LUNCH WAGON | House of Hotrods’ ’64 Dodge Grub Hunter

Every custom auto shop should have a killer shop truck, right? Not even for the sake of being a parts runner or general workhorse, but to show off the talents and style of said fabrication shop. Well, that and to have something cool to drive to lunch.

…the crew decided to go absolutely nuts when coming up with the game plan for one of their most exciting rides in a while—the lunch shuttle of their dreams.
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The guys at House of Hotrods, in Mansfield, Texas, get their hands on all types of vehicles to build for their ever-growing, eclectic customer base, from traditional hot rods, muscle cars and street trucks to everything in between. For this project, the crew decided to go absolutely nuts when coming up with the game plan for one of their most exciting rides in a while—the lunch shuttle of their dreams.

This truck won Best of Show at Stage II of the Street Trucks Showoff Series in Dallas!

If you thought we were joking about this shop wanting to build a custom truck to cruise to get snacks, you’d better think again. But don’t call this thing a lunch truck! Those simply bring food to where hungry tummies are, which is the complete opposite of what this ’64 Dodge dually stands for. Once the guys find themselves piled inside what they now refer to as the LunchWagon with their guts rumbling, it’s all about the thrill of the hunt for midday sustenance.

To kick things off with the buildup of the ’64 Dodge was to get the truck sitting lower—much lower than its previous factory height. The fabrication work of the chassis was done in-house at House of Hotrods, where a good chunk of the entire process would be handled, but the guys chose to outsource the air-ride system installation to a local shop with a well-established rock-solid reputation in the game. Keith Sawyer of NFamus Metal was more than happy to lend a hand in the project. Keith orchestrated the air management system to function faultlessly—a necessity as to never leave the guys stranded when it’s time to get their grub on after a busy morning on the job.

With the Dodge now sitting nice and low (the perfect height for getting back in with a full belly), the guys didn’t plan on ignoring the appeal of truck’s exterior. All necessary bodywork (which was a lot) and custom details like the grille and bumpers, suicide doors, ’64 Chrysler headlights and ’53 Chrysler tails were taken care of at the House of Hotrod shop. When it came time to start talking paint, a hired gun was brought in to cook up custom color ideas before proceeding to spray. What they came up with was a truly one-off custom house mix PPG green base hue that looks great in all lighting conditions, especially underneath the high noon sun. Layers of different color metal flake were then added to give the truck a truly unique finish.

While the team was prepping the truck to make the best of impressions while out on the road, they also invested a ton of work into creating a caliber of truck that could also hold its own at truck shows as well. In fact, it was a fateful meeting with the truck and The House of Hotrods shop crew at our very own Street Trucks Magazine Showoff Series Stage II event in Dallas where we saw the Dodge as they intended it to be seen. Not surprising to anyone who has seen this dually in the flesh, this truck took home best-of-show honors, as well as $2,000 in prize money—that’s a lot of future lunch trips right there.

The House of Hotrods crew gets their hands on all types of vehicles to build for their ever-growing, eclectic customer base, from traditional hot rods, muscle cars and street trucks to everything in between.

While at the show, the truck was opened up wide for all to see. The trick compartment built into the wood plank bed floor was raised to showcase the custom chassiswork lurking below. Also, all four cab doors were cracked to give onlookers a glimpse at the front and rear sets of Lexus power bucket seats that have been expertly covered in tan and dark brown distressed leather by Delgado’s Upholstery. Custom Classic Instrument gauges, Vintage Air vents and a steering wheel from a ’63 Chrysler Imperial were brought in to dress up the dash in true classic style. The custom center console on the floor as well as the one the roof help break up the cab, and put some comfortable breathing space in between all four of the seats.

Under the hood lies a true game changer for the Dodge. The ’94 12-valve inline six Cummins diesel mill brings a hearty helping of torque and power to the table, making the D200 dually even more of a beast than it looks on the surface, especially when it’s rolling coal from the dual exhaust stacks that tower above the rear of the cab. A Banks Twin-Ram intake and a custom enclosed intercooler system was fabricated and treated to custom paint to give the engine bay additional firing power to win over the judges.

This particular project was stretched over of a full two-year period, which is actually pretty good considering the amount of expert level fabrication that was sunk into the Dodge. While the House of Hotrods staff was able to handle the bulk of the creative labor in-house, the guys didn’t shy away from trusting outside talent to push the truck towards completion. In the world of classic trucks, this Dodge here is pretty damn special. With all the custom one-off fab work and attention to the importance of fit and finish when it comes to scratch-built parts and so many imported pieces, it’s imperative to dial it all in just right.

When it came time to start talking paint, they came up with is a truly one-off custom house mix that looks great in all lighting conditions, especially underneath the high noon sun.

With the truck wrapped up and driven through a successful rookie season on the show circuit, all the guys have to worry about now is going out for barbeque…or deli sandwiches? Sushi, perhaps? Whatever they decided on chowing down on, they’ve sure earned the luxury of sitting down to a well-deserved lunchtime feast.

TRUCK SPECS

Owner

House of Hotrods
1964 Dodge Power Wagon D200
Mansfield, TX

Engine

Shop: House of Hotrods & Diesel Dynamics, Mansfield, TX
1994 Cummins 5.9L straight six
Banks Twin-Ram Powerpack intake
Custom fabricated engine swap components
1994 Mopar 47RH transmission
Custom billet torque converter by Precision Transmission
Driveshaft built by Fort Worth Gear & Axle

Chassis

Shop: Frame modification by House of Hotrods, air ride suspension by NFamus Metal, Cleburne, TX
Accuair air management components
Dana 80 rearend
Custom fuel tank by House of Hotrods

Wheels, Tires & Brakes