After resting for eight years in a barn in Perry County, Missouri, this 1941 Dodge pickup is ready to have something done with it. The seller suggests a hot rod or rat rod, but I think this could attract a lot of attention if you just made it run and stop first, and then attacked the cosmetics later. It’s advertised here on craigslist for $2,750. Thanks go to Robert R for sending in this true barn find. There’s a logo on the doors that I can’t make out from the pictures, so this was a working truck for sure. There’s rust on the floors and probably other places as well, but the original flathead six-cylinder is in place, although we don’t know anything about it’s condition and no pictures of the engine are included in the ad. The original seat is missing as well. Would you restore this one, “rod” it, or just get it safe and driveable?
This is something I could see myself tinkering with. Make it run and stop, then do the cosmetics a bit at a time till it turns heads. Love it.
Exactly what I thought! can you get parts?
Lol, if you are asking if I have a personal source for parts no, but if you are asking if parts are available in general I would be surprised if they are not. I would think the local Napa would be able to handle most of its needs. I wish it were in Oregon, I know where there is a nice running 318 that would drop right in….
Decent truck for the money except I’ve made myself a promise to NEVER buy a vehicle without a current title. I hate dealing with the DMV or any government agency for that matter.
You just need to live in NH. Any vehicle over 15 years old only needs a bill of sale. The state won’t even issue a title for anything older than that.
http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/title/apply/exempt.htm
Vermont is 10 years… but in any case, no state had titles before WWII, so why is this an issue? He probably doesn’t realize there never was a title and assumes it was lost in the house fire. You see a lot of tragic stories when dealing with old cars about titles that the uninformed make up because they live in a different world than existed when the car was born.
it certainly has a lot of potential .. I spotted the plywood in the bed, so the bed is most likely shot would put an oak bed in it . it looks to be that red was it’s original color , so will stick with that.. a dark red am guessing most Dodge trucks present day that the seats would fit bench or split bench . I think a 340/360 engine would fit in .. I am totally ignorant when it comes to suspension make overs , would want a firm ride, but not bone jarring . I am guessing the cab floors were wood also … would keep that idea in mind.. or just put it in anyways Chrome reverse and /or mags .. we’re dreaming.. right?? and, oh, yes, a 4 speed..
I feel this truck has “resto-mod” all over it. Not that that is a bad thing. At least it will be saved. Trucks like this, in their original form, don’t really fit in today’s traffic, so if you are going to redo it to drive, that is the way to go. If it’s just for tinkering, parts, at least mechanical, are as close as your local auto parts store. I re-did a ’53 IH pickup, and just about everything could be rebuilt. Body parts and trim may be a little tougher, but you could leave it as is, with no problem. Cool truck. Great price. Oh, that title snafu would definitely be a problem in Wis. I think ALL vehicles need a title here, and would have to be inspected to get one, which still isn’t the end of the world. The truck should be safe to drive anyway.
nice old truck, i would make a driver out of it. but it is the sellers job to come up with a title. nice find
Small block 4 speed mopar powertrain good rear end maybe even Dakota chassis and leave body basically alone with nice seat modern stereo and drive it everywhere. I really Like old school gasser so keeping original chassis and doing it as a straight axle truck is my first thought.
This is nice. It has to be restored to original, or as close to it as possible. Now maybe one can tweak it a bit by installing a larger CID engine and change the rear axle to a higher ratio. I know a guy who runs a 251 (out of a Massey Harris combine) in his ’38 Chrysler. Don’t laugh, those industrial engines are designed to run at continuously high speeds. He keeps up with most modern traffic, which is to say that he can cruise quite comfortably at 60. He told me he doesn’t want to go any faster. Myself I wouldn’t want to try to drive one of these at 80. I remember getting about 23 sheets to the wind and taking my ’47 Ford pickup out for a high speed run. I had it up to 80 and, even in my somewhat intoxicated condition, it scared me. It just wasn’t designed to travel that fast. Anyways, back to this truck, with the larger engine, you open the hood and don’t see anything different; it’s still a flathead six. Here’s one for sale that’s quite different from the others. And that’s a bunch of us enjoying a refreshment while sharing a few stories.
Cool truck! I’d definitely check it out if it was local.
I’m really surprised by what appears to be original red paint. I dont think I’ve ever seen a truck that old with such a bright colour.