Advice needed regarding FFPW -56

[frippe123]

Hi,

Beforehand I would like to excuse if my English is not up to par, as a non-English native speaker I lack both in grammar and a sufficient vocabulary.

Withdrawal symptoms for a Power Wagon became too large. So large that I bought myself a -56 Power Wagon (SN 83951202) a few weeks ago which is in need of a lot of tlc. Still looking for another Power Wagon but I have to have something to tinkle with in the meantime and the price was right. I paid $700 for it and transport 300 miles was $1000.

It's an old fire truck (perhaps in the army, navy or air force) that someone along the way tried to make a monster truck out of resulting in they cut the fenders and the "stepping-boards" to make room for bigger wheels. They also managed to break the axles. When the previous owner bought the truck he demanded that the seller replaced the axles, and so he did. According to the previous owner, Fargo axles are on the truck at this present time. The truck has low mileage which is indicated by the very little corrosion on the frame, the axles I'm not too sure about as they are from another truck. I bought the truck unseen under the impression that the chassis was in good condition and the body including doors was rusted through. My initial plan was therefore to scrap the body and find a cab with doors either locally or import from the states, alternatively buy/import a Power Wagon in parts and make that one inherit the identity of the first one.

However, when receiving the truck I noticed that there is hardly any rust on the body at all, mainly due to the fact that all curved parts are made of aluminum. The wooden frame underneath the body is completely rotten through though. The wood have expanded and cracked the aluminum in a few places .The new information threw me off a little bit and I have to decide what to do now.

Recreating the wooden frame would be one option. I don't know how difficult it is as the wooden frame is completely missing in some places and recreating it might be hard as you don't have a template. I suppose that one must use furniture grade ash or oak for the frame. For that reason this could become a very expensive option as the structure would need a lot of wide wooden planks.

Another option would to go ahead with the initial plan, scrap the body and try to locate a solid cab with doors preferably locally but more probably in the US.
What do you guys/girls think? What would you do? I don't have to actually make the decision now but if I go ahead with the initial plan tearing down would be a lot quicker as there is no need to be careful and bag and tag everything.

I haven't got the engine started yet, which would be the first priority after my lumbago has healed. Then the brakes need to be fixed. I found alot of empty brake fluid bottles in the truck. There are probably other things as well that need to be fixed as it has been standing still for 10 years and the engine has not been run for 5 years. Finally some joyriding in the neighborhood would be nice before the parking the chassis in the garage for some overhauling during winter and the next few years.

[frippe123]

Some more pictures. Please let me know if you would like to see photos on any specific detail.

[CSCameron]

WOW! Now that is a project. Nice, keep us posted on your progress and thanks for posting the pics.

By the way, your English is fine! :)

[gmharris]

You don't have too much money into it now, but it's pretty easy to put more time, money and effort into a vehicle than it's worth, especially a FFPW.

You mention the condition of the wooden structure, but not the steel frame. If the cab is rusted, the steel frame may be rusted out too. If so, the truck is just good for parts.

Nice cabs and doors that don't require a lot of work are not easy to find, even here in the U.S. As usual, the best thing is to start with is a truck in good solid, complete condition. You will be time, money and effort ahead.

We see quite a few ex-Norwegian military Power Wagons that seem to be in good condition. Are any of them still available around you?

[Gordon Maney]

Recreating the wooden frame would be one option. I don't know how difficult it is as the wooden frame is completely missing in some places and recreating it might be hard as you don't have a template. I suppose that one must use furniture grade ash or oak for the frame. For that reason this could become a very expensive option as the structure would need a lot of wide wooden planks.

Another option would to go ahead with the initial plan, scrap the body and try to locate a solid cab with doors preferably locally but more probably in the US. What do you guys/girls think? What would you do? I don't have to actually make the decision now but if I go ahead with the initial plan tearing down would be a lot quicker as there is no need to be careful and bag and tag everything.

I haven't got the engine started yet, which would be the first priority after my lumbago has healed. Then the brakes need to be fixed. I found alot of empty brake fluid bottles in the truck. There are probably other things as well that need to be fixed as it has been standing still for 10 years and the engine has not been run for 5 years. Finally some joyriding in the neighborhood would be nice before the parking the chassis in the garage for some overhauling during winter and the next few years.

I think a really critical element to hear is what do you want to have when you are finished? Either path will be difficult to follow, as both have their own complications. Do you want this quite unique vehicle to survive, or do you want a Power Wagon in its traditional, original form?

You recognize the difficulties restoring what you have. The wood part may not be as difficult as you think, and certainly could be more forgiving, and that it would be easier to remake a part if you should happen to ruin one morning.

To locate, evaluate, purchase, and transport Power Wagon sheet-metal will not be easy or cheap, given your location. So I come back to the initial question — what would you most like to have you are done?

Also, your English is just fine!

[frippe123]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the thumbs up on the English.

I personally have no issue in putting more money into my hobby than it's worth. I tend not to sell my American vehicles if you don't count a Ford F150 I had when building my house. The reason for not selling is because I create a strong bond with them. This does not happen with the European and Japanese cars I own and have owned. Why? No idea but that is the way it is, maybe I'm more American than European at heart. :)
However, that doesn't mean I am prepared to put the amount of money many more times than a car is worth. For me, the journey is what matters most, not the end result even though I like ticking check boxes. I like to tinker and work with my hands, something different from the day job. It's a kind of a therapy I suppose.

American cars are a big thing over here, this Saturday I went in to town (about 10 miles) and met around 40 American cars ranging from the 50s to the 70s. A few weeks ago I was at the Big Power Meet (25 miles), this year was a new record with over 21,000 cars. It was just as amazing as every year. However, there were no older Power Wagons and only a few Dodge trucks. 30 miles away on the other side of the town there is a warehouse where they built the bar "Mels Drive-in" from the film American Graffiti. They also sell used 40s-90s American cars. Very Cool. Check it out http://www.melsdrivein.se/

Back to the truck
The steel frame is from what I can see in surprisingly good condition, it still has quite a bit of black paint on it but the paint is probably not original so it is impossible to see if someone used body filler. My hopes are that they didn't. The shocks and brackets were missing but I found them in the back. There is more stuff in the back, looks like a broken front axle.
Not sure what the going rate for an ok cab with ok doors in the U.S. is. Shipping from port in a container is around $800 + customs 3.5% (on the total amount) + 25% VAT (on the total amount). So the fees are not that bad.

The ex-Norwegian PWs are not plentiful over here, there are a few but most are of the type with a modified, unoriginal cab or WC-ambulance. Many people bought them and have since then convert them to extreme offroad trucks.

So, what do I want? I can say I don't want to limit myself to one power wagon. If I could choose freely I would prefer one original truck and another one that I could use more daily, perhaps with a diesel engine because of gas prices. Both don't have to be FFPW, giant or swept line would work as well. A part of me want a Power Wagon it the Power Wagons original form, another part want this vehicle to survive. There are two issues I see with letting this vehicle survive. Firstly, over the years it has been gutted of all equipment and nothing except a shell exists, no lights, winches, trailer hitch, bed equipment or internal box structure. Secondly, the construction of the cab and the box are not the best, the seams just begs to take in water and will be hard to make 100% water tight. On top of that, you can see they were in a hurry just looking at the welds where they extended the frame backwards.

I found a tag with the name of the original owner. It's not a military truck after all as the first owner is a civilian fire department. Will give them a call to see if they have information on how the truck was equipped or if any pictures still exist. If I get more information the restoration will lean toward preserving, if not I will try to get hold of a cab perhaps.

This weekend nine out of ten doors were removed. Everything is bagged and tagged. The left back door have to stay on for now as the structure might collapse otherwise. I have begun removing the bolts holding the wooden structure to the frame. Had quite some rust on them but managed to remove them all. The bolts holding the box to the running boards are another matter is another matter. Not entirely sure but I believe they are of the same type as the ones holding the running boards to the frame but smaller in size, will have to use the angle grinder for this. Battery on phone went out of business so no pictures yet.

[frippe123]

It seems that there might be a cab available in ok/fair condition. From what I can see, it looks exactly like a Power Wagon cab with one exception. The windscreen/windshield has completely separated fixed windows that can't be opened instead or the regular split windscreen frame. Is this a version of the cab that was available from the factory or has it been modified?

Sorry, don't have any pictures on it yet.

[bobyepsr]

See if the windshield on this truck is what your talking about. http://www.t137.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pid=1078 I believe it was a modification made by the Norwegian military. It has an added metal frame replacing the original tip out one. This frame has lots of screws around the edge and rubber seals. Jim

[Bob Thompson]

Don't worry about the English Frippe, You are getting you're point across quite well. Through my Sugga hunting I have found a number of Danish M601's on various sites for sale. The last was well restored and sold for roughly 79,000SEK but I have seen them sell for much less.
Send me an Email and I'll provide you with a few links that might help you source parts locally. Plus my transport company that I will use when I finally find a Sugga.

pwgnbob@roadrunner.com

[frippe123]

Hi Jim and Bob,
It looked sort of like that but if my mind serves me correctly the windows were more recessed into into the cab and had chromed frames. I dont think there were any large bolts. It might have been danish army truck perhaps?

Suggas are very cool but are becoming pretty rare and expendive if you are looking for an original. 10-15 years ago they were throwing them away. I sent you an email Bob.

[frippe123]

Unfortunately the cab was sold to someone that will chop it up and make a hot rod project out of it. To bad...

I have contacted the original owner but they do not have any type information regarding equipment or how the truck looked like when it was new. That means I will continue my search for a cab. Are cabs from earlier trucks with rounded fenders compatible with the ffpw?

On the positive note, I have almost managed to get the chassie off the frame, I believe only two bolts stands between me and freedom. The chassie was most likely built directly on the frame and not completed and thereafter lifted on. This has made the whole thing alot more difficult.

I also managed to get it started and take a 300 foot drive. Got stuck which mean the 4wd have now been tested succesfully. Had some issues starting it. It started right away when pouring a few drops of fuel in the air intake/carb but would not pump fuel. The culprit was a fuel hose that swelled when in contact with fuel. After making an alternative tank and using a new fuel hose it starts easily with a few drops in the carb and when started it seems to be running smoothly. There is however an uneven sound from the exhaust. I would upload a movie here if I could but the format is in .3gp which I have no idea what it is. Maybe it need to be converted.

The throttle linkage would need some adjustment there are some loose parts just hanging and I'm not sure what should go where. Does anybody have som pictures on their throttle linkage? I do have what seems to be an early type of cruise control (governor).

[frippe123]

Even though my -56 only has its cowl and missing working brakes I'm having loads of fun with it. Driving it around my yard for kicks and finding uses for it. A few weeks ago I used it to move a frame for a small shed. Haven't found a cab yet so still looking. But I actually bought a rough truck in the states which is waiting in Arizona to get some sheet metal work done to it before its voyage over the Atlantic.

[gmharris]

Linkage Photos

These photos should help: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7213522@N08 The the return spring setup is not factory correct. I think many people do it this way, probably because it is more effective, or maybe, just because they lost the correct pieces.

Many Power Wagons engines had some type of speed governor.

Also, search the archives of the dodgepowerwagon.com site for additional photos and information.

[frippe123]

Thank you gmharris. That was excellent pictures and very helpful. That is definately not how it looks in my enginebay.

[Waspworks]

These photos should help: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7213522@N08 The the return spring setup is not factory correct. I think many people do it this way, probably because it is more effective, or maybe, just because they lost the correct pieces.

Many Power Wagons engines had some type of speed governor.

Also, search the archives of the dodgepowerwagon.com site for additional photos and information.

WOW - Certainly a feast for the eyes there.. Very well done. Congratulations.

Greg.