Picked up a 73 Power Wagon *Now with pictures*

[Larry]

:yikes: WOW! That truck is CLEAN! Bonus that is has a super clean bedside tool box to boot. Man, you might just want to leave that truck in stock form and drive the wheels off of it. Of course, if you're like me and can't keep well enough alone, a truck like yours would be easy to do a restomod with a modern powertrain because early Dodge's of that body style should have a divorced transfercase where any engine and transmission combination could be easily swapped in.

While a 440 would be cool, the reality is they are hard to come by these days and if you find one it probably would need rebuilt, which building old Mopar big blocks quickly becomes very expen$ive plus the fact a Mopar BB would not be a direct bolt in when replacing a 360. If it were mine, I would be looking at doing late model 5.7L or 6.4L Hemi swap backed by a 2wd 45RFE, 545RFE automatic or better yet a 2011 or later 66RFE 6 speed automatic or even a NV4500 5-speed manual. With a divorced transfercase the powertrain possibly are endless. Sourcing a late model EFI Hemi, ECM, harness and 2wd auto trans would probably cost less than trying to build a 440 to swap in. This truck is too clean to pollute with a heavy stinky 12V Cummins.

I would love to build an old Dodge like yours with a modern Hemi powertrain :drool:

Nice truck goin campin! I would love to add an old Mopar like that to my GM/Toyota stable

 

[goin camping]

:yikes: WOW! That truck is CLEAN! Bonus that is has a super clean bedside tool box to boot. Man, you might just want to leave that truck in stock form and drive the wheels off of it. Of course, if you’re like me and can’t keep well enough alone, a truck like yours would be easy to do a restomod with a modern powertrain because early Dodge’s of that body style should have a divorced transfercase where any engine and transmission combination could be easily swapped in.

While a 440 would be cool, the reality is they are hard to come by these days and if you find one it probably would need rebuilt, which building old Mopar big blocks quickly becomes very expen$ive plus the fact a Mopar BB would not be a direct bolt in when replacing a 360. If it were mine, I would be looking at doing late model 5.7L or 6.4L Hemi swap backed by a 2wd 45RFE, 545RFE automatic or better yet a 2011 or later 66RFE 6 speed automatic or even a NV4500 5-speed manual. With a divorced transfercase the powertrain possibly are endless. Sourcing a late model EFI Hemi, ECM, harness and 2wd auto trans would probably cost less than trying to build a 440 to swap in. This truck is too clean to pollute with a heavy stinky 12V Cummins.

I would love to build an old Dodge like yours with a modern Hemi powertrain :drool:

Nice truck goin campin! I would love to add an old Mopar like that to my GM/Toyota stable

I'd want the 440 for towing power. Not much pulls a trailer up a steep hill like a big block.

The short term mod I want to do are to switch from drums to discs. Trying to find out if there are off the shelf parts for this.

 

[Larry]

I'd want the 440 for towing power. Not much pulls a trailer up a steep hill like a big block.

The short term mod I want to do are to switch from drums to discs. Trying to find out if there are off the shelf parts for this.

I hear ya on the bennies of a big block. I got a garage full of GM big block trucks because I too like the torque and lugging power that no other engine can delivery other than a big block but have you driven a late model Ram HD with a Hemi? They’re pretty impressive!

Well, okay...if you must have a big block 440 instead of a modern Hemi at least treat it with an EFI kit from someone like Howell Engine Development. Just getting rid of a toilet carburetor for EFI makes a world of difference in drivability, durability and fuel economy.

Don’t have your answer on drums to disk for the front axle but I would imagine a Dodge D44 from later "D" truck all the way up to '92 would be an easy swap to your ’73 D44. My pal Coloradobill might have the answer to that one being he has more Mopar hands-on experience. If you are talking about going rear disk, I wouldn’t worry about it. Rear disk brakes are way too over hyped.

 

[redthies]

That Dodge is super nice! Great score. I agree with Larry that a newer 5.7 Hemi might be a good way to go. (But I still love a 12v). I would go along the lines of what you said early on. Nice springs and shocks, maybe a winch, and a drivetrain refresh. Maybe just drive it as is for a while and see how the 360 does?

 

[DoMiNiC1]

A 12v cummins swap.

That's your solution for everything! :coffeedrink:






AWESOME crazy clean truck! I totally agree with a 12v swap, do it right the first time.

 

[goin camping]

I hear you on a hemi or newer engine swap. I have friends that tow with Hemi's in new power wagons. They do well.

This is pure emotion but...

I just love the sound of the older V8 burbiling while crawling across the desert at just above idle.

 

[Desert Dan]

Grampa is a great name for it. What a good find.
Since it is in such great shape I wouldn't change it too much. Disc brakes etc.


There are lots of beat up dodges around for major modifications.

 

[Rot Box]

Great looking pickup! :Wow1:

It seems like some of the Dodges those years used a REALLY poor front wheel bearing assembly/design. Maybe I'm thinking Ramchargers here? I'm sure the Dodge guys can fill in the blanks on this one. If that's the case you might look into replacing everything from the knuckles outward with GM components when you do your brake swap. I'd square away the axle(s)--or even swap in 1ton axles long before I looked into an expensive engine swap. Of course its always easy for me to say what I would do with someone else's money LOL!

Keep us posted :coffeedrink:

 

[Larry]

Great looking pickup! :Wow1:

It seems like some of the Dodges those years used a REALLY poor front wheel bearing assembly/design. Maybe I'm thinking Ramchargers here? I'm sure the Dodge guys can fill in the blanks on this one. If that's the case you might look into replacing everything from the knuckles outward with GM components when you do your brake swap. I'd square away the axle(s)--or even swap in 1ton axles long before I looked into an expensive engine swap. Of course its always easy for me to say what I would do with someone else's money LOL!

Keep us posted :coffeedrink:

Yeah, those unit bearings were really sucktastic but goin camping’s truck doesn’t have those. Notice the locking front hubs in the pictures? He already has the good Dana 44 front axle other than the fact it still has front drum brakes. Those unit bearings came on the scene in 1974 when Dodge started using the full-time NP203 transfercase.

 

[goin camping]

A 12v cummins swap.

So what would be involved in that?

 

[Rot Box]

So what would be involved in that?

Most will buy a running 89-93 donor truck and swap everything over (engine, trans, t-case, axles etc) and I think that's the best/easiest way to go about it. Those years came with a great injector pump as well which needs one positive wire to run the motor which makes it really simple. A Dodge to Dodge swap is likely the easiest one out there.

Pro's:
Enormous power
Simple
Reliable (extremely reliable...)
20+mpg fuel economy

Cons:
Cost
Weight
Parts/time. (You'd need to replace everything in your drivetrain including the front axle-- Mandatory D60 here)

 

[Larry]

Plus it is one of those deals where if you half to ask what is involved with undertaking a swap like that, you probably are not up to performing the task on your own and to pay someone to do the work would probably be cost prohibitive.

 

[goin camping]

Plus it is one of those deals where if you half to ask what is involved with undertaking a swap like that, you probably are not up to performing the task on your own and to pay someone to do the work would probably be cost prohibitive.

There is some truth to that.

The swapping in of a 408 is looking more and more like the way it will go. Found a crate motor built for trucks. I can pull one and switch the accessories onto the new one and install.

 

[lstzephyr]

Is there something wrong with the current engine?

 

[chilliwak]

Hey Goin Camping, I just checked out your thread for the first time. Your truck looks really clean:Wow1: and in great shape. Since the truck is so pristine I would keep it in stock condition. It is worth WAY more that way. Good luck on your rig and keep us updated with LOTS OF PICS! Cheers, Chilli..