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, 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 wrap-around windshield introduced in 1955. A two-speed "PowerFlite" automatic transmission was newly available that year. The Dodge Town Panel and Town Wagon 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 of up to 9,000 lb (4,100 kg) on 1-ton models.

After an agreement between Dodge and Studebaker, the C-Series' pickup bed also saw use in the Studebaker Champ pickup truck range.

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" Power Wagon. The latter had the "Power Wagon" badge on the fender. The heavy-duty four-wheel-drive W-300 and W-500 trucks were marketed as "Power Giants".

Engines

• 1957-1960; 230 cu in (3.8 L) Flathead I6, 120 hp (89 kW)
• 1959; 331 cu in (5.4 L) FirePower V8, 172 hp (128 kW)
• 1957-1959; 315 cu in (5.2 L) Red Ram V8, 204 hp (152 kW)
• 1959; 318 cu in (5.2 L) A-type V8, 200 hp (149 kW)

Gallery

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 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 Trucks History: 1957 to 1960 Power Giant pickups
• 1957-1959 Dodge D100 sweptside pickup Archived 2011-09-11 at the Wayback Machine