Hellcat Engine Puts the ‘Power’ in This Power Wagon: Wicked Wednesday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
Legendary Power Wagon stuffed with a legendary Hellcat crate engine–when Mopar legends collide, we all win.
This 1968 Dodge Power Wagon was awesome even before the restomod build began. However, now it has been transformed into a Hellcat Power Wagon. And this might be the coolest example of all-time. The Dodge Power Wagon really needs no introduction. It is a legend in the Mopar world. Another Mopar legend is the Hellcat engine.
People are stuffing the Hellcat into anything they can get their hands on. We may even get a Hellcat-powered minivan someday. Hellcat all the things!
This week’s “Wicked Wednesday” presented by Nitto features the perfect marriage of a Power Wagon and a Hellcat engine. But the build does not stop there. This truck has a lot more custom touches up its sleeve. The work was done by the folks at Roadster Shop. The co-owner of Roadster Shop, Jeremy Gerber walks us through the build on a video posted on the Roadster Shop YouTube channel. This is a build you do not want to miss.
Perfect Patina
The donor truck is a 1968 Dodge Power Wagon. It lived most of its life out in the desert and as a result has a beautiful sun faded patina. “Every so often a car comes into the shop, and we look at it and we simply say it just looks really good. We don’t need to mess with it. So, from a cosmetic standpoint, this was one of those situations,” said Gerber. The donor truck already had some modifications to it before the project began. It had some 37-inch tires, and an aftermarket Mopar engine. However, it was not comfortable and was a lousy daily driver as it was sitting. The customer wanted to retain the cool looks but also be something that he could take on a long drive as well as some off-road trails.
Suspension Magic
To make this a truck that rides and performs like a modern SUV, the suspension needed a lot of work. And it got it. It has Fox coilovers up front with Fox two-inch bump stops.
It has about a foot of suspension travel up front and even more at the rear. The rear suspension setup is quite unique. The coilovers are parallel to the frame rails. This was done so the bed floor did not have to be modified.
Also hiding underneath the truck is a Dana 60 front axle and 6-piston Baer brakes. There is also an adjustable Fox ATS steering dampener on it to keep the truck from wandering. This truck offers a comfortable ride along with the ability to take on some serious trails.
Exterior Details
It was important to keep the old school looks on the outside, but the customer wanted some modern touches. So up front hiding behind the old bumper is a new Warn winch. Just above that are some KC Daylighters that offer function but work well with the aesthetics of the truck.
In the back there is an old, beat up toolbox in the bed that matches the truck perfectly. It offers extra storage, but it has another trick up its sleeve. It has a false floor that contains dual batteries and an air compressor. In the bed and under the rear bumper are some additional LED lights to illuminate the space.
It is the Inside That Counts
The exterior of the truck was upgraded but it retained the original look. On the inside a few more liberties were taken. “The interior was screaming at me that I want to look like an old semi-truck. That was kind of the idea, that was the vision,” said Gerber. They nailed that vibe. There are bespoke Auto Meter gauges that give it that vintage big rig feel. There is distressed leather throughout the interior that also plays to the vintage theme.
A custom row of chrome toggle switches was also installed. These control the lockers, lights, compressor, and everything else you would expect. And even something you might not expect which is a Sport mode toggle. And other very cool touch is that the truck has power windows. However, the windows are controlled with old school hand cranks.
Did We Mention the Hellcat Engine?
This 1968 Power Wagon is now a POWER Wagon. Lift the hood and you will find a beautiful Hellcat crate engine hiding underneath. “It seemed appropriate to stick with the Mopar platform because it is a great engine. Super drivability.
Behaves really mild mannered on the street, but absolutely hauls ass when you put your foot in it,” said Gerber. That perfectly sums up the Hellcat. This engine is the icing on the cake of this fantastic build.
Video
To see all the details of the build for yourself, checkout the video below. If you are like us, you will be drooling all over your keyboard for the duration of the clip. Fantastic Power Wagon build, and the only change we would make would be to park it in our own garage.
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