• The 1946 Dodge truck was based on an Army vehicleTruck image by Jakub Niezabitowski from Fotolia.com
  
  The 1946 Dodge truck was known as the "Power Wagon." Based on the 3/4-ton Army truck's chassis, it came with a civilian cab and an 8-foot cargo box. The basic model of the Power Wagon was sold until 1968 with various engineering and styling improvements over the years. New federal light-duty truck safety regulations were put into effect in 1968, forcing Chrysler to discontinue the sale of the Power Wagon in the United States.
  
  

Engine and Transmission

• The Power Wagon featured a 94-horsepower, 230 cubic-inch flat-head six engine. It featured a floor-mounted two-speed transfer case and a four-speed manual transmission with a dual-power takeoff that sent power to the front and back of the truck. The rear axle was limited to either a 5.83 or a 4.89 final drive ratio in the truck's differential. The top speed was 50 mph on the highway.
  
  

Exterior

• The Power Wagon's gross vehicle weight rating was 8,700 pounds, and it's maximum payload was 3,000 pounds. It rode on a 126-inch wheel base with 9.00-16 eight-ply farm tires that were mounted on 16-by-6.50-inch five-stud wheels. The box was 4.5 feet wide, 20 inches deep, and 8 feet long, which was larger and deeper than any other vehicle at the time.
  
  

Production

• The Power Wagon was one of the first two produced four-wheel-drive vehicles available to the general public. Up until then, vehicles with four-wheel drive had been for commercial and military use. The Dodge truck was made with the purpose of carrying and hauling heavy loads and providing power in difficult driving areas. Originally it was going to be called the "Farm Utility Truck." When sales began in March of 1946, it had been finalized as the "Power Wagon."