Got a truck! '76 D100 400/4 spd. shorty
So after several years of obsessively looking at trucks wishing I had one, I was finally able to get one - a '76 D100 Custom short bed with a 400 and 4 speed! I love '70s Dodge trucks, I really do. Something about them just speaks to me. Bought this one out of Oregon, had it shipped out here, got it about a week and half ago. I hope to use it as a tow rig for the Duster if I ever finish the engine.
About 10-12 years ago when I lived in NYC, I had a purple '72 W100 shorty with a 360 and a 4 speed. I sold it in 06 and always regretted it. So I'm back in a truck after almost 10 years.
This truck needs some work for sure but its a good driver. It's about 95% rust free save for a spot on the pass. side cab upper door frame where an antenna was clipped. There are dents and dings on every panel and the dark green paint is pretty much shot. It's also got a rear roll pan and a straight, working tailgate. Has cop wheels and dog dish caps.
Interior is passable but could also use some work. It's a bare bones truck which is right in my wheelhouse.
When I first got it, I had to fix a pinhole leak in the radiator. Got that fixed and put new hoses on. The original overflow tank was leaking so I had to replace that with a generic one I had on the shelf.
The 400 came with a Holley 750 vacuum secondary. It had a bad stumble/sputter around 2,000 rpm. Rather than trying to tune it, I took the easy way out and switched it for my old double pumper. The stumble went away but the DP was too much carb. So off came the DP and on went a 6139 TQ I've had sitting on the shelf for years. Took some tuning but its running OK. Only area that still needs work is matting the gas from a roll. Put some new plugs and wires on as well and advanced the timing a few degrees.
I drove it back and forth to work yesterday (110 mi round trip through NYC traffic), all went well. Temp never went over 180, even in 1 mph stop and go traffic. Oil pressure was normal. Working the clutch on the NP 435 every 10 seconds got a little tiring and the brakes suck but overall I was pretty happy with how it performed. Handled well and was fun to drive.
Here's some pics!