$800 deliveredCar · Project
1988 Dodge D50 4x4 with rusted snow plow blade and bed cap, parked after delivery
Delivered to the job: 1988 D50, 5-speed, 4x4, plow on, cap on, $800 out the door.

I scored a 1988 Dodge D50 — 5-speed, 4x4, working Meyers plow — for $800 delivered straight to my job. Not a restoration candidate. A cheap, capable yard truck with occasional road use in mind, if the basics can be made safe.

It runs on a jump. It does not stop. The interior is a biohazard. That is the honest trade for the price.

Close view of rusted Meyers plow blade mounted on the front of the Dodge D50
Plow package is the real lever at this price — working hardware beats a clean empty bumper.
Three-quarter view of the gray 1988 Dodge D50 with cap, plow, and work graphics
Work-truck skin: faded paint, old graphics, cap, and four-wheel-drive stance — capability over cosmetics.

What Showed Up

Documentation for both the plow and the truck came with it. Cap on the bed. Frame looks pretty solid on a first walk-around. A few body mounts are rough but acceptable for yard duty and short local trips once brakes exist again.

Mechanical and safety inventory so far:

Rear of the Dodge D50 showing bed cap, bumper damage, and work lettering
Rear and cap as delivered. Driver’s-side bed is smashed in; bed or flatbed is a later project, not day one.
Five-speed and transfer case shifters in the D50 cab floor with debris and coins
5-speed and transfer case still in the tunnel — the drivetrain layout matches the job: yard work and occasional road use, not automatic convenience.
Filthy D50 cab with torn seat, dirty dash, debris, and cracked windshield area
Cabin overview: torn seat, dust, debris, and a long-ignored floor. Clean-out and PPE before any long time in the seat.
Open glovebox full of leaves, debris, and mouse nest material next to rusty floor
Glovebox and passenger floor: leaves, nest material, and rust. This is the mouse problem in one frame.
Leaves and debris packed behind the seat back against the rear cab wall
Behind the seat: packed leaves and debris. Same cleanup job, different pocket of the cab.

The cab is filthy — heavy mouse droppings, leaves, debris, garbage, and loose tools. That is not a “detail later” footnote. It is a cleanup and PPE job before the truck becomes a daily yard tool. Efficiency still means not breathing rodent dust for free.

Engine bay of the 1988 Dodge D50 with battery and dusty carburetor air cleaner
Engine bay as-is: dusty, original, and willing to fire with a jump. Battery tray is still a follow-on item.

Immediate Plan: Make It Move

Main goal right now is simple: get it running and driving under its own power.

  1. Install the new clutch cable
  2. Install the new fan belt
  3. Jump it, warm the systems, and see if it moves in gear

If it rolls under its own power after the cable and belt, the next hard gate is brakes — empty reservoir and a dead pedal mean no road use, period. Battery tray is a follow-on so the electrical side is not hanging on rust and zip ties. None of that needs a full rebuild budget. It needs prioritization: motion first, then stop, then hold a battery that stays put.

Intended Use

This is a yard truck with a plow, not a daily driver cosplay. Occasional road use only if brakes, steering, lights, and the rest of the safety basics check out. The smashed bed does not block that mission; a flatbed or used bed can wait until the truck earns the time. At $800 delivered with a working plow and a 4x4 five-speed, the efficiency case is tool capability per dollar — not pride of ownership.

Note: Used vehicles vary. Do not drive without functional brakes. Mouse droppings require proper cleanup and PPE. This is a project log, not a how-to for unsafe road use. See disclosures.

What’s Next

When the clutch cable and fan belt land: install, jump, test movement. Brakes and battery tray after that. More photos as the cab gets cleaned and the first drive under its own power either works or reveals the next cheap problem. No schedule promises — just the next functional step.