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Sweet Short Bed: 1970 Dodge D100

With over a three-decade run, Dodge’s D-Series pickups were a big hit. This 1970 Dodge D100 short bed would be a big hit with just about anyone I know and I would love to have it myself. This great looking truck can be found here on eBay in Corrales, New Mexico. The seller has a $6,500 buy it now price listed or you can make an offer.

This is a second-generation D100 short bed Dodge but it was more evolution than revolution between the first and second generations. This truck is particularly desirable and painful for me because I lost out on one very similar in July of 2017 in Idaho, although that one was a fraction of the asking price of this truck. There was a title glitch and I didn’t want to take a risk on it before they had the title in hand and then the seller went silent and the listing was down. Someone took a chance on it, that should have been me.

There’s something about these short bed/short box (potato/po’tahto?) trucks that gets to me. The seller bought this Dodge from the second owner and they say that they had installed LED marker lights and tail lights and they just left them since they worked great. That’s a good question: do you put LED lights in your classic or vintage vehicles or is that too much of a modern touch for you? It’s not exactly an important question in the grand scheme of life but I’m just curious. Hagerty is at $4,300 for a #4 fair condition truck and $9,300 for a #3 good condition truck. The seller has this one priced a bit under the halfway mark which is probably right on.

The seller mentions that the left side step well has been replaced as well as the floor pans. You’ll see a bit more rust in this YouTube video that they have provided. It doesn’t look bad, though – hopefully, it’s an easy fix. They also mention that the previous owner installed a plastic gas tank in the bed to replace the original tank that they removed from behind the seat. I’d want to fix that, but that’s just me. Along with that gas tank change, the gas gauge doesn’t work. The interior looks about like what you’d expect a 1970 Dodge pickup to look like, if not a bit better than what I would have thought. And, a 4-speed floor shifter? All day long.

The truck that I was looking at had a 225 slant-six and this one does as well. It looks pretty clean and the original one-barrel carb has been changed to a two-barrel which I’m sure makes a difference in how it moves out. Although with 140 hp, I don’t know if “moves out” is the right term. I’m sure this truck isn’t fast by any means but it sounds like it starts no matter the weather and it runs great. The brakes also work perfectly, according to the seller. I love this thing, are there any other fans of these early Dodge short bed pickups out there?

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    Yarrr matey, I likes it too,,,too bad for the seller, nobody else does. 23 watching and no bids. While I could take or leave the 4 speed, it’s equipped just how I like trucks. The 2 barrel thing, I did that to one of my Valiants. It did help some, but if you’re into that sort of thing, there’s a ton of mods you can do to these to make them run. Dodge pickups of this vintage, much less, short box ones, are pretty rare. We saw very few up north, and the ones we saw, were all wasted. I guess, this is just going to be the standard asking price for any vintage pickup, ( except mine, of course, you know how THAT goes) but if one is looking for a great truck, TO ACTUALLY USE (sorry for yelling) you simply can’t go wrong here. These trucks are so easy to work on, I changed a water pump on my GMC V8 in like 2 hours. Try THAT with your modern vehicles. Since nobody is bidding on it, I bet a lower number would get it.

    Like 5
    • Avatar Dave

      If you want a little more power out of your Leaning Tower of Power, Clifford Performance is the place to go. If the trans is original, first gear is a creeper gear. I’d drive it as is.

      Like 5
  2. Avatar NotSure

    Every time BF writes up a pickup, I find myself still amazed that old trucks are valued at 3, 4 or more times than what you could buy one for in the not too distant past! Does anyone recall the approximate year that prices started the BIG upswing?

    Like 4
    • HoA Howard A Member

      Not in my neighborhood, so much. I paid $1400 for my ’77 GMC short box, with a cap, and probably could have got it for $1200, but I was happy with $1400. Be great to get that surveillance van, and park near these sellers and see what these trucks really sell for.

      Like 7
      • Avatar triumph1954

        Howard A. Nice truck for 1400.00. In my neighborhood, I would have paid 2500.00 for this truck.

        Like 0
  3. Avatar Capriest

    I would paint it white above the beltline and post a vid of it on youtube for all the patina freaks.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Kevin T

    Didn’t the Gas Monkeys start with something like this up and build it into an abomination on “reality” TV?

    Like 0
    • Avatar moosie

      Yep , they adapted late Crown Vic. front cross member with suspension along with an LS Chevy motor & an O/D automatic trans and sold it for an ungodly sum back to the guy they originally bought it from ???

      Like 0
  5. Avatar Gw

    Truly love this truck. For me the four speed is great and I would definitely take it. However a slant 6 w three on the tree all day long.
    Asking about LEDs on a classic. The Model A Ford Roadster Pickup my son and I restored just had the feeble incandescent swapped for some wicked LEDs in the headlights. What a difference.
    -safer (see and be seen)
    -lower power consumption (down to a half amp with all the lights on. Was 3 amps.
    -longer life

    Huge fan.

    Like 5
    • Avatar Chris

      Same. This is a great old Mopar. You’ll never damage the /6 and get good milage.

      Like 2
  6. Avatar Gene Parmesan

    I would gladly take this home (for a few dollars below ask) if it were closer. Love the shortbox/manual trans combo even with the buzzin half-dozen under the hood. Just a great old truck.

    Like 4
  7. Avatar Del

    Pretty nifty short box.

    No rust.

    I would love to swap in a V8.

    Wish it was closer so I could go and see it

    Like 2
  8. Avatar M vickery

    I used LEDs on my car for the instrument panel lights, as one of the problems with the old incandescent bulbs is they get hot and yellow the plastic, making them brittle. You just have to change to a heavy duty flasher, as the standard duty one thinks the bulbs are burnt out since they draw less current. My car also has an indicator light that shows my tail lamps and brake lights as being burned out.

    Like 1
  9. Avatar Richard j Martin Member

    Leave the tower of power, put on 6 cyl. headers, and dual exhaust.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Edd Cline

    I wish it was closer to me, I would take it off his hands right now. These trucks are not easy to come by.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Terry Bowman

    It has a “Granny” gear transmission, so adding more goodies to increase the performance would be a waste of time and money, unless your only going to use 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears only. I had a 67′ and was not fun to drive with this setup, but it was a Great hauler. Without changing the motor(they are great motors), change the tranny from a car, install a 4 bbl with matching manifold, with 3X3 headers and duel exhaust. You will have a “HOT” little truck.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar moosie

    Any truck I’ve ever driven with that type of transmission whether 6 or V8 powered I would take off in second gear with sufficient oomph to journey on. First gear was only good for 10-15 MPH.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Terry Bowman

    So true Moosie, now you have a 3-speed. That was the point I was trying to make. A car tranny would be a better choice if not needed for hauling, but used as a daily driver.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Mitch Ross Member

    With that granny gear, couldn’t you put a really tall rear end ration in it would be like having overdrive

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Terry Bowman

    Mitch Ross, the problem with the “Granny Gear” is not the top end, but the lower. It’s design to more heavy trucks from a standstill. That is why most people start off in 2nd gear with a little bog, than having to use 1st, with a quick shift into 2nd.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Daniel Mendoza

    Love it thinking hard about buying it

    Like 0

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