Equipment

Just for Fun: A 1950 Dodge Pickup

By Alan Easley
Published on April 12, 2016
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The author with his 1950 Dodge pickup in front of a shed that was built on his home place in 1875. In November 2014 he had the shed moved 12 miles and rebuilt on the farm he and his wife bought in 1963.
The author with his 1950 Dodge pickup in front of a shed that was built on his home place in 1875. In November 2014 he had the shed moved 12 miles and rebuilt on the farm he and his wife bought in 1963.
Photo by Alan Easley
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Columbia Sign Co. lettered the truck’s doors. Although it operated under a different name at the time and was under different ownership, this is the same company that, in 1963, lettered the author’s first pickup.
Columbia Sign Co. lettered the truck’s doors. Although it operated under a different name at the time and was under different ownership, this is the same company that, in 1963, lettered the author’s first pickup.
Photo by Alan Easley
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Luckily, the Dodge “billy goat” was still on the hood when the author bought the truck. Most of these have been lost or stolen over the years.
Luckily, the Dodge “billy goat” was still on the hood when the author bought the truck. Most of these have been lost or stolen over the years.
Photo by Alan Easley
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The author’s neighbor, Zane Dodge, located this Dodge pickup bumper in Rushville, Mo.
The author’s neighbor, Zane Dodge, located this Dodge pickup bumper in Rushville, Mo.
Photo by Alan Easley
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The flathead 6 leaves plenty of room under the hood to make repairs.
The flathead 6 leaves plenty of room under the hood to make repairs.
Photo by Alan Easley
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There was still enough purple paint showing inside the cab to make a person appreciate the orange. The purple has since been covered with a coat of gunmetal gray.
There was still enough purple paint showing inside the cab to make a person appreciate the orange. The purple has since been covered with a coat of gunmetal gray.
Photo by Alan Easley
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Apparently the in-cab fuel tank rusted out at some point and a 10-gallon fuel cell with an electric pump was installed in the aluminum tool box in the bed.
Apparently the in-cab fuel tank rusted out at some point and a 10-gallon fuel cell with an electric pump was installed in the aluminum tool box in the bed.
Photo by Alan Easley

In May 2015, I bought a 1950 Dodge pickup from Country Classic Cars in Staunton, Illinois. Someone had done a lot of work on the old truck, but it was still a long way from being a finished product. By some standards, it still is, but I’m probably not going to do a whole lot more to it right now. I’m just going to have some fun driving it around for a while.

The original flathead 6 engine runs good, the 3-speed transmission with column shift is functional and, after installing a new drag link, the steering is once again tight. The truck had been converted to power brakes, and the brakes had been rebuilt all the way around before I purchased it. The electrical system operates on 12 volts with a Chevy alternator, and I added aftermarket turn signals for safety reasons. I also had seatbelts, outside mirrors and an aftermarket windshield wiper assembly installed for added safety. The truck had previously been rewired, but the workmanship left a lot to be desired. After a really impressive spark shower one morning when I started the truck, that problem was dealt with.

Bruce Schull at G&J Auto Service in Columbia, Missouri, wore out a couple of good cell phones chasing down obsolete parts. Steve Bradshaw installed them, while Harry Blumberg offered lots of (sometimes) helpful advice from the adjoining bay. Bruce said this old truck got quite a bit of attention from other customers while it was sitting in his shop.

Costs drive compromise

I liked the looks of the narrow whitewall tires that were on the truck when I bought it, but they were way too rotten to drive on. After I found out what it would cost to get a set of them shipped in from a specialty tire company, I decided I liked blackwalls better anyhow. Steve McCray at Cross-Midwest Tire Co., Columbia, furnished and installed the 7:00×15-inch 8-ply bias tires, two in highway tread and two in the old style zigzag mud-and-snow tread that most pickup trucks used to run.

The truck didn’t have a back bumper, and I was hoping to find one from the late 1940s or early ’50s that I could modify to fit. However, while visiting family members in Rushville, Missouri, my neighbor, Zane Dodge, contacted his friend Mr. L.G. Rainey, who located a rear bumper from a 1950 Dodge pickup, complete with mounting brackets, for a lot less than I was expecting to pay for a “make-fit.” After painting the bumper with a rattle can, it looks like it’s been on the truck forever. Mr. Rainey also located a chrome headlight ring to replace the one that sailed off and landed in the middle of I-55 in front of a semi the day I hauled the truck home from Illinois.

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