Dodge “Power Panel” Wagon

Dodge Other 1940 Description

Dodge didn’t build anything like this. but it’s similar to a WW2 WC-53 Carryall It started life as a 1940 Dodge panel truck. I purchased the truck out of North Dakota. I wanted a solid truck with minimal rust. The original front clip wasn’t to my liking. so a Power Wagon front clip was added. Dodge used the same firewall for about 20 years. so the front clip was basically a bolt on. A frame swap seemed to be the easiest way to get a modern drivetrain under the body. After a lot of measuring I determined a 73-79 F150 frame fit the best under the old Dodge. The frame fit so well four of the eight body mounts on the Dodge aligned with the Ford frame. The frame has been cleaned/blasted and coated with POR 15 paint. The high pinion 44 has been rebuilt. and larger “thunderbird” brakes have been added. The rear end is a posi 9 inch with new brakes as well. and new stainless steel brake lines added. A warmed over 400/C6/NP205 complete the drivetrain. It’s currently sitting on 37 inch wheels. but you could easily go bigger with no lift. Back to the body. It was relatively rust free. but the old Dodge had a double wall construction that could rust between the walls. The inner panels were removed and derusted. and treated with POR15 before being reassembled. The door skins were also removed. treated and reassembled to insure they didn’t rust from the inside out as well. I have not painted the body. The pictures you see are bare metal. with a phosphate coating. I’m always a bit skeptical of projects that have just been painted. you never know what is hidden under the paint. In this case what you see is what you get so you don’t have to worry about suspect bondo work hiding somewhere. What’s still left to do? Wiring was next on my list. I was going to use a Painless Wiring kit. get all the wiring completed. and then pull the body back apart for primer and paint. Life has gotten in the way. I’ve relocated. gotten married and haven’t worked on the truck in almost a year. and the reality has set in that I just don’t currently have the time to work on it anytime soon.