While the majority of the project threads here on DodgeForum focus on trucks build and sold in the last 30 years, the thread posted by DF member PilotHouse2500 offers us all a great look at a full restoration of a 1951 Dodge B3D 1 ton truck. This thread provides a gorgeous example of an old school Dodge truck and while the trucks from that era don’t receive the attention of the cars from the same years – this awesome 51 Dodge deserves some special attention here on DodgeForum.
Based on the “before” picture, this 1951 Dodge truck project had a pretty good start (as the truck appears to be all there in the one pre-restoration image) but when a project ends up with a truck that is over 60 years old looking better than it did the day that it rolled off of the assembly line, it doesn’t matter what the “before” looks like. This Job Rated 1 ton pickup has received a full frame off restoration complete with images of each major step of the process and the final result is one of the best looking 50’s era trucks Ive ever seen – although I am clearly and admittedly biased.
Click here to head into PilotHouse2500’s thread showing his awesome 1951 Dodge B3D from the way that it was purchased to being torn completely down to the show quality final product.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
