A100 pickup ?'s

[MoparFreak69]

I know its not a Sweptline but it is a Dodge truck made between '61 and '71.
Anybody know of any sources for lenses and a few other small pieces and parts?
I am working on a deal for an A100 pickup with a slant 6 and am looking to get it roadworthy sooner rather than later.
Anybody know of any good forums for these guys as well?
They have always appealed to me since I was a little kid I just never saw one for sale anywhere and have really never seen one driving around so I never really thought of trying to get one for my own. They are one of the coolest uni-bodied trucks I have ever seen. Can't wait....

[Ron in Indiana]

I see we are on more than one wave length. I have a 65 A100 5 window pick up all because of The Little Red Wagon. The only group I know of is the A100 list on Yahoo. They aren't a large group but they are dedicated. As for parts there are some aftermarket repair panels for the lower body. Lenses are eBay items on occasion. The headlight trim rings are hard to find in good condition are good tailgates. Weather stripping and glass are out there too in the aftermarket. I plan to set a 354 Hemi in mine one of these days/years. Not looking to do a Little Red but just the wow factor of having one. I do plan to set the engine back about 8" though. Go here http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/DodgeA100/ to sign in to Yahoo. I saw the Wagon run against the Hemi Under Glass at the Mopar Nationals one year. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I've also seen one of the LRW's at the Garlits Museum in Ocala, FA. Good luck. I haven't really gotten into the A100s like the Power Giants but it stares me in the face everyday I go into the shop.

[712edf]

www.sweptline.org has a forum for A100's, but not much action goes on there compared to the trucks.

Bucky

[MoparFreak69]

Thanks for the info guys. I put in a request at the Yahoo groups and bookmarked the sweptline forum. Already answered quite a few of my questions.

[MoparFreak69]

Well, I got it. Picked the truck up today and got a bunch of the little things off the donor van that the pickup didnt have. I will go back Sat and remove the axles and a few final pieces/parts to get the pickup put back together and on the road. Photos will come in a week or so if there is any interest.

[712edf]

I woundn't mind seeing some pictures. I once had an A100 van, didn't know much about it.

Bucky

[MoparFreak69]

I have a few cell photos I can upload real quick.





Really all it needs to become a roller is to have axles put back under it, which I will hopefully have done this weekend. Then its just a matter of cleaning up and doing whatever mechanical repairs it needs and I am driving this guy. It is too cool to restore. I will pop some of the dents out eventually also.

[Ron in Indiana]

Looks like a solid truck. A100's are notorious for rust. Hope you get all the bits and pieces you can from the donor van. Good headlight trim rings are hard to find. This makes me want to get on my A again.

[MoparFreak69]

Yeah Ron, there are 3 rust spots which are all under about 3" diameter so I will just leave them for now. A little phosporic acid to kill the rust thats still alive and then thats how its gonna be.
I did get some decent headlight rings from the donor van. I got a good looking (and hopefully functional) instrument cluster from it as well. I snagged the good front turn signal lenses and the one rear tail light lens, although it wasnt in great shape. A new set is already on order from Ebay. My steering wheel is pretty cracked, but the van wasnt terribly better off. I think I will epoxy and paint it later on. I did snag the Van's horn button though, the truck was missing the ring and the cap. It is in great shape and will polish up nicely.
The hardest thing I have to ponder is spring hangers. I dont really want to cut them off the Van, I am sure I can make something up pretty easily. The front fronts are actually better than I thought, I will only have to repair one side of each where the torch made a path for the bolt. The front rears were cut off flush with the frame, these mount up the shackles so I can probably either bend up some 1/4" plate or go with some sort of trailer shackle mount setup.
The biggest thing with me getting this was that I have to have it up and going pretty quickly. I dont want to take too much time away from the '59. I think this will just be a really cool driver kinda rig to tote a few things around and just plain look cool in. It will definately sit lower before it hits the road though.

[712edf]

I like that!

[Ron in Indiana]

Mine came from Vegas and had minimal rust. The floor needed patched which is half done. It did have a number of holes drilled through the bedsides and rear of the cab. I'll weld those shut. Someone decided to beat the lower wheel openings under with a hammer for some reason. This was not fun to repair especially on the front. I bought a donor truck that was in the process of being lowered with a spring flip in the rear. It came with new shackles and bushings so I'm set for mine. Hope you get it up on all four with minimal hassle.