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What is my truck? 1974 Dodge Power Wagon with 4spd & 4wd.

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Sazzlefrats

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I have a 1974 Power Wagon with no body. The previous owners mounted a car body to the frame, but I'm trying to figure out what is was.

Here's what I do know about it. It appears to have a 360v8 it was a 2bb motor, but now is a 4bbl, it does have a 4spd, and it has a divorced transfer case (np205 or something like that I was told by my mechanic), power steering and 4wd, and drum brakes all around. The wheels are 5 lugs, is this a 5 on 5.5?

1. Where would I find the VIN? I'm told it'll be on the frame somewhere. I have no body, no body panels... nada.

2. Is my first gear in the 4spd a granny gear?

3. How do I tell if its a 360 or a 318?

4. How what I know what gears it has?

5. How do I figure out how tall of a tire I can run and still have decent drivability. (Tall tire usually requires tall gears, but what about if I am 500lbs lighter than stock?)

I'll ask a million questions more later... thanks in advance
 
Do you have any pics?
-Try looking on the passanger side near where the door would have been for the VIN.
-The part number on the transmission should be able to tell you what it is.
-The engine size is located in one of two locations, a sill plate on the top front side near the driver's side head and on the block below the head on the driver's side in large numbers. You will also be able to tell the date of manufacture by looking on the passangers side of the block below the head.
-If the diffs have been untouched, there should be tag a tag located on one of the cover bolts that will tell you the ratio. Not too sure about tire sizes.
 
I agree with eveything "The Beast " said and as far as tire size go's , It depend's on what you have for a suspention . If it's stock then probably 31's or 32's . If it's got a lift then it depends on how much lift . What body are you gunna put on it ?
 
Dart2_zpsda7d4fb2.jpg
 
It already has 35x15.5x15's on 15x12 rims. I guess the first thing to ask... is there a magical formula for weight, tire size, horsepower and gear ratio that I could use as a guildline for future tire selection, I have the cleareance for taller tires in the rear, but the front, I'm limited by the current wheel openings. I could see cutting all the openings and going with a custom fender flair later on.
 
For a change , I'm speachless . lol I allmost did something like that years ago but I was gunna use a 70/71 Fury wagon body . Judging by looking at the picture's , It looks like the previous owner put some work into the car / truck and more then likely the axles have been taken apart . So looking for the dif tag probably wount do you much good . To find out what gears you have now , you can do one of two things . One is to jack it up and count how many times the wheels turn compared to the pinion . Or two , pull the dif cover off and just see what you've got . What are your plans with this lil beast ? The answere to that will help with what you should run and why .
 
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My short term plans... get this thing running any which way I can. Long term, I'm going to do really light off roading, and going to the local street car shows. So I want it capable and clean.
 
that things a beast! and whats hilarious....i have a 74 club cab long box powerwagon, 318 NP435 divorced 205.....and a 66 dart...yours is a 65. now i know what my car would look like on my trucks frame hahaha. so your lug pattern is 5 on 5.5 i can tell you that right now, you have a 205 transfer case (part time) 203's were never run in divorced setups, they were always bolted straight to the trans from 75 to 79. the case is a gear drive case, so unless you want to blow a driveline or bind everything up to the point the whole works comes to a screeching halt, dont ever run it on the street in 4x4. the most common gears for those things were 3.55's like mine, optional gearing for half tons were 2.76's 3.23's 3.73's and 3.91's. the front will always be one tenth numerically higher than the rear, this is not a concern, thats how they were. mines 3.55 in the front and 3.54 in the rear. theres 3 different transmissions dodge put in trucks, 2 versions of the NP435, and the rare A833. NP435's are a top-loader style transmixer, the case is solid, and the entire top of the transmission is the shift tower assembly, made of aluminum. these transmixers should have an aluminum plate/tag retained by 2 of the 6 bolts on the PTO cover, it will have stampings on it, the model will tell you the gear ratios in granny low. NP435L is the "wide ratio" trans, 6.68:1 deep. super creeper gear. this was the most common, definitely in 4x4's. the other trans is an NP435A, these have a 4.56:1 granny gear, mostly found in 2wd's. (however since yours is a divorced setup, its entirely possible to run an NP435A in this setup) if you happen to have an A833 those are a side-loader design, utilizing a tail mounted shifter and selector rods than run to levers on the side of the transmission case. those are a rare monster in a 4x4 version. to identify the engine itself, look for casting numbers as stated above. at a quick glance the easiest way to tell a 318 from a 360 is the harmonic balancer, granted no ones pieced it together, these engines CAN be assembled with incorrect balancing components, if it doesnt shake violently at certain rpm's, your probably ok. if the balancer is about an inch thick and is symmetrical all the way around, its a 318. if you can see a counterweight on the front side of the balancer thats asymmetrical then its a 360. carburetors are another way to tell but who knows what could have been swapped in the last 38 years. 318's ran carter BBD's, with super tiny throats. the 360's always ran the piece of garbage holley 2210/2245 series carburetors. the throats or barrels are noticeably bigger than any BBD, the float bowl for the holleys is somewhat square, and the BBD's are rounded, the fuel inlet screws straight into the float bowl, centered, and the holleys inlet is on the top of the bowl, to the passengers side.
 
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Hehe.
Assuming 3.55 gears.... a stock 360 motor with 4bbl... Am I'm okay with the 35's? Could I go taller? What roll does weight play into this? I'm assuming that I'm about 500lbs lighter than stock.... maybe.
 
Sazzlefrats said:
It already has 35x15.5x15's on 15x12 rims. I guess the first thing to ask... is there a magical formula for weight, tire size, horsepower and gear ratio that I could use as a guildline for future tire selection, I have the cleareance for taller tires in the rear, but the front, I'm limited by the current wheel openings. I could see cutting all the openings and going with a custom fender flair later on.
Click to expand...

4 speed and 3.55 gears should be fine with 35's whether it be an np435 or an a833. My buddy has an 82. 318/a833/3.55's factory drivetrain (so he was told) and it pulls 37's pretty as a peach
 
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