WIW....1970's PW

[YANKEEPWslant]

Hello all. Been lurking here for a while and have been on the hunt for either a crew cab or Townie 4x4. May have found what I'm looking for. 1970's ex military crew, 4x4, ton and 1/4, low original miles, body pretty clean, cab mounts good, no roof rust through, minor exterior rust on rear quarter panels, 4spd granny, needs tires, tune brakes all around, interior needs attention etc, glass all good. Have been told it starts and runs good. Going to take a ride soon to go see it. Looking for a ball park numbers on what you experienced folks feel something like this is worth. Thanks.

[Jeff in N.Tx.]

Hard to say without photos to look at. I would say $1500 - $1800. Double that is you live in California, as everything is overpriced out there.
good luck.
Jeff

[YANKEEPWslant]

Kinda figured this post might useless without pics. Can't post em yet as I haven't made a deal yet. Are these things rare at all, seller seems to think they are getting real hard to find. Its a 318 by the way. Which axles will it have as a ton and a quarter?

[Jeff in N.Tx.]

They are not rare at all. They do usually have some pretty serious rust issues, so a solid rustfree one, would be a little rare. To be honest, the 70's and 80's Powerwagons have really not caught on much with collectors/restorers. They are kind of hard to sell for any real money. I bought an excellent, ex military, 77, W200 Powerwagon for $2,100.00. They seller had two more that were just as nice. Mine was a regular cab, 1 1/4 ton.
It was in excellent condition, needed nothing but a paint job. So, don't let him tell you it is rare, and real valuable. There are plenty out there if you shop around.
Sorry, I am not sure about the axles. Hopefully someone else on here will answer that for you.
Jeff

[YANKEEPWslant]

Are there any specific areas that I should pay attention to when I go to see it? Any other items I should be aware of?

[Jeff in N.Tx.]

Rot in floor pans and rockers, rot over rear wheels in fenders. Dash wiring, these were prone to electrical fires in the dash. Most likely will not have power steering, if it does, it was added and that is a plus. It probably will have those darn 16.5" wheels. If they have been replaced with 16" wheels, that is a plus.
I have never seen a good source for replacement body panels. So, if it is in need of any, you will have to make your own patches, or shop the junkyards for body parts. All major engine, driveline, and interior parts are the same as a civilian W200.
They were pretty simple trucks. not a lot of fancy stuff to go wrong.
Jeff

[74w300uteline]

70's

if its fulltime 4x4, front bearings need grease. Don't mix brakefluids, military used silicone. keep ballast resistor spare in glove box. Often military wiring gets butchered by previous owners seeking quick fixes. get a factory service manual you wont regret it. the 70's are still available but I searched for quite a while to find a rust"through" free crewcab specimen. found one in NM 900$ and paid another grand to get it hauled to nj.it was banged up but it was all there, starts ,steers & stops (most of the time) Do not panic buy, thinking that this is your only chance, another one will pop up. usually right after you take delivery. haha

Jeff brings up a good point, the 70's haven't really caught on yet which is good. Buy low /sell high..... in 20 years. however crew cabs are always cool.

[KRB64]

Military called it 1.25 ton but its just a W250 3/4.

All good advice from pp. Check the drip line for rot too. Double on the front bearings and silicone fluid.

[YANKEEPWslant]

AH, just as well. After numerous phone calls with me constantly asking questions and asking for additional pictures and for him to get it running, which he said it ran real well, he never got back to me. Tired now of chasing. Either ya want to sell or not. Whatever. Like you guys say another one will be on the horizon. Think I want a 4 spd swepty crew. Hopefully there is one out there with my name on it that isn't on the other side of the planet! Thanks for all the responses guys.

[YANKEEPWslant]

Guys, how much are the diffs worth in this thing. Seller feels the front diff alone is worth $1600. Could it be a Dana 70 in this thing? Seller feels the truck is worth what the diffs would sell for if he pulled them out of it.

[74w300uteline]

what is it worth

run the vin through a decoder. I would pay more for a 74 or earlier with lockout hubs, but then youre into drums. on the other hand you're pre smog. lots of variables will be cleared up vith a vin decode. how much will it cost you to pass inspection and get truck road legal.
are you capable of doing mechanicals yourself. I wish I could give you a better answer.

[Gordon Maney]

What year is the truck?

[YANKEEPWslant]

1978 model year.

[712edf]

Guys, how much are the diffs worth in this thing. Seller feels the front diff alone is worth $1600. Could it be a Dana 70 in this thing? Seller feels the truck is worth what the diffs would sell for if he pulled them out of it.

Dana 60 front and rear, just because its crewcab. the Dana 60 rear was used by Dodge (others too) for decades in W100 (61-68),D200,D300,W200,W300 trucks. The front is valuable (maybe 6-800 bucks) though, but $1600 to me would mean all new bearings, seals, u-joints & brake components, in other words a rebuilt complete axle.

Bucky

[YANKEEPWslant]

Any chance there could be Dana 70 in there? If so what is one of those worth?