Dodge Power Wagons are the epitome of brawny, American truck exceptionalism, and combined with a woodie body has got to be the ultimate off-road party wagon. Now, to crank that up a few notches have Legacy Classic Truck Restoration out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, transform the tired drivetrain and suspension to today’s 4 x 4 advancements and you’ve got the ultimate off-road unicorn.

Legacy Restmods

Legacy is known for handcrafting trucks like Dodge Power Wagon pickups, 1950s GM truck restomods and other commercial vehicles it reimagines. Basically, they replace every internal component with today’s technology while leaving every exterior body and interior design features and restores them to perfection. Then they artfully blend the two together. While this customized Power Wagon Carryall looks original, it is modern inside in almost every way.

These Power Wagon station wagons were originally a conversion from assembled chassis purchased from Dodge. Both Campbell Body Company and Cantrell Body made woodie conversions from passenger cars and the occasional truck. Phone companies, the National Forest Service, and fire departments among others purchased these rare station wagons to move personnel around in rugged terrain. Even National Geographic magazine owned a couple. Only a handful have survived.

This appears to be a more recent creation with the most visible deviation from a truly stock Cantrell or Campbell wooden body being the lower side stringers, but also the subtle chopped top. While the chop is subtle, the engine is not. It’s a 5.7-liter Dodge Hemi engine. The frame is boxed for strength to be able to handle the infusion of power. Four-speed automatics and stout Atlas transfer cases are used with full OBD II diagnostics to control all of the electronic functions. 

Power steering, brakes, and new steering columns and steering wheels come with Legacy’s Power Wagon package. Dynatrac Pro 80-splined front, and Dana 60 rear axles with ARB air-locking diffs and Warn hubs update the suspension. Vented 13.25-inch disc brakes are shod at each corner. Of course, it comes with air conditioning, LED controls, and Bluetooth connectivity integrated into the dash looking like it came that way in 1947.

Legacy Power Wagon Shakedown Trip

From the shortlist we’ve provided you can imagine that every detail has been thought out and improved, from the Warn 16,000 lb electric winch to the 37-inch tall Toyo Open Country tires. No one should have a problem taking this on an extensive trip, and that is exactly what Legacy did recently. 

A maiden voyage was completed to Yellowstone National Park to test the conversion to a modern drivetrain and all of its advantages. These pictures from Legacy’s Instagram account shows some of the photo ops from that trip.

Now Legacy is back and working on a number of Power Wagon and other restomods, including a Yellowstone National Park sightseeing bus with the panoramic open top. After all, if you’ve got them you might as well use them with all of the conveniences of today’s technology and engineering.