New Power Wagon owner! Now what?

[maineSS]

Excellent advice from Desoto- most PW's served as commercial vehicles and were intended to make money for their owners. Nothing got fixed unless it was absolutely necessary to keep the truck moving, and most were driven till they died. You'll find a long "to do" list in the area of wiring, brakes, front axle, drivetrain,etc, just to get basic reliability.

Your '47 PW is closer to the Model A Ford in automotive engineering than today's vehicle. In the 40's, the Interstate Highway system didn't exist- there was very little pavement outside cities and towns. 35-40 mph was equivalent to 65-70 today.

All this can be changed, but it takes time and money. You are correct in wanting to keep up with traffic on modern roads- SAE did a study years ago which revealed that driving 10 mph under the speed limit was 10-15 times more likely to result in a serious accident than driving 10 mph over. Drunk driving is about 4 times more likely to result in an accident than non- impaired driving.

[LCollins]

Interstate Power Wagons

Congrats on your new wagon,its more than just a vehicle,it is a testament to a time when things were built to last.A power wagon is happier pulling a plow in a field or running a belt powered cordsaw than it is on the e-way.The flathead engines that were put into them produced their power at low rpm's...just look at those long connecting rods.Subsequently,to attain highway speeds,you will have to re-power.A 230 flathead with 5.89 gearing at 2500 rpm....about 42 mph.Put 4.89 gearing in the rear and you will roll at about 50.Speed just wasn't a consideration in 1946.I would recommend you visit the ugly truckling website,there is a lot of good stuff there including power steering upgrade,v-8 re power,and disc brake conversion.Good luck....she is a beauty

[Lazarus]

Let the truck TELL you!

Congratulations on buying a truck that will redefine what a real truck is. However, rather than asking how you can upgrade the truck to your idea about what the truck should be, you might want to let the truck tell you what it is and adjust your thinking accordingly. Instead of cruising the interstate, you might want to discover the beauty of travelling the back roads.

Enjoy! Slow down, savor the moments! Post a picture or two when it arrives.

Good stuff, I'm trying...so far so good..thks gc

[gmharris]

I have this nice hammer, but it's not really what I want. I want to be able to cut wood with it. Can I attach a blade to the handle so that I can cut wood as fast as I can with my crosscut saw? Should I use a tungsten carbide tipped blade, or would that be too much for the handle? Maybe, I should just use a carbon steel blade. Please advise.

[Lazarus]

Bigger BANG!

I have this nice hammer, but it's not really what I want. I want to be able to cut wood with it. Can I attach a blade to the handle so that I can cut wood as fast as I can with my crosscut saw? Should I use a tungsten carbide tipped blade, or would that be too much for the handle? Maybe, I should just use a carbon steel blade. Please advise.

Now that's why dynamite was invented, someone wanted a bigger BANG! It's your drum CHIEF, and not mine! So beat'm and treat'm like you own'm...
I am... thks gc

[gmharris]

Now that's why dynamite was invented, someone wanted a bigger BANG! It's your drum CHIEF, and not mine! So beat'm and treat'm like you own'm...
I am... thks gc

Actually, dynamite was invented so that people could have a better and safer way of doing something. They already had nitroglycerine which was just as powerful as dynamite.

See, Alfed Nobel learned from the mistakes of the people before him when he set out to find a safer alternative to nitroglycerin.

I'm just saying that most people who start down the path you seem to be headed end up with a parts truck or something much less than they thought they would have.

Hopefully, you will be successful. If not, maybe, we'll be seeing another basket case advertised for sale a few years down the road.

Anyway, wishing you great success in your endeavors with Power Wagons. Post pictures. We love to see what other people are doing.














previous people.

"Anybody

[Lazarus]

Are you a politician by chance?

Are you a politician by chance? you have a way with words and subject matter! I think you and I are going to have two awesome rigs when their finished...thks gc

O' yes can see picture at thread (Drum removal 61, WM300) thks

Actually, dynamite was invented so that people could have a better and safer way of doing something. They already had nitroglycerine which was just as powerful as dynamite.

See, Alfed Nobel learned from the mistakes of the people before him when he set out to find a safer alternative to nitroglycerin.

I'm just saying that most people who start down the path you seem to be headed end up with a parts truck or something much less than they thought they would have.

Hopefully, you will be successful. If not, maybe, we'll be seeing another basket case advertised for sale a few years down the road.

Anyway, wishing you great success in your endeavors with Power Wagons. Post pictures. We love to see what other people are doing.














previous people.

"Anybody

[gmharris]

One last piece of advice (Oh well, maybe not the last), buy a gallon of WD 40 or whatever penetrant is your favorite. Fill a good sized squirt bottle with it. And, every time you go under the truck, squirt as many threaded fasteners as you see with it.

[53Crusher]

New Owner - Now What

I am in the third year of restoring my 53. Much like you, I wanted my original 230 engine to realize it's full potential. The engine is completely rebuilt and balanced. Aluminum head with 9:1 compression, Cam grind, Vintage Edmunds dual carb intake with electric chokes, headers and HEI ignition. Switched my gears to 4:89 and still running 9.00 x 16 STA tires. Transmission and transfer case have been totally rebuilt. Balanced drivelines. This setup has allowed me to achieve MY goal of being able to comfortably drive at 55-60 mph down the road. I don't personally think there is anything else that could be done to this engine to achieve higher speeds, and I personally wouldn't want to. I've had fun discovering alternate routes that utilize state highways instead of Interstate roads. I enjoy being stopped by random people to hear their stories. As many others have said on this post, you have to go with some major changes to get any higher speeds if that is what you want. Just my $0.02 for your consideration. Here is a link to a YouTube video showing the engine in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjIMJ...ature=youtu.be

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Brutus I]

53Crusher,

What you are doing is right in line with what I have in mind for mine. Love that engine. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you have to put into it in parts and labor?

So far I haven't done anything with the truck since I bought it. It's remained parked in my garage. This has been largely to do with financial reasons but my situation has changed and I'm now going to have the funds to start getting some work done on it. Still trying to figure out where best to start but don't worry guys, no harm has been done to the patient and I don't plan to chop it into a frankenwagon. ;)

[53Crusher]

Engine rebuild cost

Hmmmm... I try not to scare myself by tracking costs on my truck. Without digging through invoices I would say that the engine alone has about $5k in parts and machine work. This would include all internal components and new modifications. Assembly and installation labor may have been another $2k. Keep in mind I am overdoing everything. If a part is questionable or has wear and I can find a new one I replace it. I am not cutting any corners in the project. Like you, I consider myself handy with a wrench but also know my limitations, some labor costs were unavoidable for me. This truck has been in the family for my entire life, so I have the luxury of growing up in it and knew it's original abilities and limitations. In general, I am trying to keep true to the original design but am willing to add accessories that either add performance or enhance the look of it (in my opinion). I will tell you the vintage Edmunds aluminum intake I found is extremely rare. I have only seen two others for sale over the last several years.
Have fun with whatever you decide to do. These are majestic vehicles that are deserving of the time and attention you will invest in them.

[Mark Foster]

My 2 cents, I started to do the diesel conv. On my 48b1pw. During the tear down phase my friends and I joined the Antique Automible Club of America with 2 model A Fords. Both have taken first place at every show , even a national show. Since then I have changed my mind and the 48 is going back stock. So the moral of my story is don't do anything that can't be undone untill you are sure which direction you really want to go . Ask your self what are you going to do with the truck. Show it , four wheel with it or just drive it around.
Oh yea 28-29 is one class and 30-31 is a separate class so the two cars don't compete against each other.