The Mystery Power Wagon/ Surf Wagon... [PIC]

By the mid-1960s, us Jersey Boys were well aware of the Southern California surf scene... if only from Beach Boy records. Then, in 1966, there was Bruce Brown's documentary "Endless Summer", and suddenly it was "Surfin' USA" at the Jersey Shore. Before the shore became wall-to-wall condos, it was a surfer's paradise: surf all day, buy a couple of pizzas, bury what you didn't eat, sleep on the beach and finish the pies for breakfast. Anyway, my buddy showed up in an old flat fender late 1940s Dodge Power Wagon converted to a woody wagon. Well that automatically made us "Kings of the Beach"! LOL It was in pretty good shape despite being old and tired. There were enough holes in the floor to fill the cabin with exhaust gases, so, just keep the windows rolled down. LOL I never thought too much about it. It wasn't until decades later that I discovered that you just couldn't order one and that a previous owner had to have it custom built. In my ignorance at the time, I never searched for the provenance as to what company did the conversion and only now do I appreciate the mahogany and ash woodwork that, amazingly was still in pretty good condition.

Danbury Mint's 1946 Dodge Power Wagon pickup always make me remember that beautiful beast. As Dodge's civilian conversion of their war time truck, the model, in a military green, still looks like it was part of the Red Ball Express. These flat fender 4X4 models were produced from 1046 to 1950 with a few amenities added along the way. Its 230 cid flat head 6 produced 94 HP which was enough to cruise the Garden State Parkway on the way to the beach.