The Deco era was good to many vehicles, including this simple yet stylish Dodge Brother express. Passed down from the owner’s grandfather, this Dodge has been in storage since 1982. What is amazing is that the seller claims that this truck never saw salty roads and that it has covered a mere 17,000 miles in its lifetime. This family heirloom can be yours for $12,500. Take a look at it here on eBay out of Lancaster, Ohio.
Basically left untouched for the past 36 years, some of the wiring looks a bit crispy, and there is certainly some dust and dirt that has collected over the years. Hopefully with some good luck, this low mileage engine can be revived. The other mechanical systems likely need a lot of attention, but the truck appears very complete and if the mileage is actual, then many of the parts may be in very nice shape considering.
The interior is quite simple, although the deco 3 blade fan mounted to the steering column is a neat touch for sure. There is an old welcome mat on the floor, and what looks to be a 70’s era universal seat cover on the bench. Another neat feature is the crank out front windscreen. With enough speed and the steering column fan going, I bet this Dodge was a right comfy ride in the spring and fall.
While there are a few minor blemishes on this old truck, rust and rot appear to be out of the question. The passenger front fender has a small rumple, and the running board is a bit wavy but solid. Both rear edges of the rear fenders are twisted a bit and there is also a small sheet metal rip in the driver side front fender. None of which is the end of the world on this old Dodge. The truck is outfitted with mismatched wheels, and the rear window is cracked. Despite all of these factors, this truck is still quite a charming ride. A gentle cleaning and awakening seem to be in order, as this truck is charming in its current state. Have you ever seen one of these Dodge Brother pickups before?
Like but will pass…way to pricey.
si si to high in price.
16,746 very long miles…
Love that A/C on the column, wouldn’t Ralf Nader have a heart attack over that.
Our old 50 Ford pickup we had when I was a kid had one of those,if this is the same kind the fan blades are made from a hard rubber material if my memory serves me.
What’s not to like on this one? Hard to believe the condition it’s in!
Does look like the brake pedal is floored out so likely they’re out.
Regardless I like it.
Nice find for someone…
I hope it stays like this, just can’t be many left. But it won’t, and all you optimists can say what you want, people that have an interest to keep it original, are elderly now, and don’t have the resources or the knuckles to do an original restoration. Sorry, a recent car show verified that, and all the old trucks that were there were resto-mods or that “patina” baloney ( with a blown 454’s)
You are correct, Howard. The folks that owned these gems when they were new/current are either no longer capable of turning a wrench, no longer have the resources to return it to the streets.
I sincerely hope that this one avoids being rodded out, or dramatically altered from original specs, tho I don’t have much hope for that. Purists like myself are few & far between
Here I go, disagreeing again. Judging by what I’ve seen at the shows out west, the majority of resto-mod guys are in my age group. The younger ones, at least the ones you can pry away from their I-pads, are taking quite an interest in preserving and learning what makes the old iron tick. Another twist in the hobby is the number of female types coming in. The hobby might be changing but not necessarily for the worse.
IDK, it must be a regional thing then by you, and it’s encouraging, because I just don’t see it, in NY 2 years ago, Wisconsin last year, and now Colorado, so I base my findings on 3 distinct regions of the country. The younger folks, if any, swarmed around the Challenger with it’s 900 horse motor, which was cool, took best of show, but no one was checking out the ’34 IH flatbed, the 1911 Kissel fire engine( which fascinated me with it’s mombo motor and chain drive), or the ’28 Packard, that the guy seemed surprised when I asked to see the motor, and the only Model A at the show, was shown by an elderly couple, and they looked mighty lonely. I will say, I have seen an interest with women and older pickups, just like dad had on the farm, but they seem to want the ’50’s stuff, and don’t have much connection with grandpa’s ’30’s types.
I could definitely agree that it’s a regional thing, because I’ve heard others say similar things about shows they’ve been to. But then you attend another show, or a car run, and you get another surprise. A bunch of us were on a day-tour from Shelby to Chester. We mustered at the Subway and were just heading out when we ran into the Model T club headed the other way. I would have to say that the average age in our group dated back to somewhere between the Revolutionary and the Civil wars. But the average age of those T-enthusiasts was maybe 25. There was a girl and her mother in a ’27 T roadster. The girl couldn’t have been 20, and her mother was still younger than I was. The girl was driving and she knew her way around the controls of an old flivver. Of course there were T-drivers my age or higher but there were other drivers way younger than my kids.
I also think back to when I was a teen. I brought my ’47 Ford pickup home and my first thoughts were to pull that smoking flathead out and drop in a hopped up 289, or a 312. Lower it, put on a fancy paint job, nice wheels, ad nauseum. A guy stopped by the house, looking for my dad. He saw the old pickup parked at the curb and started asking me about it. It turned out that he had bought the truck new and had recently traded it for a new ’67 Chevy pickup. He shared a few stories about the truck when it was in its prime. As soon as I heard those I was converted; there was no way I was going to do anything but restore it, even down to the ugly dark green paint job with calf scour yellow trim.
There were only 34 kids in my senior high school class. Out of those, there were maybe three of us who were keenly interested in vehicles, let alone, old ones. I went to my first antique auto meet when I was 16. A friend of mine came along and I would have to say that the vast majority of the others were older than my parents. That was in 1969. Considering that, there’s a lot more interest from the younger kids now….
Amen Geomechs! One of the most pervasive statements in vintage vehicles is: The hobby is dying! Young people dont care! We are the last who care!
Seconded by: The market is crashing! Sell it all off before its worthless!
I heard it when I started wrenching in the 1970s and it has not abated. People just love saying that stuff, I dont know why!
I have an old article in a vintage MC magazine from the late 1980s or early 90s. Triumph Bonnevilles were selling for OVER $5,000! OMG!,, The Henny Penny Sky is falling types all shrieked, gnashed their teeth and wailed that no longer would the average guy be able to afford the hobby, it all down to Rich collectors. The end is NEAR!
Of course, thats not true, and while Triumphs are down right now, for a while there were clocking $15,000 on average for #1s, now around $11k-$12.5 but they will swing back up. Same with Camaros, Mustangs or Studebakers all see swings, dips, valleys and peaks over the long haul.
I think THIS picture says it all, This is some of the students in our speedster class, every year we graduate a group of them and in addition, every kid in our program goes on to a trade school or college. See the pictures, videos and info on our website. Same with local colleges, the welding, fab and body and paint classes tend to fill up quicker than any other classes on the rosters so, maybe its more of a case of PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont throw me in the briar patch!
See: http://www.nwcarandcycle.com/
Well, sluggo, I just got back from a large antique truck/car/tractor show and it was great. Lots of kids, and women getting into the hobby. Looks like you’ve got quite an enthusiastic following there; I hope it keeps up. As for the rest of us, the best way to keep the hobby alive is to promote it, and give the kids something to look forward to…
Would be a fantastic Hotrod..
I’d want a suicide knob on that wheel with that fan running. And contrary to popular belief, they are legal.
I think the price is very fair considering the condition and mileage. I would clean it up, replace the rubber and wiring, get some matching wheels and call it good. What an awesome piece of history.
Question. I see 4 pedals on the floor, plus the headlight dimmer button (or maybe the starter). What is the 4th pedal above the shifter for? E-brake? Something else?
4th pedal is a starter button
So that pedal over the accelerator is the starter button? I was thinking the starter was the little button on the floor to the left of the brake.
The little button between the clutch and brake is the headlight dimmer, something universal for over 50 years. That starter pedal was a bit of a chore, as it took some fancy foot work when the motor stalled on a hill.
Fan Blades are rubber , hard rubber ,nice old truck , but just that nice old truck 40 mph tops , no brakes, Armstrong steering , and hot box in warm weather , wipers a joke , still gotta love it !!!!!
Agreed
If it had dual side mounts I would be all over it.
Well $12500 scrub clean and repair minor body dents, re upolster seat, clean up wiring and engine bay, repar brakes and W.I.T with running gear a do it youself person could have the coolest truck at your local coffee and lies for around $15 to $20k. I think that’s a bargain.
This possibly one of the most beautiful and stylish old trucks out there, Have seen a few but this just is stunning in style to me. While I would also agree its way too nice to hotrod or update, it would also be a shame to keep it parked because of difficulty in driving in modern traffic. I HAVE driven old iron like this and it would be nerve wracking in todays traffic. I am 100% in agreement with Geomechs, my experience, both my own and what I am seeing w/ youngsters is MOST get into the hobby wanting hot rods or customs but most grow to appreciate restorations as well, Every Wednesday night at PIR is a cruise in and you want in, better get there early, they fill up quick and they are getting selective of WHAT they let in,(limit is 500 cars) Our local American Legion cruise in has gotten so big they are trying to figure out how to get more room for the cars. 185 showed up this year, Was nice to see lots of young people not old & grey
It would go good with my ex’s 38 Plymouth pick-up (beautiful frame off resto).
BTW what’s the matter with us “old and grey” codgers, lol.
And my son’s 40 Dodge pick-up.
This truck undoubtedly be a very nice truck when cleaned up and the mechanicals all sorted out! Very nice!
WoW, Love this old truck, but not for 12K,
John,
Try finding one in this good condition for less…. $12K is a fair price for this iron.
Hey guys this old Dodge looks rather interesting. As I read this I see a lot of concern about the price, you folks need to get out a little more. I recently found a 50 Power Wagon with 18k original miles, I am doing a frame off and going through trans and transfer case, engine will also be overhauled. The truck will be brought back to better than brand new and I will be asking 95k and expecting 90k for the truck! Starting about 5 years ago the Dodge truck world has a whole new universe, and I have no clue why, it may be beautiful but it’s still what it is!!!
Yep looking around the web and these things ain’t cheap
My Pops bought one of these trucks for $55.00 and a case of beer in the early 70’s. Damn thing was still running when he passed in 1998.
You know when it comes to restoring a Chevy or a Ford of this era a lot of the parts are readily available, but the dodge are tougher, I think some of that boils down to the fact that gm and Ford out sold dodge by a wide margin. Now the dodge are quite rare by comparison thus the difference in price. The one thing that Internet has helped us with is finding parts I’ve been told more than once if restoring a dodge your going to have a hard time with parts. That’s just not the case. For example I was looking for signal light lense for the front. I went on eBay and found a set in less than an hour they were $10.00 and were in Isreal. I had them in 10 days with an additional $12.00 Shipping. for a young guy / gal this is a real plus they don’t have to scour the countryside in hopes of finding some thing. And now with our modern machinary if you can’t find what your looking for there are plenty of people that can make it. Its never been easier to get the parts your looking for.