Dominic Zanella walked into a Chrysler dealership back in 1976 and bought a brand-new Dodge Adventurer Club Cab SE pickup for 7800 dollars.
That was a lot of money for a truck back in ’76, but this was a fully loaded model, 440 big block edition that had everything except power windows (not an option).
Dominic never sold the truck, but he did dramatically change the look and function of his beloved ’76 Dodge pickup.
Jerry Sutherland
Sharp-eyed viewers will spot the ’77 Dodge grille on Dominic’s truck, but that was only a small part of the major changes on his pickup. There were some major modifications under the skin.
The biggest change is the switch from a two-wheel drive truck to a four-wheel drive truck. Dominic found a donor 1982 Dodge ¾ ton, four-wheel drive chassis and plunked it under his ’76 body.
This switch is relatively easy because there was very little difference under the skin between the two years—except the ’76 Dodge came with full-time four-wheel drive. That’s why he didn’t order one back in 1976—the ’82 Dodge was part time four-wheel drive. The only issue came with the transmission hump in the cab because the four-wheel drive system required extra room for the 2-4 shift lever.
Dominic wanted the extra traction because his driveway is a long hill, so he wanted to get up the road without getting stuck. The two-wheel drive version of his truck was a bit of a gamble in the winter going uphill.
There are many personal touches to Dominic’s reborn ’76 Dodge truck. The massive stacks in the truck are custom built to give his pickup a big rig look. There are RT badges on it that never came from the factory—they were donated by a buddy.
The paint is not the factory shade because Dominic decided to go with something that looks a little cooler, so he went with an IHC shade.
The skull badges on the fenders are another non-factory item, plus the truck sits higher than a stock Dodge 4×4 from that era. The wheels and tires are massive and clearly not stock Dodge truck items, plus the step to get into the cab are necessary add-ons.
The original Dodge truck horns are long gone—replaced by big truck horns on the roof and a train horn under the hood. Dominic clearly wanted to send a message to guys who cut him off in traffic. He has everything working on the truck because Dominic is a detail-oriented auto tech. That’s why the rare factory air conditioning is still functional.
The mileage on this one-owner ’76 Dodge is remarkably low at around 60,000 original miles. Dominic explained how he rarely drove it over even when it was new because he had other vehicles for daily use.
Dominic noticed a big change in the handling of his ’76 Dodge after the swap. He said it rides rougher and it’s a little less of a straight-line vehicle, so his wife doesn’t like driving it anymore.
That’s the kind of thing you can’t plan for after you convert a truck from two to four-wheel drive after decades of ownership.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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