Sold!

[Bob_Koch]

Sold at Mecum Auction in Kansas City 12/2/11 for $15,750. 1953 1/2 ton. Must be early '53 as it still has the 52 style rear fenders.

http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=KC1210-100622#5

Edited December 4, 2010 by Bob_Koch
addition

[Dodgeb4ya]

Wow-Long block too!

[buds truck]

nice truck, but did ya notice the drivers door does not match? lighter shade.

[moparmonkey]

$15K!

Someone payed too much money for that truck. I mean, its definitely a very nice truck. But I agree with Bud, the door doesn't match the cab, looks like the fenders are a different shade as well. As far as the fenders, it could be a '52 that was sold in '53 and then titled as a '53, happened a lot with trucks back then. It has the '52 dash emblem, you can just make it out through the steering wheel.

For $15k I'd want all the paint to match. It's probably all out of the same can, but sprayed on different days. It doesn't take much, if the paint wasn't stirred enough, if it was a little warmer/colder, or the gun or air compressor was set a little different, you can get enough color variation to notice when its parked in full light.

It's a nice truck, and the fact that it brought that much is good for all of us. But for $15k I'd want perfect, and this truck definitely isn't.

[Dave72dt]

The paint changes may just be the lighting. Look at another way. For a truck to look that nice, the owner probably sold it at a loss. It takes a LOT of time and money to get them that nice, especially if hired. Paint alone can cost as much as that truck brought.

[moparmonkey]

The paint changes may just be the lighting. Look at another way. For a truck to look that nice, the owner probably sold it at a loss. It takes a LOT of time and money to get them that nice, especially if hired. Paint alone can cost as much as that truck brought.

If it was all hired out, you're probably right about it being sold at a loss, especially if everything was rechromed or NOS. But as anyone that's restored cars or trucks should know, just because you spent that much money doesn't mean its worth that much. It's obviously a well restored truck, but I still think that is a ton of money for that truck, especially considering the market.

As far as the paint, it may not be that obvious all the time. So, the lighting may be part of why it appears so obvious in the picture. But based on what I see in the picture, the door is a different color.

Here's the thing. The truck is outside and under an overhang, and you can see the single light source reflected on the hood, fender and nose (looks like the sun coming over the horizon). But it's getting lit pretty darn well, because of all the reflected light off the snow outside of the overhang (visible on the bushes behind the truck, and reflected in the paint on the side of the truck). Lighting and lens filters can change the appearance of the color, but none of those effects should make the entire door, exactly along the edges, appear to be a different color than the cab. The rear fenders are far enough away that they may appear darker because of the lighting, and part of that could be the black background of the bed playing an optical trick. But the cab is the same color both in front of and behind the door. If lighting was the cause, you would not see a shade change over the entire door that breaks exactly at the edges.

I've spent quite a few years doing paint and bodywork, and have on more than one occasion tried to match a color on a repaired panel to the rest of the car. Even with the same exact can of paint, its not easy. My guess is that the doors were painted separately (and not at the same time) from the rest of the truck and then hung on the cab later. In anything other than full shade, or being parked indoors, the door will probably appear to be a different color. Most of the time it might not be obvious, but in direct light, or in high reflected light like in the picture, it'll look just like it does in the picture above.

Hopefully the buyer saw the truck outside before the auction, because if it was indoors for the auction you probably couldn't tell.

Edited December 5, 2010 by moparmonkey

[HanksB3B]

I guess the "long-block" statement is because the "S" as in Spitfire is visible. But all long blocks are not necessarily "Spitfires" right?

Hank

P.S. If you notice, the original ad says "Two Tone Burgundy and Black Paint".

Edited December 6, 2010 by HanksB3B

[gerritson]

I have a Dodge 53 1 ton made in Windsor, Ont. and it it a very low option truck and has no radio knockout panel.

Gerritson

[gerritson]

I have a Dodge 53 1 ton made in Windsor, Ont. and it is a very low option truck and has no radio knockout panel.

Gerritson

[Dave72dt]

I've spent quite a few years doing paint and bodywork, and have on more than one occasion tried to match a color on a repaired panel to the rest of the car. Even with the same exact can of paint, its not easy. My guess is that the doors were painted separately (and not at the same time) from the rest of the truck and then hung on the cab later.

You're probably right and I was givig him the benefit of the doubt. I did a truck in satin black and found it impossible to match by painting seperate components on seperate days. The difference was noticable inside and really stood out when outside in full sushine. As difficult as it was to paint, I will say that spraying the satin improved my spray technique more than any other project ever did.

[buds truck]

P.S. If you notice, the original ad says "Two tone Burgundy and Black Paint".

now, THATS funny. :D:D

[Dan Babb]

I thought I read here that the horn ring was only available in '52.

My truck is a 52, but the title says 53 on it too.

In light of what a lot of other cars & trucks from the early 50's sell for, 15k sounds like what a good running, handling & stopping truck should sell for.

[dontknowitall]

I just bought a Horn ring for mine, do you think it would not suit my 1950 B2?

[ggdad1951]

I thought I read here that the horn ring was only available in '52.

My truck is a 52, but the title says 53 on it too.

In light of what a lot of other cars & trucks from the early 50's sell for, 15k sounds like what a good running, handling & stopping truck should sell for.

my '51 has (what appears to be) the same horn ring....

[Reg Evans]

I have a Dodge 53 1 ton made in Windsor, Ont. and it is a very low option truck and has no radio knockout panel.

Gerritson

The dash on my 52 is without a factory hole for a radio too.

[HanksB3B]

P.S. If you notice, the original ad says "Two tone Burgundy and Black Paint".

now, THATS funny. :D:D

My thoughts are: A Lawyer must have written the ad.

Hank

[austinsailor]

some friend of mine were at the auction and brought back pictures on their cell phone for me. I thought they mentioned a much higher sale price, but the might not have paid that much attention. They know I'd have been interested, I know they weren't.

The mentioned it wasn't rusty, so they figured I would't like it. Well, mine are usually rusty, but you get what you can find and pay for!

I'll ask them more about it when I see them again.

[MBF]

Nice truck but its got a 48-50 driver's door. This isn't the one that was in an accident awhile ago and was in a salvage yard was it? Mike

[HanksB3B]

Nice truck but its got a 48-50 driver's door. This isn't the one that was in an accident awhile ago and was in a salvage yard was it? Mike

I'm guessing it's door(s) plural and the passenger side matches the drivers side of the Two-Tone Burgundy Truck.

I'm curious if anyone recognizes this Blue 48-50 because it looks exactly (I know I painted it)

like my friend Bob Slickenmeyer's truck. After he passed away his wife Maryanne moved from

California back to her hometown Bradford Pennsylvania. She must have sold it and I'm curious

as to what ever happened to it.

Hank

Edited December 8, 2010 by HanksB3B

[sniggle_t]

Nice truck but its got a 48-50 driver's door.

What is the difference between the 48-50 doors and the 51-53 doors? I thought they were all the same.

[Reg Evans]

The crease on the 48-50 door extends farther back than the ones on the 51-53.

[sniggle_t]

The crease on the 48-50 door extends farther back than the ones on the 51-53.

Thanks for the info.

[1937 Dodge]

Long blocks came with and without the "Spitfire" head. Nothing special about the "Spitfire" except looks. I think "Spitfire" heads only came on Chrysler engines.

[Reg Evans]

You can make a Spitfire head a little more special by having some metal removed. Then......not only do they look extra special......they are.

[John Mathias]

Just goes to show that Mecum is just about the money. They don't appear to check what the vehicle actually is, or true condition. "Restored to original" is a complete falsehood with them as well. I was watching an auction on tv the other day and they had a 1926 Dodge Station Wagon w/original 6cyl. OK, looking in my ref books; Dodge Brothers didn't have a "station wagon" it was a screen side, and when did the 6cyl come out, not in 26 to my knowledge. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've gotten kinda jaded by all the hoopla around auctions nowadays. Silver State auctions are just as bad. Sorry about the soapbox rant.