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This is our 1953 Dodge pickup before we started restoring it. It was in pretty good shape except the engine wouldn't turn, the interior was dried out, it had the wrong wheels and tires on it, the paint had severe oxidation, the side windows were missing, the brake master cylinder was rusted solid and it was missing parts like front parking light lenses and wiper arms. Other than that it was pratically a show truck. |
| This is the original wood bed. Starting in 1953 Dodge used Yellow Pine. Up to 1952 they supposedly used Oak. Eventually all of the wood floor, and maybe the tailgate as well, will be replaced. The wood is starting to show signs of drying out and will be replaced soon with the help of hardware from Professional Hardware & Supply Co. |  |
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Here's where the original 218 c.i. flathead 6 cylinder would be. It had about 100 h.p. and 177 lbs. ft. of torque. By deciphering the numbers on our engine, we found out that we have the 230 c.i. flathead 6 that was used in a 1958 Dodge. It's the same block on the outside and it mounts to the tranny the same way, but it has a slightly higher compression ratio and a little more h.p. I recently finished rebulding it, and it's now looking quite a bit nicer than when this picture was taken. Click here to see some current pictures of it already installed in the truck. |
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This was the condition of the interior when we got the truck. Click here to see the new pictures. |
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