Thread: Shop Truck (True Spirit) Project

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All the other projects have been put on hold until I get my "new" shop truck built. As a some of you know I picked up a 76 Dodge 2WD SWB Step-Side about a year ago to replace my El Camino for shop truck duties. I bought the truck primarily because it has a 440 and Torqueflight in it.

The truck had some pin striping on it and a "True Spirit" decal on the front fender that I researched. Turns out this is one of the original 200 True Spirits produced by Dodge along with the original 200 Warlocks to test the market reaction to a factory custom pickup (the Warlocks were more popular and went into production for nation wide sale). Then I found out that for the entire 1976 production year there were only 70 D100 2WD stepsides produced with 440s and this is the ONLY known 440 powered True Spirit to be produced. Amazing what you find in an AZ wrecking yard .

Anyway, The truck still has it's original drive train, VIN tag and Federal Certification label. The tag which is affixed to the door jam is still in really good shape and readable. It is also the only piece of documentation that shows the build date as being correct for this truck to be one of the original 200.

I actually debated on doing a restoration on the truck ..........just too much of a hot rodder to leave anything stock (as Dave says anyone can restore one.....). I'll be going resto-mod on this one. It's going to get a color change (and I've found a place that can reproduce the decals), lowering, a few more HP out the original 440, a Posi and bit deeper gears, AC, second fuel tank, aftermarket seat, aluminum diamond plate floor instead of wood and probably a grill change to a 73 grill (as shown in the picture).

So in order to retain the tag I'm going to save this cab rather than just slap the other rust free one that I found on it.

I've been collecting parts for a year now and thought I had about everything to get it built until I pulled up the carpet (15 years with carpet on the floor and a window rolled down). The order for repop floor pans is going in this morning. So much for being an AZ rust free sheetmetal snob

I spent a big part of Wends at DMV getting the title straightened out (level 3 inspection) so now the project has officially begun. I'm hoping to be driving it in about a year.....but you know how that goes.