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New to me 1974 D200

3K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  kaipi0070 
#1 ·
Greetings. I posted this in the New Member area but I figured I'd post here, too.

This coming weekend I'm going to haul a 1974 D200 from Bloomington Indiana up to South Bend, Indiana. I don't know too much about the truck yet. I know it's has a 400 V8 and an automatic, it runs but needs a tune up, it's fairly rust free, is missing it's tailgate and hubcaps, and it has about 75,000 miles on it. It was last on the road in 2000 and was used by a marina to launch boats on a ramp nearby. When not in use it was stored inside a pole barn. I'll know more when I get it home. I joined this forum to get advice and help as I attempt to get it road-worthy again. I currently drive a 2001 Jeep Wrangler with 192,000 miles on it and it's starting to need some work. I'd like to use the Dodge as a driver while the Jeep is down and also use it to haul a fishing boat or for the occasional lumber yard run. Nice to meet you all.

Thanks,
Scott

P.S. This is not my first truck, nor my first Dodge. But it is my first Dodge truck. Any advice is always appreciated.
 

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#4 ·
I rented a U-Haul auto transport trailer to haul it home. It barely fit (lengthwise) but towed very nicely behind my dad's Silverado. We got it home last night so I haven't had a lot of time to really dig into it. It is a little rustier than I initially thought but that's fine. A few pinholes in the bed and the lower front fenders and door corners. Otherwise it's pretty solid for a rust belt truck. It has 73,xxx miles on it. My first steps are to change all fluids and filters, grease the suspension, new belts and hoses and replace leaky valve cover gaskets. Eventually, it will need tires. It has old and weathered 7.5x16 tires on it now on some kind of split rim. I not sure if those are factory rims or replacements. I thought factory rims were 16.5". Anyway, it's home and waiting me to tear into it.

Thanks,
Scott
 

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#7 ·
August Update

Here is what I have done to the truck this summer:

- Replaced 5 freeze plugs. Some were missing, some were rusted through.
- Replaced the spark plugs. Someone had put small block plugs in by mistake.
- Replaced the ignition cap and rotor.
- Replaced the plug wires.
- Replaced the air filter element.
- Drained the fuel tank.
- Replaced the fuel filter.
- Replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses.
- Replaced the thermostat.
- Bypassed the heater because the heater control valve crumbled in my hand.
- Replaced super leaky valve cover gaskets.
- Replaced the factory split-ring wheels with one-piece Ford wheels.
- Got a used set of tires mounted.

It now will drive down the street under it's own power but the automatic transmission doesn't want to shift into 3rd gear. All other gears work just fine. It's going to the transmission shop this week to see what's wrong.

Future plans, (providing it doesn't need a complete transmission rebuild.):
- Oil and filter change.
- Find a mirror head for the driver's door mirror.
- Chassis lube.
- Replace the heater control valve and hoses.
- Find a used tailgate.
- Replace the left tail light lens.
- Try to remove the brown spray-bomb paint covering the original owner's business name and phone number.
- Drive the hell out of it!

Here's a pic sporting it's "new" wheels!
 

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