The
D/W series is a line of pickup trucks that was sold by Dodge from October 1960
to September 30, 1993. The same basic design was retained until the
October 1993 introduction of a completely redesigned Ram. The D/W series
shared its AD platform with the Dodge Ramcharger/Plymouth Trail Duster twins. 4x2 models were designated D, while 4x4 models were designated W.
This final generation received a facelift in October 1980 when the D series was rebadged as the Dodge Ram pickup around when Lee Iacocca
took charge of the ailing Chrysler Corporation. Such things including
an embossed "DODGE RAM" name on the tailgate along with other obvious
changes like the grille and hood, the taillights, and the entire
interior. More subtle was the addition of a "shoulder" line reminiscent
of the GM competition. Beginning in 1982, even more corrosion-resistant
steel was used in the construction of the trucks. This body style
continued until 1993 and many of these vehicles are still on the road.
Many body panels are interchangeable for all models from 1971 to 1993,
so it is not uncommon to see a "hybrid" with, as an example, a 1978
grille mounted with a 1974 hood and a 1991 cab. Sometimes the bed is
swapped with a moving truck style box
for models like these. In most jurisdictions, the year is dictated by
the year of the truck's chassis regardless of the body which has been
bolted to it. Also kept was the narrow Utiline bed that dated back to
the 1940s; this was dropped in 1985. Throttle-body injection was
introduced in 1988.
A narrower range of engines was offered: the base power plant was the 225 cu in (3.7 L) slant-6, now with top-fed hydraulic tappets, and the 318 cu in (5.2 L) and 360 cu in (5.9 L) LA-series V8s. The slant-6 was supplanted by the 3.9 L (237 cu in) V6 for 1988; in 1992 it and the V8s became Magnum engines. The 6BT 5.9 L (360 cu in) 12-Valve Cummins B-series diesel engine became an option in 1989.
Sales were good during the Sweptline era and into the late 1970s.
A combination of stagnant styling that was nearly two decades old plus
brand loyalty primarily to Chevrolet and Ford during the 1980s and 1990s reduced sales volume for the first-generation Dodge Ram. A wholly new Dodge Ram was released for the 1994 model year.
