1972 marked the debut of a brand-new Dodge truck design that is now affectionately known as a “Tin Grille” by its legion of fans.
Tin Grille Dodges were sold from 1972-79 and recently gained their nickname from their metal front grilles that were a part of the trucks’ design through those years.
Tin Grille Dodges were workhorses commonly used as a fleet truck during the 1970s. They were worked hard and met a grim death with a crusher after the trucks were no longer able to handle the rough stuff.
Jim Sutherland
Eventually the Tin Grilles became a forgotten piece of pickup history until people started to notice their absence and realized their scarcity made the 1972-79 Dodge pickups more desirable to car guys.
Tin Grille Dodges were an unloved part of the 1970s automotive scene but have gained altitude over the past few years as a nostalgic part of the Me Decade.
MyStarCollectorCar spotted a 1977 Dodge pickup at a spring car show and were drawn to its original appearance, but this Tin Grille had one important change: a 440 big block Mopar engine under its hood.
Owner Ernie Sich was able to fill in the blanks about the ’77 Dodge truck’s history since he bought it about 10 years ago. The Dodge was found in a junkyard before it had a date with the crusher because the truck’s best days were behind it and few people cared about an old Mopar pickup at the time.
Except Ernie, because he decided to save the old truck and make it better than factory in terms of power. He believes the ’77 Dodge had a Slant Six when it left the factory, but Ernie decided to step up its game with a 440 big block monster connected to a durable 727 automatic transmission.
Ernie is an old school car guy with a sharp eye on a budget, so the replacement powertrain was secured at a decent price for his old Dodge pickup. The result is very solid performance, along with Ernie’s assessment about its gas economy: “It’s the one I use the most gas in”–a solid analysis of his compromise between poor mileage and brute force.
Ernie had a car buddy with him at the show and added “whenever I blow it up, he fixes it”. Most car guys would love to have that kind of buddy in their corner.
He is unafraid to drive the truck on the highway and can keep up with traffic on any road trip, even if the Dodge is pretty thirsty along the way. The higher speeds are a little on the noisy side inside the cab because the ’77 Dodge has “wind going through it and not around it”, in Ernie’s words.
The 48-year-old weatherstripping and vent windows are a poor mix when it comes to wind noise, so Ernie’s observations are both colorful and accurate.
However, Ernie is a loyal Mopar guy and can live with his truck’s shortcomings whenever he climbs behind the wheel of his classic Tin Grille Dodge and makes it go fast.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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