1975 Dodge D5N 700 Bogie Drive

As they say 'wiser heads prevail' I thought it best to plumb the depths of the knowledge base in this forum to help answer a few questions.

I have been looking for a worthwhile restoration project for quite some time, and I think I have finally found one.

I am aware of a 1975 Dodge D5N 700 Bogie drive cab chassis that is for sale in NSW. It has the original 361 petrol V8, (with LPG) and 5 speed gearbox with the 3 speed 'joey' box attached. My preference was for the Detroit 6V53 and 10 speed gearbox, but that's another story.

The chassis looks straight and the cab has it's usual rust issues. Obviously I have some questions.

1) What would be a good price for this truck ?
2) Are rust repair panels available ?
3) Are engine rebuild kits available ?
4) How readily available are spare parts ?
5) How difficult is it to drive with the 5/3 gearbox ?
6) Does anyone know what the tanks behind the cab are ?

Here are some pictures of the actual truck.

Good luck with the truck, and a question to ask before you get others answered, do you intend to work the truck or just run it on club plates, a bogie drive is a significant amount dearer for registration than a single drive and a prime mover is worse still.

I think the LPG v8 could be a smart option with current fuel prices, there seems to be plenty of spares and they get along a bit quicker than a diesel.

But there are lots of blokes with heaps more experience and knowledge than me who will set you on the right road.

sarge:-X

G'day and welcome Kaslkaos. I agree with what Sarge says including the bit about more knowledgeable people than me on here! But, here's my thoughts:

1) What would be a good price for this truck ? Does she run and how rusty is she (bottom of cab doors and back of cab or more serious and in the chassis?)?

2) Are rust repair panels available? No idea but there are plenty of these trucks around still. You just have to find a non-rusty one which, from what I've heard, can be tricky.

3) Are engine rebuild kits available? Parts for the engine shouldn't be a problem, I don't think.

4) How readily available are spare parts? Again, this is quite a popular and widely used truck (still) so I think you'll be fine there. Depends on what your budget is.

5) How difficult is it to drive with the 5/3 gearbox? No idea, sorry.

6) Does anyone know what the tanks behind the cab are? Look like they might be air tanks for truck and trailer? Was she a prime mover?

Andy & Sarge,

Thanks for your replies and I welcome your input.

I haven't inspected the truck as I'm in Melbourne and the truck's in central NSW. However a good friend who knows I'm looking for a project told me about it.

He says the truck appears solid the chassis is straight. It doesn't run but the engine is complete and does turn over (by hand) and he suspects it may not take a great deal to get it running. The bottom of the doors looks reasonable clear of rust, same goes for the rear of the cabin.

The gauge cluster is missing, along with various bits and pieces from inside the cabin (window winders, that sort of thing.

The truck is fitted with LPG, but it is way out of date and for all intents and purposes is useless. That's what brings me to the tanks at the back of the cabin. At first he thought they were the LPG tanks, but they are too small to be of any use. He also isn't sure if they are air tanks for the brakes as he believes it runs a straight hydraulic system.

As far as I know, she wasn't a prime mover and the current owner, who bought it as is believes it was fitted with a tray body. Not sure if there's a PTO fitted.

As for my uses for it, that is up in the air. At this stage I like the idea of bringing this truck back to it's former glory, then I can looks at my options.

cents worth of useless information from the

G'day kaslkaos,
I know even less than Andy and Sarge, but I've just been flicking through the November edition of Just Trucks and there are several '70s D5Ns (a 560 and a 600) complete and going with reasonable looking cabs for $3,500. Yours looks a bit rougher, but is the bigger model and possibly a bit rarer, so..... start with a low offer and work your way up from there?

I'm only guessing, but I reckon that set up (petrol with bogie drive) would have started out as a cement mixer or tipper, so maybe the tanks relate to something that was previously attached.

Like Swishy, I stand to be corrected.

Dennis

Hi kaslkaos,

I just want to say welcome and that I definitely know less than everyone else here but when I think I do I will go into excruciating detail...

My only advice is don't let your vision of the finished product cloud what you think its worth. Swishy's right, start as low as possible with your negotiations.

Also take into consideration what you might be able to do yourself before you plan your re-build, it will have a huge impact of what it will ultimately cost you.

Cheers,
Joe

November edition of Just Trucks

Good thinking, Scout.

Hi Kaslkaos,
I thought I would throw in my little bit for what its worth, A few months ago I went through this same process. You can read all about it on page 6 in General truck chat, under "newbie intro."
As I am always on the lookout for Dodge D5N parts I noticed your prospective purchase on that famous auction website several days ago. (dont worry mate I dont think anyone will "white ant"you here!
You are lucky if the cab on your truck is not that rusty, mine is bad , real bad Did your friend check around the roof and the plenum chamber ?
In the few D5N's that I have had any thing to do with thats where they rust as well as the doors, and around the door hinges ( my doors literally fall off,a good booby trap for sneaky scrappy's! who might have their eye on her )
Have you also thought about the cost of transporting her home, funny, I bought my truck in Melbourne and had to transport it back to the NSW central coast, that by the way cost me $ 2,200.
As far as parts go, from what I know 361 v8 parts while not 'unobtainium"are not all that common as they were only used as a truck engine by Chrysler Aust. You may have to source some parts ex USA, but its amazing what turns up when you start asking around.
I have found I tell everyone about my truck now, most people are pretty indifferent and bemused why I would want to restore a truck,
but one work colleague put me on to very, very rusty Dodge 400 .
This chance mentioning of my truck led to me being able to take what parts off the old girl I wanted before she went to the scrappies.
I am sure you have seen" Wagga tractor " on ebay he has some parts, Bluestar spares in Oakey Qld have some lenses and rubbers as do Pentastar parts and restorations in Sydney, both are on the net.
At a local brake and clutch supplier the parts man and I were both surprised to find a new clutch master cylinder was still available new !
So it pays to ask around , but be prepared for a few "a dodge d5 what"
This forum too has been a big help too, with a lot of generous people always prepared to help a mug like me.
Be prepared for that feeling too, when you get it home of "what the hell have I bought here " I know I did!
good luck with it mate !
regards Harleigh.

Hello Harleigh,

Thanks so much for your advice and for your input. As for the auction site, you had me a little confused, so I rang my friend who said he 'found' the truck for me, only to find out all he did was jump on ebay and do a simple search ! He can thank his lucky stars he isn't claiming a finders fee. Especially considering the pictures he sent me were directly from the eBay listing !

I appreciate also your concerns about being white anted, and as much as restoring this truck appeals to me, I certainly don't want someone to miss out on her should I decide not to buy her. So in a spirit of fair play, I got onto eBay, found the truck listed, and here's the link;

cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte...parms=tab%3DWatching

I have also emailed the owner, and he tells me he bought her 'as is' and he has no idea what sort of body was fitted. He also tells me it does run and drives well and the doors are clear of rust (my friend confirmed this too) and the rear of the cabin is solid. The chassis is 14 feet from rear of cab to end.

Transport was also going to be a cost factor and I'm thinking I'd be up for a similiar cost as yourself, if not more, for bringing her down to Melbourne.

I've just finished reading your post on your Dodge purchase and you immediately made me jealous! If I ever had a choice of truck, it would be the D5N 700 with the 6v53 & 10 speed. I especially like the step tanks and the smoke stacks !

Would love to see progress photos if you have any