BRIGHT ORANGE

The History of the Truck: From Farm to Street

The Dodge originally had been purchased as a park service truck that had seen duty throughout the state. When the state purchased new replacement trucks, a local horse stable owner bought the Dodge and began to use it on his farm for hauling hay, fence materials and other necessities. When the old farm truck was replaced and put out of commission, the rancher decided to part with the truck, and that’s where the story behind Chodge—this beautiful orange ’71 Dodge—begins.

A High School Project Turned Long-Term Build

Young Meyers’ father picked up the truck as a project/driver that was to see daily street use, providing his son with a way to and from work as well as to football games. The truck progressed and underwent the usual updates throughout the years, and it even saw a wedding and the occasional night out. Eventually Meyers decided it was time to pay back the truck that had taken care of him all those years.

Revamping the Frame and Suspension

When it came time for the final truck build, Meyers began by modifying the frame and preparing to install the 454 Chevy that he had taken from an old work truck. Since Dodge didn’t incorporate an IFS until 1972, Meyers decided to have Kevin Bowman of Bowman Real Hot Rods install a Jim Meyer Racing IFS within the Dodge framerails in place of the leaf sprung straight axle. The new IFS allowed the truck to sit on the ground and also increased the enjoyment and handling of the ride. Bowman began by boxing the front and rear of the frame to increase the strength, and looks, of the original Dodge rails. The new Jim Meyer front suspension uses custom front upper and lower tubular control arms and GM spindles, along with a set of ’75 GM-style disc brakes. In order to get the Dodge down on the ground, Meyers opted for a set of Air Ride Technologies airbags, which he also implemented into the rear of the truck, where a new Air Ride Technologies triangulated four-link holds the stock Dodge rearend in place. A custom gas tank replaced the stock in-cab unit and was mounted inside the rear framerails. The Air Ride compressors, tank and valves were mounted to the sides of the framerail so as to keep out of sight.

The Engine Evolution

This isn’t the first engine to sit within the rails of the classic hauler. Since owning the truck Meyers has had two slant-sixes and a small-block Chevy sitting beneath the hood. The new 454 would provide plenty of power the following months, as Meyers would drive the truck with the new suspension and polished aluminum hardware. Meyers did, however, fit the 454 with some great-looking parts before installing the engine in the truck. Meyers cleaned up the ’75 model 454 and stuffed in a new Comp cam, topping the block with an aluminum Holley high-rise intake and 750cfm carb. Meyers then painted the entire engine in a deep blue pearl and dressed it with polished valve covers, an air breather and Parr ceramic-coated headers. Backing up the 454 is a 350 Turbo with a manual valve body.

Transforming the Interior and Exterior

Meyers drove the truck for a year or so to and from work, with a set of chrome reverse smoothies and a fresh coat of flat black paint. The first half of the build consisted of a rust-free cab, which took the place of the original. The interior remained partially stock while Meyers was driving the truck. The second time around, however, required a complete teardown, as Bowman and crew decided to improve upon the looks of the original Dodge interior and exterior. With the go-ahead from Meyers, Bowman tore the truck down to the bare frame, which then received a healthy dose of bright orange paint.

Final Custom Touches and Show-Ready Finish

With the frame painted, Meyers stripped the 454 of the pearl blue paint and treated the block to the same DuPont Chromabase orange as on the frame. While the engine and frame received a great deal of attention, James Rosehau and A.J. Nelson repaired the sheetmetal and perfected each body panel individually. While it’s not readily noticeable to many, Bowman shortened the front bumper, tucking it closer to the fenders while shaving the bumper and painting it body color. The builders also stripped the chrome front grille and painted it body color, and they shaved the emblems and trim from the truck. Once Nelson completed the bodywork, installed the new custom roll pan and smoothed the tailgate, he coated everything with a slick-as-glass coat of DuPont Chromabase Bell Helicopter Orange. Bill Barrett built a custom aluminum grille insert in place of the gaps that once resided inside the grille. This was then finished with new Billet Specialties Holeshot 18×8-inch and 20×10-inch billet wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle RS-A rubber.

Interior Upgrades for Style and Comfort

Inside, Kevin Bowman, along with Mark Boelman at Lickide Split Car Clean-up, worked some magic. Bowman performed the custom work on the dash and installed the new Auto Meter instruments and a Centech wiring harness, while Boelman upholstered the Tea’s Design seat, door panel inserts, headliner and dash pad in oatmeal leather. The old pedals were tossed in favor of a set of Lokar chrome units, while a GM tilt steering column is painted body color and topped by one of Billet Specialties 1/2-wrap Holeshot steering wheels. Hidden inside the glovebox, the Air Ride controls are mounted out of sight. And since Meyers is a man who enjoys his music, a Pioneer head unit pumps tunes through two sets of Cerwin Vega 5-1/4-inch speakers and two 8-inch subs, mounted behind the seat in a custom enclosure, along with a Rockford Fosgate 600-watt amp.

A Legacy of Custom Trucks

This old Dodge represents a labor of love and also a journey—one that began more than 20 years ago with a used Dodge pickup. Through it, a 14-year-old boy began to understand all involved in changing the way these types of trucks are looked at forever. For his effort, not only has the Dodge turned heads at every Goodguys event it has attended, but it also made it as a Goodguys Truck of the Year finalist.