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This truck body has an original riveted factory serial number plate stamped 83942929 (Data Plate Picture). The VIN Decoder on this website indicates it is a 1954 serial number. The Chrysler Corporation Serial Number Guide (Page 6-17), also shows this truck was manufactured in 1954. There were an additional 418 units manufactured before the end of the 1954 production run at unit #83943347. There is no evidence that the serial number tag on the door frame has been tampered with.
The truck was initially delivered through Saint Cloud Dodge to its first owner, the Minnesota State Department of Highways (now MnDOT), and, when new, was registered and titled as a 1955 vehicle. I think the original truck was manufactured as a cab and flat bed.
Upon acquisition, the exterior surface of the truck was re-painted "Highway Department Safety Yellow" over the original Ponchatrain (Pine) Green color from the factory. All interior surfaces including the door frames, floor, cab interior and dashboard remain the original factory color. The truck was used as a maintenance vehicle on the Saint Cloud District, a substantially rural outstate district in west central Minnesota for snow removal and application of road salt.
There is no state motor vehicle department record available that has ever shown this vehicle registered as a 1954 manufactured truck.
An existing title from the second owners, Harry John Roberts and Jane Caswell Roberts of Wayzata, Mn., shows it was sold and transferred to them and licensed by them as a 1955 model. The second owners kept it at their home at 18425 Maple Ridge Road in Wayzata, Minnesota (shore of Lake Minnetonka in the Orono area). It was used for estate maintenance.
The third owner was George Pappas, Canaan, New Hampshire. How and when he acquired it from the Roberts, his use of the vehicle and how it was relocated from Minnesota to New Hampshire are unknown.
I purchased the truck through an e-Bay auction from George Pappas and had it towed to Georgia for restoration. The year of manufacture was not specified on the bill of sale. George Pappas included the Minnesota title document from the Roberts family of Wayzata in the glove compartment of the truck. The Roberts' title had been signed by Harry John Roberts and Jane Caswell Roberts, as sellers, (and was not dated by them). The buyer's entry spaces were left blank, presumably to be filled in by George Pappas. He apparently never completed the transfer of the title to his name.
The truck was delivered to me as a "cab and chassis" without a flat bed body. When the flat bed body was removed and by whom are unknown.
The original odometer shows just a little over 73,000 miles (Picture#5).
The original frame was extremely rusted and "flaking" and had separated into five separate sections from its use on heavily salted rural winter roads. All original cab body parts were raised off of the original frame. The frame has been replaced by a shortened 2000 Dodge 2500 4X4 frame powered by a 5.9 Liter (360 cu. in.) engine e/w automatic transmission, A/C, cruise control, P.S., and P.B. The original remaining 5 pieces of the frame with driveline axles and shafts, engine, transmission and transfer case were sold in Georgia.
All original (and predominately rust free) sheet metal, including factory original front fenders have been restored to original condition. Rust free headlamp buckets have been purchased and have replaced the rust perforated originals. The replacement headlight buckets are painted without stainless or chrome trim rings (as were the originals).
The truck was not optioned with a winch at the factory or by the dealer when it was sold to the Minnesota Highway Department. The frame has recently been equipped with a Braden LU-2 winch. The Braden winch has been re-powered with a 12 Volt motor and switched controls.
The 1st Series bed was purchased from Matt Tisdale and came equipped with a non-factory original (flat sheet metal panel) tailgate. A second series tailgate was purchased via e-Bay from its previous owner in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and is installed on the 1st Series bed (Truck Pictures #3 and #4).
There are (obviously) large gaps in the history of this vehicle. If there are others who are reading this and can fill in the gaps (particularly during the ownership of the Roberts family in Wayzata, Mn. and the Pappas ownership in New Hampshire), please let me know either at local Power Wagon events or via e-mail. Since I began assembling the known history of the truck, I have made extended efforts to contact the Robert's family and the Pappas family, without any success. I have contacted MnDOT and they have no record of ownership and advised me that their records no longer exist for the time they owned the truck.
The vehicle is in the process of restoration as a "Restomod" and will be titled in Hart County, Georgia as a 1955 model. The Hart County, Georgia DMV has refused to retitle the vehicle with a 1954 title. A photocopy of the original title at the time it was owned by the Roberts family in Wayzata, Mn. has been retained as historic documentation. The original document had to be signed and dated by me and was turned over to the Hart County DMV to obtain the current title and registration.
The interior of the cab will be restored in the original Ponchatrain (Pine) Green color. The exterior panels of the cab and bed will be painted MnDOT yellow/orange and front and rear fenders and running boards are finished in gloss black.
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