Jack Buete has built his fair share of cool Fords, including a ’39 cabriolet and a Deuce roadster. But a close encounter at a show in the Midwest put him on a collision course with the Dodge Brothers. It was around 1990 when he saw a ’34 Dodge pickup and decided he needed one. It took some time, but eventually Jack’s brother Dave located one near his home in Maryland. The story that came with the truck was that it had belonged to a power company as a line truck. It was original and in solid running condition when Jack took delivery. Soon enough, he’d split the manifold on the flathead six, installed a set of steelies, added a Ford 8-inch rear, and got busy driving it. He drove it for two years until his Hemi was finished being built. That’s when Jack, with the help of his friends Dennis Jones and John Downs, began the teardown (every nut and bolt) and resurrection of the screaming yellow hauler. After two years of bash, polish, and weld, Jack’s back with more power in his wagon and a Florida Rep’s pick at NSRA Tampa 2000 hanging from his tool belt.
Drivetrain: Jack kept his truck Dodgelicious with a ’55 Super Red Ram Hemi displacing 270 inches. Hemee Heads of Pinetta, Florida, is responsible for the rebuild. They bored it 0.060-inch over and installed a reground cam. The rest of the internals remain factory spec, but the outside is dripping with good stuff like an Offy three-pot intake sprouting triple Holley 94s with Stellings air cleaners, O’Brien Truckers valve covers, and Mopar electronic ignition. The coil has been recessed into the firewall to get it out of the way and it goes the distance in helping to keep the engine bay looking lean. A Mopar A833 four-speed grinder utilizes a Hays clutch, and gears are grabbed with the help of a Hurst shifter. Giddy up.
Chassis: Jack kept the factory rails but beefed them up by boxing the rear. The front suspension is just how the Dodge Brothers built it with the exception of a 4-inch-dropped axle that has disc brakes and Vega cross-steering. Out back is a Lincoln Versailles 9-inch rearend turning 3.23:1 gears, and it still has its factory discs in place.
Wheels & Tires: Wheels are 15-inch chrome steelies with Dodge caps, while the tires are Coker Classics: 195/R7515 up front and 235/R7515 out back for a mild rubber rake.
Body: The body was in pretty decent shape when Jack picked it up. He filled the roof, cowl vent, spare-tire divot, and tailgate, and installed a Dave Buete–louvered pan below the ’gate. The front fenders also received some metalwork while the rear fenders were replaced with fiberglass units. Jack ditched the Dodge front bumper for one from a ’34 Ford. The bed wood was redone in oak and sports the filler cap for the fuel tank that resides below. Head and tail lights are factory units.
Paint: Rob Martin from Golden Gate, Florida, sprayed the PPG Bright Yellow single-stage once Jack had the truck straight and prepped.
Interior: Jack built the custom dash and installed a set of Stewart-Warner gauges along with an EZ Wiring harness. He also modified a seat from an S-10 to fit, and had it, along with the rest of the interior, stitched in white-and-yellow tuck ’n’ roll by John’s Auto Interiors in Naples, Florida. A Lobeck three-spoke wheel tops the chromed column, and Vintage Air keeps everything cool.