1948 Dodge B-Series Pick-Up
Engine: Inline 6
Displacement: 217.8 Cubic Inches
Horsepower: 95 BHP
Cost New: $1,263
         In 1948, America was recovering from World War II, and the automotive industry was releasing the first new designs since the early 1940s. The cost of a new house averaged $7,700 and the average yearly wages were $2,950. Gas cost 16 cents a gallon, a loaf of bread cost 14 cents, and a movie ticket cost 60 cents.
         The new Pilot House design of the 1948 Dodge trucks helped the automaker to surpass Chevrolet and Ford to become the truck sales leader. The safer cab design used Chrysler's famous "chair height" design for better visibility. The addition of an optional rear quarter window to the higher and wider windshields removed many of the dangerous blind spots that many other trucks suffered from.
         Dodge also shifted the front axles back by eight inches and moved the engine slightly forward. This gave the Dodge a better handling truck than their competitors. The change over to a cross-steering arrangement provided the Dodge with a 37º turning angle, the best for a truck at that time. Improvements to the suspension, turning radius, visibility and increased cargo capacity gave Dodge one of the best trucks made in post-war America.