Now here is some class. One of the last of the "Splinter Fleet" of 4x4 woodys, Wellman's '50 is the only Campbell Power Wagon known to have survived out of a small (but unknown) number built. Campbell, a Division of the Mid-State Body Company, was based in Waterloo, New York, and was in business from 1932 to 1957. This truck has an optional 8,000-pound Braden MU-2 PTO winch.
The eras of the woody and the 4x4 almost passed in the night without meeting. Prior to World War II, four-wheel-drive light-duty trucks were practically nonexistent. After the war, four-wheel drive was a growing phenomenon in the 1-ton-and-lighter truck categories, but by then the woody was singing its swan song. Only a very few 4x4 types were made into woodies from the late '30s to the early '50s.
The woody evolved from the "depot hack," a special wooden body designed to carry passengers and luggage from the train station to a hotel. The market for these practical people movers was handled by coachbuilders who converted privately owned vehicles or commercial fleets, or worked under contract for various car or truck manufacturers. Though not necessarily in the same category as a depot hack, car-based woody station wagons are better known. If you say that any vehicle with a wooden body is a "woody, " then you can say that most woodies were built on truck chassis.
The four-wheel-drive Power Wagon pickup debuted in 1946 and filled an almost empty spot in the market. Stout construction and capable performance made it a top choice in a variety of roles, including the conversion into woody station wagons. Even in light of the all-metal four-wheel Jeep Wagons that debuted in 1949, a small number of other 4x4 trucks were being converted by the handful of coachbuilders still producing woodies. The evidence comes from period photos and a handful of survivors like George Wellman's 1950 Power Wagon with a Campbell "Surrey" body.
This truck has an interesting past. It was given as a 1949 Christmas present to Charles A. Ward (1886-1959). At that time, Ward was the president of Brown & Bigelow, the famous calendar publisher that is now well past a century in business. The Power Wagon was given in honor of his then 25 years of service. Ward was an avid outdoorsman, and the burly 4x4 suited his recreational pursuits. The Wagon ended up at his place in Arizona, and was traded in by Ward's wife on a Cadillac a few years after his death.
Wellman acquired the woody in 1995 from its third owner. Fortunately, the Arizona climate had been relatively good to it. After a 3-year cosmetic restoration, the body was put back into the same yachtlike condition as Campbell's craftsmen built it almost 60 years ago. The front clip was repainted in its original blue, but Wellman carefully avoided a full restoration to retain the originality of the truck. It's showing only about 30,000 miles.
Time and termites take their toll, and a woody of any type is a rare and expensive collectible. In the world of four-wheel drive, the survivors are even scarcer. We're talking a handful of Marmon-Herrington Ford woody wagons, a couple of Campbells on various chassis, and a couple of Cantrells to remind us of the days of wooden trucks and iron men.
The interior of the woody Power Wagon is reminiscent of a fine yacht and exudes craftsmanship. There are four bench seats-three seating three and one seating two. The floor is wood, except up front. In most cases, the trucks arrived at Campbell in "flat-faced cowl" configuration. That meant a front wrap, the cowl, dash, windshield, and floorboards, but a bare chassis from there back. | 
The interior is compete with lots of vintage accessories the first owner installed to civilize the Power Wagon for genteel adventure. These include an oversized Evans heater, a vintage electric clock, and a tube-type AM radio... | 
...The plaque at the center reads, "A symbol of friendship to the Charles A. Ward family from their loyal friends at Brown & Bigelow, Christmas 1949, on the eve of Mr. Wards 25th anniversary with the House of Quality." Nice friends! |
The Campbell Surrey seats 11 in relative comfort. The body is framed and floored in ash, with 1/2-inch marine-type mahogany veneer plywood panels. The roof is made up of basswood strips, covered on top by insulation, a layer of cheesecloth followed by a rubberized cotton sheet that's tacked to the top with strips. Much of the original wood was intact for the restoration, but the floor and roof both needed extensive repair and replacement, and one mahogany side panel was replaced. This was a testament to Campbell's preparation almost 60 years ago. After being treated with filler, the wood was rubbed down with oil and given two coats of a tough exterior varnish and dried in a booth at 80 degrees. When dry, it was hand-sanded and given another final coat of varnish. | 
The Wellman Power Wagon's unrestored powerplant is a 230ci version of Dodge's legendary L-head six. In light truck use, versions of this "small-block" flathead engine appeared in 201ci, 217ci, and 230ci displacements. The "big-block" truck version, used in later Power Wagons, displaced 251cubes. In '50, the 230 cranked out 94 hp. With all that power, you can get up to about 65 mph if you have a mile to accelerate. This engine puts out a lot of torque down low, but is done making power by 3,600 rpm. | |
Specifications
Vehicle: 1950 Dodge B2PW Power Wagon with Campbell Body
Estimated Value: $100,000+
Engine: 230ci L-head Six
Max horsepower @ rpm: 94 @ 3,200
Max torque @ rpm: 186 lb-ft @ 1,200
Transmission: NP420 four-speed
Transfer case: NP200 two-speed
Axles, f/r: 9.63-inch Dodge Corporate/9.63-inch Dodge Corporate
Ring & pinion: 5.83:1 (4.89:1 standard)
Tires: 9.00-16 nondirectionals (7.50-16 standard)
GVWR (lb): 8,700 (7,600 standard)