1954 Dodge Pickup - Dog For Dodge Straight Up

When horses were our primary mode of transport, someone coined the term horse-trading. Today, journalists and TV newscasters use the term for describing politicians and world leaders who are adept at hard bargaining.

We doubt Charles Black of Capitol Heights, Maryland, had to use much negotiating when he traded his dog for his father-in-law's '54 Dodge pickup. Family ties--and the fact that the pickup was non-running barn art--worked in his favor. The dog is probably pretty special too. Charles didn't even need to use the skills he'd acquired as a union representative.

Perhaps Charles' knack for persuasion helped in getting the pickup finished in a swift two years. What we do know is this Dodge is beautiful. The fact that it is so well built is a testament to the professional craftsmanship of the shop that constructed it, The Hot Rod Garage in Denton, Maryland. When Charles trailered the truck to the pro shop, the owner of The Hot Rod Garage, Ray Bartlett, was disappointed that someone had installed a Chevy 350ci engine. Ray went so far as to say he would only renew the Mopar hauler if a Pentastar mill replaced the small-block Chevy V-8. Since the owner wanted a chassis-up build from Ray's shop, he agreed.

Ray told Charles the Dodge was so ugly it might end up looking cool with the right modifications. Keeping that in mind, The Hot Rod Garage crew began construction by boxing the stock frame and C-notching the rear framerails. They flipped the rear leaf springs from the left side to the right and remounted them inside the 'rails. Custom X-members further enhanced the chassis. Technician Butch Martin installed a Fatman Fabrications IFS and a 3.25:1-geared Currie 9-inch rear. Stainless steel fuel and brake lines were utilized for plumbing the chassis. A Tanks 18-gallon fuel tank was located beneath the bed before Butch blew apart the chassis for paint.

Once the foundation's paint had cured, the crew rebuilt the chassis and installed a Dodge 360ci crate engine between the front 'rails. Comprised of Sanderson headers, stainless pipes, and Flow-master II mufflers, the custom exhaust system went in without incident. Easton Transmissions provided a rebuilt '72 Chrysler 727 Torqueflite transmission, optimized with a finned trans cooler, for backing the engine.

Several of the shop's metalworkers, notably Henry Steward, Gary Hunter, and Corry Hunter, had their work cut out for them when the time came to perform the pickup's extensive bodywork. They fabricated new floors, firewall, and door bottoms. Henry then filled the quarter windows, made a one-piece hood, molded the seams, and crafted a custom bedbox. After which the shop's principal painter, Jason Lester, sprayed the paint-prepped pickup DuPont Jet Black. Kenny Bramble later installed new windowpanes, including the one-piece door glass. Before turning the Dodge over to The Hot Rod Garage's in-house upholstery shop, technician Jason Gallo utilized an American Autowire harness to wire the truck and installed Classic Instruments in the custom stainless steel, engine-turned gauge bezel. Jason handed off the pickup to upholsterer Dean after installing a Sony CD/stereo system with amps and four speakers.

So the owner left all the details of the Dodge's build to the talented crew at The Hot Rod Garage--except one. There might have been some horse-trading over this one between the truck owner and the shop owner; the truck had to be black. Do you think having the last name of Black might have had something to do with it?