SWEPTLINE CREW CAB QUESTION

[STROH]

HELLO SWEPTLINERS! FOR MY FIRST POST I HAVE A QUESTION. I USED TO OWN A 1985 DODGE CREW CAB THAT WAS SPACIOUS INTERIOR WISE. HOW DO THE SWEPTLINE INTERIORS COMPARE ROOM WISE. I AM 6'2" WITH A WIFE AND 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. ANY INFO WOULD BE APPRECIATED THANKS.

STROH

[PwrWgnDrvr]

U will fit fine, but if u put your wife and daughter in a Swepty crew (built like a truck, works like a truck, rides like a truck) u can kiss marital bliss goodbye!

[Oxdodge]

Spacious, but handles like a thrown brick.

[STROH]

My wife and daughter are real cool about trucks. They prefer them over a car actually. That's what I get for marrying the farmer's daughter! I looked at 80's chevy crew cabs and the are more restrictive the my 85 dodge. How heavy duty are these trucks for use?

[PwrWgnDrvr]

A D200 (3/4 2wd) ton will have a GVW of 8000#. They carry heavier loads than trucks built in the 70's and 80's.
Ride will be loud and rough. U will likely freeze in the winter as there is no insulation. There was an optional rear seat heater for the crews, but they are almost non existent.

[OleRed66]

Besides, if you get one sweptline crew, your wife and daughter will want one also. Or at least a regular cab. You might be in more money than you realize!!

Farmer's daughters are great. My wife and I agree on one thing, I bought a truck, dagnabit it better ride like a truck!!

[STROH]

So is it the popular opinion the sweptlines are built better than the 70's and 80's. So a cummins swap is possible with these? When I get more time I will do a search on here or are there other builds elsewhere a guy could look up ? I used to own a 1963 ford f100 in high school and it heated well in Wisconsin winters. But it was a rough rider but then again i could not afford shocks at the time.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

I have a Cummins powered D100, Cageman a D200 and MikeMc a W300. There are others also.

[Hobcobble]

So is it the popular opinion the sweptlines are built better than the 70's and 80's. So a cummins swap is possible with these? When I get more time I will do a search on here or are there other builds elsewhere a guy could look up ? I used to own a 1963 ford f100 in high school and it heated well in Wisconsin winters. But it was a rough rider but then again i could not afford shocks at the time.

If you condsidered the ride to be rough in an f100.... you're in
for a "jolt" With a Sweptline W200, you'll have a very stiff
ride, manual steering and, likely, a manual tranny. As Terry
pointed out, the rear half of a Sweptline Crew may likely feel
like an ice block in the winter. We're not trying to discourage
you.... we're just trying to let you know what you're in for.
There have been many who "stepped back in time" from a
later model truck only to find out how much they missed the
power steering, power disc brakes, comfy ride, etc..
John

[712edf]

So is it the popular opinion the sweptlines are built better than the 70's and 80's.

The sheet metal seems to be alot thicker on the 60's , and they wander the road more. By the 80's so damn much plastic appeared inside the cab & so much wiring & emisions crap under the hood that you just had more things to worry about malfunctioning. 1978 is about the latest Dodge truck I'd want. Luckily I have one.

Bucky

[Oxdodge]

Maybe it would be best to find one, then sit in it to see what you think. If your lucky you may find one in a junkyard. I've found quite a few but haven't found a crew cab just yet.

[wideblock]

i have owned 2, a 65 and a 69. im 6'4" and spent 19hrs straight in my 65 crew with the wife, dog, and 2 daughters. no one complained about not having room. the 69 did ride better, but it was a standard d200 and the 65 was a camper special. the 69 didnt have any issues with the heater, it took a bit longer to get the heat in, and my right foot was sweating by the time the rear seat got warm, but it worked fine. the 65 had huge issues with the heat, but, upon installing new weather stripping, i found it to be adequate. both towed huge loads, but the standard d200 didnt haul near as much as the camper special would. there was a huge night and day difference between what the camper package would haul in the bed over the standard 200's i have owned. but, it would also give you whip lash and jam vertebrae if you hit a thick shadow.

my buddy has a late 70's dodge crew, interior room is the same, but the later model is a lot more plastic and doesnt have the style the older one does. if you go with a late 60's-71 you can get them with factory air to keep the wife and kids happy, or like in my 65 you can install underdash air and everyones happy as well.

they are good trucks, simple, reliable, and work like a truck should work. upgraes are out there for powr steering and brakes if you need them, a/c, cruise control, etc etc etc can all be added to them, but one thing you cant add to a newer truck is the style our sweptlines have

[STROH]

Thanks for the input guys! There is a junkyard not too far away from me that has stuff going back to the 50's. I will have to check it our and see for myself how i fit in one. This place is pretty huge so i am sure i would be able to fine a crew there. How rare are the long box crews? I assume they are not as plentiful as the shortboxes. THANKS AGAIN FELLAS! THIS IS AN AWESOME SITE!

[wideblock]

my 65 was a long box, they are pretty rare. ill bet there was 10 short boxs made for every long box if not more. 68 and up i where youll find the most long box crews. i will tell you this, it takes a football field to park those long ones...lol

[STROH]

DID THE LONG BOX CREW CABS COME IN 4X4 OR JUST 2WD? WHEN IS A GOOD TIME OF YEAR TO LOOK FOR THEM? I WAS THINKING SPRING WHEN EVERYONE "SPRING CLEANS" WIDEBLOCK DO YOU HAVE ANY PICTURES OF YOUR TRUCKS?

THANKS

STROH

[wideblock]

you could get them in 2wd and 4wd, any engine and trans combo, and in every trim from bare bones military to fully loaded. as far as the right time of year, there really isnt one. watch the forums, craigslist, ebay, and such. they dont come up often, so you need t be redy when the right truck surfaces. heres a few of the pics i have......

long bed art work

69 short box

69 short box w/ trailer

sittin pretty

early 65 long box camper special

[powerwagoncrazy]

Crew Cab? Yep! Long bed Sweptie? Yep! '97 5.9 P-pump cummins with '97 intercooler and radiator? Yep!!! Cut firewall? Nope! Room for a radiator fan? Barely, but I have yet to install one and it hasn't gotten close to hot, or even remotely warm. Lotta fun, plenty of room, but don't expect new truck comfort. For me, it took me until last week to finally get the window frames pulled in enough to get it to quit leaking rainwater in over the passenger side doors, and I've never known such luxury . And I've been driving the truck daily for a year and a half! Now I need to seal up the drip rails good and the back window. I don't really have a good build thread, but there's plenty of pics floating around, mainly here : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=17655 . Here's another:

If you have any other questions let me know- I'd be glad to offer advice/ info!

[tinbasher]

How heavy duty are these trucks for use?

well, it's tough to beat the styling

my '63 d300 actually has a considerably lighter frame than the w250 '93 cummins that i drive, or the w250 '92 cummins donor truck i have.

i'm not sure what year they made the change, but the cummins frames are also considerably heavier than my '74 w200.

btw, gotta love the 'bet mines longer' thing

could do without all the extra info though.

[nfury8]

Here is the build thread, with a ton of pictures, on my 70 W200 Crew Project.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14030

I am 6'3" and the crew is much more comfortable than the regular cab. The seat can go back
a couple more inches. My W200 is pretty stiff, it has the 1 ton springs on it from the Air Force.
I have addressed many of the other creature issues though, adding Power Steering, Power Disc Brakes,
A/C, a Fuel Injected Magnum and OD auto trans, and am in the process of swapping in seats from
a late 90's Ram. The ride will be addressed in a bit, not too much complaining at the moment.
Probably remove some leafs and bag it, although I have been looking at 4 links and such.
My wife doesn't mind much and the kids LOVE IT!

Still haven't got the bed painted.