If patina isn’t your thing, it’s best you avert your eyes. This 1953 Dodge Power Wagon M37 for sale at Route 65 Sales & Classics in Ham Lake, Minnesota has it in droves. This military spec Dodge Power Wagon spent about 9 years in the military before it was given to the City of Tracy, Minnesota to be used as a local airport courtesy truck for pilots and guests.
You could go one of two ways with this Power Wagon. You could buy this thing and keep it as-is, doing only the regular yearly maintenance and enjoying the patina in all its glory. Or you could buy it and restore the everloving heck out of it like so many Power Wagon enthusiasts do.
Either way, you have to buy it first.
A Mil-Spec Dodge Power Wagon
The Dodge M37 is a 3⁄4-ton 4x4 truck built by Dodge starting in 1951 to be used in military operations. It was heavily used by the United States armed forces during the Korean War. In total, Dodge produced approximately 115,000 examples of the M37 over the course of its 17 years in production, with many either destroyed by war or subsequently driven into the ground following their military service.
The M37 was preceded by the Dodge WC series, sometimes called “Beeps,” a prolific range of light and medium military trucks produced and used during World War II. In the 1970s, the M37 was succeeded by the M-715 family of vehicles, which subsequently served admirably in the Vietnam War.
Learn more about the M37 on This Old Truck:
Specs & Condition
It’s easy to see that this M37 needs some work to make it perfect. Ok, that might be an understatement. That said, the seller attests that it starts every time, and runs and drives with no issues, likely a testament to the yearly maintenance that was performed by the Minnesota municipality over its years of ownership.
The part of this truc, that needs the most love is the interior. It has just about everything you might expect from a military vehicle in the early 1950s, which is to say: Not much. It has a green(ish) interior that is complemented by some levers and switches to control the transmission, lighting, windshield wipers, etc.
Here are some of this truck’s additional highlights:
- T-245 230 cubic inch flathead straight-six
- 4-speed manual transmission, synchro-shift in 3rd and 4th gear
- High-Low transfer case
- 24 gallon fuel tank
- Borg & Beck Model 11828 10” single plate dry disc clutch
- Wagner hydraulic drum brakes