1963 Dodge D100 Pickup V8
The Dodge D100 pickup is one of the most underrated trucks to have ever come from the car manufacturer and due to this clear fact, it definitely deserves a plethora of credit for all that has been able to accomplish. In fact, it would be awesome to see this series come back as well. At the end of the day, this is easily one of the best pickups to have ever been released by the car manufacturer, yet there are many younger people in the automobile world who do not know this fact. This needs to change because this was one of the best work trucks ever.
The new D100 series for 1963 was bigger and tougher than before. The wheelbase of each model grew by about six inches, while the frames grew stronger and added a cross member, and both front and rear axles were stronger. Dodge also moved to the industry’s standard 34-inch cross members and straight frame rails, helping upfitters; wider and longer leaf springs hurt handling, but increased capacity and durability.
A pair of modern six cylinder engines helped efficiency: the tough, advanced slant six, producing 101 horsepower from 170 cubic inches or 140 horsepower from 225 cubic inches. The 170 was an option only for the lighest duty model (D100), while the 225 was standard across the board – meaning you could buy a one-ton truck with a 140 (gross; roughly 110 net) horsepower engine, which was an improvement over the L-heads.
In this 1963 Dodge D100 Pickup V8 the factory straight-six has been superseded by a 1980s LA-series 318ci 205 horsepower V8. Equipment includes a four-barrel carburetor and a dual exhaust system with Dynomax mufflers.
The interior features a bench seat that is said to have been reupholstered in black with turquoise patterned cloth inserts from SMS Auto Fabrics of Portland, Oregon while under current ownership. Amenities include a push-button gear selector, a heater, black rubber floor coverings, lap belts, and a Blaupunkt Seattle cassette player.
A two-spoke steering wheel fronts a steering-column-mounted tachometer and a body-color steel dashboard that houses instrumentation including a 100-mph speedometer and auxiliary gauges measuring voltage, coolant temperature, and fuel level.
Dodge brought out the all-new D100-Series pickups and chassis cabs for 1961 (while keeping the previous C-Series’ Town Wagon and Town Panel in production through 1966; the C-Series’ cab was used on medium-duty trucks through 1974). Dodge’s then-new trucks had plenty of innovation underneath their brickish styling.
Long before performance trucks became the norm and Dodge launched its “Adult Toys” collection of custom trucks, there was the D100-Series , in 1961-71. It’s the perfect pickup.
