1966 Dodge D100 Custom Sweptline - 318 V8 Automatic
Lots of Work Already Done!
Up for auction is my 1966 Dodge D100 Custom Sweptline pickup. I've had it for about a year, and in that time, I've done a lot of work to the truck and put about $2000 worth of new parts on it. The truck runs and drives very well - I've taken it to Santa Barbara (about 300 miles round trip) and to work (about 100 miles round trip) many times without a problem.
I've tried to describe everything in detail below. If you have questions after reading the description and looking at the pictures, feel free to send me a message.
Engine
The truck has a 318 Poly V8 that runs very well. It idles smooth and accelerates quickly without any hesitation. Oil pressure is excellent, and it never runs hot (even in traffic). I've adjusted the valves to proper specifications, and there are no knocks or other odd noises. I found an old sticker on the block from an engine shop in Northern California, so it may have been rebuilt at some time in the past. It does leak a very small amount of oil from the rear main seal (what car this age doesn't?). It's such a tiny leak that I don't think it's worth the effort to repair it (rear main seal replacements are a hit-and-miss affair, anyway). Also, there is a small exhaust leak from the manifold heat valve. There are no other exhaust leaks: while the exhaust system has surface rust and looks original, it does not leak. New exhaust manifold gaskets and manifold-to-pipe gaskets will go with the truck.
I've done the following work to it:
New (NOS) 2-barrel carburetor
New K&N air filter (original oil bath air cleaner will come with the truck)
Rebuilt distributor
New Pertronix Ignitor II electronic ignition conversion (no more points!)
New Pertronix Flamethrower II coil
New tune-up parts (spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, fuel filter)
Rebuilt water pump
New belts
Rebuilt alternator
All new hoses (coolant, heater, PCV, fuel, transmission cooler)
New valve cover gaskets
New voltage regulator
Conversion from canister to traditional spin-on filter (no more leaks!)
New oil pressure unit sending hose (no more leaks!)
Transmission/Driveline
The truck has the tough Torqueflite 727 three-speed automatic. It shifts very well, with no harsh shifts or clunks. I replaced the fluid and filter, and put a new pan gasket on it. It does not leak from the pan; however, it does have a small leak from the seal where the extension housing meets the driveshaft. I have the seal: I haven't installed it, but it will go with the truck, and it's an easy job.
When I got the truck, the axle shaft outer seals were leaking. I removed the shafts and replaced all of the bearings and the inner and outer seals. No more leaks, and no rear end noises.
Brakes/Tires/Wheels
The truck has manual brakes. I converted the front drum brakes to discs using the Scarebird kit, so it has all new calipers, pads, rotors, brake hoses, wheel bearings, wheel hubs, and seals (the total cost for the kit, the hubs, and all of the hardware was about $800). I replaced the master cylinder with a dual-circuit setup and replaced all rubber and hard lines for the front brakes. Now, the truck stops very well, without any pulling or noise. I replaced the rear brakes with all new drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, and hardware. The parking brake works really well.
Since the old wheels didn't fit over the disc brakes, I replaced all of the wheels with new 16-inch Crager steel wheels and new 16-inch tires (total cost of about $800 ... the tires have less than 1000 miles on them). The wider wheels and tires really improved the handling of the truck.
Suspension
I replaced the front and rear shocks, the outer tie rods, and the kingpins and bearings (I used nylon kingpin bearings for ease of installation, but I have brass ones that will go with the truck if you want to go that route). I also replaced the steering arm and had the truck professionally aligned. The springs are original, but seem fine. It goes straight down the road with no vibration or shimmy, and the ride has really improved (it's no Imperial, but it rides pretty well). It has manual steering, so turning can be a workout at slow speeds.
Body
The trim and chrome is all there and in decent condition. The truck will need to be repainted. There is surface rust on the roof of the cab, as well as some parts of the bed. There is no rust through in the bed area: it's in good shape (one of the pictures shows a representative area of the underside of the bed). The tailgate is in good shape and opens and closes just fine.
The only rust through on the truck is on the front lip of the hood (see pictures), small parts of the bottom area of the doors (see pictures), and portions of the driver and passenger footwells (see pictures ... the footwells should be replaced with new metal, but the transmission hump and the area under the seat is fine). These are typical problem areas on these trucks. There is a seller on eBay who makes excellent quality left and right footwells for D100s for a couple of hundred dollars.
All of the glass is intact and the windows and vent wings work as they should. The windshield and side windows have a lot of scratches, though. They may polish out. The weatherstipping and seals around the windshield and the doors and windows should be replaced.
Interior/Electrical
The interior is in good shape overall. The door panels need to be repainted, but they are in good shape as is. The dash is in good shape, and the paint looks pretty good. The truck has unusual seats (see pictures). I've never seen a D100 with these seats. They may come from a Polara or Dart of the same period (see pictures), so they look correct for the truck. They're bench seats with a split back and a folding armrest. They have the Dodge insignia sewn into the seatbacks. They're currently covered, and need to be reupholstered. They're adjustable forward and backward, and they fold forward so you can put things behind them or access the fuel tank (which is in excellent shape). The rubber floor covers need to be replaced, but they're largely intact. The "headliner" (the D100 had a kind of rattan insert in the roof) wore away long ago. The sun visors are in decent shape. The rear view mirror is in good shape.
All of the gauges work well: the truck has an oil pressure gauge instead of the oil light that most D100s have. All of the interior lights (including the dome light) work. All of the exterior lights except the license plate light and the cab-top lights work (I replaced two of the lenses and the bulbs, but they still don't work ... I think the electrical contacts to the bulbs are weathered and worn out).
The vent, heater, and defroster controls all work well, as does the blower. The wipers work well (new blades), as does the washer (it has a manual foot pump and the original washer fluid bag ... pretty cool). The radio may or may not work: the speaker is in the dash, but neither the antenna nor the electrical connections are hooked up.
I've done my best to describe the truck and post lots of pictures. Again, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.