By Chuck Vranas – Photography by the Author
Dodge welcomed the era from 1939-1947 with a fresh sheet of paper in creating a grouping that became well known as their work trucks. The thoughts behind them expressed that Dodge would be able to configure their trucks in a myriad of variants and model codes that would be able to directly fit the consumers’ needs for their individual applications.
Add in that this was the height of the Art Deco era, so showcasing their new models with plenty of glamour, including streamlined frontend sheetmetal and flowing body lines, made them a winner straight from the dealer showrooms.
While each decade showcased their competitive forces straight from the drawing board, trucks from the Art Deco era brought forth game-changing designs easily seen in the 1941 Dodge owned by Tonyea Mead of Lewes, Delaware, laid out across our pages.
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It’s always interesting to find what lures a classic truck fan into the hobby and for Tonyea it was attending an endless number of outdoor car shows and cruise nights along with her husband, Phil, as he showcased his latest build, a Factory Five Racing Hot Rod Truck.
While attending the events with her trusty camera in hand, she began to assemble a portfolio of classic trucks that fascinated her, thanks to their combination of vintage styling and purpose-built usefulness. For Phil, having spun wrenches over the years while restoring a number of classic sports cars, including marques from MG, Healy, and Porsche, he was more than up to the challenge of taking on a new project.
When scrolling through the images in her portfolio, it was easy to see that there was a definite appreciation for trucks from the ’40s era. While models from Chevrolet and Ford obviously dominated the grouping, it was the less frequently seen models that really captured her attention. Focusing in on the Art Deco era of Dodge trucks, the pair began the search for a suitable donor to anchor the project.
They eventually located a 1941 Dodge pickup in nearby Maryland and wasted no time in checking it out. Upon arrival, it was obvious that the non-runner had seen plenty of abuse over the years, however Tonyea saw plenty of potential in what was left, so a deal was made, swapping cash for keys, and the old truck was hauled back to their shop to get started. Her formula was simple to tidy up the bodylines, set the stance, and add plenty of dependability for the long haul.
With that in mind, Phil began the teardown and it was clear to see that there were numerous areas in need of attention, especially the factory sheetmetal. While the cab was relatively solid, the bed and running boards were heavily rusted, the front fenders had gaping rust holes, and the rear fenders had dents all over the size of golf balls. Knowing that, he got started with the original spine by blasting it clean, boxing it for additional strength, C-notching the back, and adding new crossmembers. Out back a Ford 8.8-inch rear (refreshed by Phil) spins 4.10 gears and is suspended in place by a combination of Posies Super Slide leaf springs and tube shocks from Pete and Jakes.
For a perfect stance and razor-sharp handling, a Fatman Fabrications Hub-to-Hub IFS was added, including their exclusive tubular steel control arms and spindles along with power rack-and-pinion steering. For plenty of stopping power, a Corvette dual master pushes fluid through steel lines to Ford Mustang discs at each corner.
To roll with a perfect traditional look, Tonyea contacted the Wheel Smith for a set of 16×7 front and 16×8 rear steelies, which she wrapped in Diamond Back wide whites, complemented by signature Dodge caps to complete the look.
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Wanting to bring plenty of punch to the table as well as rock-solid dependability, nothing speaks more volume than a small block V8. Phil sourced a 1995 Chevy 350ci mill that had been recently rebuilt by a local trade school and went through it to add a few of his own tweaks. Deep inside the 350 four bolt main block a forged steel crank links to powdered metal rods capped with TRW pistons while a Comp Cams camshaft sets the beat. Up top, a set of warmed-over iron heads make plenty of power, especially when matched to 1990 Corvette TPI for flawless performance.
A stock GM HEI lights the fire with spent gases moving through a set of block hugger headers to a 2½-inch steel exhaust with mufflers from Pypes Performance Exhaust, all by Phil. Other neat bits include a radiator from Be Cool, Alan Grove component brackets, and K&N air cleaner. To move the goods, a rebuilt Chevy 700-R4 transmission links to a custom driveshaft from Denny’s.
Taking on the restoration of any vintage sheetmetal takes plenty of perseverance and Phil had plenty of past experience to draw from. With the magnitude of what he was looking at he called on good friend Chris Layton of Chris’ Restoration in his hometown, since they had worked together on many of his past builds, for additional insight. After stripping the sheetmetal, he started on the cab and fenders by taking on the rust and dent repairs.
At some point in the truck’s life the front fenders had been replaced with 1939 units featuring pedestal-mounted headlights, a feature that Tonyea particularly admired. From there Phil incorporated a 1940 Chevy pickup bed while also frenching the headlights and shortening a set of longbed running boards to fit. For even more flair, he added a reworked 1936 Buick front bumper as well as a 1949 Plymouth rear bumper. With the sheetmetal gapped and blocked to perfection he followed by laying down a subtle combination of Diamond beige and green vibe, bringing the truck to life.
Looking to bring an equal amount of class to the interior, Phil designed a custom dash insert, milled by Jack Dickerson at Progressive Machining in Milford, Delaware, and packed it with dials from Classic Instruments to monitor the vitals. A Lecarra Mark 10 steering wheel mounted to an ididit tilt column carves a course while shifts move thorough a Lokar floor mount shifter. He continued by fabricating custom interior panels and adding power windows, cool air by Danhard, and tunes from Custom Autosound.
For plenty of comfort, Kevin Statten of Milford, Delaware, stitched up a winning combination of deep green and buff Ultraleather covering a custom bench seat and interior panels, all accented by beige square-weave carpeting. To complete the bed, Phil used custom-cut ash wood source from a local cabinet shop. The result is a truly memorable Dodge Work Truck that never fails to turn heads wherever it goes, especially since Tonyea is putting down as many miles as possible!
