1966 Dodge Pickup Has Over 500,000 Miles

1966 Dodge Pickup Has Over 500,000 Miles PICKUPS Miscellaneous 19-1-10 Not many pickups have more miles or a more complex history than the 1966 Dodge 200 3/4-ton crew cab pickup owned by O.J. Hanson, Kaycee, Wyo. Hanson's 4-WD pickup has over 500,000 miles on it and is still going strong. The pickup was first owned by the national park service. Hanson worked for an outfitter who gave him the pickup for Christmas one year. At 341,000 miles, the original engine failed. Hanson replaced it with a 413 cu. in. V-8 gas engine out of a 1960 Chrysler Imperial. He mounted a winch off a 1960 IH pickup on front. He converted the 2-WD pickup to 4-WD by equipping it with a transfer case off an old Dodge Power Wagon pickup. Holes already punched in the pickup frame fit the transfer case and shift levers perfectly. Hanson also installed a Clark 5-speed transmission from an old Dodge 2-ton truck, replaced the original 7.00 by 16 tires with 7.50 by 20 tires, and installed a home-built "quick change" pintle hitch and bumper on back. "I call it my `Old Yeller' because it was used in Yellowstone National Park and be-cause it's painted solid yellow. The combination of the high compression engine and the Clark 5-speed transmission makes it the best trailer-pulling rig I've ever owned," says Hanson. "The big tires let me go through 4 ft. of snow without ever having to back up. I have plenty power in low range, yet I can go up to 95 mph on the high-way without damaging the engine. It rides great at all speeds." After he converted it to 4-WD he let a friend use the pickup. He had an accident and rolled it over. "The cab was crushed so bad that the steering wheel was the highest part of the pickup. I got it back upright on its wheels and was able to drive it away. I pounded the cab back up so I could open the door and put glass back in. Sometime later we had another accident when it was side swiped by a big 4-WD 2-ton truck." To mount the 20-in. tires on the pickup he used wheels off a 1946 Chevrolet 1 1/2-ton truck. The wheels had a 10-hole bolt pattern that didn't match up with the Dodge's 8-bolt pattern. He solved the problem by welding all but 4 of the holes shut, then used a Dodge brake rotor (with the lug bolts punched out) to make a template so he could redrill the holes and make the new wheels fit. "I had to invert the wheels. The bigger tires are about 6 in. wider than the original ones so the pickup is more stable on corners and steep hillsides, yet I can turn as sharp as I could before," says Hanson. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, O.J. Hanson, 1145 Mayoworth Rt., Kaycee, Wyo. 82634 (ph 307 738-2215).

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