The Ford F-Series is typically what comes to mind when discussing pickup trucks built in America. It was first presented in 1948 and went on to become the nation’s top-selling hauler for many years. It is therefore not surprising that the moniker has come to represent pickup trucks in the United States. However, as is common knowledge, the industry of making trucks dates back far further.
The steam wagons of the 19th century are considered the earliest examples of vehicles intended for cargo transportation. Autocar produced the first internal combustion truck in the United States in 1899. But Americans didn’t have access to a reasonably priced one-ton vehicle until the 1910s. I’m referring about the Model TT, which started being produced in 1917.
By 1920, both Chevrolet and GMC were producing trucks in various shapes and sizes. In 1926, Dodge Brothers Inc. also jumped on the truck bandwagon by purchasing Graham Brothers Inc. Dodge, acquired by Chrysler in 1928, went on to become one of America’s most important truck manufacturers, with haulers like the WC Series, the Power Wagon, and pickup trucks sporting the “Ram” badge.
Based on the military-spec WC Series that Dodge built during World War II, the Power Wagon remained in showrooms for a whopping 35 years and it’s a sought-after collectible. Pre-WWII trucks, on the other hand, don’t get as much attention nowadays. The 1938 example you see here is one of those trucks that kept Dodge in business until those military contracts started pouring in. It’s also a beautiful truck.
Although “beautiful” is not the right word to use in this context, this hauler was once rather attractive due to its sophisticated, art deco-inspired front grille with vertical slats running down the center. But why mention a decrepit example when a perfectly restored one would do? Obviously, perfect vehicles from the 1930s are rare. But more significantly, this truck is one of those old haulers that was brought back to life after spending a very long time dormant.
And I don’t mean 10 or 20 years. Nope! This hauler has been decommissioned and abandoned sometime in the early 1970s, so it hasn’t been running for more than 50 years. That’s more than enough to turn a classic vehicle into a useless pile of rusty junk, but somehow this Dodge truck soldiered on for a half-century still in one piece.
Sure, it’s as weathered as abandoned vehicles get. The tires are long gone, the fenders look like they’ve been hammered repeatedly, and it was used for target practice, but hey, there’s not a lot of rust in sight, and that’s downright amazing. What’s more, the guy who saved it from a sad life in a barn managed to get the old, 241-cubic-inch (4.0-liter) inline-six L-head engine running again.
The antique mill agreed to run after some disassembly and a lot of acetone was poured within the cylinders, but only after receiving fuel through the carburetor. The owner is determined to get it moving on its own even though it will take a lot more labor to get it driving again. The truck won’t be restored, I have a hunch, but that’s better than leaving it to rust in a field.