I've also been waiting for this to happen. It's even more difficult to find a model from the first couple years with Plymouth across the grille. Great find.
WHAT!?!? This is insane! I didn't even know these existed. What could it possibly mean? How many years did Plymouth make these? Did Plymouth actually make them? Or were they made by someone else and simply re-badged by Plymouth?
Truly, I can't remember EVER seeing one of these things before. Amazing, amazing, amazing....
Great Oden's septor! Now you need to find a Fargo. My next-door-neighbors plumbers psychiatrist had one of these. It also had chrome roof-sticks and spinning, white, rubber holders as well. It was only driven to and from the insane-asylum. Thank You.
@Dad/Mark: They came down the same line, using almost all the same parts, as the Dodge Ramcharger. So instead of putting Dodge badges on it, the same Chrysler Corp workers put Plymouth badges on it. It was produced from 1974 until 1981.
Chrysler Corp also added vans to the Plymouth Division lineup in the 70s, introducing the Voyager name before it graced the minivan starting in the 80s. Those, too, were basically Dodge vans with Plymouth identification on them.
Keep in mind that, other than the Prowler, Plymouth didn't get a single model that wasn't platform-shared with Dodge after the 2nd-generation Barracuda.
great find and an awesome truck. i'd much rather drive this than a warmed over ramcharger. the white wagon wheels and orange paint remind me of a dreamsicle, which is what i'd name this if i owned it.
my, my, what a beautiful rig. it is special to find the Plymouth version even though the differences are subtle from the ramcharger. the wagon wheels are cool but imo the wheels that looked the best on these trucks were the slotted rallies with the poverty caps like the one the owner has on the rack in the back. pair those with some nice big meats and this truck would be perfection.
WoW! An SUV from the days before they were luxury vehicles driven by soccer moms! ...when they really were utility vehicles, and could do actual work and go off-road; and didn't have heated seats and DVD players! Why can't they make practical vehicles like this today, instead of the overblown imitations we have now? (Hope the Cap'n sees this!)
Yeah Don, I just did! Used to see these in the Midwest back in the mid '70's. In the beginning, they were used primarily by park rangers and the like. It would be about a year or so before the public could buy one from a dealership. I would have prefered the state-issued model anyway, They had the big 440's and all that HD hardware. My BIL nearly bought one in '79. But he chose to buy a Dodge 4X4 shortbed pickup instead. I always thought that he'd been better off buying one of these.
You're right Grump, it was! I saw one of the state-owned trucks at an auto auction 30 years ago. It was being retired from service and was for sale. That particular truck had the 440 V-8 with a 4-speed tranny mated to a 3-speed transfer case. Other features included 24-volt electrics, a Warne 10-ton winch, and a PTO as well. It fetched an unheard of $1,500.00 when it crossed the block that night. That may sound cheap today, but back then, at least to me, that seemed like a small fortune!
My best friend back in NY had an 80-something Ramcharger in the late 80's/early 90's. That was a fun truck...when it wasn't busted...which seemed to be about every other day.... Any time I talk to anyone from those days, the question "Remember Erick's Ramcharger?" always comes up!
Although Chrysler gave us some great '80's cars like the minivan, poor build quality seemed to haunt them in whatever they produced. A lot of the problems started in the '70's and snowballed from there. By the time Erick's truck was built, too many people had lost faith in Chrysler engineering. This was sad to me as I can recall the glory days when Chrysler's engineering department was the pinacle of US auto production. Not 'til the mid '90's would Chrysler put this issue behind them. Today, '80's MoPar models that survived the crusher become popular at car shows everywhere. If you can put up with the maintnance issues, you can get into the old car hobby at a bargain price. Poor demand for these cars has kept prices low. You might be able to buy a pristine '80's model Chrysler for as little as $3,500.00. Here's your chance to buy Erick's truck for a song! See ya' later gotta get some work done!
Cap'n, all them 80's Chrysler products BELONG in the crush! -and I helped put lots of them in the crusher back when I had my tow-truck :D Seemed like better than 50% of my junk car business was hauling Mopars away for grateful owners! (Well...Mopars and Renaults!) Remember Dodge Dynastys? BWAHAhahahahaha!!!!
Yeah! We used to call 'em Die Nasty because that's what they did! I recall having to push one out of my drive thru after the radiator exploded and tore up the car ahead of it. What a mess! Took me 10-15 minutes to clean up the mess after I pushed it into a parking space! From that point on, I always called 'em Die Nasties! absessgsibia
Well Grump, evidentally someone wanted it bad enough to pay that price. I know my Dad passed on that one because of that price. He said he could get one cheaper than that. It sure was fun to watch the bidding war that broke out over truck though. BTW, Dad took home a '59 De Soto ragtop that night for just $800.00, and it ran!
such an epic find. did not know this existed. when i saw the post title, i figured it was a variant on the duster: gold duster, feather duster, trail duster...
looks like it's been lifted a little, but the wheel size seems about right?
Best of OPC. 
29 comments:
I've been waiting for you guys to find one of these.
I've also been waiting for this to happen. It's even more difficult to find a model from the first couple years with Plymouth across the grille. Great find.
Good find. These have a badass vibe about them shared in a crazy badass way is an IH product from this period. This calls for a 1975 Scout II find!
Hey Frank type Scout into the search on this blog and you'll find all the Scouts they added.
I have to edit my previous comment, that grille was from 1974-77.
Good find. These were pretty rare. Good shot on photo #3.
WHAT!?!? This is insane! I didn't even know these existed. What could it possibly mean? How many years did Plymouth make these? Did Plymouth actually make them? Or were they made by someone else and simply re-badged by Plymouth?
Truly, I can't remember EVER seeing one of these things before. Amazing, amazing, amazing....
Great Oden's septor! Now you need to find a Fargo. My next-door-neighbors plumbers psychiatrist had one of these. It also had chrome roof-sticks and spinning, white, rubber holders as well. It was only driven to and from the insane-asylum. Thank You.
@Dad/Mark: They came down the same line, using almost all the same parts, as the Dodge Ramcharger. So instead of putting Dodge badges on it, the same Chrysler Corp workers put Plymouth badges on it. It was produced from 1974 until 1981.
Chrysler Corp also added vans to the Plymouth Division lineup in the 70s, introducing the Voyager name before it graced the minivan starting in the 80s. Those, too, were basically Dodge vans with Plymouth identification on them.
Keep in mind that, other than the Prowler, Plymouth didn't get a single model that wasn't platform-shared with Dodge after the 2nd-generation Barracuda.
Spiff - Thanks for that. Very helpful. I would say even Ramchargers from this period are pretty few and far between.
Very much amazing.
great find and an awesome truck. i'd much rather drive this than a warmed over ramcharger. the white wagon wheels and orange paint remind me of a dreamsicle, which is what i'd name this if i owned it.
Would definitely take this over a Ramcharger.
There's a Trailduster parked on the side of the road in Dawn of the Dead (1978).
my, my, what a beautiful rig. it is special to find the Plymouth version even though the differences are subtle from the ramcharger.
the wagon wheels are cool but imo the wheels that looked the best on these trucks were the slotted rallies with the poverty caps like the one the owner has on the rack in the back. pair those with some nice big meats and this truck would be perfection.
@Spiff: Thanks for the info!
WoW! An SUV from the days before they were luxury vehicles driven by soccer moms! ...when they really were utility vehicles, and could do actual work and go off-road; and didn't have heated seats and DVD players! Why can't they make practical vehicles like this today, instead of the overblown imitations we have now? (Hope the Cap'n sees this!)
Yeah Don, I just did! Used to see these in the Midwest back in the mid '70's. In the
beginning, they were used primarily by park rangers and the like. It would be about a
year or so before the public could buy one from a dealership. I would have prefered the
state-issued model anyway, They had the big 440's and all that HD hardware. My BIL
nearly bought one in '79. But he chose to buy a Dodge 4X4 shortbed pickup instead.
I always thought that he'd been better off buying one of these.
@Captaingizmo: This with a 440 would be awesome.
You're right Grump, it was! I saw one of the state-owned trucks at an auto auction
30 years ago. It was being retired from service and was for sale. That particular truck
had the 440 V-8 with a 4-speed tranny mated to a 3-speed transfer case. Other
features included 24-volt electrics, a Warne 10-ton winch, and a PTO as well. It fetched
an unheard of $1,500.00 when it crossed the block that night. That may sound cheap
today, but back then, at least to me, that seemed like a small fortune!
My best friend back in NY had an 80-something Ramcharger in the late 80's/early 90's. That was a fun truck...when it wasn't busted...which seemed to be about every other day.... Any time I talk to anyone from those days, the question "Remember Erick's Ramcharger?" always comes up!
Although Chrysler gave us some great '80's cars like the minivan, poor build quality
seemed to haunt them in whatever they produced. A lot of the problems started in the
'70's and snowballed from there. By the time Erick's truck was built, too many people
had lost faith in Chrysler engineering. This was sad to me as I can recall the glory days
when Chrysler's engineering department was the pinacle of US auto production. Not
'til the mid '90's would Chrysler put this issue behind them. Today, '80's MoPar
models that survived the crusher become popular at car shows everywhere. If you
can put up with the maintnance issues, you can get into the old car hobby at a bargain
price. Poor demand for these cars has kept prices low. You might be able to buy a
pristine '80's model Chrysler for as little as $3,500.00. Here's your chance to buy Erick's
truck for a song! See ya' later gotta get some work done!
Cap'n, all them 80's Chrysler products BELONG in the crush! -and I helped put lots of them in the crusher back when I had my tow-truck :D Seemed like better than 50% of my junk car business was hauling Mopars away for grateful owners! (Well...Mopars and Renaults!) Remember Dodge Dynastys? BWAHAhahahahaha!!!!
Yeah! We used to call 'em Die Nasty
because that's what they did! I recall having to push one out of my
drive thru after the radiator exploded and tore up the car ahead
of it. What a mess! Took me 10-15
minutes to clean up the mess after
I pushed it into a parking space!
From that point on, I always called
'em Die Nasties! absessgsibia
@captaingizmo: $1,500 30 years ago is equal to paying $3,500 now! Restored ones don't even go for that much on ebay!
Well Grump, evidentally someone wanted it bad enough to pay that price. I know my
Dad passed on that one because of that price. He said he could get one cheaper than
that. It sure was fun to watch the bidding war that broke out over truck though. BTW,
Dad took home a '59 De Soto ragtop that night for just $800.00, and it ran!
dang, i was sure i'd dropped a comment on this.
such an epic find. did not know this existed. when i saw the post title, i figured it was a variant on the duster: gold duster, feather duster, trail duster...
looks like it's been lifted a little, but the wheel size seems about right?
I own a 1975 Plymouth trailduster if you have any questions you can call or text at 620-204-8 three 98
have fun getting bombarded with telemarketer calls, dumb baby boomer
Good to see I'm not the only one that likes to see these old vehicles fixed up.
Post a Comment