I’m looking for a truck rehab project and like the look of 80’s Dodge Ram’s. I found a 1987 D100 for $500. 318 v8, auto trans, 2wd. The engine does not run. Seller says it’s seized and may be cracked so I assume an engine swap will be necessary. Body is in pretty good condition. There appear to be signs of bondo right above the windshield, maybe from rust repair.

My thought is to do a mostly stock build and maybe build an engine with a bit more horsepower that stock. Also thinking about a flatbed to replace the regular bed.

I’m not finding very much info on these early Ram trucks. Are these trucks worth restoring? What kind of aftermarket support is there for these trucks?

Trying to to attach some photos of the truck.

 

It's your money so, no one can tell you yay or nay. Check out LMC truck and rock auto, ebay, jeggs, summit etc. to see what kind of aftermarket support is there for parts.

 

Thanks for the reply ... I’m originally from Winston ... in Raleigh now. I like the truck. Seems solid (though the thought of rust though over the windshield is scary to me). Are there any known issues with these 1st gen Rams?

 

I have seen quite a few leading edge roof rot issues on 1st gens, thinking they rust from the inside out. Do a web search, I'm sure you'll find many examples, with probably as many mitigation strategies. If that is the only rust problem, see if you can find a body shop willing to make and weld in a metal patch. I do not believe anyone is making a patch for that part of the roof, so you need to find someone willing to be creative.

Here are a couple links that should interest you in swapping in a latter model 360 for that dead 318:

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/59l-m...ke-mine-a-5-9/
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/build...t-block-cheap/

 

Its a pretty average pickup truck, with more than average stuff to fix.

IMO, look for a 3/4-ton in better shape.

 

for $500 i would take it. overall it looks like it would make a good driver as is and if it looks as good under the truck as it does on the outside i bet you could part it out for more than $500 if you decided not to fix it. as far as above the windshield goes yes they do rust out but hard to really say if it is happening to that truck or not yet. the drip rail hasn't been touched and doesn't look rusted out so i don't think the roof has started to rust out yet but hard to say without really seeing it or checking it with a fridge magnet