1955 Dodge
Owner:
John Hopper
This is my supercharged 1955
Dodge 1/2-Ton Job Rated Truck.
I bought this truck from an impound yard several years ago and while it
was
in pretty worn out condition, it was also very straight.
After it suffered a complete brake failure which
led to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and ripped the front suspension out,
I decided to turn it into a nice
street truck.
I tore it down all the way to the frame and grafted on a
'67 Chrysler Imperial subframe, along with a '66 Chrysler Imperial
8-3/4" rear end housing and a leaf-link setup with Dutchman axles and
3.55:1 posi.
The frame was boxed and a custom 1x2 x-member ties the suspension points
together.
I
put in a ’68 440 block bored
.030 over, TRW 8.5:1 forged pistons, forged crank, six-pack rods, ‘906 heads,
SSI hydraulic
cam, Mooneyham large bore
6-71, BDS intake, and two
Holley 650 double-pumpers
which are fed from a rear mounted 16-gallon fuel cell suppyling a custom Aruzza
Hemi fuel pump via 1/2" stainless steel line. The truck runs
an 11" clutch and a 4-speed.
For exhaust it has custom 2" headers, ceramic-coated inside and out,
and a 3" Flowmaster system.
'74 Newport spindles and disk brakes, custom steel wheels with
TA radials up front and 18.5" x 31" Mickey Thompsons in back
keep it glued to the road.
The interior has
a '66 Chrysler Imperial tilt column, '91 Chrysler LeBaron power windows, door
latches and locks, custom
wiring, and the stock seat with a
4-point harness.
To spruce up her looks, body and paint ('70 Ford
Mach 1 Red) was done by Perfect
Auto Body in Redondo Beach, CA,
and the cab interior, running boards and bed were rhino-lined. The
end
result of my blood, sweat and tears
is the truck you see in front of you.
These great old Dodge trucks are worth the effort and are here
to stay!
