The seller claims this former fire truck comes with an amazing paper trail that documents its creation from Day 1, and that it retains its original paint job as well. A 1964 Dodge Power Wagon 4×4 would be a gem in almost any configuration, but one that has just 25,000 original miles and looks like it left the fire house yesterday is a find and a half. Still, bidding has fallen short of the reserve at the moment, as it’s currently bid to $8,300, which apparently won’t take it home. Find the full listing for the Power Wagon here on eBay and located in San Andreas, California.
The Prospect Terrace Fire Company is a long way from San Andreas, located in Binghampton, New York, which is the sort of place that will make you wish you lived in California when February rears its ugly head. Still, kudos to the firefighters who kept this beautiful Power Wagon indoors and out of the slop, as it doesn’t appear to have an significant rust or rot-through. The listing claims the truck was used for brush fire operations, which I can’t imagine there was much of in upstate New York. Still, it seems like at one time every fire department was worried about massive forest fires as we’ve seen brush trucks in more than one local that doesn’t automatically conjure up images of vast mountainsides on fire.
The seller notes this was a special order truck featuring the shorter wheelbase with an eight-foot bed. The other add-ons were specific to fire department needs, from a 200 gallon water tank in the bed (no longer with the truck) to an 8,000 pound Ramsey winch with floor mounted handles. The Dodge also has manually locking Warn hubs, but I’m guessing those were added later. The interior obviously shows some wear, and even with the low miles, I’m not shocked to see the bench seat needing some work. Multiple drivers of different shapes and sizes hopping in and out doesn’t exactly lend itself to a perfectly preserved seat cover. The rest of the interior looks mint.
The Power Wagon features a 318 V8 with a four speed manual that’s said to run well. A new carburetor was installed and the gas tank was cleaned and lined; the seller believes the brakes have been gone through as well. Even better, it retains its original siren with the siren, yelp, and wail volume controls. Even the rotating light on the roof still works! This is a period-correct fire truck in the best tradition, with most of its original fire fighting gear still intact, low mileage, and a fire department with the common sense to keep it stored carefully in the winter. What do you think is a fair reserve for this survivor?
Love this truck! I’d love to bring this by our town firehouse to show it off.
Oh man, I would love to have this! BTW, the east coast has a pretty active wildfire regime, it is just different than out here in the west.
I was a member of this vol. FD growing up and have many memories with this truck. It’s great to see that she is still rolling and incredible to find out she had made it all the way to California! This thing was an absolute tank. Some of the older fellas from PTFD are going to get a kick it off seeing this. Incredible. Cheers to Brush 63!
Cool, first-hand experience with a Barn Find vehicle. I bet it was a big surprise seeing it.
I wish it was still in New York. It would only be 200 miles away instead of 3,000 miles. Very cool truck.
As a firefighter (volunteer) note that it is often the HOURS, not the miles, that put the wear on the engines, but this is a robust engine to begin with, and generally speaking, fire departments keep the mechanicals in good shape, so assuming the frame is in good shape, there would be a lot of life left in this. My department is still running a ’66 International as its last out engine, and I would take it anywhere we are likely to go with it, which is about 35 miles one way.
I used to work about a half mile from the firestation in the town of Dickinson where this truck has been for eons… loved it and often wondered where it went… very cool to see it again after all these years! Hopefully it finds a good home…
who the heck drove this 3K to CA ? kinda nuts
Maybe it came out on a car carrier? Low miles for sure.
I would.
It has the pre-’67 A-series 318 polyspherical combustion chamber V8 as opposed to the 318 LA that was Mopar’s bread and butter V8 for at least twenty years.
For a truck like this, I’d keep as much of it as original as possible, but I’d also upgrade the mechanics and drivetrain to make it more modern. Among the upgrades would be a Cummins Turbo Diesel engine and a 5spd manual gearbox.
I would like a used pickup truck, but it has to be able to take a ton of dirt a few times a year, and it has to be able to do 65 mph at least on the highway for 15 miles or so, since that is the only way out of this community, and it has to have 4 wheel drive of some sort for plowing snow (only once this year). This might be ideal – it is already some beat up so a little dirt won’t hurt.
I’m beginning to think that having a big sign on the the back of my truck that says “Keep Back 500 Feet” is a very smart idea.
High bid was $14,164, which did not meet reserve.
Steve R