Danbury Mint 1941 Dodge

My simple upbringing and the time and location of my youth allowed me to have many love affairs with old vehicles. One of those vehicles was a '41 Dodge Pickup owned by my friend Billy.

Billy's' family owned a roadside produce stand, which was restocked daily by their fleet of trucks, stake bodies, flatbeds and pickups. As the trucks aged they were parked behind the barn where they would be returned to nature in the form of rust.

I convinced Billy we could resuscitate the old '41 Dodge that recently took up residence in the bone yard, if his father would allow us. I suggested that once it was running we could drive it on the dirt roads that surrounded our homes to explore the vast wilderness before us, he agreed.

Neither one of us were old enough to have a drivers license therefore dirt roads would have to do. With a lot of pleading, a little crying, we finally convinced Billy's' father to let us work on that old Dodge, which we hoped would become our beater.

Reflecting on the day we pleaded with Billy's father, I now realize he thought we would ever get that old truck running. In reality neither did I, but it was summer, we were young, and had to occupy our time with something. Of course we had to agree to work that roadside stand for the rest of our lives for free but that was a minor detail for two young kids or so we thought.

Billy was older than me by a few years and much larger too. He reminded me of Hoss on Bonanza, one big dude with a heart of gold. Billy was a simple kid, wanting nothing special out of life. He was happy working his fathers' stand and would do so until it closed for good.

The day finally came when we pulled the old truck up to the barn to start the repairs. What could we do to make it run? Why did it die? Could we fix it? We soon would find out ...

First thing on our list was to paint it. We had to hide the rust or it wouldn't be worthwhile cruising around in it in its current state. We may have been young but we had standards and appearance was one of them. A few quarts of rust-oleum did the trick. We painted it red and black, just like the Danbury Mint model with a fine paintbrush. Any flies that landed on it while the paint was wet got a second coat to hide the spot. From a distance the old Dodge looked pretty good. On the drivers door below the window I painted its name, "Red Barron", it now was starting to take shape.

As our attention focused on the mechanical problems that sent the "Red Barron" to the bone yard, that proved to be more of a challenge for two young kids. However, I had an ace in the hole. I helped out at the local trucking company; I swept the floors and cleaned the tools for the mechanics at the end of the day. I was the shop kid, or as the mechanics liked to refer to me, the pain in the a...

As I annoyed each mechanic concerning the "Red Barron", asking what seemed to be a million questions as to what could be wrong with it. They decided the best way to get rid of me was to pull the truck up to the garage and see if it was salvageable or not.

I heard the mechanics mumbling something to the affect that "maybe he'll kill himself if we get it running, he'll be out of our hair for good". Hmm, I thought they liked Billy, I did.

Alas, the wizards did their magic; we had our beater running and running like a top. Funny the mechanics were all laughing and waving as I drove the "Red Barron" away. As I peered in the review mirror I could barely see them through the thick smoke that followed me but I did. They all were jumping up and down, spinning around in a circle, laughing hysterically. I thought to myself what a strange bunch of guys. I appreciated that they repaired the "Red Barron", even if I had to promise to fetch their coffee for the rest of my life. I remember thinking; I had a lot of promises to fulfill. I was young I could handle it.

What a simple time to be a kid ...I will always be grateful to Billy and the "Red Barron" for the memories. Billy is still alive but his mind no longer is, Alzheimer's claimed him as a victim. The "Red Barron" ended up back in the bone-yard where we rescued it from, unrecognizable today.

The summer of the "Red Barron" is forever etched in my memory as one of the best I ever had. I remember vividly driving that old truck many times to our favorite fishing hole with my friend Billy. Every penny we earned went towards gas and oil, allowing us to explore miles of dirt roads and create a bond that never faded through the years.

Danbury Mint allowed me to relive that summer so many years ago, with the release of a '41 Dodge Pickup. The only thing missing from this replica are the flies in the paint and the "Red Barron" painted on the drivers door. Yes, I thought about painting "Red Barron" on my model but never got around to doing it. As for the flies I will pass, thank you.

Fit and finish on the Danbury Mint '41 Dodge Pickup is outstanding. The paint has a wet look, which is smooth as glass. The doors hood and tailgate all open and close smoothly. The additional exterior ornaments such as mirror, side lamps and headlights all are installed straight and true as they should be.

Danbury Mint skillfully designed a simple yet elegant replica of the beautiful "Red Barron" that I remember so well. The '41 Dodge truck sports streamlining that was prominent in the late '30's with it's sloped windshield, long sleek front and rear fenders with embossed "speed lines" located at the bottom of both front and rear fenders, and a sharp "V" shaped grille.

From half- to 3-ton models the new trucks featured a single distinctive design. The '41 Dodge was powered by a 70 horsepower 201 cubic inch L-head six cylinder engine for half-ton pickups; 3/4- and 1-ton pickups stayed with the 75 horsepower 218 cubic inch L-head six. Danbury Mint replicated the 201 cubic inch L-head precisely in a half-ton 116-inch wheelbase truck with a 7 1/2-foot box.

I tinkered with the engine featured above more times than I care to remember. If I were a blood donor, I would have received a pin for my donations. That old truck supplied me with more bloody knuckles than I cared for, but I wouldn't have traded that pain for anything else at the time. The memories of that old truck, Billy, and that special summer, are all memories I hope I never forget. I won't when I gaze at my Danbury Mint '41 dodge truck, that's for sure.

I love the nose of this replica those big round headlights the v-shaped grille with chrome moldings, all perfect. Viewing the interior of the box I take issue with the plastic look of the floorboards. A more realistic looking floor with steel skid strips would have made this a flawless replica in my opinion.

The interior of the Dodge was simple in design and Danbury Mint kept it that way. I absolutely love the gauges, they are the most realistic I ever viewed. Danbury Mint captured the look and realism of actual gauges with dept applied correctly to the graphic. They have the same look as those that were in the "Red Barron".

The remainder of the interior was spot on with the floor starter, shifter and parking brake all located correctly in the cab. Lifting the seat cushion reveals a tool storage area or as I like to say some bling to the truck with this accurate addition.

Flip the truck over to view a simple clean undercarriage. Not that it is lacking detail, it isn't, the truck was designed to be a workhorse and that is what Danbury reproduced. The undercarriage detail is excellent and correctly replicated.

In conclusion my only issue with this replica is the box floor. It could have been a five star model if the floor was more realistic and the plastic look eliminated.

Regardless of my issue with the floor, Danbury Mint allowed me to relive that summer of my youth with the addition of this model to my collection. If you love old trucks put the Danbury Mint 1941 Dodge pickup on your short list of must haves.