To Build a Sweptside
It could have been a big problem for Dodge trying to keep up with Ford and Chevy, but with a few ideas and a little teamwork, they built this beauty!
photos courtesy of Paul Knight, Jared Weeks, Don DellaMea, and Gordon and Helen Miller
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This is a picture of a bed with the outside fender attached. For the SEG group to start to build the Sweptside it had to remove that outside fender. |
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As you can see here, the bed is the same. The difference is in the mounting holes. The holes for the stepside fender follow the shape of the fender, and on the Sweptside panel it follows the length of the bed at the top. |
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The station wagon quarter panels. In my simple opinion, they should have used the station wagon's tailgate too. I think it would have made the Sweptside perfect! |
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The panels tuck in under the bed lip quite nicely. The panels are also braced with a couple bolts and brackets on the bottom in the right places, and presto, the famous Sweptside is born. Well, it wasn't quite that easy as stated in the "history" section. They used the 1957 wagon stainless trim on the doors and fenders. |
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The 2 door quarter panels were not quite long enough so they had to add about 3 inches of sheetmetal to the front of the panel next to the cab. The long stainless trim piece was extended too. |
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You'll need four of these too. They are for the 1954 Dodge 6 cylinder car. They made two styles that I'm aware of for 54. This one and one just like it for V8s, but instead of the D O D G E across the center, they had a offset V in the center. Look close as there is a difference if you're buying some. |
To make one of these isn't a simple task, but it is something that can be done. Here are some of the problems you'd face building one. Of course hubcaps are in short supply, trim is very rare, wagons are few and far between (unless someone makes fiberglass panels), and making the tailgate latching system requires parts that would probably have to be made. The handles are reproduced but the linkage isn't. Trim pieces off of late 60s and early 70s pickups is very close to the same so it could be used as a substitute. Other trim pieces and taillight assemblies would have to be made at a foundry. Sweptside purists probably aren't too happy about this, but I look at it as the more the better! You guys relax! I don't know of a single homemade Sweptside!
This is an educational and informational editorial.........Just when I think I have seen it all, I learn that I haven't. Here is my very first viewing of a wannabe Sweptside. This truck is in the May 2005 edition of Custom Classic Trucks magazine, page 33, lower right corner. This is a homemade Sweptside from a wagon. I glanced at it a couple of times and noticed it had a few changes as compared to the stock ones, but about the 3rd or 4th time I looked at it, it dawned on me that it has a wagon tailgate. Note also the bumper. It is a wagon bumper and you can tell that by looking at the extentions just above the exhaust pipes. A few wagons had back up lights in there but the one I had the exhaust went through it. One other thing, this truck is a '57 but the taillight assemblies are a '58. I assume this Sweptside was made from a '58 wagon. So, see there, you can make or build a Sweptside! You cannot reproduce this image from my website. I asked for permission to use it but got no reply. It figures, they aren't interested in correspondance from Dodge guys. If you want to lift this image, do it from their magazine as I have a mark on this picture and I will call you on it if I see it posted from my site.
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This is the finished product! |
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Jim Courtney sent me this picture. I didn't get any info on it. Just from what I can see, this is a 1960 with passenger car rear fenders. I can't tell what year or model the fenders are off of. |
