4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY BASE MODEL · 1946–78
BASE MODELUnited States

Power Wagon WDX (1946–78)

The first civilian 4x4 truck from a major maker: the Power Wagon of 1946, the WC’s chassis and 230 flathead six under a civilian cab on a 126-inch wheelbase, sold in the United States to 1968 (when emissions and safety rules ended it) and for export until 1978; the Military Type Power Wagon ran alongside the styled W-series from 1957.

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Sources & evidence
Power Wagon WDX (1946–78) — A 1954 Power Wagon pick-upGreg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA · CC BY 2.0 ↗
MODEL LINEPower Wagon, W-series and RamchargerBUILT BYDodge (Chrysler), Warren, MichiganPRODUCED1946–78PRODUCTIONNot publishedLAYOUT4 wheels · 126″

The record

Dodge put its wartime truck on the civilian market in 1946 for farms, oilfields, utilities and fire brigades, and it changed little for twenty-two years — a working vehicle sold on capability, not style. Export production at Warren continued to 1978 for customers who wanted the old truck, and its name returned in 2005 on a Ram 2500.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1946–78
ENGINE3.8-litre 230 cu in flathead six; later 251 and V8s
PRODUCTION RUNNot published
COUNTRY OF ORIGINUnited States
STATUSUS sales ended 1968; export production to 1978
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINEPower Wagon, W-series and Ramcharger
FAMILYPower Wagon, W-series and Ramcharger
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE126″
BODY STYLEPick-up
VARIANTS3

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Body styles & colours

Body style

Factory colours

  • Olive drab (military)

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Dodge Power Wagon ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-22 · status: researched