The thing with the Power Wagon is that you either get it or you don’t. If you don’t, well, there’s not much point in reading the rest of this because it’ll just leave you scratching your head. But if you’re one of the faithful, a guy who understands that going anywhere slowly is a lot more fun than going somewhere quickly, and that these trucks are perhaps the ultimate symbol of American ingenuity and durability, then please read on.

With the exploding popularity of these hairy-chested brutes, it is only going to get more difficult to find clean, complete, straight trucks. Fortunately, we have a gentleman who is both a friend and a client, and he not only understands how amazing these trucks are, but has a gift for finding the good ones like this ’46. Totally straight and remarkably rust-free, it hails from the east coast where it was used for the past several years to haul firewood to remote cabins in the woods, a job for which it is ideally suited. With unbeatable utility and that massive front bumper, it could probably push 100-year-old oaks out of its way, and with the industrial-strength winch that’s powered by the engine, not some puny electric motor, it can pull itself up the side of the Chrysler Building. And there’s simply no denying that pickup trucks have never been better looking than this, which is surely a combination of its tool-like durability and vintage look that seems to defy the decades. The paint was probably applied years ago and perhaps even with a brush, but if you want a shiny trailer queen, then you probably shouldn’t be shopping for Power Wagons anyway and just stick to the Starbucks parking lot. However, it has an all-of-a-piece look that shows straight bodywork and zero rust, traditional black fenders, and a bed that has worked for a living, but hasn’t been abused. The rear bumper looks like it might have been borrowed from a fire truck, and we debated removing it and installing a correct one, but I decided that I like this better—it’s functional and looks great. This truck also includes a beautifully restored tailgate in red (which was this truck’s original color).

The interior is about a s hospitable as the bad side of town, but that’s only because you have to be manly enough to drive a Power Wagon and they wanted to weed out the pretenders. Actually, that’s not true, because most of the guys who drove the Power Wagons when they were new had no choice, being part of the armed forces. Dodge only put the civilian version into production after the war when there was a staggering pent-up demand from former servicemen looking for anvil-tough workhorses. What you got was a bench seat (this one wears a new black vinyl seat cover that looks correct), bare metal floors with floor boards that could be unbolted and replaced (this truck wears diamond-plate floors, but the originals are included), and very little in the way of creature comforts. The instruments are complete but not functioning at the moment due to the 12-volt electrical system, but the speedo keeps track of its progress and shows 65,647 miles, which could very well be authentic—who knows what adventures this truck has seen? Lights, turn signals, and horn are all fully functional, so it’s ready to drive and play off road, and the truck includes a new electric AND a new vacuum wiper motor so you can have your choice of setups. There’s also an accessory Mopar heater under the dash which works correctly and puts out enough BTUs to roast a Thanksgiving turkey.

The 230 cubic inch six is there intentionally. It’s not as if Chrysler didn’t have bigger powerplants, but nothing in their lineup could deliver the reliable power that this special engine could. Remember that trucks like these were used for all kinds of things, ranging from portable power generators to sawmills, so the ability to run for hours or days without overheating or getting cranky was critical. And while it might share a displacement with the passenger car engine, they were built on completely assembly lines with those destined for Power Wagon duty getting a host of heavy-duty upgrades that made them tougher and more reliable under the harsh conditions they would undoubtedly face. This one starts easily with the starter spinning vigorously thanks to the 12-volt upgrade, and is happy to idle forever without getting hot, as designed. There are no leaks, no signs of wear, and given the ruggedness of the components, there’s no reason to believe it won’t continue to run until the sun burns out. Is it clean and pretty under the hood? Hell no. It’s been working for a living, and for the same reasons you shouldn’t trust a mechanic without a little grease under his fingernails, you shouldn’t buy a Power Wagon that hasn’t been battle-tested in the rough. It has the original carburetor and oil bath air cleaner up top, high enough that fording streams up to three feet deep is possible, and the exhaust system has a great grumble to it. All the 4x4 components are ridiculously over-built, including the massive axles and CV joints up front, and the springs have the carrying capacity of a railroad car. Whatever you want to move, the Power Wagon is up for it.

Thanks to 5.69 gears, the engine always feels ready to go regardless of the terrain or the load, and for truly rough going, there’s a 2-speed transfer case that lets it idle up and down hills in the rough. The 4-speed manual gearbox shifts easily once you master your double-clutching, and despite its rough edges and tough-as-nails attitude, it’s a ton of fun to drive. Note the emergency brake acting on a drum fastened to the drive shaft, the new wiring throughout, and reasonably powerful brakes that keep everything in check. This one currently wears correct-looking 9.00-16 Firestone Super All-Traction tires, but the sale also includes a set of giant 15/38.5-15LT Super Swampers on their own set of Power Wagon wheels, so you can go from crazy butch to insanely hairy-chested in a half-hour.

Go ahead, look around for another clean, drivable, fully-functional Power Wagon that’s ready to go. You won’t find many. Restored ones are now legitimate collectors’ items, but to me, it seems like a shame to make them too pretty to drive and get dirty. Instead, what you want is one with a few rough edges like this, one that maybe people are just a little bit afraid of. And nothing—NOTHING—attracts attention like this nearly 7-foot-tall pickup pushing through traffic. Call today!