So Tom Nolen basically discovered a unicorn on eBay in the form of a 1949 Dodge Power Wagon fire truck that also happens to be a woody. We’re a little confused on the originality of the woody part, but the history of this truck as a piece of fire equipment is well documented and that makes it a piece of unobtanium in the first place. The seller says in the ad that the wood was “done” 10 years ago. We’re not sure if that meant it was fixed up and restored 10 years ago or if it was added to the truck 10 years ago. We’d love it scads more if this was an original wood body that was fixed up a decade ago rather than a beautiful Power Wagon truck that was “improved” 10 years ago with wood being added.
Every inch of the truck is pretty much flawless. From the amazing paint to the hose reel in the rear, to the beautiful pump and manifold on the front of the truck that is driven off the crankshaft of the tough flathead six engine, this is a running and driving showpiece. The truck was apparently put into service in Cooperstown, NY in 1949. It is not mentioned how long it served the department or in what capacity, but the fact that it was used is pretty neat. We don’t know why there weren’t more Power Wagon fire trucks. It may have been price, size, or any number of other reasons, but the fact remains that few of them were converted and even fewer exist.
The seller of this truck is looking for $200,000 and it is hard to argue against that. Have YOU ever seen another one? Have you ever seen another Power Wagon in this shape? We haven’t!
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PHOTOS AND THE LINK TO THE EBAY AD FOR THIS AWESOME DODGE POWER WAGON –
CLICK HERE to see all the info and photos of this 1949 Dodge Power Wagon fire truck
When boat owners repair/re-varnish their “bright work” they often say “do” the wood.
Actually the correct term amongst wooden boat owners is to ..
” Redo the brightwork “
Rare as hens teeth ? .. You betcha !
Cool as all get out ? .. Most definitely
Restored to within an inch of its life .. Yeah .. its a bit over done
But worth anywheres near $200k ? Not on this planet ! $75k would be a good deal . A $100k reasonable .. $150k only if it has some serious provenance behind it and even then not really
It was on the market before and was a no sale at $55,000. Must be auction fever season for sellers.
http://bringatrailer.com/2010/04/14/coolest-batallion-chief-ever-1949-dodge-power-wagon/
It’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay. It sure oozes cool…made in the day when 4×4’s were more akin to a Sherman tank than an automobile, lol.
That being said, is it just me or does a “woody” not seem like a good choice for a fire truck? I mean come on…wood and fire are not a good combination!
1949 Dodge Power Wagon Sales Brochure:
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/dodge/49po/49po.html
Yeah I was going to say, about having a fire truck made from wood…probably not the first time the owner has heard that. Remember Owen Wilson’s laquer project in “Meet the Parents”?
As a kid hanging out w/ my fireman brother, I saw quite a few old power wagons doing duty as fire trucks with the forest service or in small CA mountain towns, as well as M715s. Usually pretty rough even then.
Everybody gets to do their odd project, not everybody gets their money back out of it when they’re done. Sure looks good though.