The C series is a line of pickup trucks sold by Dodge from 1954 until 1960. It replaced the Dodge B series of trucks and was eventually supplanted by the

Dodge D series The D/W series is a line of pickup trucks that was sold by Dodge from October 1960 to September 30, 1993. The same basic design was retained until the October 1993 introduction of a completely redesigned Ram. The D/W series shared its AD plat ...

, introduced in 1961. Unlike the B series, which were closely related to Dodge's prewar trucks, the C series was a complete redesign. Dodge continued the "pilot house" tradition of high-visibility cabs with a wraparound windshield introduced in 1955. A two-speed "

PowerFlite PowerFlite is a two-speed automatic transmission engineered and produced by the Chrysler Corporation and used in their passenger cars from 1954 to 1961. Production began in late 1953 and the simple and durable PowerFlite remained available on P ...

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...

was newly available that year. The

Dodge Town Panel and Town Wagon The Dodge Town Panel and Dodge Town Wagon are respectively a panel truck and a carryall, manufactured between 1954 and 1966 in the USA and between 1954 and 1971 in Argentina by Dodge.Bunn, Don. Dodge Trucks. United States: Motorbooks Internation ...

also used the new design. Chrysler called the Hemi-powered Dodge trucks "Power Giant" in 1957, and introduced power steering and brakes, a three-speed automatic, and a 12-volt electrical system. From 1957 to 1959, Dodge offered the Sweptside pickup, a rival to the Chevrolet Cameo Carrier, but it never became a bestseller. A flat-sided (and thus wider) "Sweptline" cargo box came in 1959. The company also adopted the standard pickup truck numbering scheme, also used by Ford and GM at that time. Thus, the ½ ton Dodge was now called the D100. The traditional separate-fender body "Utiline" version remained available, with a

GVWR Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity. Curb or kerb weight Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...

of up to on 1-ton models.

Four wheel drive W-Series Power Wagons

Starting in the 1957 model year, factory four wheel drive versions of the Dodge C Series trucks were produced and sold as the W-100, W-200, W-300, and W-500, alongside the older WDX/WM-300 "Military Style"

Dodge Power Wagon The Dodge Power Wagon is a four-wheel drive medium duty truck that was produced in various model series from 1945 to 1980 by Dodge.Press Kit: 2005 Dodge Ram Power Wagon - Legendary Dodge Ram Power Wagon Returns. Chrysler Corporation, DaimlerChrys ...

. The pickups had the "Power Wagon" badge on the fender.Ackerson, Robert C.. Standard Catalog of 4 X 4's: A Comprehensive Guide to Four-wheel Drive Vehicles Including Trucks, Vans and Sports Sedans and Sport Utility Vehicles, 1945-1993. United States: Krause Publications, 1993. The heavy duty four wheel drive W-300 and W-500 trucks were marketed as "Power Giants".

Engines

*1957-1960; '' Flathead'' I6, *1959; 331 in³ ''

FirePower Firepower is the military capability to direct force at an enemy. (It is not to be confused with the concept of rate of fire, which describes the cycling of the firing mechanism in a weapon system.) Firepower involves the whole range of potenti ...

'' V8, *1957-1959; 315 in³ '' Red Ram'' V8, *1959; 318 in³ '' A-type'' V8,

Gallery

1954-55 Dodge C-Series.jpg, 1954–56 model 1957 Dodge Sweptside Pickup.jpg, 1957 model (Sweptside pickup) 1960 Dodge Sweptline half ton (2906406858).jpg, 1958–60 model

Medium-duty/heavy-duty C series

Since it still used the older cab design, the C series name was continued for Dodge's line of medium- and heavy-duty trucks (better known as the LCF series) through the 1975 model year, long after most of Dodge's other trucks had moved to the newer D series designation.

Four Wheel Drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...

also utilized C series cabs for many of its medium- and heavy-duty trucks; however, because Chrysler needed plant capacity for its newer light-duty truck models, manufacture of these later C series cabs — for both Dodge and FWD — was outsourced to Checker in Kalamazoo, MI.

References

External links

*Pickup Trucks.com
Dodge Trucks History: 1954 to 1955 C-series pickups

{{Dodge C series Pickup trucks Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1954 1960s cars