It’s no secret that I have an affection for old pickup trucks. And the more original and authentic, the better. Ford and Chevy pickups get the majority of attention, but it’s also refreshing to shine the work light on Dodge, International Harvester, and other pickup truck brands. Here’s a good, old 1972 Dodge D100 Adventurer that’s been in the same family since new. It’s a western truck that spent its working life in Pahrump, Nevada, which is about 60 miles outside of Las Vegas. As the seller says, “The paint’s got the sunburn to prove it.” Now located in Las Vegas, this solid, low mileage survivor is for sale here on eBay and as of this writing, 22 bids had been placed with a top bid of $2,720. 

Dodge was the only all-new pickup on the market in 1972. It had been totally redesigned and advertised as “all-new…from the road to the roof.” It was touted as being more durable, roomier, and had a more car-like ride thanks to the new independent suspension. The styling was rounder and followed more of Chrysler’s fuselage look which resulted in a good-looking pickup in my opinion. This Adventurer appears to be straight and solid and is still wearing its now-weathered original Doeskin and Dover White two-tone paint combination. The seller states that the Dodge is solid, including the floor pans, and that it’s never been wrecked or taken apart. It has never had rust or any rust repair, but does have “cool desert surface rust.” All the lights and turn signals work and the seller has included a video showing the D100 starting, stopping, and going through the normal paces of a Nevada test drive.

The interior is typical 1972, meaning it’s not all-metal and spartan like a decade earlier, as pickups were now promising more car-like comforts and smoother rides. Overall, it looks good to be 52 years old, and even comes with a rifle rack, but I’d replace that aftermarket steering wheel.

The bench seat will also need reupholstering and maybe some new foam. A stereo has been added with speakers visible in the door panels, and I like the old-school four-speed shifter on the floor. Several things are listed on the “To-Do” List: the horn doesn’t work, it needs a driver’s window, the heater works, but you have to play with the buttons for it to turn on, and the speedometer is around 15 mph off.

Underneath the patina of that sunburned hood, you’ll find the D100’s original 318 V8 (that’s been recently visited by Mr. Blue Spray Paint) with 71,861 miles on the clock. The 318 is sort of the Rodney Dangerfield of small-block V8’s, but they are powerful, easy to work on, and holds the title of being Chrysler’s best-selling small block V8 engine of all time, so there’s no shortage of parts.  The seller says the engine “is very strong, doesn’t knock, smoke, leak, or overheat. The truck runs and drives awesome.” It’s recently received a new distributor, and new plugs and wires. He also shares that the exhaust has a small hole leak, and the 2-barrel carb is going to need an adjustment and a new choke cable. I really like this Dodge pickup. It looks like it still has a lot of life left in it, and it’s solid, rust-free, plus has all the authentic bumps and bruises of an unpretentious Western workhorse.