1977 Dodge Power Wagon Camper

Was able to finally take the camper out on its maiden voyage last weekend just a couple hours away. I put about 230 miles round trip. I threw on my dirt bike just in case we had problems but thankfully I didn't need it. We ended up going to a brewery for a summery solstice party and it worked out perfect. I guess one thing to note is my windshield wipers stopped working so I have another thing to put on the list.






Hoping to take it out again this week. Sure is tough to go camping when I only have Sundays off but we're figuring out how to make it work.

Oh yea, I averaged about 6.8 mpg on the trip, looks like I should really figure out the leak in the secondary tank because I'm definitely going to need it!

Well if it made it all the way up to Arctic Man AND back then it's pretty road worthy.
Expect some good campin pics soon.

mowermech wrote:
"isn't an interference engine"??
Really!
Have you ever had one jump time?
I have, and after replacing the chain and sprockets, it would not start. After replacing the heads (cheaper than a valve job), it ran fine. There were a number of bent valves in the original heads, presumably due to contact with the piston crowns.
Oh, wait, that might have been a 318, come to think of it. I don't remember for sure. It was in the early 1980s, after all...

Yes, numerous times. I ran a shop in the early 80's and prefer Chrysler products for my personal use. I've replaced timing sets that jumped one tooth and still ran and jumped so far as to not run at all. Unless it has shaved heads, the LA engine has ample clearance. Now, get into the Magnum engines from 1992 and up, it may be different. The Chrysler small blocks from 1964 to 1991 aren't interference engines.

Awesome find!

I saw that you found digital shop manuals online. You might check Ebay for a hardcopy to carry around with you, in case you have problems somewhere without cell towers. I did that for my van and got a full set for around $15.

I would loooooove to have a little 4wd camper like that :).

ol' grouch wrote:

mowermech wrote:
THAT is a classic! I think you should buy it immediately!
I owned several of those Dodge Power Wagons, mid to late '70's, over the years, both half and 3/4 ton. Every one had 16 inch tires. It is a good bet that one does, too.
As for the 360, the only thing to keep in mind is that the "silent chains" that Dodge/Chrysler used back then for cam timing had plastic teeth, and when the plastic got worn and/or brittle, it could fail (usually at the worst possible time/place) and the cam timing would jump. That usually resulted in valve damage (interference engine). For anybody who has the proper tools, and some mechanical ability, replacing the chain and sprockets is not difficult. Make sure the new chain does NOT have the plastic coated teeth. In fact, it might pay to look for roller chain and sprockets. There might even be a gear drive kit available.
Most 360 engines in camper/motorhome applications came with 4V carburetors. that carb and manifold is nearly worth the asking price!

The 360 isn't an interference engine. The polycoat crank gears were used though and I always replace them with a double roller chain set. Mechanically, that is a Dodge pickup. Parts are available at most auto parts stores. One caveat on the engine though is the difference between 318 and 360 engines. Most parts will swap just fine (water pump, starter, etc.) however one is internally balanced and one externally.

"isn't an interference engine"??
Really!
Have you ever had one jump time?
I have, and after replacing the chain and sprockets, it would not start. After replacing the heads (cheaper than a valve job), it ran fine. There were a number of bent valves in the original heads, presumably due to contact with the piston crowns.
Oh, wait, that might have been a 318, come to think of it. I don't remember for sure. It was in the early 1980s, after all...

One last thing, get a Haynes manual for Dodge pickups. Being in Ak you may have to order it but they have a edition that covers from 1972 to 1993 pickups. Your basic engine was used until the Magnum engines came out in 1992. The 1988-91 engines had roller lifters but the rest of the engines are quite similar. almost nothing on your engine will interhcnage with the Magnums.

I almost went to Alaska to help build the pipeline but never did. A friend did, make big bucks and is now retired. He told me once that due to the expense of shipping and transport, every piece of equipment that went to Alaska is still there. It might be reused later, but it's still there.

Tonw07 wrote:
Well, here's what everyone was waiting for.......





I BOUGHT IT!!! I was able to get the guy down to $2,250 and I think that was a reasonable price if not a hair high.. I went and picked it up tonight. It started right up and I drove it home.(I actually didn't even make it a block before a guy stopped me and asked if it was sale. Good thing he didn't know his neighbor was selling!)
I got much more comfortable with the purchase after getting it going 55 down the highway (70 if you went off of the speedometer). I probably put 25 miles on it tonight without a hitch... well, other than the power steering leak which I found is just a bad hose so it should be an easy fix for that.

I dug a little deeper on everything and have found a hand full of different switches that I have no idea what they do so that might take a while to figure out but that will just come with time. Another issue I ran into is that the drivers side headlight fried after being on for a short while so I have to start looking around for a short for that but again, I'm not to concerned, especially that it doesn't get dark until after 10 PM here this time of year.

So here are a few pictures I took when I got home a bit ago.
Let me know what you guys think!




Also notice the awesome 89 conversion van that a few buddies and I went in on in the background to the right. It is loaded on the inside and is our weekend van with a great running 350 in it!.. Love that thing.

I haven't been to the site in quite some time so I'm catching up. Congratulations on your new toy. Your latest photos tell me a lot about it. I've had numerous version of these trucks through the years. The bady was slightly changed in '79 or 80 so fenders and such won't fit. Mechanically, the trucks were little changed until 1988 when they put roller lifters in the fuel injected engines. About 5 years ago, I finally sold my '84 (well the frame and title were 1984) truck with just shy of 400,000 miles. So if you're worried about durability, if you can work on it, it'll last for a LONG time.

You have a W200 chassis. Your rear end is a full floating axle. A little more trouble to do brakes but not much and it will handle anything you throw at it. Inside the drivers door should be a sticker or plate with the rear axle ratio. I'm going to assume you have 3.55 or 3.73 ratios. Your front axle will be slightly lower. This keep the transfer case from over running and keeps the chain tight. If your rear axle is 3.55, your front is 3.54.

Now, there is one trick you really need to know about your transfer case. When you've been running in 4 low for instance, and try to get out of it, if the lever won't come out of 4 low, back up. Just 30 or 40 feet will do it. The above mentioned ratio change keeps it tight and will bind the lever. Backing up releases it. It takes 10 seconds but with the current shift on the fly or electric shifting, people don't know about that.

I like the extra carrier on the back along with the spare tire mount. You do NOT want to pull a heavy trailer with the extension and it will cut down on your departure angle as you pull out of a ditch.

If you want different wheels, you have standard 8 lug wheels. They are common and used for many years on many trucks. 1/2 tons used proprietary bolt patterns but on the 8 lugs, there are only 3 or 4 bolt patterns. The wheels off my '01 3/4 ton will probably go right on it for instance. The same with 1 ton wheels. Just watch the off set.

90,000 miles isn't a problem. The timing chain usually lasts 120,000 miles on these engines. When you fix the exhaust leak, I'd pull the timing cover and replace the timing chain with a double roller unit. The parts guy will know what you mean. A worn chain won't let the engine run as warm so a new chain will give you better heat in the cab. When you put it back together, I'd put a new water pump on it. I'd also pull and clean the oil pan and get any build up out of it. That way, when winter rolls around again, you'll have all the problems taken care of.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I don't get here often so it may be a while before I can reply (I work a LOT) but I've have numerous versions of these truck through the last 40 years.

Tonw07 wrote:

marquette wrote:
On my 78 360 there was a passage through the intake manifold that exhaust gas went through to warm the choke up so it would open. That passage would clog with carbon and the choke would be slow to open causing it to run rich too long and run rough until the choke got open.

I actually had a buddy of mine that owns a '78 come with me to look at it and he mentioned something similar and said there was some sort of flap in there to help it stay warm/warm up quicker? He said he removed his when he did some engine work to his I think.

I'll find out soon enough since the passenger side manifold is on the top of the list for things to take care of since it is cracked and leaking bad. I'll see how things look and determine if I should look at the other one when it comes to that.

Thanks for the heads up though!

Now to get some parts ordered! Anyone have any suggestions on a cheap reliable manifold? Time for some research.

On the passenger exhaust manifold is a heat riser valve. That may be your leak. It's spring loaded to divert exhaust gasses under the intake to warm ot to avoid vapor freezing in the intake throat. Myself, I remove those and weld the hole shut. However, Indiana is a little warmer in the winter than Alaska.

westend wrote:
Maybe some of the Dodge owners know about this: In some of the older trucks there was a resistor ballast on the firewall. I can't remember the number I've seen fail but it is a couple of handfuls. I had an old Coronet that had the failing ballast, too. IIRC, the workaround was to connect two of the posts together to energize the ignition circuit. This part may have been phased out by 1977.

How about it OP? Did you pull the trigger on the Power Wagon?

It was the balast resistor and was still used then. Chrysler didn't get away from the balast resistor until much later. I always carried a spare wrapped in a paper towel in my tool box. The Power Wagon name was used to trade on the heavy duty Power Wagons reputation. In '80 or '81, Dodge started using the Power Ram name on 4X4 trucks.

The resistor is held onto the firewall with one screw and the wires plug into the end. It's about 3 inches long and is white porcelain. It's purpose is to cut the 12 volts down to 6 volts for the coil. If it fails in the field, you CAN jumper the wires together and get home but it's rough on the electrical componenets.

mowermech wrote:
THAT is a classic! I think you should buy it immediately!
I owned several of those Dodge Power Wagons, mid to late '70's, over the years, both half and 3/4 ton. Every one had 16 inch tires. It is a good bet that one does, too.
As for the 360, the only thing to keep in mind is that the "silent chains" that Dodge/Chrysler used back then for cam timing had plastic teeth, and when the plastic got worn and/or brittle, it could fail (usually at the worst possible time/place) and the cam timing would jump. That usually resulted in valve damage (interference engine). For anybody who has the proper tools, and some mechanical ability, replacing the chain and sprockets is not difficult. Make sure the new chain does NOT have the plastic coated teeth. In fact, it might pay to look for roller chain and sprockets. There might even be a gear drive kit available.
Most 360 engines in camper/motorhome applications came with 4V carburetors. that carb and manifold is nearly worth the asking price!

The 360 isn't an interference engine. The polycoat crank gears were used though and I always replace them with a double roller chain set. Mechanically, that is a Dodge pickup. Parts are available at most auto parts stores. One caveat on the engine though is the difference between 318 and 360 engines. Most parts will swap just fine (water pump, starter, etc.) however one is internally balanced and one externally.