Original Paint: 1962 Dodge Town Power Wagon
Power Wagons are coming out of the woodwork lately. Here’s another, this time in “Town” body style. Located in Burns, Oregon, this wagon is listed here on eBay and currently bid to $6,600. No reserve is in play. The seller’s brief notes hint that it was a former fire department vehicle. It still wears its factory paint in Toreador Red; in fact, other than an ongoing engine transplant, this example is unmolested – a minor miracle since fewer than three hundred W100 V8s were made in 1962. Here’s a question, though: do we care about originality? Big money accrues to examples with road-friendly modifications, and no one buying a Power Wagon is obsessed with matching numbers components. Let’s see what we think about this rig…
This example came equipped with a 318 cu. in. poly-head V8 good for about 200 hp, but the seller notes that the wagon now has a later 318, maybe a Mopar wedge – we don’t really know. It is not fully installed and no running history is noted. The original engine is available if the new owner wants it. The listing indicates the transmission is a manual. All Power Wagons were 4WD; this one has outside manual lock hubs. The underside is clean and dry, and it comes equipped with a Braden winch.
All three rows of seats remain in place, though the original upholstery has seen better days. The Town wagon received a curved-glass windshield when it was first introduced as a panel truck in 1954 – WMs had two-piecers as late as 1967. The seller notes that the doors and floor are rusted; this corner is gone! The ignition key and driver’s door lock are missing, as is the window regulator on that side.
The Town wagon was produced in several series beginning with the C-1 2WD panel style in 1954, the C-3 multi-windowed “town” version (still 2WD) in 1956, and the K-series “power wagon” 4WD in 1957, achieved by situating the body on a W100 truck chassis. The 4WD body sat higher and the fenders were flared. As the years passed, the sheet metal was updated, with a major facelift in ’58 when the entire front end was modernized and the headlights (now twinned on each side) were moved next to the grille. The external step disappeared the next year, and in ’61 the frame was strengthened and lengthened. This example shows off straight sheet metal; except for rust repair, there’s not much metalwork here, and in the hands of the right buyer, the paint might be left alone too. I vote for rust repair and mechanical resurrection, then drive it; what do you think?
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Comments
Needs a 440 six pack , why screw around with a tall brick & not enough power? You know you want to to channel your inner redneck!
I was thinking a Cummins, but yeah, a 440 would work.
I was thinking a full blown body swap onto a modern pickup chassis and drivetrain. It would outcool anything else in the local Lowes parking lot.
Well, it’s incredibly neat, but a tired old horse. The only entities that bought these, were municipal, RR, forestry, something to transport a crew where no man has gone before. The 2WD wagon was a bit more popular, but again, 4WD just wasn’t needed, and reserved for extreme duty. I read, blue 318s came out in 1970, but by 1972, all Chrysler motors were blue. Gonna run a bit hot, Festus, with no fan that I can see front or back of the radiator, plus, 4x4s flex and going to gouge the radiator. I say a poor build on an otherwise pretty wasted truck. They were and still are, a handful to drive.
I’m pretty much with you, Howard. It is incredibly neat, and good eye on the fan and radiator. I’d like to have it, but no idea what I’d do need it for. I suppose if I had it, I’d get it running and sorted mechanically and pretty much leave it at that. Drive it into town on the backroads on the weekends to do errands if I’m in absolutely no hurry. You have to admit, it would be neat to see someone get this old behemoth back on the road, even if you could only use it as a novelty vehicle. Where I live, you could still navigate this thing to Wal Mart to pick up oil for your lawnmower and stop by the hamburger joint. I know I’d geek out about it if I saw it in the parking lot.
Howard, I also noticed the fan blade missing, but the upper water hose missing also would not cool the motor. I’m thinking, maybe the owner was planning on install a electric fan in front of the radiator to also help in cooling the ac condenser. Not sure why the ac, because it would not cool that beast of a truck. I see a sales pitch here. Showing a complete truck, that needs a lot of work to be put on the road. It is a cool truck. No pun intended.
I saw the missing fan blade too. I worked on some Poly Head engines as well as the newer Wedges. I’m a little curious as to why the fan would be so close to the rad. Maybe it’s my memory drifting away but I didn’t think that the Wedge was longer overall. I do remember the Poly being wider and heavier. And the rockers/shafts sure lasted longer…
I love it, (starting to think I have a power wagon fetish, lol).
I’d go with a 318 Fireball donk.
Ditch the 2nd and 3rd row of seats, make it into a panel van.
A short high school friends dad had one of these tanks. When he would get ready to drive home after school I used to give him a hike up into the cab.
If my memory serves me well, I kinda think it had a 6 cylinder in it. I can attest to the torque it had because I got to drive it when we went deer hunting. That thing could climb a tree in 2nd gear. It has plenty of weight when empty let alone when loaded with 3 or 4 buddies and our gear. Wish I had the room.
One quarter panels steel would make a whole car today.
My Brother had one of these for his daily driver , what a beast , would go anywhere , taken out by a drunk driver one night , got hit so hard that the battery was ejected and went over 100 ft down the road , Brother and his wife walked away , totaled the power wagon !!
Looks like a 3/4 ton rear end– wouldn’t that make it a W200?
most likely an upgrade at some point.
the listed vsn decodes as a 1/2 ton.
lord i wish my project list wasn’t so long already
kaf, you have to remember and think like the manufacturers of off road 4X4 vehicles back in the day they made REAL trucks. Heck even if the axles LOOK like they are 3/4 ton in today’s standard are most likely a 1/2 ton in the day that this brush hog was designed and built.
The truck designers and the engineers who together gave us real off road rigs don’t exist nor ever will again. Sad deal, can’t change it.
However, I truly hope that whomever ends up with this very solid start puts it into condition and adds a few high tech components that make it stout again.
Looks like a “Spicer” rear, 8 bolts with the safety axle. HD 3/4 ton or 1 ton would have that axle.
I think the body is cool. but the drivetrain needs and update, it is getting harder to get good/new parts for vehicles like this. If I had the $, I’s maybe see if it could be built by the guy on four-wheeler TV program, that build frames for things like this from the ground-up just for that vehicle, I think he would like this truck.
well i’ll be. a quick image search and every 62 w100 that didn’t have hub caps was sporting 8 lug axles.
My first comment would be: I like what I see and it would look great at my place. My second comment: what happened to the Poly Head engine? We had them when I was growing up and I worked on lots of them over the years.Nothing wrong other than they were heavy. I don’t think the Wedge is really that much of an improvement except that it’s considerably lighter. At least it’s still in the family.
Interesting how Chrysler kept some of its designs for several years, after new ones were in production. Personally I preferred this version of Dodge truck over the Sweptline that came out in ’61 and lasted until ’71. But that’s just me.
I wish the new owner the best of luck…
I’ll bet an old School Hemi would fit in there nicely…
Sold on 10/28/2024 for a high bid of $12,880.
Steve R