Low-buck 4x4 truck: What's your best wrecked to rugged transformation?

One truck was wrecked, the other one only sent power to its rear axle. Bob Olds looked at the 3 ⁄4-ton Ford and the crinkled Power Wagon, saw (very few) dollar signs, and the inspiration he needed for his next project. We leafed through the archives to June 1966 to see how this budget-conscious build unfolded.

- JERED KORFHAGE

Bob’s plan began by salvaging what he could from the severely crumpled Power Wagon, including its axles, springs, and shocks, and the heart of its four-wheel-drive system—the NP200 transfer case. To fit the ’case between Ford’s frame rails, he built a cross member from 8-inch channel steel and angle iron. The full-float rear axle from the Power Wagon went under the Ford chassis and was held in place by Ford’s elliptical leaf springs. Mounting the springs to the axles required new, longer U-bolts, and the spring pads needed to be raised 5 inches and relocated.