That day cab sure look to be about the minimum size to fit a grown man in it. Muffler hanging on the side. Probably a screaming Detroit right under your butt. Cab design was stolen from Ritz. It must have been a “design” trend back then, the Fords and GMCs were the same rectangular box. It does look like this truck has the air deflectors on the front corners of the cab, I would imagine the deflectors would have plenty of air to catch coming of the front as this cracker box pushed its way thru the air at 55-65 mph.
Thats still a design feature of American day cabs, conventional or cabover theres almost no room in them, comfort and ergonomics are not featured anywhere, and theres a driver shortage well colour me unsurprised.
Should have mentioned the only hint of any styling was the pie plate headlight trim. Dodge must have handed one of those to every designer when they walked in the door. “Here, take this, I don’t know what project you’ll be working on but use this when you get to the headlights.”
Oh good, the New Yorker I ordered is in. I hope it wasn’t built on a Monday or Friday.
The beige Scamp looks a lot like one a friend bought from an old lady – but that one was a 74 with Chrysler’s 1-year-only inertia reel design for the seat belts that would lock if you pulled it out to put it on with anything close to normal speed.
CC effect! Was traveling last weekend and saw a 73 Satellite done up as a yellow cab.
LoL… also found out that almost 50 years later I STILL have to look up Satellite to spell it correctly!
This is BEFORE the gas crisis and we see that Chrysler’s only decent ride was the A-bodies, that were six years old by then. Plain Janes that were simply neglected as they sunk the loot they had into redesigning Dodge Electras, Plymouth BelAirs, and Chrysler Montegos. Who the hell was running that corporation? Unbelievable it survived all that stupidity.
AMC management must have been looking at Chrysler, watching all Highland Park waste cash and asking themselves why they couldn’t have just 30% of that loot.
I thought during the later 70’s Chrysler should gave given up on passenger cars altogether and simply marketed Mitsubishi products in North America. The trucks, including this big one, were a different story. Dodge light truck sales were strong and a little effort into the dealer network could have made the medium and heavy truck lines at least profitable. Maybe Dodge could have signed up Diamond Reo and Brockway dealers when those two makes went bust.
It looks like that blueish one at the end on the top would bounce down and hit the red one easily. Maybe it’s just the angle the picture was taken from making them appear closer.
I recall a ’73 Motor Trend sidebar article poking fun at the latest domestic styling fad. Opera windows. With the triplicate windows of the 1974 Dodge Charger SE, perhaps being the leading example everyone pointed to, when the trend jumped the shark.
I’ll take one of those Dusters. Had one that racked up 380,000 miles when I sold it. Saw it around town for another 5 years. Those Dusters and Darts are the best thing they made.
The Duster at the very front is very well-equipped – optional (and very handsome) wheels, white wall tires, side stripe and vinyl roof. I’ll take that one.
No Monacos…I’ll pass.
That day cab sure look to be about the minimum size to fit a grown man in it. Muffler hanging on the side. Probably a screaming Detroit right under your butt. Cab design was stolen from Ritz. It must have been a “design” trend back then, the Fords and GMCs were the same rectangular box. It does look like this truck has the air deflectors on the front corners of the cab, I would imagine the deflectors would have plenty of air to catch coming of the front as this cracker box pushed its way thru the air at 55-65 mph.
Geeze, yeah, that muffler does look thrown on as an afterthought!
If this rig was to bottom out, the muffler scraping would warn the driver that the trailer would never make it.
That brown one on the bottom already looks like it had it’s nose ajusted
Thats still a design feature of American day cabs, conventional or cabover theres almost no room in them, comfort and ergonomics are not featured anywhere, and theres a driver shortage well colour me unsurprised.
Should have mentioned the only hint of any styling was the pie plate headlight trim. Dodge must have handed one of those to every designer when they walked in the door. “Here, take this, I don’t know what project you’ll be working on but use this when you get to the headlights.”
Oh good, the New Yorker I ordered is in. I hope it wasn’t built on a Monday or Friday.
The beige Scamp looks a lot like one a friend bought from an old lady – but that one was a 74 with Chrysler’s 1-year-only inertia reel design for the seat belts that would lock if you pulled it out to put it on with anything close to normal speed.
You get a vinyl roof! And YOU get a vinyl roof!
Why did we ever think vinyl roofs were good?
Because we were told to, and we do as we told—yes, even the 89 per cent of us who swear up and down we’re not influenced by advertising.
It sure looks like the A-bodies were Chrysler’s bread-and-butter in those years!
They very much were.
CC effect! Was traveling last weekend and saw a 73 Satellite done up as a yellow cab.
LoL… also found out that almost 50 years later I STILL have to look up Satellite to spell it correctly!
This is BEFORE the gas crisis and we see that Chrysler’s only decent ride was the A-bodies, that were six years old by then. Plain Janes that were simply neglected as they sunk the loot they had into redesigning Dodge Electras, Plymouth BelAirs, and Chrysler Montegos. Who the hell was running that corporation? Unbelievable it survived all that stupidity.
AMC management must have been looking at Chrysler, watching all Highland Park waste cash and asking themselves why they couldn’t have just 30% of that loot.
If somebody had been, things might’ve gone better.
Quote of the day.
I thought during the later 70’s Chrysler should gave given up on passenger cars altogether and simply marketed Mitsubishi products in North America. The trucks, including this big one, were a different story. Dodge light truck sales were strong and a little effort into the dealer network could have made the medium and heavy truck lines at least profitable. Maybe Dodge could have signed up Diamond Reo and Brockway dealers when those two makes went bust.
You’re saying they didn’t…?
(Thanks, I’m in town all week! Try the chicken!)
They could’ve brought in Mitsubishi’s Fuso trucks to replace rigs like this. Would have to have been more driver-friendly…
Hard pass. On all of them.
It looks like that blueish one at the end on the top would bounce down and hit the red one easily. Maybe it’s just the angle the picture was taken from making them appear closer.
I recall a ’73 Motor Trend sidebar article poking fun at the latest domestic styling fad. Opera windows. With the triplicate windows of the 1974 Dodge Charger SE, perhaps being the leading example everyone pointed to, when the trend jumped the shark.
I’ll take one of those Dusters. Had one that racked up 380,000 miles when I sold it. Saw it around town for another 5 years. Those Dusters and Darts are the best thing they made.
MoPars : always different for better or worse .
-Nate
Hmm, looks like road wheels on one and nothing on the rest yet
Interesting how the wheels on the tractor tandems are two different sizes. Gives just a bit more room for the incline of the ramp there.
The Duster at the very front is very well-equipped – optional (and very handsome) wheels, white wall tires, side stripe and vinyl roof. I’ll take that one.