Featured island car: 1957 Dodge D-100

Island: Chebeague Island

Vehicle: 1957 Dodge D-100

Owner: Dana Bourgeois  

Mileage: Odometer no longer working

Dana Bourgeois of Chebeague Island wrote that this is "a 1957 Dodge D-100, with original utility panels. My grandfather, Ray Phipps, brought it to Chebeague Island when he retired here in 1961. He bought three identical utility trucks at auction from the New Jersey telephone company, sold two, and kept this one for himself, replacing a 1936 Dodge Stake Bed that I remember riding around in as a kid. The '57 Dodge was probably brought to the island by Casco Bay Lines, whose ferries were equipped to deliver vehicles to the Casco Bay islands.

Sometime in the 1960s my grandfather replaced the original engine with a rebuilt Dodge flathead six. I remember my father once mentioning that the rebuilt engine came from Sears and Roebuck; other islanders confirm that Sears did sell rebuilt engines for popular makes of vehicles. In those days Sears delivered orders from its still-extensive catalogue, a pre-internet convenience for Casco Bay islanders, to Casco Bay Lines, who delivered goods as well as passengers to Chandlers Cove Wharf. Like my grandparents, many islanders were regular and loyal Sears' customers.

"My grandfather painted the truck with marine enamel, applied by brush, and performed regular maintenance until his death in the mid-70s. My father continued using and maintaining the truck until his death in the mid-80s. "After my grandmother died, again in the 1980s, ownership of the Chebeague house and truck was passed to me and a group of family members.

"Sometime in the 1990s I brought the truck to the mainland for minor bodywork, new brakes, a front-end alignment and new tires, services unavailable on Chebeague.

"That was the only time it left Chebeague since it first arrived. Once on the mainland I had to have the truck inspected, and inconvenience for true island vehicles, so it could be driven from Yarmouth to Brunswick for service.

By the early years of this decade we allowed the truck, now among the older vehicles on the island, to fall into disrepair, and for a few years it could not be driven. Because it was made of a much heavier gauge of steel than what is used today, and because it lives in a garage and is never driven on salted roads in the winter, the body is still in remarkable condition.  For that reason I decided it was worth restoring. Over the past couple of years I replaced the starter, generator, and the entire electrical system, finding that the Sears engine still runs smoothly.

"I also replaced the suspension and exhaust system, floor covering, door latches, a window, door handles, minor trim, and performed minor body work. I am currently working on the seat, headliner and interior panels. The body will eventually need to be painted, though this time not with a brush. The accompanying photo was taken last year.

"At the dump I get a lot of admiring looks, both from old-timers who knew my grandparents and from recent arrivals. I only put about 500 miles a year on the odometer. At that rate of use, and with proper maintenance, I see no reason why the '57 Dodge shouldn't give my family at least another couple generations of service.