Custom car or truck projects are the result of a creative process.
Car guys look at something and imagine it as something else.
That’s the basic theme to this 2003 Dodge truck.
Jerry Sutherland
Brian Sutton bought it brand new in Las Vegas and used it like a typical pickup for years before he thought about a new look for his ’03 Dodge. Brian settled on a 1958 Chevy Viking 60 truck for a donor front clip.
The big Chevy was a good choice because a 2003 Dodge already had massive sheet metal, so fitting on the Chevy hood and fenders was relatively easy. Brian is an engineer, so certain issues with the fit had to be addressed. For example, he fabbed up a fiberglass cowl cover to make the lines of the ’58 Chevy flow better into the lines of a 2003 Dodge truck.
There were other things to address under the skin in the front sheet metal to make the front clip functional and structurally sound. Brian’s inner engineer told him to ensure the old truck meshed with the new truck so there were numerous weld points to close in the engine compartment.
Brian was concerned about overheating because the ’58 Chevy front grille had much narrower openings than the blunt force grille of the ’03 Dodge. Fortunately, he has had no problems with the swap contributing to a problem with the cooling system.
There were a few other modifications to the Dodge body. Brian had to fab up pieces where the rear corner of the cab met the new pickup box because he wanted the two pieces to look like they belonged together.
Brian also wanted the vintage Chevrolet Stepside box to align with the Dodge crew cab body. The box was narrower than the cab, so the trick was to make it look factory—that was important. Brian did the math and the welding to make it work.
Brian is also an artist, so he did the ‘DEVY’ graphic at the front of the donor truck box to tell the world what he’d created. The rear of the truck is decidedly Chevy, so the graphic is a quick way to explain the project.
There were a few other players on the team. Brian’s brother is an autobody tech, so he picked up the ball on some of the body work and one of his brother’s buddies did the teal green paint job.
Brian did most of the welding under the skin and he painted the front grille and bumpers in white pearl. He’s a hands-on guy so his contribution was important to the project’s completion.
He said his truck is exactly the same to drive and the fuel economy is no different, so Brian met his project’s goal. He has what looks like the most unique 2003 Dodge in the world, although he confesses “there are a few others like it” in North America.
There’s a creative side to this project and it has met expectations because Brian’s goal was to “build something people could enjoy”. He’s done that and more because Brian’s truck is a guessing game for car guys.
You could say he built a mystery truck called Devy.
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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