1977 Dodge B200 Tradesman 360 small block from North America

Summary:

Family heirloom

Faults:

Complete front end rebuild.

Engine swap to a 318 with a 4 barrel carb.

Two starters, three alternators, one voltage regulator.

One ignition ECU, one radiator, water pump, hoses.

A real transmission dipstick, u-joints, MSD blaster 2 ignition coil, distributor pickup and reluctant wheel.

Brakes on all 4 wheels, front wheel bearings, 2 15×10" and 2 15×8" Wide American racing wheels with 295 50 rear tires, and flat black paint.

General Comments:

I bought this van because I'm a musician and I need the space; it has been a cheap reliable transportation. I call it my swiss army knife of vehicles because it does everything I need it to. It's my daily driver, my grocery getter, my tour bus, and someday it will also be my race car.

The drivetrain is stout enough to rebuild to muscle car specs. It will someday get a 408 cubic inch small block, and a performance rebuild for the 727 TorqueFlite. And the 9 1/4 rearend will be fortified for the power. Except for the rust around the driprails, this van has been easy to work on, and has only left me stranded a handful of times.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th September, 2014

18th Sep 2014, 22:19

Owned a '73 B100 "stubby" window van and then a '79 B200 "Street Van", a mid length version. Yes, those days. They were great if you knew about the bad connector that wouldn't allow you to start the truck, and also the ballast resistors. Always carried a spare ballast resistor.

I'm surprised all you have is rust around the drip rails. Typically Dodge's were major rust buckets within 5 years. At least, here, in the "rust belt". But my '79 did real well in '87, drove to Alaska and back home, right after I had to have the rear differential rebuilt. A few years later I sold it and the truck was still running at least 5 years later ('93). Other than that, they were pretty stout.

I also put a Edelbrock manifold and a 4 barrel carb on my '93 with a 318 and 727A. The 727A had a shift kit and it was almost a manual with shifting controlled by throttle position. The '79 was a 360 and was almost as "fast" as the 318 after mods.