With fins becoming a predominant styling trend on cars during the second half of the 1950s, it was inevitable that they would find their way onto the pickup at some stage, and this 1957 Dodge D100 Sweptside is an example of what happens when the two meet. This is a nice and rare example that you will find listed for sale here on Bring A Trailer. It is located in Katonah, New York, and comes with a clean title. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $7,500.
The Sweptside was only produced by Dodge from 1957 until 1959, and it never achieved market success. A total of around 1,260 were produced over that 3-year period, with only 180 built during 1957. Of that number, it is believed that there are only about 75 of the ’57 model in existence. This one underwent a full restoration about 5-years-ago, and it does present rather nicely. It has been finished in its original red and white color scheme, and the finish is close to flawless. When I look at this pickup, I do wonder why the trend for fins didn’t catch hold in the pickup range, because it does look quite cool.
The restoration of the bed has been completed quite nicely, and it would be a shame to put anything in there that might scratch it. One area where this pickup does deviate from standard is the number of bolts used to secure the bed timber in place. On an unrestored Sweptside, the pair of center bolts on either side of the bed would not normally be present, with the bed only being bolted front and rear on either side. Otherwise, the bed is finished exactly as it was when it left the factory in 1957.
The interior has also been nicely restored, and this is an area where the Sweptside could exhibit its individuality. The painted surface could be one of two distinct colors. The majority of the surfaces were painted white, but a buyer could also choose to have the surfaces finished in the same highlight color as the outside, although the majority were painted white. The only things that I can pick on this vehicle that aren’t perfect are the vinyl on the seat isn’t exactly the same as it left the factory, and there is a joiner strip on the headliner that has come loose. The pickup is also fitted with an aftermarket heater control.
Under the hood is a 230ci flat-head six, which is backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. The engine and transmission were both rebuilt when the pickup was restored 5-years-ago, but there is no documentation to verify what work was actually performed on the engine. It does run and drive quite well, as is verified in this YouTube video.
While this Dodge D100 Sweptside is not a perfect restoration, it is very close. The underside of the pickup is spotlessly clean, and the paint shines nicely. If the issue with the headliner is rectified, then it will be close to perfect. This is a pickup that will stand out wherever it goes, and is guaranteed to attract plenty of attention. With only around 75 of these pickups known to now exist, this is a vehicle that you simply won’t see every day.
This is one cool looking truck I would love to have in my garage. The tail lights and fins really look good on the back of this thing. Up front it has the same flatty that is know for its longevity and reliability. The colours are right up my alley too. Nice find.
In 1957, I remember seeing one in these identical colours, but it was a V8 and I would swear that the cab had a big rear window. I am partial to the dress up trucks of the mid 50s, and would love to own this. I am a little surprised that, considering its rarity, there isn’t a big demand for these trucks. I am guessing, from the questions I get about my Cameo, that a lot of people don’t realize that this is a factory built truck and not a custom.
It would have been fun to build a clone of one of these trucks and install a 392 hemi under the hood.
Bob
Yea Bob S, it does remind you of the Cameo, which is also very cool. Love the extent the car makers went thru to dress up the pickups. One in this shape would be the talk of the car shows. Price seems good- you couldn’t by one and do it for anywhere near what they are asking. Good luck to the new owner.
Cheer
GPC
GPC
I didn’t mean to make a direct comparison to the Cameo, but to the fact that approximately 30% of the questions I get regarding the truck, relate to whether the box was made by GM, or whether it was customized.
I also agree that the design of the front of the truck seemed dated compared to the back of the truck. I always felt that the view of these Dodge trucks from the front was too box like, and that a different grille and rounding the bottoms of the front fenders would have made the truck look a lot more stylish.
It always surprises me, that the younger people involved in the hobby don’t know about the fact that all the auto makers experimented with building these “suburban 1/2 tons, and that this experimenting lead to the introduction of the Ford Ranchero in 1957, and the Chevrolet El Camino in 1959.
Bob
Gaspumpchas, it’s an auction, already at $14,000 with nearly 5 days to go.
I know this is a rare truck, but I don’t think it is attractive at all.
The Cameo was a much better looking truck, front and back.
I am not surprised at all not many of these were sold.
This truck was a direct result of the Chevrolet Cameo. And I think the Dodge was actually a better truck. The side were grafted from the wagon and were actually steel, not the fiberglass as on the Cameo. I would love to have this truck in my garage, and having one is on my bucket list. This seems like a fair price for a nice truck.
Funny how the designers pimped out the exterior and left the interior as barren as a prison cell.
That was my impression of the interior as well, when you consider that this was supposed to be a deluxe truck.
BTW, my comments don’t apply to the construction of the truck itself. These trucks were built like tanks.
Bob
Not a fan of the fins, they look too gimmicky to be taken seriously. Oddly though, the shape of the headlight buckets combined with the fins, says ‘Batmobile’ to me…but not in a good way.
I had a 59, it had the small (315 ci)Hemi used it to commute to school and work, I was a kid then and just telling or showing the Red Ram it always drew a crowd
Mine was Black and White. If I only knew then what I know now I would still have it!!
Chrysler engineers figured out how to graft station wagon quarter panels ( 2 door wagon) onto a pickup. You want it to work but it just doesn’t. GLWTA
There was a move, led by GM, to build a factory custom: the Chevy Cameo/GMC Suburban Carrier, then the Dodge Sweptside and the International Golden Jubilee. IMO, the International trumped them all. Of course I wouldn’t turn any of them away. I only saw one Cameo when I was a kid but there were a few Binder versions, even a blue one. I never saw a Sweptside in the flesh, only pics…
wow
I’d take a closer look at this one. I’m almost 95% certain I seen this exact truck at Hershey. The incorrect turn signal switch and incorrect knobs make me believe this is the one. The owner had it listed over $50k when I looked at it. When I looked at it with a friend we noticed the frame had been tweaked and damaged moderately at some point. The front grill bar is bent too which was the first thing I noticed at Hershey. Yes, they are indeed rare but this one isn’t at the $50k range with the issues. I’d be comfortable at $18k and find another frame for it, hoping I could get the box to align. Yes, I do have knowledge of these trucks. I own a 57 long bed V8 that is highly optioned. As for the back window…the large rear window was an option that was selected on the majority of the sweptline trucks but not all were equipped this way. The 57 is a one year design. You either love it or hate it. The front sheet metal and doors are one year only design. Just about everything else interchages. Also late 57s have the familiar 8-3/4 rear. Nice to see one for sale.
There’s one of these in the same color scheme i seen last year when i lived in Gatesville Tx.
After Franks comments,
I take my WOW back 😨
My brother-in-law bought a 57 Sweptside from his original owner neighbor in the late 70’s. The quarter panels both had old lead repairs on them, so I found a 57 Dodge 2 door wagon in a local junkyard. The yard owner was kind of a crabby old guy, always hard to buy from. I was able to buy the quarters(including taillights) but he wouldn’t allow a torch in the yard. My brother-in-law and I cut both quarters off with a hacksaw, hammers and chisels. Lots of beat up fingers/hands later he had a cherry set of replacement fenders. They are still in his garage attic with the Sweptside in the barn, next to his 66 Chevelle convertible ( original 327 4 spd). He’s now retired and actually getting a couple of cars done, not in the order I would have done, but I see the convert coming into his shop within a couple of months.
Let me know if your uncle would like to sell those quarters if he doesn’t use them. They’d for right on my long bed!
FWDLK Frank, Do you remember where the frame was tweaked? Thanks
Passenger side between the cab and the box (t-boned?) Driver side was straight. The bed was shifted inboard as compared to the driver’s side. At a glance the truck looks good. Look closer in person and you’ll start to see the damage. My friend pointed it out to me, who happens to own a 57 Dodge 2dr. wagon and is very familiar with those quarter panels. Can’t figure out why with such nice body work, the details like the knobs and a big factor like the frame weren’t attended to.
To you fellows that are concerned about the frame, have you ever heard of a frame shop, these guys straighten bent frames, not all frames need to be replaced some can be repaired. I see this on this site all the time throw it away and find another. Money can be saved when you repair. A frame shop can handle this without taking the truck apart this is done all the time on Larger commercial trucks. I’ve seen badly damaged frames with big twists in them repaired without a problem.
I absolutely love these Sweptside trucks and find this particular truck to be both fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Fascinating is that this particular truck was built with, as near as I can see, only one factory option, the recirculating air heater. Manual steering, manual brakes, standard engine and transmission, small back window and no step pads on the rear bumper.
What I find horrifying are the number of mistakes made in the restoration of this truck. The ill-fitting headliner is the least of it. First off, the paint. These trucks came standard with two-tone paint with the upper body colour a shade of beige or tan. In each year, 1957, 1958 and 1959 these colours were different from the previous year. The lower colour could be any standard Dodge truck colour. From the photos, the upper colour on this truck is white which without documentation from the seller to the contrary, I will call incorrect. Next is the inside of the bed. First, could the restorer not have taken care of the dents in the front panel of the bed? Next, the floor. As nice as the plated or polished stainless steel skid strips look, Dodge didn’t use these. The skid strips as well as the wood planking in the floor were painted the upper body colour beige/tan. Installing bright skid strips and fully finished wood would have been a significant cost increase to the assembly plant which the cost accountants would never have signed off on. Next the dash knobs. None of them are the correct pieces for this truck. Most of the knobs are from cars from the 1930s. The material on the seat is close in terms of pattern to what was used originally, but the material, particularly the red is not correct. The tailgate and rear bumper are interesting in that there are support chains to hold the tailgate open. These must only have been used when step pads were not installed in the bumper, as they support the tailgate when open. Lastly, the quarter panel stone shields. The factory installed them in the front of the rear wheel openings, not the rear. This goes a long way toward explaining why they fit so poorly.
“Normal” trucks had a “custom cab” option. This could be applied to the Sweptside as well with the windshield surround moulding portion of it standard. I don’t see that moulding on this truck.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have this truck. But there’s a not insignificant list of things to do to make this restoration accurate.
No worries on the frame on my end. Just alerting possible potential buyers of what they’re in for…bent frame, incorrect parts, etc. These go for big $ sometimes and an uneducated buyer could be easily had. There’s not much documentation to these either. They can be easily faked. In 1957 Dodge didn’t use data plates as in the years previous and after. They used a paper card glued in the glove box. You can only verify the hidden frame number to check if you have a matching title. There is a body number on the cab but that only tells you if you have a light, medium or heavy duty cab. In addition, Chrysler historical did not keep records/build sheets on the trucks as they did with passenger cars. Many ways to fake these. The sweptlines in 57 were put together by the Dodge Special Equipment Group. No records exist of exactly how many were produced to my knowledge. Just wanted to keep everyone informed and make sure a pretty paint job and shiny chrome doesn’t mask what you are getting.
I agree. There are at least a couple of sites with articles that claim to quote production numbers for these trucks but don’t cite their sources. If you can identify your source, then I’m holding to the notion that the numbers were plucked from somewhere warm and smelly.