I’m not a person who names my vehicles, but if I were and I owned this 1968 Dodge D200, it might be named Big Red. That isn’t too creative, but it seems to fit for a 3/4-ton pickup with a full-length bed and upgraded 400 V8 engine. The seller has it listed here on eBay in Thousand Oaks, California, and the current bid price is $2,999. If you can’t wait, just click on the $6,559 buy-it-now price.
Big Red is pretty faded, and I’d want a shiny version of this rig if I owned it. I like patina if it’s evenly worn down by life, work, the sun, the wind, the weather, and whatever else. Sometimes, I just want a vehicle to look like new again and this is one of those cases. The second-generation D-Series Dodge pickups were made from 1965 through 1971 and I love the two-headlight grille on this generation.
Here’s where the patina goes off the rails for me. Still, overall, it looks like a solid truck despite the unusual white showing on the driver’s side of the Sweptline bed. The eight-lug wheels show this truck means business. I bet it would be a great hauler or puller, much more than a lot of us would ever need, but not overly harsh like a one-ton D300 might be. I’d want to restore this truck back to its original spec, other than keeping the 400 V8 transplant. It comes with extra wheels and chrome rims, but these would be staying on it if it were mine. I’m not a chrome wheel guy, I love the look of these factory steel rims.
The interior looks good from what we can see, and there’s no clutch pedal here, so this one has an automatic. The seller refers to it as a 727, which is a TorqueFlite A727 three-speed. We don’t know what year the drivetrain is from, and I don’t know if the seller does, as they say it was done under previous ownership. They say they bought this truck to do a Hellcat swap, which seems unusual to me for a 3/4-ton truck, but what do I know? (nothing, basically, just ask my wife)
The engine is said to be a 400-cu.in. OHV V8 but we don’t know the year. It would have had between 185 and 250 horsepower and 305 and 410 lb-ft of torque. It has a rebuilt carb and upgraded intake, some additional power steering parts, new gauges, and more. Hagerty is at $7,500 for a #4 fair-condition truck with a 383 so this could be a bargain, depending on how it runs and what the underside and rust issues are, if any. Any thoughts on this D200?
Love it!
My favorite truck and I’m absolutly with you on the rims.
I personaly would change nothing on the apperance.
Thanks for thie write up!
Jeff
Absolutely agree. Love these old Dodge trucks. One of these in green and white has been parked for a couple decades at a nearby repair shop; seems the owner isn’t interested in selling it but the shop recently went up for sale..don’t know what is under the hood but it doesn’t matter-it’s incredibly clean. My CFO said she’d be happy with it for the right price too!
🤞🏻🤞🏻
I wonder if this was an original 383 truck? If it was it was definitely ordered to do some work, my guess would be towing and what a tow vehicle. I always think of The Dude trim package and Don Knotts. This is one of my favorite Dodge body styles. I would definitely keep it red. If it was faded evenly I’d keep it, but the way it looks now I’d go all out on an inside and outside restoration on this. It just looks like an honest solid old truck.
Twin pot AND power assist!
I wonder if it came with the engine swap?
Great write-up, Scotty, and I love this old truck. Keep ’em coming.
It’s snowing right now where I am at, I could use something like this. Will spring ever come? Wish I could send you guys a picture, pretty, but looks like a blizzard, so maybe you wouldn’t see much anyway. Going to light a fire and dream of daffodils.
Growing up in the early 90’s our next door neighbor had this same truck in green and used it everyday in his landscaping business. It looked a hundred years old even then. I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t upgrade to a newer truck, of course I fully understand now. Great find and write up.
No bids now. Chrysler had some interesting shift choices in the sixties. Trucks had buttons from late fifties until 65. Then dash shifters 65 to 68, and then 69 on had column shifters. I have had three of Dodges of this era, I had a 62 with aftermarket shifter, a 67 with granny low four speed, and a very nice 69 Adventurer with a column shift 727.. All were scsb, single cab short bed in truck talk. The truck in this post would be a real work truck but not something to just ride around in. This one is a D200. The rear axle is a full floating axle, and surprisingly the short bed D100 trucks also had them until 69. These seem to be catching on a little bit now but like with other brands, the short bed models or the crew cab models are the best sellers.
Funny comment Scotty about your wife. Cracked me up. I miss the days when these Dodge p/u’s were just a letter and a couple numbers. None of this Ram sh*t they have foisted on the young’in buying public nowadays.
Oh, and daffodils in full bloom in Delaware now & 78º this Monday.
Good write up.
Thanks for the great comments, folks!
Auction update: this one only got to $2,999, was relisted, and then it’s a mystery, it says “no longer available”, so they must have taken an offer.