Tow trucks are one of the coolest trucks on the road. This 1951 Dodge 5 window wrecker is no exception. It might be a little outdated in towing technology, but what it lacks in features, it makes up for in fame. According to the seller, this little red wrecker was featured in the 1999 film “Runaway Bride.” As car people, watching non-car movies, we tend to look for cars. If you know the movie and where the truck makes its appearance, let us know. The truck is currently being sold out of Wallingford, Connecticut. A reserve has been placed on this minor movie star. Currently, the $3,700 bid price by 13 bidders has not yet reached it. Thank you, Ikey H., for the tip. You can find it here on eBay.
Sadly the truck has been in storage since its screen time feature. There is no VIN listed, but the title is claimed to be clear and the mileage is listed at 74,000 miles. No word on what kind of engine and transmission are installed in this truck or if it runs and drives. They do provide a photo of the engine which can help you experts out there discern what it is.
Inside is a primitive but effective cab full of all the associated buttons, switches, and levers that go with the necessary function of a tow truck. There is some surface rust and a little cleaning to be done, but overall it is good condition. It does have an original Manley Wrecker Lift installed. There is no mention of when the last time any of the equipment was used for the actual towing, but whether you’d want to trust this old equipment to tow anything on the street.
If you are a tow truck fan, movie nut, Dodge lover, or any combination of those, this truck is certainly something to place a bid on. Even with the unknown reserve, movie vehicles always provide plenty of cars and coffee conversation pieces. Just be sure to have a screenshot of the scene with it handy as proof to all those who might be doubting its authenticity.
You know, normally I’d say take the wrecker body off, as it has little use with todays vehicles, but this truck is in such nice shape, might be fun to leave it as is. I believe this has the tried and true 237ci engine, I read probably 108hp, certainly no speed demon, but torque up the wazoo, and who knows, you have to haul a classic car somewhere, be a hero. Very cool piece.
Something like this I would want to run and use so the towing body would be a problem. My dad came home with a ‘49 Dodge tonner with an 8 ft. box and manual hoist. The truck ended up being used all over the ranch. It had 50K miles when we bought it and we ended up putting over 100k miles on it. Rebuilt the engine (ours was a 217) and clutch, transmission, brakes. Cab mounts, and numerous other things. It was weathered but in good shape. Some guy drove into the yard one day and wanted to buy it. Dad sold it for $2K. Just like that it was gone. I actually entertained thoughts of restoring it.
Love wreckers would leave as is.
You sure this wasn’t Mater in Cars ?
Mater was a mid 50’s International.
I grew up near Riderwood, MD and remember Gill’s clearly. Attached is an image of what Gill’s Garage looks like circa 2017.
That’s it Jim ! I was a FedEx guy in that zip coder from 1999 till 2008. Story was that the owner of that place had an old period piece roadster in that back of that place that was there for years.
That’s a neat old Dodge in pretty good shape. My vision for it would be to go with a more modern driveline, give it a fresh coat of paint and clean up the interior but keep that looking stock. I’d keep the bed but remove the towing boom and all the associated hardware. Maybe fabricate some type of tailgate and you’d then have a pretty handy rig for hauling a motorcycle. It could also be a good work truck for a contractor. Image the business you could attract driving around town in this classic truck with your business name boldly displayed on the sides of the bed. Lots of potential with this one for maybe not a lot of money.
I just checked out IMCDB.com, the internet movie card database and there was no Dodge truck listed for the movie Runaway Bride and there are plenty of cars listed for that movie.
Thanks AMXBrian, you just prevented me from doing the same thing.
4 speed manual trans with granny gear. I wouldn’t change a thing. Take it to the car shows then hook my Riv to the back just for show.
God bless America
I found the screenplay here:
https://www.awesomefilm.com/script/rwbride.html
It’s 114 pages long. References to Gill’s garage are on pages 42-45…. so just a little over 1/3 of the way into the movie.
I’d assume it was sitting still since it didn’t show up on IMCDB…
Flathead 6 cylinder – probably 4 speed granny box.Two speed rear axle maybe?
No two speeds in the one ton line. Likely a 4.09 rear which makes it a 45 mph truck.
Neat old tow, could be older. That front is from a 1948-50.
https://www.allpar.com/model/ram/ram-history.html
51-53 dash was different also. This is a 49 or 50 model.
Jim ODonnell is right. This was Charlie Gill’s truck. He was a MoPar man. This truck was garaged most of the time. I worked across the street from his place when I was a young guy, back before the Civil War. Charlie has been gone for a long time now, and his son too.
I saw this rig in Ruxton Maryland about 12 years ago and it looked just like that. Gill’s Garage in Riderwood is the next “town” over from Ruxton and it was an old service garage that is still there although out of business. I was a FedEx courier in that area back then and the FedEx truck that was used in Runaway Bride was assigned to a route in Cockeysville Maryland. I drove that truck when that courier took vacation. Also, the church where that happened is right where I have my Po. Box. Ok, I’ll shut up now !! But that tow truck is the real deal cool !
Tow trucks are some of my favorites. Maybe not the most practical vehicles, but several have followed me home over the years. The ’38 Chevy 1 1/2 ton above really called to me. Was a deluxe machine when new, has a Weaver power auto crane wrecker unit and a beautifully built tow body. I’ve found a pair of NOS rear fenders, nice ’30s vintage sportlite spotlights with brass Chevrolet logo tags. Mechanically will get a slightly more modern straight 6, either a 292 or possibly a GMC 270, 4 or 5 speed and a one ton rear. Will have 19.5 tubeless wheels/tires I salvaged from a motorhome.
I really like the looks of this Dodge, if it weren’t half way across the country, I’d be tempted to make room in the barn for it!
That is a cool rig.
so buy it. your barn seem like a good dry home for it..
I drove a Dodge wrecker just slightly newer than this at the first dealership I worked at. Engine was screaming at 45 mph but that flathead felt like it had enough torque to pull for days. Pulled cars from some pretty hairy spots along back roads with that beast. Always remember the assortment of 2×4, 4×4 and 6×6 timbers rattling around in the back that you had to use to keep the sling from hitting the bumper and valance.
That was in the early 70s; dealership owner was cheap and refused to update/upgrade much of anything. By the early 80s he was out of the business and the building was razed with a strip mall taking its place.
Had a great, somewhat crazed, service manager there. Best memory of the place…
Late to the party here. The truck (and the shop pictured above) appear at about 28:40 into the movie. Julia Roberts’s character (Maggie) has a former fiance named Gill Chavez. The camera pans to this truck as Maggie drives onto the lot as a way of introducing Gill Chavez.
I grew up in Ruxton (right next to Riderwoodand) and still live there. I knew the Gill family well and used to ride my bike to the station to buy candy. That truck was owned by the owner of another gas station nearby until recently. It looks like it does in the photos. Last time I checked the engine was seized and they were still trying to free it. Based on the ebay listing not mentioning that it runs I would guess it is still seized. If I had the space I would have liked to have kept it local and got it running. Gill’s Garage is now a man cave owned by a local enthusiast.
Yeah, Lee, I was a FedEx guy in Ruxton around 2001-2008 and I saw that truck sitting at that gas station on Bellona down near Malvern Ave. It looked exactly like this here. Pretty cool rig