I thought that by 85 the "D100" designation was all gone, all were now "D150's" (as the half tonners go, anyway) but now that I got my newest acquisition home, I see that the fender emblems actually say "D100". any real difference? I know my brother had a 85 D150 some years back and it had a higher GVW than mine.... my 99 Dakota 2wd club cab with a 3.9, actually has a GVW that is 400 lbs higher than this truck..... my 96 Dakota is also more GVW than this 85/ but being the 96 is 4x4, and the 85 and the 99 are 2wd, Id expect the 4x4 GVW to be higher because of the extra hardware making it 4wd.

D100 was a marketing gimmick for a stripper version. Lightweight and fuel economy minded. Full name for the package was the "D100 Miser" package. See the brochure linked below.

http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/dodge/85dp/85dp.html

I remember the "Miser" package, I thought that was gone by 82 or 83 at the latest, I remember the "MISER" decal on the back window of those.... this truck don't have that....... it isn't much above a "strippo" model though.... no slider window, no AC/ but it does have cloth seat and carpet, instead of "taxicab" vinyl seat and rubber mat. while not "flimsy" it does have a lighter "feel" to it than other 1/2 tons I have owned and driven, of that body style.
It also has 2 tone paint like the "higher" models had, most strippo versions I remember were single color. and it has the all important hood ornament, like the higher up more "deluxe" models had.... but for a NW Indiana truck, I cannot believe how solid it is..... the PO claims the guy "he" got it from had had it parked in a barn (unused?) for at least 10 years before he got it.... though the PO's sense of time seems a bit warped (for lack of a better way to put it). The title says he got it in 2016, doesn't mean he registered it right away, it seemed like it sat in the same spot longer than that..... I'd seen it every time I drove thru that town, the guy lived 1 block off the main drag/ so it was in plain sight every time I drove thru.... the yellow stencil painted numbers from the factory are clearly plainly visible on the frame, still

At some point, Dodge had dropped the D100 nameplate completely and used D150 exclusively. No matter the actual GVWR or payload capacity. I think it likely was '81, when the D3.1's ( first "Ram") appeared. Approximately 1985-86 they revived the D100 nameplate and D150 usually indicated a bit more capacity.

I have a '82 D150 short bed slant and it is the lowest GVWR at 4800 lbs. Weighed it once without spare, tools, etc, at 3600 lbs. Years ago I had an '88 D150 short bed with one of the higher payload packages that probably had 700 lbs. higher payload than the '82.

The Miser still existed in '82, perhaps past that. Mine is essentially a very base "custom" with minimal Prospector package. In my case, that was almost nothing, as the Prospector option had many levels. I have a 30 gal tank, 2 bbl., 3.2 rear, gauges, bed light and power steering. With manual brakes, no sliding window, no trim and vinyl seat. In '82, Dodge ramped up the galvanizing and rustproofing, which started with the new series in '81.

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1982 Dodge D150 ( Ram)
225 with A833OD. 2bbl. Non power brakes

The 1985 Dodge truck brochure I linked to explicitly advertises the "D100 Miser" package. So both the D100 and Miser packages were available at least as late as 1985.

Reed, I don't doubt that the Miser option still existed in 1985, but the D100 nameplate had definitely disappeared for perhaps 4 years after 1980. In 1982, a Miser was a D150.

Appreciate the link to the 1985 brochure. It's interesting that the standard rear diff ratio was then 3.5 ( I wish I had that). Fuel tank sizes and payload had also changed from the early 80's. Not sure if base springs were upgraded or if it was all about the steeper base gearing.

Edit: I did a tad of quick research. If allpar is correct, the Miser model only first appeared in '82, as a D150. By '84, they revived the D/W 100 nameplates.

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1982 Dodge D150 ( Ram)
225 with A833OD. 2bbl. Non power brakes

That would've been very interesting news to my '89 D100, which had a full-length (8-foot) bed and was not at all miserly with its TBI 318.



Often not a very solid assumption.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I couldn't afford the Miser so I bought the Cheapskate version

Bowsing the brochures on that website, it appears that the D100 designation was on hiatus from 80-84, but was brought back in 85 for the D100 Miser package. Still, it was just a sales gimmick since functionally the d100 was the same as the D150. There's ten minutes of my life I will never get back spent browsing 35 year old Dodge brochures...

Another oddity. That brochure said that they came with 3.55 rear end, and I didn't see any mention of options that year but mine has a "3.2" (3.21? 3.23? Close enough)
The option list is still on the bottom side of the hood but it's all but unreadable.

I own a 84 D-100, slant six, A833od trans. It does have a nonoriginal 8 3/4 rear.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 225 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170

Interesting, thanks Charlie. That website didn't have the 1984 truck brochure, so I didn't know for certain if 85 was the first year for the reintroduced D100.

I have a 76 D100 and the only options on it are power steering and the auto trans. The original purchaser didn't even get the optional (!) charcoal canister. It wasn't even built with a cigarette lighter.

Nope, I have a 1984 D100 I inherited from my dad. That's what's on the fenders, Mulroney sheet, and the title. The only option the truck came with was carpet.

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If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

My 85 has D100 badges. Half ton, Slant 6, auto, short bed, 30? gallon tank, cloth seat, carpet. Miser?