Design Theory & Finding a Donor Chassis

My father currently lives in Whitney Idaho and his primary heat source is a wood stove. In order to feed the wood stove with enough wood every fall my father and brothers go logging every year.

My last gift to my father was a Stihl Chain Saw model MS-361, which is a high performance chain saw. He has enjoyed the saw and uses it regularly during the fall and winter to cut wood and prepare it for the stove.

Sine the one time a year my Father needs a reliable truck is when he goes logging I decided to turn my restoration truck into an high performance logging truck, and since his favorite brand is Stihl chainsaws I decided to use the Stihl colors as inspiration for the color scheme for the truck project.

My Goal was to have the project finished by Christmas, which was about 9 weeks away.  Dan said it was an aggressive goal but would push his team to get the project moved through quickly.  Normally projects like this take 6 to 12 months and guys often spend years on restoration projects.  Dan took the challenge and ran with it!

Since my goal was to build a reliable truck high performance truck, I could not use the original chassis or engine.  Modern Dodge 1 ton (3500) trucks use the Cummings diesel engine, which is a great engine but it has way too much power for the 1947 Frame and Chassis.   I wanted the look of an old truck with the performance and power of a modern truck.  It would require buying a modern 1 ton truck and using the frame, and power train but fitting the 1947 body onto the modern frame.

The owner of DNA Automotive, Dan White and I discussed many options for the design, he was confident that he could fit the 1947 cab onto the modern frame.

 I spent 3 weeks pouring over Co-part auction looking for a Dodge 3500 with some body damage but an intact frame and engine. I could never find the perfect truck and when I found some that might work and we couild drive to pick up then I lost every auction as the prices quickly climbed over $20,000 and the entire process proved to be a waste of time.

After several weeks of looking locally on KSL and other places, I found a local dealer who had a 1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed utility truck for a price that fit the budget.  Since we were on the clock I bought the truck and Ashley Wheelright, drove the truck to DNA in Ogden.  It was never to be seen again.