In the early years of Detroit's fledgling automotive industry, commercial vehicle platforms were custom-made affairs and utilized production automotive components. All the initial branded trucks were based on passenger-car chassis. Later, these platforms were modified to safely withstand 1,000-pound payloads.
The First Dodge Truck
The Dodge Bros. brand followed the trend of utilizing automotive sourced components. What was different, however, was its respected inline-four-cylinder engine. When Walter P. Chrysler purchased Dodge in 1928, this mill continued on in its commercial vehicles as well as those produced by the Graham Bros. from 1921-1928. The 1/2-ton trucks were the market mainstay at the time, but models were produced in versions up to the 3-ton range. The famous four-cylinder engine remained the powerplant in all these platforms until the Dodge inline-six was introduced.
Dodge's Big Break
July 15, 1916, was a subtle company milestone for Dodge. That was the day Gen. John J. "Blackjack" Pershing submitted an order for 150 Dodge five-passenger touring cars for the U.S. Army. His intent was to use these motorized platforms in combat conditions. In Pershing's view, horses and mules had been acceptable for the last three major U.S. wars, but in the new century, his Cavalry forces had to move quicker, with more range and more personnel.
The Dodge brand was first tested against the renegade Mexican forces raiding the U.S. border. The Dodge platforms could carry five people instead of one, so it didn't take long for American commanders to seize the advantage.
Gen. Pershing and his aide, Lt. George S. Patton, quickly revolutionized mechanized history. Patton had used three Dodge touring cars to engage in a running gun battle with the horse-mounted forces of Poncho Villa. Patton's small force engaged in the first mechanized charge in military history, winning both the battle and an immediate promotion to first lieutenant.
Military Spec
When World War I was declared on April 6, 1917, the Dodge Bros. were in an exceptional position with the U.S. Army. Now a major government supplier, Dodge produced light-commercial platforms, which were used as ambulances and light-duty trucks. These trucks became the famous Dodge 1/2-ton civilian Screenside Business Cars when the war ended.
By 1920, consumer demand for the Dodge Bros. brand (16,198 commercial vehicles sold) outstripped the company's facilities. A year later, Dodge and Graham signed an exclusive agreement allowing Graham to supply Dodge with 1 1/2-ton platforms. By 1927, all Dodge's truck output went with the Graham label.
Chrysler Buys Dodge
One year later, in a highly lauded move, Walter P. Chrysler purchased all the assets of the Dodge Bros. The new purchase provided Chrysler with the assets and the ability to enter the rapidly profitable truck market. In addition, roughly 8,000 dealers were added to Chrysler's fold. Not unnoticed was the famous Dodge quality, which generated a 19 percent sales gain in the next 12-month period.
The '30s were a period of growth and rapid change. Dodge introduced a larger, L-head, eight-cylinder engine displacing 366 ci (6.0L) for 1932. This new engine utilized a 12-volt electrical system. In 1933, an all-new Dodge truck debuted. The line was now a Chrysler exclusive, with all the Graham-branded carryovers discontinued. 1934 saw another whopping sales increase of 75 percent. This year was also noted for the new 1 1/2-ton cargo/personnel 4x4, developed again for the U.S. Army. This unit was unique because it marked the first time an operator could shift from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive with a cab-mounted interior lever. Dodge instantly became the preferred builder of light-duty, four-wheel-drive trucks for the military.
In 1963, Dodge offered this 354ci, six-cylinder, Perkins diesel rated at 131 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque in its medium-duty trucks up to 36,000 pounds.
Dodge's Diesel Debuts
In 1939, Chrysler celebrated its 10th anniversary of purchasing Dodge by building a 658,000-square-foot truck assembly plant in Warren, Michigan. Its output included 28 different truck models and offered a complete range of choices for light- to heavy-duty truck platforms for the first time. The real news was the corporation's introduction of an in-house-designed and branded Dodge diesel engine.
The totally new Dodge diesel was an inline-six-cylinder, four-cycle engine that produced 96 hp at 2,600 rpm and 225 lb-ft of torque at 1,000 rpm. The new mill displaced 331 ci and featured a compression ratio of 14.5:1. Its block incorporated nickel-moly alloy and featured full-length water jackets, valve-seat inserts, overhead valves, and a chaindriven camshaft. A 24-volt electrical system was also included.
A coast-to-coast demonstration of the new engine was conducted with a run from New York to Los Angeles to San Francisco and back. The event took 187 hours and consumed 627.7 gallons of fuel. The 6,378-mile run showed off the diesel's superior fuel savings, which accounted for an operating cost of less than one penny per mile.
In 1940, the company produced its first cabover series truck and began production of the DeSoto, Plymouth, and Fargo truck nameplates (the DeSoto and Fargo platforms were exported). 1940 also saw the introduction of Dodge's "Job-Rated" advertising slogan for the first time.