1958 Dodge W300M Power Wagon (U.S. Navy Pickup)
Dodge introduced the W300M Power Wagon designation in 1957, expanding the Power Wagon nameplate across its new line of four-wheel-drive commercial trucks. The “W” denoted four-wheel drive, while “300” identified the one-ton model, and the “M” suffix signified military or government contract specification.
Production of the 1958 W300M is believed to have totaled fewer than 300 units, many built for military and government service, including the U.S. Navy. These trucks carried forward the legendary durability of Dodge’s World War II WC-series, which had earned a reputation for ruggedness and reliability that even the Jeep struggled to match in heavy-duty roles.
The cab design dated back to 1939, originally developed for Dodge’s civilian truck line, but its heavy duty construction and simple ergonomics made it ideal for continued use through the 1950s. Factory specification for the W300M called for a 230-cubic-inch (3.8-liter) L-head inline-six, producing around 132 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque.
Power was routed through a New Process 420 four-speed manual transmission and a two-speed transfer case, driving Dana 70 front and rear axles with selectable four-wheel drive. This drivetrain combination was engineered for exceptional torque delivery and maximum payload capacity.
Available body configurations included pickup, cab-and-chassis, and cowl-and-chassis variants. The latter often served as the basis for specialized applications such as rural school buses, fire trucks, and utility rigs.
The W300M and its Power Wagon siblings represented America’s first mass-produced civilian medium-duty four-wheel-drive trucks, establishing a design and capability benchmark that influenced Dodge’s heavy-duty 4×4 lineage well beyond the 1968 end of flat-fender Power Wagon production.
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