Dodge B-Series Trucks: Restorer's and Collector's Reference Guide and History [Paperback]

Don Bunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2003

With Dodge B-Series trucks becoming more rare with each passing year, it becomes more difficult to correctly identify an original condition truck. Drawing upon official Chrysler publications and a broad knowledge of original condition trucks, Dodge truck expert, Don Bunn, brings the restorer or buyer the information needed to correctly restore a truck or make an intelligent and informed purchase. It covers the entire line of 1948 through 1953 Dodge B-Series light, medium and heavy-duty models except Power Wagon, with a heavy emphasis on light-duty models because they are the most popular with collectors. Anyone with the desire to own, restore, or correctly identify an original condition Dodge B-Series truck needs this book!

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Iconografix, Inc. (June 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583880879
• ISBN-13: 978-1583880876
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a must-have book for an owner of these trucks!, January 16, 2006

By 

Michael Pittmon "Jobrater" (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dodge B-Series Trucks: Restorer's and Collector's Reference Guide and History (Paperback)

If you own, or want to own, a Dodge truck built between 1948 and 1953, you will not find a more valuable information resource than this book. As with all of Mr. Bunn's Dodge books, this one is packed with well-researched facts, outstanding photos and fascinating truck history. For those of us who were not around when these trucks were new, it's the next best thing to a time machine. For those who were around, it will bring back memories of a time when trucks were built to work!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SpeedReaders.info Review, December 11, 2009

By 

Speed Readers (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dodge B-Series Trucks: Restorer's and Collector's Reference Guide and History (Paperback)

Dodge B-Series Trucks: Restorer's & Collector's Reference Guide and History
by Don Bunn

There was once a time when pickup trucks were commercial vehicles; workhorses used by businesses small and large to move whatever needed to be moved. These vehicles were simple, rugged, unadorned and dependable. Just as with a tugboat or a locomotive, styling was almost always a secondary consideration to the task at hand and extra options simply took away from the maximum payload the thing could haul.

After World War Two, Ford and Chevrolet dominated the truck market. Dodge was a player, but its trucks were usually priced $25 to $50 higher than the competition, an amount that was enough to lose a sale. In 1948, Dodge introduced its new B-Series that provided more interior room with a bigger cab, tight and precise steering due to an 18-inch steering wheel, and a set-back front axle. Dodge would never match Ford and Chevrolet in sales numbers but the B-Series was an attractive alternative. The B-Series was built between 1948 and 1953 at just one plant in San Leandro, California and was available in light, medium, and heavy duty models.

Don Bunn's passion for Dodge B-Series trucks was fueled by his purchase in 1973 of a 1952 half-ton pick-up, a vehicle that he still owns. He became a charter member of the Light Commercial Vehicle Association (LCVA) and quickly found that there was little or no information available to someone who wanted to rebuild or restore an old B-Series truck. His search for relevant information about what each vehicle should have looked like as it left the factory is embodied in Dodge B-Series Trucks: Restorer's & Collector's Reference Guide and History.

The first thing I learned, in the fourth paragraph, of the first page, of the first chapter is that the word pick-up, with a hyphen, was only used for ½ ton trucks. The ¾ and one-ton models were called an "express" which was term used throughout the industry. The next thing that I learned is that the B-Series light, medium, and heavy duty Dodge trucks came in a bewildering array of models and bodies that included several cab variations and the possibility of pickup, express, panel, stake, and platform beds. There were engine options, axle options, and choices for springs, shock absorbers, wheels and tires. Fortunately, Bunn is well on-top of these variations and his book is filled with sharp black and white photographs to help guide the uninitiated through the possibilities.

Although there are probably a few truck historians who will devour every page and specification table, Dodge B-Series Trucks will more likely be used by a prospective buyer or current owner of a Dodge truck who wishes to judge how authentic a vehicle might be. Here is where Bunn's book is invaluable. Where else could you go to find out that for 1951 the hood prop that was formerly located on the radiator to dash tie rods was now fastened to the firewall? Nowhere that I know of...

Bunn's writing is serviceable, the tables are clear, precise, and well-organized, and the archive photographs (mostly from Chrysler), show interesting models such as fire trucks, dump bodies, and panel delivery trucks. But it is pick-up trucks that are hot right now and just leafing through the pages of this fine reference book will have you checking the used car section of your local Craigslist to see what might be available.

Copyright 2009, Kevin Clemens (speedreaders.info)