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1972-1975 Trucks
The early years of the 70's
generation trucks have some attributes that put the other years to shame,
but they still have some quirks that you should know about.
Engine Choices for this group include
the 225, 318 and 360(v-8) and the 400b(v-8). The majority if these engines
have
the "good" heads that lots of muscle
car guys go scrounging for, and some of the 72 model engines still have
the forged cranks and thickwall blocks that are the best for major power
biuldups. They only darkside is the fact that some of the carry over
heads in 72 are not suitable for
use with unleaded gas, casting numbers should be checked. Although the
440 is not listed
as engine option for these years
of trucks, I have seen factory 440 installs, and they do exist.
The driveline is standard
stuff, Dana 44's, 60's, 8 3/4, 9/14 differentials; NP-435 and 445, 727
transmissions; and NP-205
transfer cases. The front ends
have drum brakes which is kinda scary when they get wet, they are changeable
to disc with
Dodge parts. The transfercases
are divorce mount, which means power is transmitted with a short driveshaft
between the
transmission and transfercase,
not really a problem but it leads to slightly sharper driveshaft angle
when a lift is installed.
Although a drop shaft can be made
to allow the transfercase to sit lower when huge lifts are installed(10"+),
improving the drive line angle.
Some of the early trucks
also have rear springs that are 2" shorter than the later years, which
means when it comes to
lifting, the rear must use a rear
block,add-a-leaf, or custom springs. Thats why most kits listed are 75-93
truck. The front springs are apparently the same as the later trucks.
Common Problems:
Sunken valve seats, roasted front drums that are getting hard to come by,
fenderwell rust in rear box.
Strong points:
NP-205 transfercase, Part time 4WD, Big block engines, easy transmission
swap to 5 speed, factory Pto winches
on heavier trucks.
1975-1979 Trucks
What! No Hubs?
This era of trucks has the
worst reputation of all Dodge trucks, although all Domestic auto makers
played with Full-Time 4WD,
Chrysler decided to use a proprietary
hub design which got a pretty bad rap from alot of people, mostly chevy
guys, who did not
understand how it worked. Another
thing that added to the reputation was the big time smog equipment attack
that chrysler gagged its engines with, 440's making 200 hp was pretty sad,
with all the material and manafacturing that went into the smog equipment,
there would most likey have been less overall pollution impact on
the planet if they just left the engines with a 4 bbl carb and PCV system,
I wonder how many thousands of air pumps and grenaded engines(from running
so lean) there are lying around in landfills today?
The engines are cursed with
more hoses and doo-dads that you can shake a stick at, compression ratios
are in the meager 7.8:1
range and the infamous Lean-Burn
system was introduced to trucks. Most of the engines from these years suffer
from thin castings and cracks due to lean air/fuel charges and cost cutting
in the foundry. One of the few highpoints is the Thermoquad Carbureator,
which makes an excellant performance carb when its thoroughly shaked from
all its smog goodies(830-900 cfm).
The drive line is normal
stuff, Dana 44's,60's and 9 1/4, 8 3/8's diffs, but here's the kicker,
small 5 on 4.5 car like wheel studs, which limits tire size is used with
the fulltime hubless front axles, 3/4 ton and heavier trucks still have
the 8 bolt wheels, but again lack hubs, after market kits are available
or you can use all dodge components to get rid of the fulltime, the exception
is trucks equipped with the dana 60 which just require replacement of the
splined cap with a selectro hub.
Along with the wierd hubs
comes the NP-203 transfercase, found in all fulltime trucks, equipped with
a center manul lock
differential, it splits the torque
to the axle with the 'least' amount of tractions when not locked, the lock
position results in a 50/50 split. The 203 is a massive unit that is actually
quite tough, and has a better low range than the 205, the case managed
to get its reputation for rough shifting and blowing up do to DUMBasses
putting the wrong oil in the case, it does not uses
gear oil or Dexron II like most
people think but straight 30 weight engine oil. Some heavy duty trucks
have the NP-205 listed as an option, which means 1 tons, Both cases for
the first time were directly attached to the back of the transmission,
which as usual includes the NP-435/445 and Loadflite 727/904. Incidentally,
75 was the first year for the AW-150/100 Ramcharger and Plymouth Trailduster
models, a 2 door sport ute with 1/2 ton truck underpinnings. The 75-79
Aw-150/100 are equipped with a removeable hardtop which is way cool if
you live in a hot climate, and way uncool if you have had the top off in
a wet climate.
1975-1978 were the years
that the 440 cid engine was listed as an option for all models except the
d-100, it was available with
the 4 speed manual trans and the
automatic, although it is more common to see the 400 cid with the 4 spd
than the 440, and even more common to see both backed by the 727 auto transmission.
1978 marks the death of the Big-Block engine in Dodge
light duty trucks, it may have
been a good thing because Chrysler did nothing for the big block's heritage
by continuing big gas guzzling low output engines. The 225,318 and
360 saw service as usual, as did a perkins 354 Cid diesel option, non turbo,
it got good mileage and horrible power output. A turbo kit makes the perkins
into a hauler, stock though, its faster to just push the truck by hand
than to try and drive it.
Something cool about late
70's trucks is the paint schemes. Known as the Macho package and nicknamed
the "SIMON AND SIMON TRUCKS" thanks to the TV show, the paint made the
trucks stick out bigtime. Its reminiscent of the late 60's early 70's muscle
car colours called The
stripes and loud, big POWERWAGON made
the trucks different from
anything else on the road(kinda
seems like chrysler does this alot).
On a 2wd side note, the LIL
red Express truck of 1978, was the fastest accellarating vehicle(production,domestic)
of that year.
I am not quite sure how they could
make a winner engine like that, a 360 with 340 cam and intake tweaks and
put such a 440 lo-po turd motor in the same year, kinda makes yah wonder...
Common Problems:
Thrashed front wheel bearings because of lack of lube in wheel bearing
assembly(grease nipple through hoole in rotor), thrashed transferscases(lack
of lube and being driven in HI-LOC without a front driveshaft), Front ring
and
pinion wear on high mileage trucks,
lo-po engines, undersized wireing to heater motor, introduction of heavy
use of fusible links,
Lean burn spark computers, excessive
smog junk, fenderwell and rocker rust, main wiring plug on firewall is
highly subsceptible to corrosion and subsequent terminal burn up, Signal
lights, chrome metal grills and solid fron valances are becoming hard to
find in decent shape, rear mounted steel gas tanks are usually dented to
hell, making the tank leak and the fuel guage highly inaccurate.
STRONG points:
Big block 440's and 400's are rebiuldable to musclecar power levels and
beyond, 4 bbl carb available on all v-8 after 77, NP-203 transfercase is
actually pretty strong, steering shaft used from 79 and prior accomodates
a body lift better
that later style, Axles easily
converted to standard hubs and offer good strength, macho wagons may have
a high dollar value in the future due to paint schemes.
1980 and Late 79
Holy Identity Crisis Batman!
This seems to be the year where
Dodge was confused or didn't care what went into the trucks, a new model
was on the way and the trucks got a mixture of new and old parts, making
the machines a meld of the 70's and the future 81 pickups. Gone was
the big blocks and fulltime 4wd,
Part time was back with Np-208 and Np 205 adapter type transfercase, Dana
44's and 60's had locking spicer hubs, 9 1/4's and 8 3/8's rear ends
had the now standard 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern on the half ton trucks, some
3/4 ton trucks started to appear with 9 1/4 semi-floating 8 lug rear ends
and 727's, 904's and Np-435/445's transmitted the power. Dodge started
using its own powersteering box that came with a new flex joint that was
and is crap and the plastic bodied mastercylinder and large brake booster
appeared and stayed.
The prospector trim package
arrived, and the Macho package was still around, 225's and 318,360 v-8's
were the power options. Dodge discovered carpet and cloth headliners in
1980, most models of this year have really nice interiors for some
odd reason, plastic trim on the
footwells of the cab seem to be more common place in 1980 than other years.
Wiring is the same as the
75-79 models and has the same problems, the same dashboard and general
componentry is used,
which means the heater wiring leaves
alot to be desired once more. A plastic side mounted fuel tank was used
for the first time, gone was the steel dentable leakers of the past. The
front signal lights are in the front valance unlike the last models, quad
set of
square headlights were used in
late 79 while dual rounds were used in 80, making the grills rare and harder
to find than any other years, the center rib hood was introduced changed
from the early "bird Bath" hoods and chrome dodge lettering was attached
to the front lip of the hood, instead of being embossed in the grills.
Engine changes included the
introduction of the doomed dual pickup distributor and computer controlled
carb(Rochester Quadrajet), the overflow tanks were mounted along the top
tank of the rad, the thermoquad was still in use, but what trucks got what
carb seemed to be a coin toss.
The ramcharger and trailduster
remain largely unchanged body wise, more creature comforts arrived in the
rear passenger compartment of the trucks.
1980 was the last year the
name DODGE POWERWAGON
was put on a truck
Common problems:
New steering shaft biulds its reputation as being total crap, wiring as
same as before, rochester carbs are commonly thrashed and have worn throttle
shafts, dual pickup distributor has an appetite for pick ups and reluctors,
same fenderwell and rocker rust, grills are hard to come by
Strong points:
Desireable Part time 4wd, plastic gas tanks that are side mounted, 5 on
5.5 bolt pattern, lots of these trucks have nice interiors, np-205 case,
small rear window in pickups, Paint shemes. For the earlier trucks, this
may be the year of truck to get for a biuldup, it has lots of the best
components that are often swapped to the other trucks, and a big block
is bolt in.