MARACOONDA MARCH BLOG

1918 Dodge

Since I have written about the history of Henry Ford, I thought it only fair to walk you through a short history of The Dodge Brothers…..

Brothers John and Horace Dodge started making parts for Oldsmobile, Ford and others;

Then they struck out on their own, with the first Dodge Brothers automobile in 1914 instantly earning a strong reputation and attracting good sales. They didn’t build a truck until World War 1- which was a panel van with a half-ton capacity and a 35 hp engine.

In 1921, the Graham Brothers started selling one-and-a-half ton Pickups through their

Dodge dealers, using their own bodies on a Dodge chassis and powered by a four cylinder engine. The Dodge Brothers bought out the Graham Brothers in 1925-1926 and thereby made their first civilian trucks.

CHRYSLER DODGE

In 1928, Chrysler acquired Dodge Brothers. Dodge had launched a half-ton Pickup in 1929 just after its acquisition by Chrysler, which was the last truck designed by the old Dodge Brother company consisting of three engines types. The trucks had four wheel hydraulic brakes, a major safety feature unique among pickups.

1929 Dodge                                                                                                 1934 Dodge

Beginning in 1933, Dodge trucks abandoned the old Dodge Brothers engines and used Chrysler Corporation engines instead… six cylinder flat-head six was used and continued through until 1960.

In 1935 Dodge increased its range by selling ¾ ton and one ton trucks based on the standard 1.5 ton pickup. Then in 1936, Dodge entered the large truck arena with the ‘D’ series.

Dodge started to use a modern truck-style frame and was adopted in half-ton pickups for the first time, with side welded to cross members, dropping the old car frames. The engine was unchanged…three speed manual transmission and powered with 70HP engine.

1937 bought a ‘safe’ instrument panel, with nothing sticking out to avoid stabbing the driver during a crash.. and a new ¾ and one ton truck series, with the same styling as the half-ton trucks and two wheelbases. The engine was a six cylinder, producing 75HP….

1940 Dodge                                            1941 Dodge

In 1939, Dodge introduced the concept of Job Rated, aimed at getting the customer the pickup that fitted the job that he was buying it for. Truck production lines had barely slowed when military orders poured in. Dodge had established its successful four wheel drive combination in 1934 and between 1942 and the declaration of peace in 1945, Dodge built some 255 & 195 T-model trucks.

1939 also brought a complete redesign, with streamlined styling. In 1940, engineering started on a military four wheel drive truck, leading to the first stock light-duty four wheel drive pickup in 1946. Dodge also made their first diesel truck, using their own diesel engines, joining Mack as the only two American automakers to use their own diesels before World War 11..

Dodge joined the planned obsolescence era 1948 with new designations and a styling studio for trucks. They started with well-thought-out, stylish small trucks.. the B-1.

The postwar B-trucks leapfrogged GM and FORD. The B-series had a superior cab with taller seats and larger glass areas for visibility. The front axles, wheels, and engine also moved, shifting payload to the front axle so the truck could carry more on the same axle and springs. Cross steering allowed for much tighter turns and longer springs and shocks made the ride more comfortable.

The B series continued through to 1953. After that, the C series Dodge pickup where they left off, with major power boosts.

1951 Dodge

Dodge Pickups 1954 and onwards…

I’ll continue this interesting story next month….