Dodge D series: the pickup Dodge built for 32 years

The Dodge D series, also called the D/W series, is a line of pickup trucks that Dodge sold from October 1960 to 30 September 1993. Two-wheel-drive models were designated D and four-wheel-drive models W, and the same basic design stayed in production until the completely redesigned Ram arrived in October 1993.

Dodge D series at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge D series.

History of the Dodge D series

The D series was introduced in October 1960 and shared its AD platform with the Dodge Ramcharger and Plymouth Trail Duster twins. The smallest V8 offered in the first generation was the 318 cu in Chrysler A engine, and all of Chrysler’s larger engines except the Hemi were available as factory options. The original design was built until the spring of 1965, when a facelifted single-headlight version arrived, so both two-headlight and four-headlight trucks were sold as 1965 models. For 1963 Dodge introduced a four-door crew cab, becoming the first of the American Big Three to market a factory-produced truck with two rows of seating, following the 1961 International Travelette.

Besides straight-sided beds called Sweptline, the D series offered step-sided narrow beds called Utiline in 6.5 ft, 8 ft and 9 ft lengths depending on the model. A Perkins 354 cu in six-cylinder diesel was offered in 1962 but was dropped for lack of demand after only about 1,000 were built, mainly in the heavier cab-chassis PD500 and PD600 models. The first generation was built in Warren, Michigan and sold under both the Dodge and Fargo brands.

The 1964 Custom Sports Special brought a sporty trim to the range, with bucket seats, a console, carpeting and racing stripes. Its optional high-performance package could be ordered on a CSS truck or on its own on a base model, with Chrysler’s 413 cu in wedge V8 in 1964 and the 426 cu in V8 in 1965, which produced 365 hp and 470 lb-ft. The package also included the LoadFlite automatic, a 6,000 rpm Sun tachometer with heavy-duty gauges, power steering, dual exhaust and rear axle traction bars taken from 1961 Imperials. It required custom fabrication including tailor-made traction bar brackets, altered frame crossmembers and an enlarged firewall to clear the exhaust manifold, and it was offered only from 1964 to early 1966. Custom Sports Special trucks were built from 1964 to 1967.

The second generation arrived in the spring of 1965 with a wider tailgate, the replacement of the A-series engines by the updated LA series and a six-inch wheelbase stretch on 8 ft bed models. In 1967 the 383 two-barrel big block became a standard option. From 1965 into the early 1980s D-series trucks were also assembled in Israel by Automotive Industries Ltd at Nazareth-Illit, using four- and six-cylinder petrol engines and a manual gearbox; the factory built D100 and D200 light trucks, the D500 and the D600 with four-wheel drive, and even a 20-seat bus on the D500 chassis for the army. The 1968 models received a new grille with two rows of four holes and a new Adventurer trim package with a padded vinyl seat, carpeting, extra chrome and courtesy lights; by 1970 the Adventurer had grown into three packages. In August 1969 the Dude Sport Trim Package added body-side stripes and special decals to the D100, and only about 1,500 were built in 1970 and 1971.

Design and features

• D and W: the same truck in two- and four-wheel drive, sold for 32 years.
• Sweptline and Utiline: straight-sided and step-sided beds in several lengths.
• Custom Sports Special: a 1964-1967 sport truck with bucket seats and a 426 V8 option.
• Crew cab: Dodge was the first of the Big Three with a factory four-door truck in 1963.

Dodge D series versions

• D100, D200, D300: the light-duty models by payload class.
• W100 to W300: the four-wheel-drive versions.
• Custom Sports Special: the sporty trim with a high-performance V8 package.
• Adventurer and Dude: the 1968-1971 trim packages that replaced the CSS.

The D series followed the Dodge C series and was replaced by the Dodge Ram, while its chassis was shared with the Dodge Ramcharger. More Dodge trucks are in the Dodge collection.

Sources

• Dodge D series, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, beds, CSS, Adventurer