Power Wagons:'61-'71 Dodge Truck Website (original) (raw)

The '61-'71 Dodge Truck Website

'61-'71 Power Wagons

Related Information on this Website:

Books Page
Concise Spotter's Guide
Old Ads Page
Street Scenes
Junkyard Scenes
See "How Dodge Trucks Were Built".
VIN Decoding Information
Historical References used to make this section of the Website
The Sweptline.org Forums and The Part Sources Page

Military Style and Town Panel\Wagon Trucks

The original Power Wagon (WM300)

Power Wagon Trucks by Dodge are still considered some of the toughest ever made, and this was also true when they were conceived in the mid-1940's. These trucks were originally military vehicles that were slightly modified for civilian use.

Images from Dodge Truck sales brochure.

1963 Town Wagon Power Wagon

In 1961, Dodge was still selling Power Wagon trucks that were much like those manufactured in 1946. These trucks were the WM-300 vehicles, and they were sold right alongside Sweptline, Town Panel, and Town Wagon Power Wagons. Town Panel\Wagon vehicles were manufactured until 1966 while the WM-300's were discontinued for the '68 model year.

All of these trucks are distinguished by large chrome lettering that spells out "Power Wagon" across the sides of the hood. Sweptline Trucks after '68 had the badge positioned on the sides of the fender below the "Dodge" emblem. With the introduction of the Sweptline body design, Dodge carried on the tradition of tough 4x4 vehicles, with good looks. This page will evaluate the Sweptline Power Wagon Trucks, so if you're interested in some of the Town Panel, Town Wagon or WM-300 versions, be sure to check out The Dodge Power Wagon Websitemaintained by Joe Cimoch or Jay's Dodge Power Wagon Page. Both are jam-packed with useful information, links and Power Wagon photos. Also, on the Parts Sources Page there are a few good Power Wagon parts sources which apply to most Power Wagon vehicles, military or civilian. For more links, check theLinks page.

Sweptline and Utiline Power Wagons

Images from Dodge Truck sales brochure.

1961 marked the first year for Sweptline Era Power Wagons, and these trucks posessed the tough drivetrain features of their predecessors built around a new chassis to go with the redesigned body style. W-300 Sweptline models continued with the larger L-Head six, as well as an optional Wideblock V8 engine, both mounted on a straight frame. Similiarly, D-300 and larger trucks had a straight frame as opposed to the drop center frame developed for the 1961 and later Sweptline trucks. Otherwise, Sweptline W-100 and W-200 models came standard with the Slant-six while the 318 Polysphere V-8 was optional.

Picture: 1961 Power Wagon Fire Truck, submitted by Steve Botkin.

1962 W-200 Longbed (previously an LAPD truck)

The truck pictured above is owned by Kevin Jones of Torrance, CA. Kevin is the second owner, the first was the Los Angles Police Department. It is obviously in excellent condition and has a 318 Polysphere engine as well as a factory PTO winch. If you look closely, the picture shows where the LAPD logos or lettering once resided on the door of the truck.

Image from Dodge Truck sales brochure.

Halfway through 1962, Dodge added the availability of a four-door crew cab model to the Sweptline Power Wagon lineup. This model was offered as a 1963 truck.

Picture: '62 Dodge Crew Cab Truck advertisement.

Surprisingly, in 1964 the Custom Sports Specialpackage could be had on W-100 and W-200 trucks adding comfort and style. While the 4x4's were still tough vehicles, the CSS package made them more civilized. It included the same options as the two-wheel drive models, such as four 1" contrasting color stripes across the hood and cab, bucket seats and center console, floor carpet, extra cab insulation, chrome grille and front bumper, as well as the other enhanced interior appointments.

In spring 1965, Dodge Power Wagon Pickups received the same apperance changes that were made to the stardard duty trucks. A new, single headlight grille covered the front end while a longer wheelbase and more versatile box revamped the rear end of the trucks. They could be had with a bright trim Apperance package that added aluminum trim along the upper portions of the body. This trim was painted with a contrasting color inside of black or white depending on the body color of the truck. Other packages like the Comfort package or the CSS package allowed for further interior and trim improvement over the standard vinyl covered bench seat and otherwise plain interior.

Images from Dodge Truck sales brochure.

D-200 Trucks could be upgraded with the Camper Special package. This added "bigger and better" equipment in the areas of cooling, electrical, suspension (stronger leaf springs), tires, wheels, and also added extra emblems to the doors under the vent wing window. The Comfort and Apperance packages mentioned above were also available with the Camper Special package.

The year 1966 was much like '65 in regards to standard and optional equipment on Sweptline and Utiline Power Wagons. Late 1967 saw the change from the large bezel grille to a more straightforward rectangular version that was available in bright aluminum or painted steel. '67 also marked the last year for the available CSS package, its replacement being the Adventurer Package for '68.

1968 was significant for the Power Wagon Trucks since the 383ci V-8 was added as an option. In this year, the Adventurer package was added as an option to the two-wheel drive truck line but was not available on four-wheel drive models. Also, a full width rear window was made standard in '68 for greater visibility.

More body and apperance changes were made along with a number of interior improvements to the 1969 model year Power Wagons. These changes included a more modern hood and bumper design as well as a change to the emblems on the trucks. Instead of the large chrome "POWER WAGON" lettering down the sides of the hood, the designation was now much smaller and was positioned below redesigned tonnage emblems on each front fender below the cowl. A new dash design was introduced which included a full width pad along the top edge, flip up glove box access, and a totally new instrument cluster integrated amongst the various controls. Seat belts were now of the retractable type and were housed in plastic matched to the interior. Inside door handles became smaller and were supported on a fiberglass panel which was colored similiar to the rest of the interior. Mechanically a new, single lever operated transfer case allowed for quicker shifting, increased durability and quieter operation.

An Excellent Example: `70 W-200

Shown above is a beautiful example of a 1970 W-200 Power Wagon Longbed Pickup. This particular truck is powered by the 210hp version of the LA-318 V8. The drivetrain features the New Process 435 4 speed backed by the tough NP 205 transfer case. 3.54 gears in a Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear differentials keep the gas mileage down. Stopping power comes from 12.5" drum brakes front and rear via the power assist option. Up front, the factory PTO winch by Koeing gives 8000lbs of pulling power when necessary (for C#*%ys and F*#ds of course). The truck has 47,000 original miles and has been family owned since new. The current owners are Bill & Rita Lammers of Ocala, Florida. Orignial cost: $4350.18 in 1970. Certainly a prime example of a well taken care of Power Wagon, one that is definitely a truck to be proud of.

A new aluminum grille was the bulk of changes for 1970 and was installed on W-100 and W-200 Trucks. A painted steel version of the same grille was available on W-300 models. The three-speed Loadflite automatic transmission was optional while the standard three-speed in six-cylinder powered trucks was made completely syncromesh for better operation.

Images from Dodge Truck sales brochure.

1971 was the last year for Sweptline Power Wagon Trucks and continued the with same available features as in previous years. One interesting option was the addition of a Sno-Fiter package that equipped the truck for snowplowing duty. This package could be had on Sweptline or Utiline trucks with slant-six or LA-318 engines installed and required heavy duty running gear options along with extra lights to accommidate it.

Thanks to Chris Lublin for the use of Dodge Truck sales brochures which were instrumental in making this page.

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