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1961 1 Ton Dually 4X4

17K views 39 replies 16 participants last post by  PwrWgn61 
#1 ·
1961 Power Wagon as I brought it home.
 

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#2 ·
that is what I want, in a crew cab. beauty there.
 
#4 ·
The tires are about 35", looks like a lot more room without putting on a lift.  I added a couple more pics.  It currently has a 360/4 speed, 4.88 gears.  It had a dealer installed rear bumper that you could really do a tailgate party on.  I actually had to drive it home, it wouldn't fit on the flatbed trailer I was using.  52,000 miles  I found an old military picture that inspired me to build this truck.  Thanks for the comments.  I should have some good progress this spring as I just picked up a 1972 1 ton old search and rescue truck from Montana.  Power steering will be awesome, as well as getting rid of the oddball 6 hole split rims.
 

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#9 ·
Thanks for all the kind words guys.  I wish I would have known about this website 2 years ago.  Sometimes just looking at other people rigs helps keep me focused on the end result.  By the way, the lab thinks the truck is hers, which of course it is.  I will post some more pics as the weather improves.  RCC is just awesome! 
 
#10 ·
Your truck is a brute, anyone who see's this rig in there rearview mirror is definitely going to move out of the way. Even though it's not a crewcab, it reminds me of National Lampoons; Christmas Vacation. Nice score.
 
#11 ·
Ha ha!  I love the truck from Christmas Vacation.  Hope to be driving it again by summer.  Have to build motor mounts to fix the hack job the previous owner did, some people should not have access to welders.  Thanks. 
 
#13 ·
No idea on the reasoning behind a bumper like that, it was installed by the National City Dodge dealership in California.  The original owner lived in Chula Vista, CA.  I assume it was for whatever use he was putting the truck to.  I'm thinking the rear bumper will be coming off when I get the truck repainted, I can't just take it off they welded it on with a stick, I will have to remove the bed to get to all the welds.  I found the picture by doing a search for 1961 Dodge W300.
 
#14 ·
That is a big rig r'hat there  :eek: {cool}.  Hey if you're thinking about getting SRW wheels it looks like you'll maybe need the rockwell pattern wheels, and I'd recommend the same company that did mine - Red Barn Customs.  Feel free to PM me if you like, or I'm happy to discuss here on your thread  :)

- Sam
 
#16 ·
I once had a 48 one ton dually.  I think it had the identical bed.  Is that bed 9' long?

The one that I had could have the inner section of the fender removed and make it into a bed for a single rear wheel axle.
 
#17 ·
Not sure on the Rockwell pattern, the lugnuts are are about 1" in size though.  When I first got it I looked at some of the military wheels, and nothing was close.  Boyce Equipment is not too far from here, but if I get serious about trying to use the original axles I will follow up with you.  thanks Sam.  Workgoats: yes the bed is a 9 footer, the fender is extended, so the bed could be used for a SRW axle.  Hard to decide which direction to take this build, keep it as original as possible but still make it comfortable to drive, or go completely custom so I can enjoy using it.  The production numbers tell me that this is one of 225 with a v8, but it doesn't break it down to cover the dually/utiline numbers.  I'm guessing there probably aren't many survivors left.  I would love to hear everyone's opinions on the way to build this truck.  Thanks.

Robert
 
#20 ·
That's awesome!  The Power Giant series of trucks ended in 1960, I've run across a few of them but always at the worst possible time for me to bring home another project.  Those trucks look tough just sitting still.  I've found a truck with the dump bed set up but I've been unable to get in contact with the owner.  Maybe this spring.  A dump bed is very close to making a truck into a Transformer, so naturally I want one!
 
#21 ·
Awesome truck, love the colour. Good to see a survivor truck. Your right, very similar looking to my truck. Ill be watching your progress.
 
#22 ·
So.....it's been quite a while since I've even touched this beast.  I've been looking at changing jobs and now the decision has been made for me.  But change is always for the best.....eventually.  At any rate, I've been spending time on other projects and neglecting this one.  Spray bombed it just to have it all one color, I want to keep it the original color. Originally I was going to keep this with a small block, but then I thought a 440 would be nice.  At this point this truck will not be used for anything other than towing my other vehicles around, so now I'm thinking about doing a cummins swap,  Any recommendations?  I would like to keep the original look but everything else is fair game.  It currently has 4.88 gears and no lift, standard tranny, divorced transfer case.  I would be towing a car hauler trailer with mostly cars or once in a while the other power wagons so maybe 15,000 lbs. at most.  I would like to start searching for the donor vehicle that will provide the drivetrain, depending on what the diesel experts on RCC recommend, so hopefully this summer I can have the floorpans replaced and the rest of the truck ready for paint along with 2 other projects that are almost ready to spray.  Looking forward to everyone's input. 
 

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#24 ·
Thanks Mike.  I had already looked at that tow truck, it would probably be fun just to play with that one as it sits.  I found a couple 2 wheel drives locally, just have to decide on the transmission, automatic would be easier to set up, but I've always had a thing for standards.....doesn't really matter much on the highway though.  Any thoughts on the longevity of automatics vs. standards?
 
#26 ·
well as far as recommendations for a Cummins donor truck, the most simple rigs were the 1st Gens - the '89-93 Rams. Very simple and very easy to maintain. And if you're really going to be hauling big loads (10k or more) a long distance and at 60+ mph speeds, I think you're going to want an intercooled truck (91-93). The sustained highway speeds will likely generate some high EGTs, and if you want a lot of power (say 300 hp or more - real tug boat power) you may need an intercooler. But, if you've no intentions of really bombing the power levels and might not be doing lots of highway driving, then I think you'd be fine with a non-intercooled engine (89-91), especially if you are not planning to install other than stock injectors. "Injectors" are my personal 'gauge' for needing an intercooler - trucks with stock injectors usually do not 'need' an intercooler, whereas most trucks with aftermarket sticks almost always do.

You will need the entire driveline - engine, tranny, transfer case, axles. You can also eliminate the factory computer during the conversion. If you get the chance, have a look at my own diesel conversion on my Ramcharger "Oxx". I go into a lot of tech and electrical upgrades (including deleting the computer).

Oxx (diesel conversion starts on pg 3) - http://ramchargercentral.com/rcs-tds-durangos-etc/'blu-oxx'-'93-rcle-4x4/100/

'Decomputerize your Dodge' - http://ramchargercentral.com/diesel-talk/'de-computerize-your-dodge'/

Any questions, ask away :)

- Sam
 
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