Here is my 1974 D100. I bought this truck in late 2013 for $1500. It was not running, but that was due to an electric fuel pump being installed up close to the carburetor. Put it in the proper location and BAM it fires up. The previous owners reaction was priceless. This was before I became an automotive technician.
I did a few repairs here and there for the next couple years leading to the sole reason why DW Gauge Panels exists. Long story short, the ammeter went up in smoke. You can see here one of my very first gauge panel prototypes. The current ones are much easier to install.
Anyways, in 2016 one of my cylinder heads cracked between the valves causing a slight misfire and it took a short while to track it down. I was just a year in as a mechanic so I was green and wasn't making much money. That's part of why it took so long to get my gauge panels project started. No "Go Fund Me" case here. The truck was then parked in January 2017 and had not been touched since.
It sat in my brother-in-law's field for the majority of the time. Meanwhile I was working on my early 90's 360 block I pulled from a 92 D250. It had a blown head gasket which corroded one of the cylinder walls a little bit. I made the choice of a ground up rebuild. Being good friends with the owner of a machine shop I was able to do some favors and some work on his projects to get my engine block and casting 308 heads fully machined. I had the block bored 0.030 over, the stock crank balanced for internal balancing, and my cylinder heads machined to fit 2.02 intake and 1.62 exhaust valves. I got some nice undercut valves from Hughes engines along with some middle of the road valve springs. Finishing it off, I did mild porting on the intake runners and some work on the short radius to smooth it out. The camshaft is a Comp Cams 284H. Using stock rockers. The block was zero decked for some Speedpro hypereutectic pistons and Scat forged connecting rods. The break-in of the engine is the only part I am fretting over, but I have decided that if my camshaft gets wiped out during the break-in, I'll get a roller set with similar specifications.
I then assembled the block in 2020. After it was done, it just sat in my parent-in-law's garage. This picture is the engine as it sits in the shop in April 2024. I have some long tube headers for a late 90s Ram 1500 that I plan to use instead of the funky shaped headers usually used for 72-93 DW series trucks. I also have a race proven 3000 stall torque converter and a full manual reverse valve body for the A727 transmission. I got these from a friend of mine in Clovis, CA. He runs a D100 named "Black Sheep". You may have seen it on a recent season of Street Outlaws Fastest in America. I got some good used parts because he went to a twin turbo big block Chevy.
My truck is finally in the shop I'm working at now. There's a laundry list of things I can do while collecting the final pieces of the puzzle. I need to get a good rebuild kit for my transmission, a manual steering box, a brake booster and master cylinder, make all new brake lines, repair and brace the chassis in the front, and fabricate my new front suspension setup. I also need the entire fuel system from a fuel cell to the lines, the pump, and I'm looking at an Aces Kill shot master EFI kit that includes a distributor, coil, and fuel pump/sump assembly. I want to recoat the entire chassis, install the engine and trans, build the exhaust system with an X-pipe, then drop the bed and body on. With the cab off the chassis I want to strip it completely down, fix any rust I find and repaint the interior, and coat the underside. I'm not aiming for full restoration, just making it nice. The bed needs a lot of work. Some areas have been poorly repaired in the past before I bought it. The tailgate doesn't line up well, and some areas are a little rough. I lucked out and got an embossed tailgate years ago that is in good condition. Just need to address the rusting in the latch assembly and recondition the system.
II plan to keep the current look of the rear end but put a beauty plate just below the tailgate to smooth that area out and give the license plate a more secure mounting situation. I need to get my 72-73 style grille restored. A new windshield and make a clean and tucked wire harness. Can't forget about upholstery on the bench seat, and the various other small things that are too numerous to list.
While the truck is at my shop I will be able to get measurements first hand directly on my program I use for making my designs for the first time. I want to finish out a couple of ideas I started years ago. This is the start of my truck's rebuild and I invite you along for the ride.
Feel free to comment below and thank you for reading.
