1947 Dodge WDX Power Wagon returns to work
Hard work and difficult tasks are the reasons why Michael Szczesny's 1947 Dodge WDX Power Wagon was built.
A truck this tough deserves an owner of the same caliber, and it has one. The restoration wasn't easy but Szczesny dug down deep, refocused and got the job done.
After leaving the Warren, Michigan, factory, the military-inspired 4x4 headed to Colorado. There among the Rockies it saw municipal use, plowing snow and salting mountain roads.
Its second shift with a new owner was in Mississippi. At some point in the 1990s, it was put out to pasture. It wound up shoved in a farmer's field where it sat for many years.
Szczesny purchased the vehicle in 2002.
“The windows were shot out and mud wasps had made a massive home in the dashboard,” the Hawthorn Woods resident said. Still, the body panels were intact and no rust had taken hold. A scant 56,000 miles showed on the odometer.
After getting it home, the enthusiast embarked on a ten-year frame off overhaul. The transformation resulted in a gleaming, and ultra capable, showroom-quality machine.
“Never in a million years did I think it would evolve into this,” Szczesny said. He had been a lifelong Farmall tractor enthusiast and bought the pickup on a whim.
The Power Wagon was the first vehicle restoration he has taken to this high level of detail and quality. “Many times I was ready to throw in the towel. I was so close to calling the scrap guy to have him haul everything away,” Szczesny jokes.
“When all the parts are spread out on the floor and you have nothing to show for it, you loose interest — fast.”
Thankfully, Jim Bates, Szczesny's co-worker, persistently intervened.
“He kept pushing me saying ‘Don't give up,' ” Szczesny said. “Without his drive, this would have never happened.”
Szczesny completed the project in 2012 and recently had it on display in a perfect setting: the 23rd annual Farm Heritage Festival. The event was held Sept. 26-27 at the Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Sponsors included the Lake County Farm Heritage Association and the Lake County Discovery Museum.
The festival's focus is celebrating Lake County's rural roots and the event included sheep herding demonstrations, wagon rides and a dazzling display of tractors and hardworking farm and field equipment.
Szczesny had his Dodge in action, showcasing its useful power take-off system. This accessory drive is mounted on the rear bumper and is powered by the truck's engine. Szczesny was using it to spin a belt that powered a massive, 39-inch buzz saw, effectively making his rolling classic a portable sawmill.
The driving duo make quite a pair together and both have proved they're up for whatever work is thrown their way.
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