1974 to 1977 D Series

In 1974, the medium tonnage truck was refreshed to match the design of the pickup recently introduced in 1972. They would last in the states until 1977 when they, like their bigger brothers, were dropped.

An interesting note, Dodge continued production well into the early 90’s in Mexico and South American with these trucks. When the Gen 2 Dodge Ram came out, they followed suit with changes and refreshed the model numbers to the 4000/4500/5500 and 6500. This lasted through about 1999 when Daimler-Benz bought into Chrysler and the company became Daimler-Chrysler. With Daimler-Benz already having interest in the medium-duty truck market with Freightliner and Sterling, they chose to drop the 4500-6500’s and instead focus on the their core brands. In 2008, 31 years after Dodge dropped production of it’s medium-tonnage trucks in the United States, they brought back into production the 4500 and 5500 with the 6.7L Cummins.

Getting to the years at hand though, the 1974 to 1977 trucks offered a lot of potential offerings with the refresh.

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Kary Van. The Dodge medium-duty Kary Van is available in six body lengths 
& six wheelbases, and two models. It comes “road ready” from Dodge.

Whatever you’re looking for in a medium-duty Conventional Cab truck, Dodge has it. In addition to the D500, D600, D800, and W600 models offered before, there’s a brand-new D700 which fills the gap between the D600 and the D800 models. They all offer a range of wheelbases, springs, axles, and engine options that lets you practically customize your medium-duty truck to fit your exact requirements. With a GVW range that goes from 14,800 pounds to 29,760 pounds, you can put this husky Dodge medium-duty Conventional Cab to work as a dump, van, stake, or tractor. Features and equipment on the Dodge medium-duty trucks include Electronic Ignition System, the solid-state voltage regulator, and an optional four-speed automatic transmission. Contributing to Dodge Truck dependability are optional heavy-duty frames and reinforcements made of 50,000 PSI steel for added strength.

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Photos from the collection

1974 D800
1974 D800 w/ lift axle
1974 D700 Stake Body
1974 D500 w/ flatbed
1975 W600 Wrecker
1975 school bus turned water tubing transport bus
1975 D800 w/ plow setup
1976 D700 firetruck – note factory stainless steel west coast mirrors
1977 D700 firetruck
1977 D700 car hauler