heads. But thats OK. The real project people will rejoice in your find, AND wish it was theres. So just bath in the glow of the holy grail that is the found parts car, and enjoy!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Egon]

Pete:

Great find. Whats going into the new one. A flathead or the 318?

Egon

 

[Boondox]

Ah, Dave, you have me pegged! I've been getting Hemmings for a couple of months now. Can't drive past a pile of rusted parts without looking for something familiar. To my credit, though, I have managed to keep our 57 pickup running thru a rebuild of the carb and brake system. So all is not wasted. And you're right, the dance is a blast!

Pete

 

[Boondox]

My wife really likes the forgiving nature of the flathead, and since it's her truck that'll stay. But maybe we could get his and hers trucks out of this..?

Pete

 

[Boondox]

Okay, we drove back in daylight to check things out more closely. The 55 was a work in process that stopped a couple of years ago with everything forward of the cab pulled off. The 318 looked beat, but he offered me a slant 6 with auto that is presently in a Dodge Dart and running. The wife and I thought about it and decided that would be a nice, reliable engine well matched to the old truck. The front end of the 55 truck is off the frame and in pretty decent shape, but he threw in an identical nose in excellent shape that came off an old school bus! Four sets of front fenders, a bed in decent shape, two sets of doors, four radiators, numerous small parts like steering wheels, mirrors, trim, interior parts all NOS...plus the body parts of a 57 Dodge half ton like ours. The frame is in much better shape than our present truck, and with it already stripped down so far we could do some detailed restoration work from the ground up. Figured we'd take the best of all for our 57, put the slant six in ours, then assemble a spare with the left overs and sell it.

Best of all, Tamara understands that this will require some new tools like a wire welder, paint setup, etc!

Died and gone to heaven! Pete

 

[ronjhall]

<font color=blue>Best of all, Tamara understands that this will require some new tools like a wire welder, paint setup, etc!</font color=blue>

Pete
Congrats on the parts find. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
More tools, parts and????? /w3tcompact/icons/love.gif
Won’t be long and your going to need a bigger barn/storage shed & workshop. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif