Dodge D Series
Encyclopedia
- For Dodge's modern full-size pickup, see Dodge RamDodge RamThe Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
.
The D Series was a line of pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
s sold by the Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
division of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
automaker
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
from 1961-1980. After 1980, the trucks were renamed the Dodge Ram
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
and the same basic design was retained until the 1994 introduction of a completely redesigned Ram. The D Series shared its AD platform
Chrysler AD platform
The Chrysler AD platform was a truck platform used from 1972 through 1993. It was mainly used for pickup trucks like the Dodge D Series, thus the name...
with the Dodge Ramcharger
Dodge Ramcharger
The Dodge Ramcharger is a large sport utility vehicle built by Dodge from 1974 to 1993 , and based on a shortened-wheelbase version of the Dodge D Series/Ram pickup truck chassis...
/Plymouth Trailduster twins.
The body offered the then-traditional step-side bed, with distinct fenders as an option. As default, it introduced the first Virgil Exner
Virgil Exner
Virgil Max "Ex" Exner, Sr. was an automobile designer for numerous American companies, notably Chrysler and Studebaker. He is known for his "Forward Look" design on the 1955-1963 Chrysler products and his fondness of fins on cars for both aesthetic and aerodynamic reasons.-Early life:Born in Ann...
-inspired "Swept-Line" bed where the bed was the width of the vehicle and the fenders were inboard, as can be seen in virtually all modern pickup trucks.
The D Series used the familiar Chrysler Slant 6 engine
Chrysler Slant 6 engine
The Slant-6, known within Chrysler as the G-engine, is one of Chrysler's better known automobile engines. The engine is an inline-6 piston engine specifically designed such that the cylinders are inclined at a 30-degree angle from vertical...
in displacements of 170 , 198 and 225 as the base models, depending on the year. (The 198 was relatively rare, available as the base engine only from 1969–1973). All of Chrysler's larger engines, with the notable exception of the Chrysler Hemi engine
Chrysler Hemi engine
The Chrysler Hemi engine, known by the trademark Hemi, is a series of V8 engines built by Chrysler with a hemispherical combustion chamber. Three different types of Hemi engines have been built by Chrysler for automobiles: the first from 1951–1958, the second from 1964–1971, and the third...
were available as factory options.
Another innovation was the introduction of an alternator rather than a generator for electrical power. A three-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
was a major advance — the truck used a two-speed automatic less than a decade earlier.
Yet another innovation, a "Crew Cab" (four-door) body style was introduced in 1963, a first for a factory pickup. Prior crew cabs were custom conversion jobs. A "Club Cab" was also available for 1973, providing transverse
Transverse engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the long axis of the vehicle. Many modern front wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration...
seating for either a single third passenger or two small third and fourth passengers (most often, the Club Cab was used as extra cargo space).
In Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, was manufactured the first generation of the D-series. They were given the Dodge and Fargo
Fargo (truck)
Fargo was a brand of truck manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation. In general terms, Fargo trucks were a mere rebadging of Dodge trucks models.-History:...
brands, as Dodge D-100 and Fargo De Soto. They trucks was produced by the Argentinian subsidiary Chrysler-Fevre Argentina S.A.
Custom Sports Special and High Performance Package
1964 saw the introduction of the sporty Custom Sports Special. The Custom Sports Special included bucket seats, console, carpeting and racing stripes. The optional High Performance Package could be ordered with a CSS truck or by itself on a base model truck complete with Chrysler's big 426 wedge-head V8. This engine produced 365 hp (272 kW) and 470 lb·ft (637 N·m) — in-line with the muscle carMuscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
revolution that was then sweeping Detroit. The High Performance Package also included the LoadFlite automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
, a 6000 rpm-rated Sun tachometer with heavy-duty gauges, power steering, dual exhaust and rear axle torque rods (traction bars) sourced from 1961 Imperial
Imperial (automobile)
Imperial was the Chrysler Corporation's luxury automobile brand between 1955 and 1975, with a brief reappearance in 1981 to 1983.The Imperial name had been used since 1926, but was never a separate make, just the top-of-the-line Chrysler. In 1955, the company decided to spin it off as its own make...
s. Custom Sports Special trucks were produced from 1964-1967. The High Performance Package was only offered from 1964-early 1966.
1965
The D Series was redesigned for 1965. Big news was a wider tailgate and the replacement of the A seriesChrysler A engine
The Chrysler A engine is a small-block V8 automobile engine from Chrysler Corporation. It was produced from 1956 until 1967, when it was replaced by the wedge-head LA engine. The A engine's combustion chambers are polyspherical, and it is not related to Chrysler's Hemi engines of the same era.The...
engines with the updated LA series
Chrysler LA engine
The LA engines are a family of pushrod OHV 90° V-block gasoline engines built by Chrysler Corporation and factory-installed in passenger vehicles, trucks and vans, commercial vehicles, marine and industrial applications from 1964 through 2003...
. In 1967, the D Series trucks received big-block 383 2-barrel engines as a standard option.
From 1965 until the early 80's, the D series were assembled by the Automotive Equipment Group (מכשירי תנועה בע"מ) in Israel at a new factory located at Nazareth-I'llit (תעשיות רכב נצרת-עלית), using straight 4 & 6 gasoline engines with manual transmission.
This factory also produced the Jeep Wagoneer
Jeep Wagoneer
The Jeep Wagoneer was an early sport utility vehicle and the first luxury 4x4, produced under varying marques from 1963 to 1991. It was noteworthy for being in production for more than 28 years with only minor mechanical changes...
SUV for the Israeli army, and UK Ford Escort
Ford Escort
Ford Escort may refer to:* Ford Escort , a vehicle manufactured by Ford Motor Company's European division from 1968 through 2003* Ford Escort , a compact car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market...
& Ford Transit
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...
vehicles for the civilian market. The D Series were made both for the civilian market and for the Israeli army. The models were D100 & D200 light trucks, D500 truck, and the D600 truck with the straight 6 engine and having on-demand 4 wheel drive.
There was also a bus version made (mainly for army use).
This bus was a 20 seat bus built on the chassis of the D500 truck using the straight 4 engine with front & rear hydraulic doors, complete D500 front end & hood, and D500 dashboard.
1968–1971
By 1970, the Adventurer would be expanded into three separate packages: the base Adventurer, the Adventurer Sport and the top-line Adventurer SE. The Adventurer SE included such things as a chrome grille, wood trim on the dashboard, the padded vinyl front seat with color-keyed seatbelts, full courtesy lighting, extra insulation, dual horns, full carpeting, luxury door panel trim, a vinyl-embossed trim strip ran along the sides of the truck, full wheel discs and a woodgrain-insert panel on the tailgate. The 1970 models also featured a new four-section grille (two rows of two holes each).
'The Dude'
In August 1969, the "Dude Sport Trim Package" was released. This was essentially the D100 already in production, with an added black or white body-side ‘C’ stripe decal; a Dodge Dude decal on the box at the rear marker lamps; tail lamp bezel trim; and dog dish hub caps with trim rings. The Dude's tailgate was unique, featuring a Dodge decal on a flat tailgate surface, without the typical tailgate’s embossed logo. The Dudes were only offered in the 1970 and 1971 model years and only 1500 to 2000 Dudes were produced. http://www.allpar.com/trucks/dodge/dude.htmlhttp://www.dodgedude.com/index.php1972–1980
A redesign of the D Series for 1972 that lasted until 1980 introduced a more rounded look, similar to the 1973-1987 GM C/K series. This redesign for the third generation, that spanned until 1993 with minor changes, included new features such as an independent front suspension and pocketed taillights (the distinctive reverse on top lights were recessed to 0.25 in (6.4 mm) to avoid damage in loading docks and confined spaces). Styling cues, such as the scalloped hood and rounded fenderwells, were similar to the rounded, smooth look of the 1971 Plymouth SatellitePlymouth Satellite
The Plymouth Satellite is an automobile introduced in 1965 as the top model in Plymouth's mid-size Belvedere line. The Satellite remained the top of the line model until the 1967 model year, where it became the mid-price model with the GTX taking its place as the top model. The Fury name was moved...
. These trucks were built with a considerable amount of galvanized steel to resist rust and corrosion making them very durable. Because of this, today these trucks make great restoration projects.
1972 also saw the introduction of the 440 engine as a standard option for the light trucks.
The 1972 D Series was made famous in the television show Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
, where it was the featured paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
rescue squad vehicle for the entire seven seasons of the popular show.
The 1978 saw also the introduction of the first Diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
powered Dodge pickup truck. Available as an economy choice in the light duty trucks was Mitsubishi 6DR50A 4.0 L inline 6-cylinder naturally aspirating diesel, rated at 105 hp at 3500 rpm, and ~230 N·m (~169 ) @ 2200 rpm. The diesel used standard Dodge manual and automatic transmissions via specially made adapter plate which had the LA V8 bolt pattern. This rare factory option, VIN code H, was the result of fuel crisis and the collaboration of Chrysler and Mitsubishi. The engine, while being trustworthy and having far better economy than any other engine in the Dodge lineup at the time, suffered from its low power output and was considered to be underpowered by American standards, even though it was previously used in the Japanese 3.5-ton cab-over Mitsubishi T44 Jupiter Truck and in industrial applications. Because of the low sales it was phased out quickly and as a result it became practically a single year specialty.
Thousands of D Series trucks entered military service as the M880 series CUCV.
1981–1993
- Main category: Dodge RamDodge RamThe Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
pickup around when Lee Iaccoca took charge of the ailing Chrysler Corporation. Such things including an embossed "DODGE RAM" name on the tailgate along with other obvious changes like the grille and hood, the taillights, and the entire interior. More subtle was the addition of a "shoulder" line reminiscent of the GM competition. Beginning in 1981, even more corrosion-resistant steel was used in the construction of the trucks. This bodystyle continued until 1993 and needless to say, many of these vehicles are on the road still. Many body panels are interchangeable for all models from 1972–1993, so it is not impossible to see a "hybrid" of a 1978 grille mounted with a 1974 hood and a 1991 cab. Sometimes, the bed is swapped with a moving truck style box
Box truck
A box truck, also known as a cube truck, cube van, bob truck, box van, or straight truck, is a truck with a cuboid-shaped cargo area.-Road vehicles:...
for models like these. In most jurisdictions, the year is dictated by the year of the truck's chassis regardless of the body which has been bolted to it. Also kept was the Utiline step-side model that had the same truck bed that dated well into the 1940s. This was dropped during in this last era of the W/D Dodge trucks.
A narrower range of engines was offered: the base power plant was the 225 cu in (3.7 l) slant-6, now with top-fed hydraulic tappet
Tappet
A tappet is the noise made by a worn cam follower, however the term is widely used to represent the cam follower itself. In mechanical engineering it is a projection which imparts a linear motion to some other component within an assembly...
s, and the 318 cu in (5.2 l) and 360 cu in (5.9 l) LA-series V8s. The slant-6 was supplanted by the 237 cu in (3.9 l) V6 for 1988; in 1992 it and the V8s became Magnum engines. The 6BT 360 cu in (5.9 l) 12-Valve Cummins B Series diesel engine became an option in 1989.
Sales were good during the Sweptline era and into the late 1970s. A combination of stagnant styling nearly two decades old plus brand loyalty primarily to Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
and Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
during the 1980s and 1990s reduced sales volume for the first generation Dodge Ram. A wholly new Dodge Ram was released for the 1994 model year.
Engines
- 1961-1969 170 cu in (2.8 l) Slant-6Chrysler Slant 6 engineThe Slant-6, known within Chrysler as the G-engine, is one of Chrysler's better known automobile engines. The engine is an inline-6 piston engine specifically designed such that the cylinders are inclined at a 30-degree angle from vertical...
I6 - 1961-1987 225 cu in (3.7 l) Slant-6 I6
- 1961-1966 318 cu in (5.2 l) A V8
- 1964 426 cu in (7 l) RB V8, 365 hp (272 kW) and 470 (637 N·m) gross
- 1965 273 cu in (4.5 l) LA V8
- 1967-1979 383 cu in (6.3 l) B V8, 258 hp (192 kW) and 375 (508 N·m) gross
- 1967-1993 318 cu in (5.2 l) LA V8, 160 hp (119 kW) net
- 1972-1993 360 cu in (5.9 l) LA V8, 180 hp (134 kW) net
- 1972-1979 400 cu in (6.6 l) B V8, 200 hp (149 kW) net
- 1974-1979 440 cu in (7.2 l) RB V8, 235 hp (175 kW) net
- 1978-1979 Mitsubishi 6dr50A 4.0-liter I6 naturally aspirated diesel,105 hp @ 3500 rpm, and 169 lb·ft (230 N·m) of torque @ 2200 rpm
- 1988-1993 239 cu in (3.9 l) LA V6, 180 hp (134 kW) and 195 lb·ft (264 N·m)
- 1989-1993 359 cu in (5.9 l) Cummins B Series engineCummins B Series engineThe Cummins B Series is a family of straight-four and straight-6 diesel truck and industrial piston engines manufactured by Cummins. The B Series is known for displacing "one liter per cylinder" because of the popular straight-four and straight-six. A straight-four is also available...
I6, 160 hp (119 kW) and 400 lb·ft (542 N·m) of torque
In Brazil, it was marketed just with the 318 cu in (5.2 l) V8.
Dodge D-Series in Television/Movies
- A 1972 Dodge D-300 was used as a LA County Fire Department paramedic rescue vehicle, aka Squad 51 in the television show Emergency!Emergency!Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
. The utility body was custom built by Universal Studios for Emergency! according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department's specifications for its paramedic rescue vehicles. It was then donated to the LA County Fire Museum and was then restored thoroughly in 1999. The only thing that changed in the restoration was, a diesel engine replaced the engine used previously. There were 3 Dodge D-series vehicles used in the filming of Emergency!, a 1971, 1972 and a 1973 Dodge D-300. The 1972 and the 1973 were identical except for the grilles.
- In the opening scene of National Lampoon's Christmas VacationNational Lampoon's Christmas VacationChristmas Vacation is a 1989 Christmas comedy film directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. It is the third installment in National Lampoon's Vacation film series, and was written by John Hughes, based on his short story in National Lampoon Magazine, Christmas ‘59...
, the driver of a 1963 Dodge D200 harasses the Griswold family. The angry Mr. Griswold gets his car stuck under a lumber trailer.
- In the SupernaturalSupernatural (TV series)Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
episode "Route 666", a racist that a black man killed in self-defense in the 1960s haunts a town as a phantom D300. The vehicle is extensively modified, particularly through the addition of two diesel smokestacks, and filmed in such a way that identifying features are hard to see. The truck is most recognizable in a sequence where Sam and Dean Winchester pull the actual wreckage of the truck out of a pond.
- In 2009, an episode of Criminal MindsCriminal MindsCriminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
featured a black 1979 D-100 step-side as the vehicle driven by the villain (or unsub). The truck was the unsub's weapon of choice.