Sweptline 1960-1971 W200 Military/Government Dodge W200's ?

[Geardoc]

I picked up, a few years ago, a military1970 Dodge W200- except it is a Sweptline W200, 4 speed, 16.5's all around, 4.10 Dana 60's, NP205 t-case, Np-435, stepside bed, evidence of where a . Full lockers in the front, rear end locks in the slightest incident of traction issues. It is like a CUCV even though it is badged 3/4 ton it has everything a full W300 would have including some suspension parts like a D400 would have front and rear.

Truck was originally OD green, was brought back in from In-Country to Bennings, ended up at Dobbins for a while, then I got it from Warner Robbins, this was way before the internet auction years. The story at Warner Robbins was it had been In-Country, was US owned originally by the US Army and the bed had an M60 Mount in the bed, pindle style hitch, and the story the guy told when I picked it up was that it was that it towed an M45 Kraut Mower- he took me past the road where the jet fuselages currently rot by the side of the road at W-R and showed me an intact M45 Mowing Machine, only one I've seen together and patinaed and looked like a war relic- saw one at the museum at Benning I think, but that one at W-R topped it, it was rusty, it was rough, but it looked like with some wire brushing and work, it could again mow down some plains and charlie.

This Sweptline W200 ran, but at during an "Uh Oh" moment in country the solid mount engine fan broke a bolt or two with the engine sucking petrol and hauling behind, and the fan blade let go and went through the hood and the truck got sent back in country for repairs.

It got graded F, handed around for while, and put up for sealed bid. I have the original hood with the engine fan slash through it.

The engine was interesting to a Mopar freak because it had a steel instead of forged crank. The engine was more like a 340 a 318 in many ways, even though it was also a 2bbl. The other oddball thing was the heads and valve train- again, not run of the mill 318 stuff.

There are stickers are on the dash like the M880's have that I've seen and similar to my CUCV.

The stickers ID it as Govt Property, US Army Property, what it is warrantied for and where it is warrantied and I have Dept of Energy Truck from 1993, a GM, and it has similarly worded stickers about accidents and reporting.

I've never heard of a Sweptline Dodge truck-ie 1960-1971- being used by the military. Moreover I thought that if something was "In-Country" it was more likely to be dumped in the ocean than returned to the USA. Supposedly this one was returned to Benning, Dobbins, W-R, and sold.

Is there any way to start to research provenance to separate fact from bullhockey ?

Thank you !

 

[CARNAC]

It is highly unlikely the history is available. The vehicle was released before automated records were kept and the paper records were most likely long ago thrown away.

 

[wheelspinner]

Some pictures may strike up some memories from those who may have been assigned in any unit that might have had it.

 

[M813rc]

There was a thread the other day on Ford trucks in the military.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?136429-Ford-mv-s

The military used, and still uses, off the shelf civilian vehicles. They weren't military vehicles, per se, so would not have had M numbers, but would have been painted in military colours.

More specific to your question - around 1980, my uncle had a 1964 Dodge 4x4 3/4ton regular cab pickup that had a US Marine property plate on the dash. It had a 4-speed manual, behind a gasoline 6-cylinder. It was painted red when he had it, but the interior was unmolested and was Marine green. I only saw it a couple of times when I was home on leave, and being a Marine, I asked him to sell it to me if he was going to get rid of it (he's had more trucks than hot lunches). He didn't keep it for me, "Oh, you didn't want that old thing!"... Umm, yes, I did!

Cheers

 

[Geardoc]

There was a thread the other day on Ford trucks in the military.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?136429-Ford-mv-s

The military used, and still uses, off the shelf civilian vehicles. They weren't military vehicles, per se, so would not have had M numbers, but would have been painted in military colours.

More specific to your question - around 1980, my uncle had a 1964 Dodge 4x4 3/4ton regular cab pickup that had a US Marine property plate on the dash. It had a 4-speed manual, behind a gasoline 6-cylinder. It was painted red when he had it, but the interior was unmolested and was Marine green. I only saw it a couple of times when I was home on leave, and being a Marine, I asked him to sell it to me if he was going to get rid of it (he's had more trucks than hot lunches). He didn't keep it for me, "Oh, you didn't want that old thing!"... Umm, yes, I did!

Cheers

This one was sold by Warner Robbins with Red paint over the OD green. The interior is either Green or Black, I need to go look.

It is a unique red. The guys at W-R said that they had taken advantage of the heavy springs and rear end and boxed frame and used it as a "tow *****", ***** being a word for a woman of negotiable affection. That was their term for it and some of the Cummins 4b powered warehouse tugs.

I missed the nicer of the two W200's by something like $60 sealed bid. I wanted both. Still have an old white Camper Special parts truck, and the Camper Special was supposed to be a tough towing and hauling truck, but the springs on this W200 make it look like a D100 stripper. They are just massive and everything is overbuilt.

 

[M813rc]

I recall that Dodge of my uncle's riding like a buckboard, it had some great springs! The red on his looked like it had been put on by a 5-year old with a sponge. You could see the Marine lettering on the doors under the red paint.
Wish I could have gotten it from him, I'd still have it.

Got pictures? We live for pictures!

Cheers

 

[Another Ahab]

Got pictures? We live for pictures!

Cheers

Yes,

Please. Must...Have ...Pictures.

 

[M813rc]

In Bart Vanderveen's 1972 edition of the Observer's Military Vehicles Directory (which I bought as a child back then!), on page336, I found the entry in the attached photo.

The photo is one I took of the book page, but should be clear enough to see the info. Sorry, that's about as high tech as I get!

Cheers

 

[Another Ahab]

In Bart Vanderveen's 1972 edition of the Observer's Military Vehicles Directory (which I bought as a child back then!), on page336, I found the entry in the attached photo.

The photo is one I took of the book page, but should be clear enough to see the info. Sorry, that's about as high tech as I get!

Cheers

USAF usd to run these around a lot didn't they?

And I'm wondering if the model sported one of the first club cabs featured on the market.

 

[IsaLandr]

USAF used to run these around a lot didn't they?

And I'm wondering if the model sported one of the first club cabs featured on the market.

IHC was the first factory crewcab in the US, starting with the A series in late 1956 for year model 1957. Also the first "extended" cab, with the Comfo-vision cab, some years earlier, most popular in Australia. Initially crewcabs from IHC, and later GM (1972), were three-door affairs, with no second row door on the driver's side. Both eventually adopted the fourth door. Dodge introduced its own crewcabs with four doors right from the beginning, as did Ford.

This does not address aftermarket crewcab conversions, which were built on all four makes, quite some time before any of the manufacturers started doing it in the factory. These aftermarket conversions usually had four doors, which marks them out from the later factory crewcabs, at least in the IHC and GM models.

Interestingly, that picture indicates the Dodge truck is a 1962, but Dodge didn't offer crewcabs untill 1963.

 

[Recovry4x4]

There was a super nice one at the GA Rally this past year. Cool truck.

Edit; Ooops, don't think it's a sweptline!

 

[M813rc]

IHC was the first factory crewcab in the US, starting with the A series in late 1956 for year model 1957.

Here is the IHC from the same book. There are also Fords and Chevys.

One of the sweetest IHCs I have seen was the mid-'60s Traveall 4x4 used at NAS Corpus Christi well into the '80s as the "Follow-Me" truck, even though yellow isn't my favourite vehicle colour.
It was very similar to the one in pic 2.

Cheers

 

[IsaLandr]

Here is the IHC from the same book. There are also Fords and Chevys.

Cheers

Oh Gods. The C series, 1961 to 1968. Butt ugly in every possible way. I had two of those, 1965 D1200, and 1966 1500A. I don't miss either one of them. Good tough reliable trucks, just ugly as all get out, and really uncomfortable cabs. I robbed the entire rear axle and suspension from the 1500A to put under my '60 B122, before scrapping the 1500A.

Looking at the grille, that might actually be a 1962, rather than a 1961 like the book says. '61 and '62 retained the dual headlights from the previous B series ('59 and '60), but turned them from vertical to horizontal mountings. About the only change from '61 to '62 was the pattern of the grille, but I don't remember which was which and I don't have my Crismon book here to check. It's definitely a 110 though. Five lugs and semi-float rear. Half ton, not the 3/4 listed in the book.

That Dodge is a much better-looking truck than the C-series IHC, that's for certain.

 

[M813rc]

I like that butt ugly nose! But I like M35A3s too, so ....

Cheers

 

[IsaLandr]

Here is the IHC from the same book. There are also Fords and Chevys.

One of the sweetest IHCs I have seen was the mid-'60s Traveall 4x4 used at NAS Corpus Christi well into the '80s as the "Follow-Me" truck, even though yellow isn't my favourite vehicle colour.
It was very similar to the one in pic 2.

Cheers

I know quite a number of guys who have the C series trucks, and the TravelAll from that period is a pretty solid truck. They retained the tailgate and wrap around rear windows of the previous B series, which was pretty cool. Great visibility, but in summertime basically a gigantic greenhouse. John Wayne's custom truck was a C series TravelAll. With a bubbled up top over the passenger area, to accommodate cowboys who didn't want to take off their hats. In fact, The Duke's TravelAll was quite likely an uprated 1200A, which is from 1966.

Which, the one in that picture is most certainly not. The headlights tell me it's a 1967, rather than the 1966 it's labeled with. The '66 grille is vastly different from that. The one in the picture also has a factory SV engine. Probably SV304, though an SV345 isn't impossible, or an SV266 for that matter. That truck has dual fuel tanks, as well. Nice looking machine.

 

[M813rc]

You know your Binders! I can do that with 60-70s Chevies, but not these.

And I wouldn't trust what a lot of folks label their stuff (ie the '66 Travelall) on the internet. I "borrowed" that picture as a decent one that looked like the Travelall I remembered from NASCC and bear no responsibility for the owner's year model misidentification. I was happy with my mid-60s as close enough!

Cheers