I can’t believe there are still vehicles like this 1971 Dodge D200 pickup hiding out there in the wild. This truck looks like it’s had a nut-and-bolt restoration, but it’s all original, believe it or not. It’s wearing all of its original paint, having been stored in a farm shed in the late 1970s. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Hollister, California, and they’re asking $25,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to T.J. for the tip!
Please check out the craigslist link to see all of the photos, this truck is absolutely amazing. It truly looks like it’s been restored, but it hasn’t. Farm trucks are usually used hard, and sometimes cobbled together with repairs to keep them going on the cheap. That isn’t the case here. They say it was bought new at a Dodge dealership in Roseville, California, and immediately had a cabover camper put on the back and has been stored in a steel farm shed since the late 1970s.
I’ve seen the photos a few times now, and I still can’t believe this truck is all original. How can any vehicle be this well-preserved after 54 years? This is the last year of the second-generation Dodge D-Series pickups, so the last of the stylish Styleside with the signature sloping bodyline on the bed, as seen above. Hold onto something, here’s what the original bed looks like inside! Hagerty is at $22,400 for a #2 excellent-condition truck, as a reference.
There are a few areas showing light surface rust in the cracks and crevices, but what a beautiful time capsule. Having been stored for over four decades seems to have preserved the interior, too, that steel farm shed must have been rodent-proof. Is that even possible? Probably not, but there are no signs of rodent damage and the seller doesn’t mention anything like that. This one has a four-speed manual as seen in the interior photos.
The engine is Dodge’s 318-cu.in. OHV V8, according to the VIN. It would have had 210 horsepower, and the seller says that after over 40 years of hibernation, this one has a new “Water pump, fuel pump. Removed, cleaned and coated original gas tank. Brake master cylinder, all wheel cylinders. Changed spark plugs (still had the original plugs with a little bit of blue overspray on them).” The 318 is backed by that four-speed manual sending power to the rear wheels, and they don’t say how it runs and drives, but I’m assuming it does both well. Have you ever seen an original pickup in this kind of condition?
Back in the day, most pickups were equipped like this one. We had a customer who bought a similarly equipped GMC and he was incensed about power steering and brakes being standard equipment. He wanted us to remove that stuff and give him sort of a rebate. I might add that he was quite an ice-fisherman (see link).Well, that guy could squeeze a penny until Lincoln’s eyes popped out. https://gearheadsncoffeestains.blogspot.com/2012/04/ice-fishing.html
But, overall, this was typical for the light trucks out west back in the days when a truck was bought for one purpose.
I do have to comment about the engine in this truck. Those small V-8s were notorious for the exhaust passage through the intake manifold to get plugged up with residue. You knew it when the engine suddenly got cold-blodded and you would need to put a block between the accererator and brake pedal to keep it running during the warmup stage. The only fix was to pull the manifold, rod the heat-riser passage out and re-install it. Problem solved.
Whoever gets this truck is going to get a good one. It’s going to be a rough-riding begger but it will get the job done…
YES to the intake manifold info. In 71 I bought a dealer demo 70 Barracuda Gran Coupe…. 318 column auto … A/C… red with white vinyl top… the houndstooth upholstery. Drove it for real in Ohio 120k miles and repaired rust a few times. In 78 it did exactly as you described and we ended up putting a manual choke on it… under the dash.
The body was loose to the rear springs… the night before it sold I took it out and it still went 115… shakin’ all over…
I can’t get over the condition of this one. Like Geomechs said, trucks were bought for a purpose. Whatever sidelined this one decades ago actually helped preserve it. I sure hopenit goes to a great new caretaker and gets enjoyed and preserved. I’m kind of surprised that a 318 even came in a 3/4 ton, but with the 4 speed and right gears it’ll get the job done.
It was unusual for a set of spark plugs to go more than 12,000 miles back in the day. So, if this truck still had its factory originals at 19,000 then that’s what might have sidelined it all those years ago.
It looks brand new, like it came like this from a Dodge truck showroom.
The owner really loved and cared for this truck, never seen one this perfect. Should stay the same, does not need bigger engine. Will win trophy’s at shows I bet.
Super nice. Like everyone mentioned, how did it stay so nice?
I’d give 25k for this one before I gave 50/60k for a new one. At the local NAPA store the other day getting parts for an ’84 F150, counter guy says they’re seeing more and more older (pre-computer) stuff coming out of the woodwork, stuff you can work on. Can’t afford new and can afford to fix used.
Another vehicle that was ugly when new, but is now beautiful.
I want this. This is exactly what I’m looking for, except I don’t necessarily need a 3/4 ton and it doesn’t necessarily have to be this nice. It’s nicer than the truck I drive to work every day. But, my daughter is going to be heading off to college in a couple of years and the next vehicle I buy will be hers. I don’t suppose these trucks are all that popular with the 16-18 year old girls. Although my daughter has recently taken an interest in fishing with me lately…
Looks like it was mainly used for trips with the camper and not much farm duty. The transmission probably has a bull-low first gear, which most people would ignore and start off in second unless under heavy load. What a nice truck, but, as has been mentioned, would rattle your kidneys with its tough suspension. Try to find another original truck in this condition!
I’m a little disappointed as I grew up on a farm & you need horsepower to pull a trailer full of horses or a trailer full of soybeans, hay or whatever. I don’t understand how a 318 is getting hogs to market! We had the 454 big block back then a worthy engine indeed!
If you read the ad or the article, BA, they didn’t haul anything but a camper with this truck. No hog-haulin’, just a camper on the back.
What are ya’ll talking about the motor being to small? We had several 2 ton dump and non dump trucks on our farm with 6 cylinder motors that didn’t have ant hauling or carrying issues at all!
Agreed! We worked with a ’60’s D500 with the 225 slant six, four speed plus a two speed rear axle, with a dump body with high sideboards for firewood and we were able to go anywhere and do anything required, and we never felt deprived of adequate power. With reasonable expectations, either the 6 or the 318 were fine truck engines, especially for farm or local work.
Probably the cleanest original Dodge D series I have ever seen. Hollister is a big agriculture town with several large farms. I service many of the refrigeration systems there as that town is in my route area, I’ve seen some cool old farm rigs there but I’ve never seen one as clean as this Sweptline. Being most of these trucks were used for anything and everything one could imagine being done on a commercial farm, it is really amazing that this Dodge survived in the condition it has.
This likely spent its life on a farm, but it might have wound up in Hollister because that’s where the seller lives. Roseville and Hollister are 170 miles apart, trucks like this would have been common at dealers, especially rural dealers. It’s hard to believe a seller drove that far to buy it. In 1971 when houses were affordable and pre-internet people tended to live, work and shop locally.
Steve R
I stand corrected on my previous statement Scotty still a camper isn’t bales of straw ! Apologies to all
No need to apologize, BA! I just wasn’t sure if you saw that they didn’t use it for typical heavy farm/ranch hauling duties. No worries at all!
Scotty….. The only thing I can think of that would make this listing even better…… Is if the original camper from the early 70’s was included with the truck, and if it was in the same condition too.. Now that would be impressive!!! Not that the truck isn’t impressive itself, but boy, that would be cool.
Steel farm shed? Is that another way of saying ‘Time machine’?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these this nice! It looks like it just came off the showroom floor. Here’s hoping it goes to someone who can appreciate it.
GLWTS.
All the comments about the engine being small. Most of your beer trucks in the 70″s were 6 cylinders with a 4 spd and 2 pd rear axle,
I’ve been to many auctions,never seen such a beautiful original truck this nice,the ones I see are restored, this is definitely a rare find,still hard to believe its original