Hemmings Find of the Day – 1961 Dodge Power Wagon
Long a favorite of public works departments from coast to coast, the Dodge Power Wagon has earned a reputation for durability rivaled by few other four-wheel drive pickups. Finding reasonably clean survivors can be a challenge, since many were worked nearly to death, then sold to private owners who ran them until very little was salvageable.
This 1961 Dodge Power Wagon, for sale on Hemmings.com, may be the exception to the rule, as it appears to be in better-than-average shape, given its five-plus decade life. Partially restored and mechanically sorted according to its current owner, the truck could make an interesting off-roader or would serve well as a rolling billboard to promote a small business. From the seller’s description:
1961 Dodge Power Wagon WM 300, 4×4 Pickup, 251 cid 6-cylinder gas engine, 4-speed manual transmission. Rare, 1 of only 96,145 total civilian vehicles ever produced from 1946 to 1968. Alabama vehicle since new. Clean Florida title. Very solid, clean, runs strong, with the expected 53-year old mechanical and cosmetic wear & tear including dings & dents. Power Wagons were “work” trucks. As nearly original as possible, numbers appear matching but not guaranteed.
Partial restoration began 2012 by previous owner including rebuilt carburetor, new wheel cylinders, brake shoes, brake lines, master cylinder, fuel lines, radiator hoses, locking hubs, glass & tail lights. Rebuilt windshield crank mechanism. Headliner & seat upholstery fabric replaced. New custom rims with new tubeless BF Goodrich BAJA T/A 37×12.50 R16.5 tires. Heater and windshield wipers were removed during restoration. Painted surfaces are in primer coat. Bed floor replaced with tongue-groove hard pine. The extent of mechanical, exterior & interior repairs depends on a buyer’s desired level of restoration. Complete inspection and needed repairs suggested before operation. This original, solid, low mileage vehicle is a piece of American automotive history with great parts availability. It can be bought to complete as a reliable driver or as a platform for a detailed restoration project. All vehicle information provided by previous owner deemed reliable but not guaranted by owner. SOLD AS-IS, WHERE-IS. Selling due to too many current projects.
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11 Responses to “Hemmings Find of the Day – 1961 Dodge Power Wagon”
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I was expecting to see 1949 or 1938, not 1961! I did not know that they still made these until the 60s. What a great looking truck. I love how the owner mentions that it would be a great truck to just drive as is or maybe to use as a basis for a thorough restoration. I cringed going into that sentence thinking it would be about using it as a basis for a monster truck or a modified something or other. Although, as always, the new owner can do as he / she wishes, but it would sure be a shame to modify this beauty too far from stock, in my opinion.
For better or worse, with a near $30K asking price, the chances of it being sold to someone who would butcher it are unlikely.
I do love these trucks, but man they’ve gotten expensive – especially for a truck that realistically has is limited on modern roads (even with “highway” gears, they pretty much top-out at 60 mph). That said, I’m still kicking myself for not buying a mostly complete project 10 years ago for $2000.
Hi Ian, actually, I think even 60 mph was unheard of. With 5.38 gears, and an empty weight of almost 6,000 lbs. some sites claim 45 mph was top cruising speed. As a side note, I read, 1961 was the 1st year for the alternator and the 251 replaced the 230 flat head.
Many thanks, Kurt, I’ve always had a hankerin’ for truck like this. Nothing says tough like a “WM” Power Wagon. The 300 indicates it is a 1 ton model, and the 11 (or so) leafs in the back substantiate this. My Diamond T 201 pick-up was also a 1 ton, with 13 leafs on the back, and I can tell you from experience, you may as well have metal bars for shock absorbers, it rode that rough. I read somewhere, this was one of the longest running models, as after it was discontinued here, it was built somewhere else( Brazil?) well into the ’70′s. The “Power Wagon” soldiered on (in different body styles) until 1981, when it was replaced by the “Ram” series. While the price may be justifiable, I can see these are already out of my reach.
Howard, I hear you. This truck would be perfect for my worst-of-winter-weather in Vermont needs, but at that price I’d be too paranoid to drive it on salted roads.
I remember one of my father’s employees in the late 1970′s who owned one . It was his “daily driver” Although his just may have been a military version…. I do remember it was cold blooded in the winter…being a 6 volt system and still having a flat head 6.
As a Jeep/4wd guy, a friend and I came across one 4-5 years back. Someone got in over their head and we almost bought a 1964. This guy had done some cutting and installed a dodge 360 . he had sold several of the original parts like the tail gate and windshields . although the $5,000 price was enticing, the title was a mess , ultimately his attitude made the final decision for us….NO….
Geez, I like these old Dodge Power Wagons. When I was growing up in Western Canada, the local Texaco gas station had one for it’s shop truck. It had a plow on the front to plow snow from the station lot,towing chains on both front and back bumpers and snow chains on all 4 tires.
No wrecker rig, but rest assured it could yank anything stuck in deep snow drifts.
I could always hear it going down Osborne Street…where the station was located….the chains would be ringing away.
Quite a truck.
The gas station I used had an early ’50′s one ton, Fargo pickup truck….ex Ontario Hydro line truck.
Those tall thin tires on it would slice through most heavy snow drifts.
These are great, bullet-proof trucks – but don’t be in a hurry to get anywhere. At one point I owned a 1948 military spec. Power Wagon in Toronto, Canada. Superb in the snow except the lug tyres were not known for their grip on sheet ice. As was graphically demonstrated one winters day when I slid over the kerb while negotiating a bend winding up in someone’s front yard and taking out a wooden bus-stop sign in the process. After coming to rest, I engaged 4 wheel drive and motored calmly out back onto the road none the worse for wear except for a small ding in the side of the truck where it impacted the bus sign. Loved that beast.
In 1971 a co-worker had a 60 something model which he drove to see dairy farmer clients in SoCal. It had a broad dash and he kept a collection of smoking pipes up there. He would grab one as required. Rode very hard! Might have had a V8.
We had one at Point Mugu, USN 66-70, as a utility truck to pick up drag shoots after the F-4′s and others landed. It was slow but also a blast to drive. I swore I would have one someday. Fast foward 44 years. I now own a 1955 that I’m restoring. It’s 75% completed. It is a labor of love.
With that color too much $$.