Of the 52ish Great Dales built, we’ve seen about 6 in person and another 10 in recent pictures. We’ve heard stories of maybe another 10 sitting in family members fields somewhere.
There were only three Great Dales built on a Dodge chassis and we’ve seen recent pictures of all three, so they are still out there. Only two run. Ours was built in 1966 and was probably one of the last Great Dales built. The donor car was a two-door 1965 Dodge Coronet 440 with a 361 engine that was painted red as you can see in any under-the-hood pictures. The car stops just behind the side door and the truck frame was merged with the unibody.
Our original idea was to restore it to mostly original condition, but we did want to make some mechanical improvements and add hidden utilities. The plan changed when a trailer expert looked at the interior and proclaimed that it had been ruined by the previous owners shit-brown paint job. We couldn’t fix it because sanding would destroy the plywood veneer, and they don’t make that kind of plywood anymore.
Plan #2 was to tear it down to the bones and rebuild it, but I couldn’t find a place to do the work near our house.
Plan #3 was to make it our own with what we had.
While I was able to drive it off the field at about 65 miles an hour. It wouldn’t idle, which meant the two-barrel carb needed to be looked at. It was easier to replace the carb with a new four barrel and that started the million modification march to what you see today.
Here is a summary of some of the work we can remember doing:
- New tires
- Replace points with electronic ignition
- New carb
- New valves
- New front sway bar
- New disc brakes on the front
- Rebuild transmission
- Change rear diff gear ratio
- Replace alternator
- New radiator
- New radiator fans
- New interior paint job
- New memory foam bed
- New rear table cushions
- Replaced ice box with 12V/120V fridge
- Replaced roof vent with roof fan
- Replaced curtains
- Replaced Propane tank
- Replaced the driver door handle
- Replaced the side door lock
- Replaced crappy screen door with cherry wood one
- Replaced fresh water tank
- Added grey water tank
- Added pump water fawcett
- Replaced shore water fawcett
- Add deep-cycle battery
- Add electrical RV electrical system
- Separated car battery from RV battery
- Replaced fuel tank held on by ratchet strap
- Replaced water filler
- Replaced gas filler hole and cover
- Replaced windshield and windows
- Replace radiator…again
- Change rear diff gear ratio back
- Rebuild transmission…again
- Add center console with stereo and gauges that work
- Replace radiator…again
- Add Transmission cooler and fan
- New backup camera (2023)
- Add cruise control
- Add fuel return line
- Add electronic fuel pump
- Replace mechanical fuel pump
- Replace water pump
- Replace power steering pump
- Add radiator mister
- Modify distributor for altitude
- Replace stock exhaust with 3″ pipes
- Repaint interior
- Change interior hardware
- Restore seats, dashboard, and driving area
- Re-Porcelain sink and stove from shit-brown to red
- Replace rear tire mudflaps
- Remove shitty heater
- Scour Ebay for original decals
- Fix all bodywork problems
- Replace RV skin
- Repaint entire vehicle
- Re-chrome all chrome
- Add porta-potty
- Replace rims
- Replace electronic ignition with points
- Replace points with electronic ignition
- Replace stock 361 engine with custom cam 489 stroker engine
- Replace 1965 transmission with 1966 transmission
- Add gear Vendor to add overdrive and half-gears
- Shorten drive shaft
- Replace 22 gallon fuel tank with 43 gallon tank
- Add fuel regulator
- Add power windows
- Replace entire braking system except for the brake line from front to back
- Replace emergency brake cable
- New racing torsion bars
- DC-DC charger
- Replaced steering box with Bergman
- New Marmoleum Floor (2023)
Here are the before (2012) and after (2017-2021) pictures:
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Here is the history of our Great Dale House Car in order:
- Lina and Chris Buy a Great Dale House Car (2/26/2012)
- Great Dale’s First Checkup (3/22/2012)
- First Trip (9/14/2012)
- Ch.Ch.Changes (10/9/2012)
- Great Dale Utilities (10/15/2012)
- Great Dale 1st Trial (11/14/2012)
- New Design for the 1966 Dodge Coronet Great Dale House Car (12/20/2012)
- Driver Door Under Construction (4/8/2013)
- Center Console Part Deux (4/8/2013)
- Drivers Area Restoration Complete (5/5/2013)
- New Great Dale Door in almost complete (5/10/2013)
- New Interior (5/10/2013)
- Pagosa Springs, CO (5/20/2013)
- New Front Window (6/28/2013)
- Colorado Mopar 2013 Car Show (8/9/2013)
- 2013 Trailer Trash Bash (8/27/2013)
- The 1965 Dodge Coronet Goes Under the Knife (12/11/2013)
- Great Dale Skeleton (2/7/2014)
- Ready for skin (2/16/2014)
- Painted and ready for trim and a bumper (3/15/2014)
- Exterior Almost Finished!!! (3/30/2014)
- Dale Interior Updated (7/3/2014)
- The Great Dale at Elsewhence (9/20/2015)
- Refurbished Dashboard (7/24/2016)
- Introducing the TorqueMonster (12/18/2016)
- Mini Cooper Dinghy Tow Setup (4/21/2017)
- Great Dale Visits New Mexico (5/30/2017)
- Great Dale Swamp Cooler (6/10/2017)
- Great Dale Door Holder (6/10/2017)
- Camping at Elk Creek Campground & RV Park near Grand Lake, CO (6/22/2017)
- New Gas tank (7/5/2018)
- Swamp Cooler Update (8/30/2018)
- You Can See Our Great Dale House Car at the Forney Museum of Transportation until March 31, 2019 (1/7/2019)
- Our Friend Made a Great Dale Tiki (1/7/2019)
- New Kitchen Bench Seats (2/29/2020)
- New Electrical System (5/20/2020)
- New Braking System and Parking Brake Cable (9/27/2021)
- New Racing Torsion Bars (5/16/2022)
- New DC-DC Charger (5/28/2022)
- 2022 Hot Rod Rock & Rumble at Pikes Peak International Raceway (8/28/2022)
- 2022 Updates (12/29/2022)
- New Floor and Interior (11/14/2023)
- New Human Sized Toilet (11/20/2023)
Here are answers for the most Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is it?
A: It is a 1966 Great Dale House Car
Q: Is it a home build?
A: No. Great Dale House Cars were factory-made locally here in Denver in the mid to late 1960s. Estimates are that 52 to 56 House Cars were made during that time frame.
Q: What is it made of?
A: Our House Car front-end is a 1965 Dodge Coronet. However, all House Cars are unique and made of different makes and models of 1960s cars.
Q: How much did it cost?
A: A lot. We spent more than we thought to restore the House Car, but still less than a brand-new RV camper.
Q: How big is the engine?
A: The original engine was a 361. It now has a 489.