Upgraded Drivetrain?

[Joe Cool]

I am curious to know for those that updated the drivetrain to make their Power Wagons more "highway friendly" how they went about doing it.

Did you mount the body and box on a new frame or use the stock frame and simply mount newer axles to the stock frame.

[Gordon Maney]

The more purist way is to use the original frame. Too often the trucks don't look right on a different frame.

[Alxj64]

I like how Desoto is doing this build here. Looks great and is very cleanly done. I can only hope mine goes as cleanly as this.

http://www.powerwagonadvertiser.com/...ad.php?t=11623

[Desoto61]

Thanks, though I'm following in plenty of others footsteps, and hoping that it comes out as well as theirs did.

I like the way I'm doing mine obviously, but I will say that if you want something that is truly as highway friendly as a new truck with the old look dropping the body on a different frame would be the best way. Since the whole drivetrain would be designed to work together as a unit.

But I agree that it's never going to look quite right, newer full size pickups are far larger than our Power Wagons. Plus other than the looks you loose half the reason of what makes these trucks what they are.

To each their own though, do whatever makes you happiest, it's your truck, time, and money (just plan for LOTS of the last two with any resto-mod).

[Alxj64]

My intentions are to increase the number of cross members and to box the frame in towards the rear to help reduce some of the torsion and flexure issues common with my Carryall frame. Also I am installing longer leaf springs in mine which will spread the chassis load points closer together towards the middle of the frame. I hear that the torque twisting of these frames is something awful, especially off road. Essentially, mine is going to be a stock-mod frame.. Along with the rest of the chassis.