Philoctet
Active Member
I am a Dodge D series addict and fortunately for my wife these vehicles are hard to find in Normandy. We have many Dodge WC from WWII and I love them but for a daily I prefer D series. The first I bought (2016) was a '58 D100 V8 315ci manual 4 speed on floor long bed utiline. It came from Carson City Nevada.
The second one (2017) was a '76 D100 360ci manual 3 speed long bed utiline. It came from Ellensburg (WA). It was a public work truck. For official use only is still readable on doors. The beds of these two trucks are very similar but the older one is the stronger one. With my father, we used wood from an old barn door built during the fifties to keep the patina look.
The third one (2018) was a plumbing truck from Warner Robin (GA). It was a '72 D100 360ci A727 short bed. I found on Google other pictures showing J.W Montgomery plumbing vehicles. One was a '53 Chevy 3100 with the same hand painting ads but without "& sons" ;o) It was a very cool truck but rusty and noisy so I sold it for a new project.
2019 was a special year because I bought 2 trucks from 2 old guys Irvin and Bob living near Bellingham (WA) and very interested in Normandy WWII history. Irvin "the old ugly guy" sold me a green '78 D150 318ci A727 long bed Adventurer and Bob sold me a blue '75 D200 360ci A727 long bed Camper 9000. I made a frame off restoration on the D150 in 2020 during Covid 19 and I went with it to D'days celebrations in June 2021. I took pictures for Irvin who was very proud to see its old truck there. I sold it to a friend some weeks later.
The blue D200 was waiting in the shop for 2 years, it was its turn now. I just made the necessary to put it back to the road. This truck is very particular, except the bigger wheels it looks like a D100 or D150 but under the frame everything is bigger It still have all its original equipment as mentioned on its Equipment Identification Sheet still present under the hood. The cruise control is working like the first day. I drive this truck weekly and I call it my mule. In June 2022, it was its turn to go to the D'Day celebrations. I took pictures for Bob who told me that one of his uncle was in Normandy on D'day. He was pilot on a LCVP (landing craft). He made three rotation between his mother boat and the beach before being injured.
This same year, as I wanted to get more room in the cab, I found a lovely '76 D200 Club Cab Adventurer 360ci A727 long bed coming from San Bernadino (CA). With the '58, it is the 2nd one where I don't need to change the floor panels. Under the hood, the engine needed to be rebuilt that's what I did. Today it runs and drives very well but it is definitely too long to drive and park in town where everything is done for vehicles below 5 meters long.
In 2023 I found the solution for my parking problem. It's name is Ramcharger ! I found two RC in the south of France. They were imported ans sold by Chrysler France at the end of the seventies. One is a 318ci A727 2WD and the other a 360ci A727 4WD. I had a lot of work to do before they can succeed to technical inspections but I made some cruising at the end of the summer with the RC 2WD and I found it's a magic truck you can enjoy under the sun with friends, children and dog on board ;o)
The second one (2017) was a '76 D100 360ci manual 3 speed long bed utiline. It came from Ellensburg (WA). It was a public work truck. For official use only is still readable on doors. The beds of these two trucks are very similar but the older one is the stronger one. With my father, we used wood from an old barn door built during the fifties to keep the patina look.
The third one (2018) was a plumbing truck from Warner Robin (GA). It was a '72 D100 360ci A727 short bed. I found on Google other pictures showing J.W Montgomery plumbing vehicles. One was a '53 Chevy 3100 with the same hand painting ads but without "& sons" ;o) It was a very cool truck but rusty and noisy so I sold it for a new project.
2019 was a special year because I bought 2 trucks from 2 old guys Irvin and Bob living near Bellingham (WA) and very interested in Normandy WWII history. Irvin "the old ugly guy" sold me a green '78 D150 318ci A727 long bed Adventurer and Bob sold me a blue '75 D200 360ci A727 long bed Camper 9000. I made a frame off restoration on the D150 in 2020 during Covid 19 and I went with it to D'days celebrations in June 2021. I took pictures for Irvin who was very proud to see its old truck there. I sold it to a friend some weeks later.
The blue D200 was waiting in the shop for 2 years, it was its turn now. I just made the necessary to put it back to the road. This truck is very particular, except the bigger wheels it looks like a D100 or D150 but under the frame everything is bigger It still have all its original equipment as mentioned on its Equipment Identification Sheet still present under the hood. The cruise control is working like the first day. I drive this truck weekly and I call it my mule. In June 2022, it was its turn to go to the D'Day celebrations. I took pictures for Bob who told me that one of his uncle was in Normandy on D'day. He was pilot on a LCVP (landing craft). He made three rotation between his mother boat and the beach before being injured.
This same year, as I wanted to get more room in the cab, I found a lovely '76 D200 Club Cab Adventurer 360ci A727 long bed coming from San Bernadino (CA). With the '58, it is the 2nd one where I don't need to change the floor panels. Under the hood, the engine needed to be rebuilt that's what I did. Today it runs and drives very well but it is definitely too long to drive and park in town where everything is done for vehicles below 5 meters long.
In 2023 I found the solution for my parking problem. It's name is Ramcharger ! I found two RC in the south of France. They were imported ans sold by Chrysler France at the end of the seventies. One is a 318ci A727 2WD and the other a 360ci A727 4WD. I had a lot of work to do before they can succeed to technical inspections but I made some cruising at the end of the summer with the RC 2WD and I found it's a magic truck you can enjoy under the sun with friends, children and dog on board ;o)
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Not sure this collection will grow in the future because my lane is not wide enough and more seriously good '70 Dodge trucks at low price become hard to find. I have to add ground transport from the seller to the oversea transport facility and then shipping cost+custom+VAT. With all of that a $3000 truck changes itself in a $5000 but it stays the same old truck needing new tires, new brakes, new shocks, new center link and tie rod end... which prices will be multiply by 2 for the same reason (except for the tires I can buy locally if the rims are not 16.5"). 
