so i've got a 1991 dodge d250 with a 12v cummins/5spd combo in it that i normally use for my daily driver/racecar hauler. i bought the truck almost 2 years ago and those who have seen it can say it's got more than just a little "character"...it's got a hair over 500k on the clock and is just a good solid work truck. the engine/trans/rear is solid, but the body was beat to hell. so over the past year i've been collecting body parts for it. well now it's all come down to the wire. i'm getting married in baltimore in 8 days, and we're driving away from the church in the camaro, which means i need to tow it up there. renting a uhaul/trailer combo is way outta budget so were taking my truck and borrowing a buddy's trailer. well, i figured now was better than any time to go ahead and re-do the truck. here's a couple of before and during pictures of the overhaul. the truck will be in paint sunday. obviously this is a seriously tight budget build, and currently i have about $300 in the whole resto:
right after i got her home and spent three days cleaning it up:




here it is as of just a few days ago after my buddy and i attacked it; new bed/front fenders





more pics of it further back together later on tonight or tomorrow, painted pics sunday, fully assembled pics probably coming monday...tuesday morning we're leaving for balitmore!

 

I love seeing these old trucks getting the attention they deserve.

Nice brake and clutch pedals.

 

what kind of paint did you use on the dash? I've been thinking about painting mine but I'm worried about how well it will hold up. Keep up the good work looking good.

 

i used krylon plastic paint. i've used it before and it works really well. my camaro hasn't held up quite as well as i'd like but most of the issues i've had with it were associated with reassembly. the camaro has an 8pt roll bar in it and when i was tweaking the plastics around they flexed really bad and chipped.

clutch and brake pedal pads would be nice, but i have no idea where to get some...i can't get them at any regular parts house, that's for sure...

 

if your camaro is TBI pm me and tell me how i can make my 350 tbi truck run as good as that 305. lol

I'm liking the 1st gen build so far

 

to make a tbi engine run well you need to put a carburator on it that solves alot of problems

 

X2 TBI sucks!!!!

 

the car was not tbi, it had a carbed 305 with 416 heads that were worked. it's now ls1 powered.

 

alright, one of the issues i had to face was the door panels. we all know that these things are notorious for deteriorating over time, specifically the door handle/pull area. mine were in AWEFUL shape. i mean i'd never seen any in as bad of shape as mine where. they were wood screwed into place from the top. the previous owners of my truck used it as a work truck so any repairs were likely done in the field somewhere using whatever was available. one of my buddy's helped me out with the new handles. we made the base out of MDF and i used blind nuts through the top before the foam went on. the foam is just 1" thick stuff i picked up at Hobby Lobby and the vinyl was whatever they had there too. it's really turned out good and almost looks professional, lol!

door panels with no handles, this is how you'll normally find these panels in the bone yard


new handles:


mocked up with blind nuts in place:


all done! got one more side to do this morning and the interior will be ready to rock and roll!

 

Lol I was just messing around.

I'm a self tuner with my own cables/laptop so i can do almost anything to a TBI motor and make it run right.. As long as its not to crazy.

 

looks good its great having good friends

 

i like the idea of using wood on the door trim handle/arm rest, mine is pretty well beat, what did you have it upholstered with?

 

i did all the upholstrey myself. the stuff i used is just a fake leather/vinyl type of material. you can get it at hobby lobby, hancock fabric, jo ann fabric, etc.

the truck is now painted...it's 5am and i just got home from the paint booth. here's a couple of shots of it before it was painted, then one shot of it outside the waffle house on our way home. it's not perfect, but in the end, this is still a work truck/dd, and it looks hella good for $$$ we spent!

 

Wow that looks awesome!!

You did a nice job. Painting is a hard thing to do and make look good....

I love the last pic with the black wheels and the chrome trim ring.

I think you should paint your grille some "2001" silver.

 

all put back together...i think it's now ready for my trip...1500miles round trip...should see about 2000 miles total in the next two weeks!