My Sons first truck, 75 Power Wagon...

[pwerwagn]

So my 2 oldest boys (10 and 9) have 77 and 74 dodge power wagons. My youngest just turned 6, and he has been a little more diligent at saving money than his older brothers. There has been a really clean 75 318/4 speed parked for sale at the lake for a few months that he has really wanted. I made him the same deal I made his brothers, I will match whatever you save for a truck.

Well, he had 370$ saved from bdays, christmas, chores, etc and REALLY wanted this truck (as did I...haha). So this past weekend we were down at the lake, and it was still for sale. I told him he had to make the deal all by himself, and I would lend him up to 130$, and match 500. He had to figure the rest out. He quickly figured out that he had 1K$ to spend, and he had to do some dealin.

He went into the office where the truck was for sale (a boat repair shop), found the owner, and talked him into taking 1K$, all by himself. He was super excited, and the extra money I lent him was well worth it. He wasn't shy, and made it happen. We went back to camp, got money and I made him handle the whole deal. I hope it was a good life lesson, should be a fun project for the two of us.

The truck is a REALLY clean, zero rust 318/4 speed. 100% untouched, zero options other than the 318 and 4wd. It even has radio delete. Stock manifolds, stock exhaust, etc. It runs fantastic, we put about 60 miles on it already. It had been in the owners family since 1976. It has 107K original miles. The front driveshaft had been pulled, like almost all 75-80 1/2 ton dodges, and ran in High lock to get rid of full time 4wd. He gave me the driveshaft, said they had pulled it out YEARS ago.

Also this weekend, I got my new lake truck up and running. Bought it a while back, needed brake work. Rebuilt the airpack, replaced some lines, etc. Running like a top now. Should be cool to pull the boat around with, and to pull the motorhome off the beach when it gets stuck.

 

[wsuwrhr]

Let me absorb this.....

You have sons 10/9/6 and they each have their own trucks?

 

[wsuwrhr]

Cant you put locking hubs and engage the axle normally?

Or is the transfer case full time with no front disengage too?

 

[wsuwrhr]

As I have posted before I have a 74 w100 383 727.

 

[pwerwagn]

Let me absorb this.....

You have sons 10/9/6 and they each have their own trucks?

They do! The way it happened...My oldest son REALLY wanted my 77 power wagon (I saved money from when I was like 3, my dad matched half...and I bought it when I was 11 for 800$). I told him he had to pay me half of what it was worth if he wanted it. I wanted it to be a way for him to learn to save, see the reward, AND...have a project that we can work on together. He had his half saved when he was a little over 8. Well, his younger brother wanted the same deal, and I had a 74 power wagon also, that I bought when I was 16. It has a little more money into it than the 77 did, but I made him the same deal/price to be fair. He had his half saved right at 8. Thats where the 1K$ limit came from on this 75. I didnt have a 3rd power wagon(well, I do...but it has a cummins swap and I wasnt selling it to him for 1K$), but Jaxon was far more diligent than his brothers at saving, AND he always asks for money instead of toys for bday/christmas. So he tries pretty hard. I figured finding another clean 70's 4wd dodge for anywhere near the 1K I sold his brothers trucks for was going to be impossible, thats partially why I gave him a little more leeway since he had to find a truck, and bargain.

I hope what they learn from working on them is worth the deal I made them. My oldest now asks for tools and stuff instead of toys, so I think its working to my advantage.

Cant you put locking hubs and engage the axle normally?

Or is the transfer case full time with no front disengage too?

From the factory, all of the 75-80 1/2 and 3/4 ton dodges are full time, with no hubs. They are normal 44's from the knuckle in, but the stub shafts are different. You can put locking hubs on those trucks, but the 1/2 tons are 5 on 4.5. They are not a normal front axle like most "full time" front axle trucks were. They require new stub shafts, and some hokey hubs that slip over the lugs, and are super weak. They are also unit bearing. 75 was the first year of this nonsense. To get hubs using junk yard parts, it means changing to 5 on 5.5 as well. The hub kit was like 4-500$ back in the day for them, so most people didnt bother, and they just pulled the driveshaft and ran the NP203 in high lock. I have a hub kit for one, but we will probably just swap everything to 5 on 5.5 (or maybe 8 lug), and get rid of the unit bearings.

The 44 front in your 74 is an oddball as well. The pinion is pointed lower on those 44's than almost any other 44, due to the long driveshaft the divorced 205 allows. You can swap knuckle out from a 81+ 44 to get discs and keep hubs.

 

[wsuwrhr]

My lovely wife is going to hate you....


I bought a complete 44 that has disks on it that looked like either a direct swap, or just swap knuckles if the gears didn't match.

Brian

They do! The way it happened...My oldest son REALLY wanted my 77 power wagon (I saved money from when I was like 3, my dad matched half...and I bought it when I was 11 for 800$). I told him he had to pay me half of what it was worth if he wanted it. I wanted it to be a way for him to learn to save, see the reward, AND...have a project that we can work on together. He had his half saved when he was a little over 8. Well, his younger brother wanted the same deal, and I had a 74 power wagon also, that I bought when I was 16. It has a little more money into it than the 77 did, but I made him the same deal/price to be fair. He had his half saved right at 8. Thats where the 1K$ limit came from on this 75. I didnt have a 3rd power wagon(well, I do...but it has a cummins swap and I wasnt selling it to him for 1K$), but Jaxon was far more diligent than his brothers at saving, AND he always asks for money instead of toys for bday/christmas. So he tries pretty hard. I figured finding another clean 70's 4wd dodge for anywhere near the 1K I sold his brothers trucks for was going to be impossible, thats partially why I gave him a little more leeway since he had to find a truck, and bargain.

I hope what they learn from working on them is worth the deal I made them. My oldest now asks for tools and stuff instead of toys, so I think its working to my advantage.




From the factory, all of the 75-80 1/2 and 3/4 ton dodges are full time, with no hubs. They are normal 44's from the knuckle in, but the stub shafts are different. You can put locking hubs on those trucks, but the 1/2 tons are 5 on 4.5. They are not a normal front axle like most "full time" front axle trucks were. They require new stub shafts, and some hokey hubs that slip over the lugs, and are super weak. They are also unit bearing. 75 was the first year of this nonsense. To get hubs using junk yard parts, it means changing to 5 on 5.5 as well. The hub kit was like 4-500$ back in the day for them, so most people didnt bother, and they just pulled the driveshaft and ran the NP203 in high lock. I have a hub kit for one, but we will probably just swap everything to 5 on 5.5 (or maybe 8 lug), and get rid of the unit bearings.

The 44 front in your 74 is an oddball as well. The pinion is pointed lower on those 44's than almost any other 44, due to the long driveshaft the divorced 205 allows. You can swap knuckle out from a 81+ 44 to get discs and keep hubs.

 

[Xring01]

Thanks for sharing,
Nothing in the world like, when you get to watch your kids achieve there goals.

Well Done...

 

[pwerwagn]

My lovely wife is going to hate you....


I bought a complete 44 that has disks on it that looked like either a direct swap, or just swap knuckles if the gears didn't match.

Brian

Haha!

Just swap knuckles out. Might as well replace the U joints while you're there. The pinion angle wont matter if you swap the entire housing, but its quicker/easier to swap knuckles out, personally. The majority of 5 on 5.5 44's are 3.55's, so theres a pretty good chance gears will match if you decide to swap it all.

 

[pwerwagn]

Thanks for sharing,
Nothing in the world like, when you get to watch your kids achieve there goals.

Well Done...

Absolutely! Plus, this gives them more motivation to be out in the shop instead of watching TV or playing video games.

 

[Headless hula]

You're not looking for a 43yo stepson are ya dad?


Pretty awesome deal man.

 

[pwerwagn]

You're not looking for a 43yo stepson are ya dad?


Pretty awesome deal man.

Shit, I drink too much because of my current kids! If I adopted you, you’d have to supply a few extra livers!

 

[Headless hula]

Shit, I drink too much because of my current kids! If I adopted you, you’d have to supply a few extra livers!

You do realize I'm in Wisconsin right?
My livers get quite the workout already.

 

[BUDMAN]

Love the pick of your boy driving it on your lap

 

[SBMech]

They do! The way it happened...My oldest son REALLY wanted my 77 power wagon (I saved money from when I was like 3, my dad matched half...and I bought it when I was 11 for 800$). I told him he had to pay me half of what it was worth if he wanted it. I wanted it to be a way for him to learn to save, see the reward, AND...have a project that we can work on together. He had his half saved when he was a little over 8. Well, his younger brother wanted the same deal, and I had a 74 power wagon also, that I bought when I was 16. It has a little more money into it than the 77 did, but I made him the same deal/price to be fair. He had his half saved right at 8. Thats where the 1K$ limit came from on this 75. I didnt have a 3rd power wagon(well, I do...but it has a cummins swap and I wasnt selling it to him for 1K$), but Jaxon was far more diligent than his brothers at saving, AND he always asks for money instead of toys for bday/christmas. So he tries pretty hard. I figured finding another clean 70's 4wd dodge for anywhere near the 1K I sold his brothers trucks for was going to be impossible, thats partially why I gave him a little more leeway since he had to find a truck, and bargain.

I hope what they learn from working on them is worth the deal I made them. My oldest now asks for tools and stuff instead of toys, so I think its working to my advantage.




From the factory, all of the 75-80 1/2 and 3/4 ton dodges are full time, with no hubs. They are normal 44's from the knuckle in, but the stub shafts are different. You can put locking hubs on those trucks, but the 1/2 tons are 5 on 4.5. They are not a normal front axle like most "full time" front axle trucks were. They require new stub shafts, and some hokey hubs that slip over the lugs, and are super weak. They are also unit bearing. 75 was the first year of this nonsense. To get hubs using junk yard parts, it means changing to 5 on 5.5 as well. The hub kit was like 4-500$ back in the day for them, so most people didnt bother, and they just pulled the driveshaft and ran the NP203 in high lock. I have a hub kit for one, but we will probably just swap everything to 5 on 5.5 (or maybe 8 lug), and get rid of the unit bearings.

The 44 front in your 74 is an oddball as well. The pinion is pointed lower on those 44's than almost any other 44, due to the long driveshaft the divorced 205 allows. You can swap knuckle out from a 81+ 44 to get discs and keep hubs.

You need a Doug Nash conversion kit installed, lets you keep the "on command" 4wd without running the front axle. My 79 Ramcharger had one, and it was fantastic!

It's for the NP203 specifically. It's now sold by MileMarker. they are inexpensive...https://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/mile-marker/part-type/transfer-case-conversion-kits

I loved that damn RamCharger so much!....nothing like driving off the paved road and slamming it into 4wd at any speed....makes for Dukes of Hazard type fun!

Mine had front and rear posi units and a 440....top off, at the river bar blazing with roost flying everywhere!!!! Man I miss that one.

BTW, you are a fucking awesome Dad! This nation needs more like YOU!

 

[Willie B]

...Anybody want this...I think the chick that owns it is ready to sell...

...’76...4x4...318 v8 I think...Automatic...air(disconnected)...Former Forrest Service truck...used in a movie...needs TLC...

 

[CJ_Donahue]

I don't know if I am more impressed with your kids getting cars so early or the fact you have enough parking. I ran out of parking space years ago.

 

[SKIDMARC]

That is so awesome!! Well done.

 

[pwerwagn]

You need a Doug Nash conversion kit installed, lets you keep the "on command" 4wd without running the front axle. My 79 Ramcharger had one, and it was fantastic!

It's for the NP203 specifically. It's now sold by MileMarker. they are inexpensive...https://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/mile-marker/part-type/transfer-case-conversion-kits

I loved that damn RamCharger so much!....nothing like driving off the paved road and slamming it into 4wd at any speed....makes for Dukes of Hazard type fun!

Mine had front and rear posi units and a 440....top off, at the river bar blazing with roost flying everywhere!!!! Man I miss that one.

BTW, you are a fucking awesome Dad! This nation needs more like YOU!

The T case part is cheap, and the hubs are only 75$ individually, plus you need stub shafts. By the time you add it all up...its just as cheap to convert the front to 5 on 5.5 and get rid of the crappy unit bearings. Plus, those stupid small cast aluminum hubs wont handle anything bigger than 33's reliably.


I have a ramcharger too, its a 79 as well...but it now has a 12v cummins, dana 60/14 bolt, 4.56's, lockers, etc. Its a blast to drive!

 

[pwerwagn]

I don't know if I am more impressed with your kids getting cars so early or the fact you have enough parking. I ran out of parking space years ago.

Haha, yeah I'm fortunate there. I have a lot of land, and I can park 8 cars inside.

The boys 3 trucks stay outside though at my house.

 

[pwerwagn]

This is my oldest sons 74, I built it when I was in high school.

I guess I dont have pics on my computer of my middle sons 77.

This is the 79 ramcharger. Its work in progress. Has a 12V cummins with an HX35/40-14wg hybrid turbo, fuel pin, don morrison injectors, etc. Makes about 345hp at the wheels. Has an auto with a DTT converter/shift kit, 205 t case, 60 front, 14b rear, 4.56's, detroit's, 64" leafs in rear. I swapped a diesel dash into it from a 93 cummins, has newer seats etc. I also have 37's on beadlocks for it, I need to put the front springs and stuff on so I can run the 37's. It has a 3rd row seat as well, seats 9.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

Let me absorb this.....

You have sons 10/9/6 and they each have their own trucks?

My 15 year grand son has his own truck , wifey and I bought him a 1970 3/4 ford camper special

 

[Ol Man]

Well done sir. This is really cool. We are going to have build threads for the next 15 years on these trucks.

 

[OC Mike]

Cool thread..

Good Job Dad...................

 

[5oclocksomewhere]

So my 2 oldest boys (10 and 9) have 77 and 74 dodge power wagons. My youngest just turned 6, and he has been a little more diligent at saving money than his older brothers. There has been a really clean 75 318/4 speed parked for sale at the lake for a few months that he has really wanted. I made him the same deal I made his brothers, I will match whatever you save for a truck.

Well, he had 370$ saved from bdays, christmas, chores, etc and REALLY wanted this truck (as did I...haha). So this past weekend we were down at the lake, and it was still for sale. I told him he had to make the deal all by himself, and I would lend him up to 130$, and match 500. He had to figure the rest out. He quickly figured out that he had 1K$ to spend, and he had to do some dealin.

He went into the office where the truck was for sale (a boat repair shop), found the owner, and talked him into taking 1K$, all by himself. He was super excited, and the extra money I lent him was well worth it. He wasn't shy, and made it happen. We went back to camp, got money and I made him handle the whole deal. I hope it was a good life lesson, should be a fun project for the two of us.

The truck is a REALLY clean, zero rust 318/4 speed. 100% untouched, zero options other than the 318 and 4wd. It even has radio delete. Stock manifolds, stock exhaust, etc. It runs fantastic, we put about 60 miles on it already. It had been in the owners family since 1976. It has 107K original miles. The front driveshaft had been pulled, like almost all 75-80 1/2 ton dodges, and ran in High lock to get rid of full time 4wd. He gave me the driveshaft, said they had pulled it out YEARS ago.

View attachment 673704 View attachment 673705
View attachment 673707 View attachment 673706
View attachment 673709

Also this weekend, I got my new lake truck up and running. Bought it a while back, needed brake work. Rebuilt the airpack, replaced some lines, etc. Running like a top now. Should be cool to pull the boat around with, and to pull the motorhome off the beach when it gets stuck.

View attachment 673710

Badass man! You have now created the next Danny Koker (counts kustom) or Richard Rollins (gas monkey) both very successful dudes who are into cars. Cool story!

 

[pronstar]

Your kids have better cars than I do LOL



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Motor Boater]

That’s super cool! I loved cars at a really young age. Would have been fun to have one that young. Nice work! Like said before, work on these with dad and brothers instead playing video games.

 

[pwerwagn]

I figure the couple thousand dollar investment on my part, hopefully will save all 3 of them money in the long run not paying people to work on their shit.

I probably have less money into this endeavor than most parents have spent on soccer/baseball/phones/video games/whatever.

And we all know vehicles have a way of sucking every dime out of you, hopefully keeping them broke enough to avoid bad habits!!

 

[rush1]

I Love these old Power wagons, I take it you already know how to grease the front axle bearings.

 

[pwerwagn]

I Love these old Power wagons, I take it you already know how to grease the front axle bearings.

Yessiree!

 

[Mandelon]

Parenting success. Good job, man. That's awesome.

I spent a fourth of july in Truth or Consequences in like 1974... LOL

How is the lake? Er, reservoir?

 

[wsuwrhr]

Youre second in line, brother.

You're not looking for a 43yo stepson are ya dad?


Pretty awesome deal man.

 

[mbrown2]

You restore my faith in the next generation....that is an amazing story and some awesome life lessons on the savings and negotiating stuff. Just the best thing I read all day.

 

[pwerwagn]

Parenting success. Good job, man. That's awesome.

I spent a fourth of july in Truth or Consequences in like 1974... LOL

How is the lake? Er, reservoir?

The level is low right now, 6% ish. It was 100% full for quite a few years in the 90’s, it’s a big lake when full.

I still have plenty of fun at 6%!