Up for grabs is a 1977 Dodge W-100 Macho Edition(First Year year of production)4x4 Truck with a 440 Big Block Motor.
This is a 3-Day, NO RESERVE AUCTION.The Highest Bidder wins.
The 1977 Dodge W100 Macho Edition 4X4 Truck has the following features:
TRUCK HISTORY:
The first owner purchased "Darlene" new in the Spring of 1977 from the Dodge Dealer in Aberdeen Washington. A little town outside of Seattle; where Kurt Cobain grew up. It was the color he wanted, the interior he wanted, and it was a manual trans...he was in love. He worked for the Military (Navy) DOJ and it still had the original military base stickers on the truck window & in the glove box. His community college stickers are also still on the windows dated Fall of 1978.
In mid-1978, the original owner had driven the truck for a year when he decided he wanted to drop a big block 440 power plant in the truck. Not just any big block 440...but it’s dated 11-14-1969 (1970 model year motor) with 906 heads. I sent the VIN info over to a friend of mine that told me it’s from a 1970 'Cuda (non-hp)...this is not verified. The story goes that someone crashed the 'Cuda and the Dodge dealership in Aberdeen called the original owner to let him know they could do the engine swap with this donor. She has been with this same drive-train since 1978. To my knowledge this is the only drive-train related item that is NON-ORIGINAL to the truck.Sadly, the original owner passed from Cancer in 2003...and his baby ‘Darlene’ was left to his youngest brother...who idolized him...early the following year.
The truck became the second owners family project. They set out to restore her as a homage to the first owner (his brother)...hence the front fenders and a decent engine rebuild attempt about 10-12 years ago. Then, as fate would have it, they had some very serious family issues that made it financially impossible to finish her as they had planned. They still loved the truck dearly, and drove her to the grocery store nearly every week for the next decade. They still had hopes of being able to complete the project, sadly their financial situation just never got any better, and bringing Darlene back to her former glory never materialized.
In March of 2018, I got a call from a friend that a truck "I need to have" is up for sale in his town. He sent me pictures and the phone number of the current owner. I immediately called the owner and he gave her her history asked & the story of how they came to own her. When I asked him why he was selling, he clearly stated, "I don't want to sell her." He went on to further explain that he was selling it so his son (who just turned 18) could join the Pro Motocross Circuit. His Dad figured the best way his Brother's Legacy could live on, was through to assist with his son with pursuing his dream by selling the Truck. His only ask to me was to make sure to she is built right.
HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP:
When I got off the phone with the 2nd owner, I literally jumped into my truck, set up a pickup for the following morning of a trailer from U-Haul (NOT RECOMMENDED) and I drove about 1500 miles to a little town outside of Seattle (while picking up my Father-In-Law along the way). I arrived to see her in the middle of a rain storm, and in the Dark. What I could see...I wanted. I never got to drive her that night in the mud, as she was being stubborn and was not starting.
The 2nd owner said that she had been giving him trouble the last couple months, and since his Dad had passed, a couple years back, he really didn't know enough about these old Dodge Motors and electrical systems to get her running again.
From what I could see, it was enough to pay for her on the spot. I needed to get her out of there, clean her off, and take a fresh look at her in the morning when I could be near an Auto-Parts store. It sounded like there was no spark, and I had nothing with me to test that theory. So I paid the man, he pulled out a winch, and we all got covered in mud getting her situated on this U HAULcar trailer. LOL!
The rain finally subsided as I pulled away, and I when I got to the Hotel for the night I finally got a good look at her under the lights. She was everything I had hoped she would be, and more.
The next morning we headed back down Highway 5 South towards California. My little Dodge Dakota's shocks were never the same after that run...lol...but it was totally worth it.We spotted an O'Reilly's Auto parts store near the Oregon border and we stopped to see if I could get her started. I bought her a new Optima battery and an MSD 2 Coil. I installed them, headed to the drivers seat with my keys...pumped the gas pedal twice, and she fired right up. SUCCESS! I turned her off quickly, and decided to get her home so I could drop the gas tank, and thoroughly clean out the fuel system before I fired her up again.
I literally had to stop about every 200 miles or so, as my Dakota was chugging fuel, and every time I pulled in to get gasoline I would get stopped by someone who loved the truck and had a story to share. I would get thumbs up on the road the whole way home. Literally every Cummins owner would just STARE as they whizzedby me. I was kind of awed by the responses I kept getting on the entire trip home.
When I finally got home, I drove her off the trailer....parked her in the driveway, and headed to Auto Parts store. I installed a Pertronix Igniter Kit onto her to eliminate the points. Then I dropped the gas tank, cleaned it out...and let the tank to dry in my home office. Two days later, I reinstalled the tank...filled her with gas and putted her around all over town. She has been my crusty "Darlene", and my weekend driver ever since.
WHY I AM SELLING HER:
After watching her, cleaning her, taking her to car shows, and getting stopped by people everywhere I take her; I decided that she needs to be FULLY RESTORED. Not a half-hearted restoration like you see most people try to pull off to make some cash but, A FULL-ON FRAME OFF RESTORATION is what she deserves. I honestly can not take this old girl out without some old dude stopping me. I literally cant get any gasoline until someone tells me about someone they knew who had one of these...or how much they love it as it is.
When I bought the truck, I was in the middle of a full rebuild of another Dodge Tin Grille Truck, my 1975 Dodge W-100, and I had planned on starting the tear down at the end of the summer car show season this year. In April I ended up getting extremely sick, and had to take a number of months away from work (and I fell behind immensely on my 75 project), so I am just not in the right place financially to give this truck what she deserves.
I bought the truck with the promise that it would get built. Until I am able to finish this other truck, and because of the amount of time I had to spend off of work; I am afraid it will be another 2-3 years before I can truly get in the right place financially to build her properly. I made a promise, and I intend to find someone who can help me keep my word.
WORK DONE:
WHAT IT NEEDS:
She runs and drives great as she is now!!!! She starts right up and has given me ZERO ISSUES since I have owned her! I filled her full of parts two weekends ago, and drove her over 200 miles to the MOPAR SWAP MEET. She ran perfectly.
Feel free to ask me any questions. I’m very happy to send additional pictures, video, & discuss “Darlene.”
(By Bidding on this Auction you agree to the following terms & conditions of the sale)
Terms of sale:
The sale of this classic square body Dodge truck is AS-IS. The sale is FINAL upon completion of this auction. There are no returns. There has been no other items, or services promised in association with this sale. There is no cooling off period.
The vehicle title is clear, and you will be required to register and pay sales taxes in your state. No warranty has been offered with the sale of this vehicle. No warranty was implied, or condition promised with the terms of this sale. The truck is being sold as a "re-build project," and when the buyer is bidding they are acknowledging these terms and conditions set for here-in.
Payment Terms:
A $2,000 deposit is required to be paid via PayPalimmediately upon close of auction to secure the purchase of the vehicle. While eBay's policy is that you have 48 hours to complete the deposit, I am requiring the deposit within 24 hours of the closed auction, or I will be relisting the item again.
The deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE. If you find out that shipping is too much money, and you decide to back out of the sale; the deposit will be considered an applicable service and restocking fee.
The remaining balance can be paid via PayPal, cashiers check, or money order only. Payment in full must be received within 4 days of the close of the Auction.
Shipping:
All Shipping services will be provided by the buyer. It is not the seller's responsibility to secure shipping...all you gotta do is google search vehicle shipping or "Shipping wars." Tons of options will appear like magic.
Shipment Date:
The Truck will ship on the first available Business Day (unless arrangementsare made, it is hunting season after-all) after the payment of the auction has been paid in full, and has cleared or been tendered for cash at a banking institution. You must communicate clearly the date, and time frame, the driver will arrive for pickup.
Timeliness at pickup is expected, and while I understand that things happen in the delivery world, its not fair to me to have the driver no-show (or show up very late past the window provided). No-Shows and late arrivals are very costly, and I will pass that cost back to the buyer.