The Shop Truck
The idea behind the shop truck was simple: build something that not only looked badass but could also pull its weight—literally. It had to be tough enough to haul equipment, make parts runs, and still turn heads wherever it went. Charlie envisioned something that embodied both utility and artistry, a machine that told a story of skill, sweat, and steel.
He started with a vintage 1946 Dodge pickup—weathered, worn, and oozing potential. The truck itself was found by Charlie on one of his famous western roadtrips back in 2017. Located in a Wyoming scrapyard and purchased for only $600, this War Trim truck was about to embark on an entirely new life. It was nothing glamorous on day one, but that’s never stopped Charlie before. Every dent had character and he was determined to bring every bit of that out; starting by cutting it immediately in half.
Work did not truly begin on the Shop Truck until 2023. It had sat at Charlies shop in Pennsylvania for nearly six years while he continued to build skills and an incredible reputation for his craftsmanship. After pulling a newer F550 frame from a local salvage yard, work on the Shop Truck jumped into action. Charlie wanted something that had never been done before, and that meant lots of CAD drawings. He designed the front of the frame, the suspension, and the flatbed itself on the computer and sent the files off to the laser shop.
For power, Charlie took a gamble on a 4.5L QSB Cummins engine that had been sitting unused for over a decade. There was no guarantee it would even run, but once mounted in the truck, it fired up—a testament to both Charlie’s mechanical intuition and the rugged reliability of the Cummins name.
Today, that engine is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission, giving the Dodge a rare combination of old-school feel and modern diesel torque.
While it turns heads wherever it goes, Charlie’s Dodge isn’t just for show. It now serves as a shop truck and, more importantly, as a test mule. Charlie uses it to tune and test modifications on customer engines, giving him real-world data and feedback straight from the road.
From scrapyard shell to purpose-built powerhouse, Charlie Pitcher’s 1946 Dodge Shop truck is more than a cool build—it’s a rolling story of craftsmanship, vision, and mechanical passion. It’s the kind of truck that reminds us what’s possible when you mix old-school iron with modern ingenuity.