Power steering

[Gordon Maney]

Thanks. Looks straightforward. Is this truck a project or a parts collection?

Funny, I remember reading about your love of your W300 many years ago and not understanding, as I only had I eyes for my beloved WM300. I went through a similar stage concerning M37's, which seems somewhat infantile compared to the adoration I feel towards the big, new rig. Dreams of belt pulleys have been replaced by those concerning 9' beds...

I bought it as a parts truck in the early 90's. Time flies, it seems. It does not feel like I have had it that long. I wanted W300 parts, and also wanted some 8-stud axles, and the power steering was just a bonus.

I love the 1-ton Power Wagon. My 1948 B1 was my first Dodge. They are beautiful, character-filled machines. Exquisite in design.

Having said all that, the W300 is enormously more truck. More power, more load carrying capability, more interior space, and better suited for long distance highway travel. If you are just comparing them as functioning trucks, the W300 wins every time. It is a brute, and made the way trucks used to be made.

I recall a presentation at an Iowa Rally by a retired Chrysler engineer. He said the Mexican government bought lots of trucks from Chrysler. When a purchase of trucks was made by their government, the trucks had to pass a brutal series of tests on awful terrain. One of the tests involved making the truck airborne, literally.

He said the W300 from the 1961-1971 era was the best truck they ever made. I can't say this includes the 1998 on trucks, but apparently it covered anything previously.

Look at the frame and the drive train components on a W300 and you will see. It is built like a big truck with a straight frame top. The Dana 70's are gorgeous pieces of machinery, even if they do have a large turning radius.

You will like a W300.

[Gordon Maney]

I suppose it looks like it has been sitting there for a while.

Notice the oddly shaped, skinny, little tree working its way around the bumper.

[Jerry Henry]

I have to agree 100% with you, Gordon. I presently own a '46 WDX, a '68 W300, and a '69 W500. The true "classic" is the WDX, the true "beast" is the W500, but for all around practicality, comfort, utility, the W300 is the winner.
Since I bought my W300, around 15 years ago, I have bought and sold at least 8 WDX/B1 trucks.
I will soon be parting with my W500, in a deal that will involve part cash and the other part in body work and paint on my WDX.
Who knows how long the WDX will stay in my life, but I do know this.....I have never had the inclination to sell the W300, and probably never will.

[coog]

That is a beautiful truck, Jerry. What color is that?
It's pictures like that that caused me to sell a little bit of my soul and buy a 9' bed; sure, it is attached to a rather expensive truck, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

[Jerry Henry]

Thanks. I don't know what color it is. My ex-son-in-law painted it for me. "That's all I have to say about that".
When I bought the truck it had dual wheels, utility bed with a huge water storage tank, no winch, no power steering. I bought the bed from a guy who had hauled it to Idaho from Alaska, had some spacers built to accommodate the single rear wheels, and added the winch and power steering.

[Gordon Maney]

Thanks. I don't know what color it is. My ex-son-in-law painted it for me. "That's all I have to say about that".
When I bought the truck it had dual wheels, utility bed with a huge water storage tank, no winch, no power steering. I bought the bed from a guy who had hauled it to Idaho from Alaska, had some spacers built to accommodate the single rear wheels, and added the winch and power steering.

Some manufacturers would call that color a champagne. It looks great.