The big blue 50 Dodge 4x4 was a great truck that served me well for over 12 years before it met the lady that "didn't see it" head on. That was way back in 2011!
Big Blue (sorry, lost the pictures in the last computer crash) was replaced with a red 93 Dakota 4x4, and the crash provided the opportunity for the 48 Plymouth coupe to move forward at a much faster pace.
The red Dakota served me well from 2011 until the summer of 2018 when the rust worms claimed enough of the frame I decided to quit driving it.
3 years ago I bought 39-47 Dodge truck sheetmetal at a swap meet to build a shop truck with the intent of replacing the soon to need to be replaced Red Dakota 4x4. The progress on the replacement truck got delayed by several things that required my attention. When it became evident the replacement truck wasn't going to be ready before it was needed, I had to buy a fill in. The fill in was a 96 Dakota extended cab 2wd. It served over last winter, which was pretty rough around here weather wise. This was the 1st year in over 25 years I didn't have a 4x4. We got by (both of us being now retired helped that a lot).
So I'm just at the finishing edge of the build that was suppose to be my new shop truck (also a 2 wd), though I really don't need a shop truck anymore. That truck is my 39 I'll post a few pictures of it. This 39 (39-47 are about the same) is the oldest truck I've ever had, I love this body style, but now that it is drivable I have discovered the cab is a bit too confining for the pretty large guy I am. Its OK for short trips, but that isn't what I intended to do with it. My wife and I have decided we should sell it and build a truck with a larger cab.
I stumbled across this 49 Dodge on Craig's list, and the sandblasted early 90s Dakota 4x4 chassis was included with it on the purchase price. The Dakota frame is just a rolling frame, but I still have my red Dakota 4x4 that functioned with the exception of the rotted out frame. Merging everything together will produce what I think will be a perfect truck for me. A bigger cab, a reliable early 90s Dakota 4x4 chassis (from down south that has been blasted and primed), and my well known doner truck. The sale of the 39 will have a huge impact at speed at which it will come together.
The 49 will probably not be built as high nor as tough as the old 50 was (it was built to pull a car trailer I no longer have, and to plow snow. My needs are different now then they were then, but I do suppose most everyone will be viewing it as a replacement for Big Blue, I know my son has already made that connection. I do intend on having it painted a color other then blue, but at this point I don't know what that might be. Gene