1959 Dodge Power Wagon

W100 4WD Pickup truck

8 - Cyl.

Manual

Clear

Gasoline

ringkingpin Store There is no question; this truck has the IT factor. I’ve owned a number of unique vehicles over the years and I can say that few have grabbed the eye and attention of people like this 1959 w100 Power Giant does. I bought this truck over a year ago on eBay from a guy in VA. He bought it from a man in AZ who did the modifications and that man bought it from the Forestry service in California. The guy who I bought it from had neglected the important stuff and spent his money on a bunch of crap from aisle three of his local AutoZone. The truck was covered in goofy diamond plate vinyl stickers, red wire loom over EVERYTHING and a bunch of other useless crap. That said, the overall condition of the truck, the panels, the frame, etc. was unbelievably solid. I took it upon myself to dial this truck in to make it safe for on road / highway use and I had a TON of work done on it. The list over improvements is so long, I’m sure to forget something but I’ll make amendments as the auction goes on. If you Google, 1959 Dodge Power Giant, you’ll more than likely find a picture of what it looked like when the previous owner had it. It looked terrible, like a silly apple truck or something. Here is the link: http://www.theclassiccarshow.com/upload/CarImages/627.jpg I turned it into a properly working, badass truck. The guy in AZ did a nice job with the modifications, both the lift and the engine swap. Not sure why he got rid of the Dodge six banger, probably just wanted more power. So, he dropped in a Ford 460, tied to a T18 Four Speed Granny Gear transmission. The 460 has plenty of power and torque to spare. I don’t know if the motor was massaged but I’m guessing it has been slightly because it has such good power. It starts up every time on the first bump of the starter with no smoking and no leaks. The motor is tight. For reliability reasons, I replaced both the alternator and the starter and starter solenoid on the truck. We also replaced the clutch and all the components, clutch plates, throw out bearing, master and slave for the clutch as well. It’s fresh and works smoothly and easily. We also went through the brakes as well. We added all new brake lines, new brake master and slave cylinders and new pads all the way around. I also put a proportional valve for the brakes so you can dial in the bias from front to back, this is under the dash and can be seen in the pics, it’s the black knob on the left, underside of the dash. The brakes work amazingly well, smooth and responsive, with large discs up front. There are other improvements under the hood such as new hoses, new distributor, new MSD ignition, new electric cooling fan and t-stat and a whole lot more! I added a new ignition switch and for reliability reasons, added a push button starter. So you turn the key to the on position and then hit the starter button and this beast comes to life instantly! The engine sounds great, not too loud but still with an authoritative rumble. The next thing we did to improve the truck was to go through the running gear. I replaced every bearing on the truck, wheel bearings, every u-joint, etc. The New Process 203 ( I think it’s a 203 ) divorced transfer case had the original dodge equipment drive shaft between the trans and the case. This thing was dinky with small u-joints that were basically the weak link in the drive shaft. I wanted to switch to CV joints but there wasn’t enough room because the shaft is only about 12” long. So, I had a drive shaft shop build me a custom piece with the largest U joints possible. This was a really nice upgrade and NOT cheap. Hell, nothing on this truck was cheap, lol and I spared no expense at buying the right stuff for her. There is a pic on the listing showing the old drive shaft next to the new one. Look at the difference in the U Joint size and shaft diameter! I also put new Lockers up front the yellow ones which are supposed to be the best you can get, heavy duty application along with new spindles up front. The truck originally came with OEM 1st generation Hummer tires. These were Bias Ply tires that made the thing run like a tank. I wound up purchasing some 37” Interco Radial Tires and balanced them with 26 oz of balancing beads. Balancing beads are small ceramic beads that go inside the tire and act as an active balancing system. This is by far, the best way to balance a large diameter tire, they work great! While I was at it, I decided to NOT reuse the old ugly rims and put the new meats on some new, black steelies, the wheels look awesome and have just over 1,000 miles on them. Price these wheels sometime, well over $2,000. I took the time to chalk the contact area and have found they like to be around 35-40 psi for on road duty. The next MAJOR problem I had with this truck was the wiring. The previous owner was in love with scotch locks, those stupid, unreliable little clips that will make an electrical connection by cutting the jacketing on the wire. I have an industrial background and can’t stand these things! On top of that, the spaghetti mess looked like a rainbow colored rats nest. It was awful. I wound up ordering a wiring kit and modern fuse block from QwikWires and rewired the ENTIRE truck from front to back, top to bottom. There isn’t one inch of old wire and it was done correctly and very neatly. One of the real nice things about the wiring kit, is the fact that the wires are all labeled the entire length of the wire, i.e. ignition, brake lights, etc. The fuse box uses modern style spade fuses. It’s a slick setup. I also added a turn signal indicator and hooked it up. While I was rewiring, I added a new AutoMeter Speedo and calibrated it as well. I also found some New Old Stock Unity, Period Correct YELLOW fog lights which really complement the front end of this truck. They’re cool and they really fit the look of the truck well. The rear bumper of the truck was custom made out of a piece of structural channel. It’s a hoss of a bumper for a hoss of a truck with a fairlane right in the middle of it. I got rid of the hokie brake lights that were hanging off the bed of the truck and mounted some flush mounted 5” lights that work as running / brake lights / turn signals. It looks clean and mean back there. In the bed of the truck, there is a trap door which hides a BIG 8,000 winch. The winch does work, I’ve tested it and pulled the entire cable out to make sure it was good, it is. There is a space next to the winch for a battery, I haven’t put a new one in there and you’ll also need a winch control that you can find anywhere online. The guy in AZ who did the lift and mods was a really good welder. You can see in the pics of the work he did on the lift and the bracing on both the front and rear axles, where he welded pieces of pipe in the bracing for looks and it looks cool. The rear axle is a DANA 60 and the front is a DANA 44. The Dana 60 is bulletproof to begin with and now that they are both braced up, the chance of them ever flexing enough to cause damage is ZILCH. These suckers are STRONG!!! Let’s talk about the frame and the body a little bit. It is all in amazing condition considering that it’s a 4wd truck from 1959. I can say with confidence that there is no rust or rot on the body or the frame. The frame is ROCK SOLID and has been painted. The body is very solid. There is one area in front of the driver’s door on the quarter where there is some BONDO. It looks like the driver’s door got flung open, maybe caught by the wind and pinched the quarter. You can see the mark in the pictures. Aside from that area, the body is totally solid. I got a magnetic business card and went all over the truck testing to see if I could get it to stick. It stuck everywhere except the one area I just described. It’s really easy to get on the underside of the truck and in the wheel wells and you can see everything is in great shape, super solid! The paint is rough, I’d call it a 20 footer but it fits the look of the truck right now, kind of mean and you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll leave it to the next owner to decide if they want to leave it as is or repaint it. The previous owner took off all the chrome except for the grill and had it all reechoed. It’s nice and shiny. You’ll notice a piece of duct tape on the front dodge emblem, the fasnter for that failed the last time I drove it and I luckily had some tape with me so I put it up there. Also, one chrome arrow on the driver’s side isn’t mounted because I was having a hard time figuring out what kind of hardware to use. I’ll leave that mounting to you! The interior is OK, the seat was redone and is pretty nice, black and maroon as are the door panels. They’re all in good shape and look nice. There is no headliner or carpet, just some drivers rugs and rubber mat. There is a guy online who makes injection molded headliners and firewall liners. If I was going to keep the truck, I would have bought these from him and then had them upholstered but I’m not sure if these trucks even came with headliners to begin with! Probably not! It has a SONY CD player and sony 6x9 speakers mounted in the doors, the stereo bumps pretty well and the new alternator and new Optima RedTop have no trouble keeping up with it. Inside the cab, there are a variety of switches for the running lights, brake lights, fuel pumps, etc. There are two fuel pumps because there are two tanks, one behind the bench seat and one in the bed of the truck. The filter on the one in the bed had some fine rust dust so I haven’t used that one, only the one in the front. You can buy another tank that will fit in the back at farm and fleet or a similar store if you like. If you look in the pics, you’ll see there are three sticks coming out of the floor. The one closest to the drive is the four speed, granny gear stick. The other two are for the New Process Transfer case. One will make the truck go from 2wd to 4wd and the other is for a high / low range. I have a rebuild kit for the transfer case because it weaps a little oil, but doesn’t really leak per se. For example, I moved the truck yesterday from storage to my garage and I doubt there will be a mark on the floor from the case, I just wanted to rebuild it at some point because I’ve rebuilt pretty much everything else on the truck! I did recently rebuild the T18 transmission because it was leaking too much and leaving a mark on the ground which was driving me nuts. We put in new bearings, new gaskets and new seals, now it’s Trump tight! On the passenger’s side of the T18 is a plate for a PTO if you’re inclined to hook up some farm implements. I never used it but was toying with the idea of getting a pump to water a small MotoCross track, just never got around to doing it. The wood in the bed of the truck is starting to go and should be replaced sometime over the next couple of years. That said, it’s probably original and isn’t really THAT bad, for example, last summer I would frequently load two or three dirtbikes in the back to take them to the track and never had a problem. Also, over the years, the different owners and tied things to the bed, drilled holes here and there (as can be seen in the pics) and caused some wear and tear. None of this isn’t stuff that can’t quickly and cheaply be fixed by yourself or a body shop, just want to point out that it is a big pickup that has seen work duty! The tailgate which is a hard to find item is in great shape. The has been a welded repair by the hinge and the weld has started to fail but can easily be fixed or ignored and it probably won’t ever be a problem, just want to point it out. The steel in the gate is amazingly THICK, probably 3/32” and will be very easy to fill the holes with weld. In these pics, you’ll see a very cool hood ornament. This hood ornament does NOT come with the truck. I should have taken it off before taking these pics. There will be two holes in the hood about 3/8” in diameter where this ornament was that will be easy to fill and spray over. My friend got that ornament from his grandfather who is now deceased. It was Original Equipment “bling” that he bought for a ’53 dodge and it just happened to fit the contour of the hood perfectly. He gave it to me because I told him I was going to keep this truck forever. Plans change and I want to give it back to him as there is a lot of sentimental value in the item. That said, you’ll see them come up on ebay from time to time. I’m sorry I can’t sell it with the truck because it looks simply AWESOME on this beast. The truck sat for six months in storage and yesterday was the first day I drove for six months. While in 4th gear, doing around 60, the truck had a little shimmy to it, which I have to attribute to flat spots in the big tires. I only drove it about a mile and a half to move it, I’m sure after they warm up and spin for a little further distance, it’ll go away. Last year, I put on over 1000 miles after getting her back together and she’s go down the road smoothly at 65-70 mph. She turns amazingly well too, due to all the anti sway stuff that’s on the underside of the truck. The power steering is nice and light and you can drive her with one finger. According to the info that I’ve found on the web, this is a rare bird. They only made the Power Giant Line for four years, 57,58,59,60. In 59, there were just over 215 of these trucks made in the short wheelbase like this one. Like I said in the beginning of the item description, this truck has the IT factor x’s 10! Every time I drive it, I get people following me, wanting to know more about it, stopping to chat with me wherever I park it. It’s been a lot of work but it’s been a lot of fun. Had I known that I was going to sell it, I wouldn’t have put the effort in to this truck. I fixed things up mechanically with the intention to keep it forever and then this year, I was going to do a cosmetic restoration, now that mechanically it is straight. But, plans change and in my case, we have had our first child. This truck isn’t conducive to family outings, so it’s going to go. I’m not a dealer, just a hobbiest who loves cars and trucks. My plan is to sell this truck and then I’m going to sell an old Studebaker Lark I have to purchase one nice antique convertible that we can take on country Sunday afternoon drives. I am open to trades but only for turnkey convertible classic cars from the 1950’s to the late 60’s. I don’t want a drag car, a motorcycle, an RV or a boat so please don’t ask if I’m interested, only looking for classic convertibles of equal or greater value. My feedback on ebay is excellent and I like to consider myself as honest as a seller as possible, unlike the guy I bought the truck from in Virginia (I hope you’re reading this!). I know this truck will make someone very happy and while I’ll never recoup my time or money, it’s just time to move on to something that my entire family can enjoy. The car is located in NW Indiana, about an hour from Chicago and can be seen locally. I will help with shipping in anyway possible. The truck does fit on a 5th wheel trailer or a rollback, no problem. If you have any questions about the truck, please don’t hesitate to contact me, I’ll do my best to answer your questions to the best of my ability and in a timely manner. Thanks for looking at this awesome truck… TO SEE A SHORT VIDEO OF THIS TRUCK JUST CRUISING ALONG IN 4WD, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Mm-eTqaoc TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF THIS TRUCK, go here: http://dunesman.com/Gallery_List.aspx?id=130 On Apr-15-11 at 20:30:13 PDT, seller added the following information: PLEASE NOTE!!!! If you are from a country other than Canada or the U.S. you need to contact me before bidding on this truck. If you have less than TEN positive feedback (and ZERO negative) you need to call me so we can talk. I reserve the right to remove your bid if you don't contact me, thanks for understanding.