This week, I’m going to explore some parts of the US that I don’t typically search, just to see what there is to see. We’re starting out today in the great state of Montana. Okay, technically one of these vehicles is from just across the state line in South Dakota, but close enough.
On Friday, we looked at two dirt-cheap AMC products: one bare-bones work vehicle and one frivolous convertible. Neither one was roadworthy, but they both cost less than a weekend getaway. I sort of figured the Jeep would win, but I was wrong – the Renault Alliance pulled off an upset. It may have been because its engine was actually inside of it, where it belongs.
That would be my choice as well. I don’t really have any interest in something that looks like a Jeep, and has all the discomfort of a Jeep, but isn’t really able to do Jeep things. A comfortable little drop-top, however, could be a nice companion. And by the way, the brake master cylinder is available, if you do a little digging, and it isn’t even expensive. Just because O’Reilly’s doesn’t have a part on the shelf doesn’t mean it’s tough to find.
It is impossible to understand, unless you’ve been there, just how much nothing there is in Montana and the western Dakotas. If you ignore the road in front of you and look off to the sides, there are places where the view hasn’t changed much at all in thousands of years. It’s old land, much of it untouched. As you might guess, it’s a good place to look for fossils. Some of them are even made of steel – like these two.
1982 Chevrolet K30 Custom Deluxe – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed manual, 4WD
Location: Dillon, MT
Odometer reading: 189,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Looking at the ruggedly handsome and weirdly photogenic truck above, you would think it’s a beast of almost unimaginable burden. With its eight-lug dual rear wheels, gigantic axles supported by huge stacks of leaf springs, and steel flatbed, this truck looks like it could carry the world on its back – and yet, this is still classified as a “light duty” truck. It has a one-ton cargo rating, and probably a gross vehicle weight rating of around 11,000 pounds, but it’s still a small fish in the big pond of trucks. Unless you’re hauling around huge pieces of infrastructure, however, it’s hard to imagine needing more.
Powering this old brute is Chevy’s classic 350 V8, but it isn’t the original engine. This truck left the factory with the new-for-1982 Detroit Diesel 6.2 liter V8. Whether that weak-sauce oil-burner gave up the ghost, or just became too much of a pain in the ass, we don’t know, but the 350 that’s in there now runs well enough that the truck has been used as a daily driver. It’s backed by my old friend the Saginaw SM-465 four-speed manual transmission, which drives both axles when you need it to. It just got a new battery and had its oil changed, so it’s ready to roll.
Old trucks are often a Frankenstein’s monster of parts from other trucks, especially inside, and this one is no exception. GM’s option sheets in the 1980s allowed for some strange combinations, but I highly doubt you could order a red interior with a blue vinyl seat. Regardless of how it got there, it looks comfortable enough. There’s no air conditioning, though, so you might want to throw an old towel over the seat to soak up the sweat.
This truck would originally have come from the factory as a cab-and-chassis, and had the flatbed added on by some third-party outfitter. It has a hole in the bed that might be a spot to mount a fifth-wheel hitch, as well as a beefy “headache rack” behind the cab. It’s all a bit rusty, but still solid. The cab has a cracked windshield that may or may not need replacing, depending on where you are. I have a feeling that Montana probably doesn’t care much.
1993 Dodge Power Ram 150 – $4,988
Engine/drivetrain: 318 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed automatic, 4WD
Location: Spearfish, SD
Odometer reading: 160,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
If a one-ton dually seems like too much truck for you, or the idea of a four-speed with an old-school mechanical clutch linkage makes your left leg ache, don’t worry; I’ve got you covered. Here we have the absurdly long-lived Dodge Ram W150, from its final year before the Twister-style Dodge truck took over. It’s a classic regular-cab, long-bed layout, arguably the “truckiest” of full-size truck configurations, with four-wheel-drive and a nice big brush guard on the front to let you know it means business.
As old as the Dodge truck bodystyle was by this point, the engine driving it was Chrysler’s latest and greatest: the 5.2 liter “Magnum” V8, introduced in 1992. This near-total-redesign of the faithful old 318 gave it a serious bump in power, up to 230 horsepower, along with multi-point fuel injection. The last vestiges of the bad old lean-burn days were finally swept away. Also new was a beefed-up four-speed automatic with overdrive. The seller speaks very highly of this truck’s running condition, and brags that it recently completed a longish road trip without issue.
These final old-body-style Dodge trucks are a weird blend of old and new inside, as well, with a dash panel firmly rooted in the 1970s fronted by a steering column and wheel that look much newer. It has a button to turn off overdrive in the electronically-controlled transmission, but a long mechanical lever to engage the 4WD transfer case. The carpet is a bit trashed, but the bench seat looks fine, except for one popped seam on the side. This one has air conditioning, as well as a fancy all-push-button Chrysler stereo that looks like it came straight out of a New Yorker. No word on how well either of them works, however.
Outside, it used to be red, but now it’s all in gray primer that probably came out of a rattle can – or rather, a dozen rattle cans. It’s a big truck. There’s some rust along the bottom of the doors, and a few other places, but the seller assures us it’s “solid underneath.” Best to verify this for yourself. And while you’re at it, you should probably ask what the hell that thing ratchet-strapped into the bed is.
These trucks might not make a lot of sense to you if you live in a city, but trust me: in the vast open space between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, they’re the kings of the road. These two are a little past their prime, but that just drops them into our price range. They both still run and drive just fine, and they have that old-truck charm that I don’t think anything made today is going to have in thirty or forty years. So what’ll it be – the flatbed Chevy dooley, or the primer-gray Dodge?
I’ll take the Dodge, but I’ll need Safelite to meet me outside the sellers home.
If the A/C really does work in the Dodge that would swing it for me, but I really like the Chevy. I’m sure the Dodge is more comfortable as well but it looks like it’s at a small dealership, which is likely not a comfortable thing to deal with.
It’s an eight-hour drive from Dillon to Spearfish, all the way across big sky country.
Yup, long drive across big sky country. My son and I just made the drive at the end of May from Missoula to southern Massachusetts on the Atlantic.
Call me Popeye.
After six months with my ’72 W100 Power Wagon w/o power steering I had forearms like two meaty salamis. The amount of fun I had, tho, was really worth it.
It’s time for another Dodge.