New Guy Getting A 77 PW

First off I just wanna say hello and thank you for having a forum for the Power Wagons I look forward to learning and having a good time while here.

Now for the Truck intro. Well I am a NEWBIE when it comes to power wagons. I have done a BUNCH of searching the last 4 months since I found this PW and still have tons of questions. I don't have the vin written down at the moment but I do have pics if that will help. The things that have me a little confused are the 8 bolt hubs, I don't think those are stock well maybe an upgrade option, the side mirrors look to be installed at purchase so again maybe option from the dealer ? It is an LA360 I believe but don't know about the white 590 sticker on the valve cover, it is an automatic with the Tac-loc on the floor with maybe 5 options lol never seen a transfer shifter with so many positions lol I'm used to seeing 4-Hi-Lo N 2-Hi. So more information about that would be good.

The history behind this truck is that my lucky brother in-law lives up in northern Arizona and comes across RARE and awesome finds of vehicles at least 2-4 times a year lol. He told me about this truck that he got it from the original owner ! ! Don't wanna talk about what he paid for it but it was a STEAL ! ! Anyways fast forward about 3 months and he isn't able to take care of it or work on it as much as he wants. It was running but then the starter died and I helped him replace that over thanks giving (Dang that is a BIG starter) So that helped but I'm not sure what's up with it next. He said it was running a few months ago and he added like 2-3 fuel filters along the way from the gas tank and now it does hold fuel pressure so it will idle and maybe run then sputter and die. . . . ALL that aside if I had more time with it and it was at my house I could diagnose it better but end game here is that I am going to be getting it from him soon Buying of course not a freebie

Anyways on to the TRUCK **** Hope you can give me a heads up of what it possible has from looks.








Sorry for writing a book but it's my first post and wanted to introduce myself and the Big Blue hehehe

OH ! ! And it has 35k MILES ON IT ! ! ! Woo Hoo ! !

Welcome! and NICE old truck!!! planning on changing it at all or just driving as-is?

360 ci motor, 3/4 ton dana 60 rear dana 44 front, np203 full time 4 wheel drive transfer case. Mostly guesses out of my old brain based off the pics.

So far just going to run it as is then of course go with better exhaust and maybe headers but the ones on there right now are a black tubular already and don't seem to restrictive ? unless they are garbage lol. But yeah for now run it as is. The tires are 33's on I think a 90's diesel 8 bolt 16"'s so I'm good to go there and those Safari TSR's are pretty nice looking tires with really good reviews Just curious if it is the standard Dana 44/60 with those 8 bolt hubs all around and do you think that is stock height or maybe it has a lift on it ? I am SO excited to get it down in the valley to work on it and drive it. It will be a once a week driver and trail/camping/off road fun times truck

I think he said the original owner has a 440 supposedly ready to go for sale as well so I might buy that as well just to have lol But I think I read somewhere that the 440 has heating issues and won't bolt up to the 360 bell housing ?

Oh and how capable is the Trac-loc system ? Is it locked rear and open front or ? ?

The 3/4 tons came standard with 8 lug hubs. It is a MUCH stronger starting point of a build for you. I am not positive on the 44 and 60 combo, but most 3/4 tons in the 70s had a heavy duty rear end with a lighter front end. You need to check google for an axle id guide. A dana 44 will not survive with 35s and a locker in a heavy truck offroad. It will work fine with an open diff, but if you plan to play hard, go dana 60. You could very well already have one. That truck is stock height. A 440 is a good motor, but no it is not a bolt in swap. Motor mounts, bellhousing, bigger radiator, etc. The 360 can be made reliable and plenty of power to move that truck. Think of it this way, if displacement was that important, why did mopar put a 345 ci motor in 05-12 power wagons? Get it running, drive it, have fun.

The trac loc is ok. Should be limited slip rear with open front. Do a gear oil change, put good oil in. Truck that nice the axles should be fine. It does not lock totally, it has clutches that allow slippage. It is better than nothing.

Oh I am a HUGE fan of the 360's I was only thinking about the 440 since it was available but it's not a need that's for sure. Cam and new carb the stock motor since it isn't even broken in yet lol 35k miles is amazing on that truck Just really think it needs a system flush. Not sure if my brother in law did that yet. I like the way it sits right now I will eventually change out the leafs to give it some nicer off road riding and maybe a small lift. The 33's look good and I will probably keep them on there for awhile. The axles from what I remember looked very much the same size. Pretty darn BEEFY ! The front I would swear is bigger then a Dana 44, my friends with jeeps have 44 rears and they look like toothpicks in comparison. But next time I see it or if he brings it down soon I will go all over it looking for numbers and googling everything ! I'm so glad to have a forum that knows about this truck ! ! And I'm grateful my Brother in-law finds these wonderful gems hehe.

armymgdude said:

360 ci motor, 3/4 ton dana 60 rear dana 44 front, np203 full time 4 wheel drive transfer case. Mostly guesses out of my old brain based off the pics.

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360 ci engine, 727 transmission, Dana 60 rear and 3/4t Dana 44 front.

BUT, if the front diff is huge like you say maybe it's a 60 front someone swapped in. I haven't seen anyone say it's a 250. Maybe the truck is a 350.

Lo-loc, Lo, Neutral, Hi, Hi-loc is a NP 203 full time. Heavy as ****. Use 10w30 motor oil. 2.00-1 low gear. Chain drive.

590 on the valve cover is common. It's a production number or something. Useless to us as a helpful number.

Upgrade that big old starter when it dies or you get header's. You'll have to with header's.
A small gear reduction starter out of a 86-95 Dodge. Way better and a straight swap.

armymgdude said:

The 3/4 tons came standard with 8 lug hubs. It is a MUCH stronger starting point of a build for you. I am not positive on the 44 and 60 combo, but most 3/4 tons in the 70s had a heavy duty rear end with a lighter front end. You need to check google for an axle id guide. A dana 44 will not survive with 35s and a locker in a heavy truck offroad. It will work fine with an open diff, but if you plan to play hard, go dana 60. You could very well already have one. That truck is stock height. A 440 is a good motor, but no it is not a bolt in swap. Motor mounts, bellhousing, bigger radiator, etc. The 360 can be made reliable and plenty of power to move that truck. Think of it this way, if displacement was that important, why did mopar put a 345 ci motor in 05-12 power wagons? Get it running, drive it, have fun.

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He has a 727. Going 440 requires a big block transmission as the 727 bellhousing is not removable.
I abused a Dana 44 hard with 36x12.5 Swampers TSL's. After 14yrs off road and daily driving I finally broke it. Hit a jump and landed on the nose from 10' up.
Bent the frame and snapped the diff housing in half.
A 60 is an awesome upgrade.

So is manual hubs and a part time t-case. I ran a NP208 in my 79.
2.61-1 low loc.

^^ Yeah I read that I think 1-2 days ago LOL would have been nice and prolly cost about the same as that coffee can starter we put in there. So when the transfer case says Loc that mean locked rear open front right ? And if it just says lo or hi it's open front and rear ?

Thanks again for all the WONDERFUL information ! You guys rock !

Desert Rat said:

^^ Yeah I read that I think 1-2 days ago LOL would have been nice and prolly cost about the same as that coffee can starter we put in there. So when the transfer case says Loc that mean locked rear open front right ? And if it just says lo or hi it's open front and rear ?

Thanks again for all the WONDERFUL information ! You guys rock !

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Lo and Hi means 2WD low range or 2WD high range. Power will be sent to any of the wheels with the least amount of traction. Think of sitting in mud. One front or one rear wheel will get all the power.
Lo-loc and Hi-loc means 4WD low range and 4WD high range. Power will be sent equally to the front and rear diffs. Giving you power to one front wheel and one rear wheel.
Unless you have a LSD or LOCKER, then power will be sent to both wheels in the diff.
Like your truck, Open front diff, Trac-loc rear. In 4wd-loc your power goes to both rears and one front wheel.
In normal Lo/Hi power will go to one front wheel. Least amount of traction.

I have had my W200 PW 400 cid, auto for almost 40 years. Start looking for a part-time front axle, now. The full-time 4wd is a pita . The front hubs are weak and problematic. The steering is slow, and turning radius is about a 100'. F/T 4wd gobbles gas, and is a full-time parasitic drag on your engines power. The best move I ever made was swapping in a part time front driving axle, adding selectable locking hubs, and a blocking kit to the TC. I went from 11 mpg to 15 mpg overnight. It doesn't crab anymore going around tight turns, and has freed up the engine's power, making the engine seem peppier, too.
Yours looks pretty straight & sweet, and it's got some nice options like A/C, and cruise. I think you'll like it, especially if you change to P/T.

*UPDATE*

14 months later and I was finally able to bring this baby home ! ! ! Got it back in the valley of AZ on Saturday and have already done a lot of work and brought it from a crawl to a nice jog on speed and it fires right up now probaby due to the 5000 ft elevation change !

But I will get more pics and what not.

Things done so far.

-New Battery ! Easy and big difference
-drained and filled the transmission (Actually shifts now)
-Changed Oil. (It was full but over a year old)
-Cut the exhaust ! (Louder but 1 of the original mufflers was blown in half going to go to 2.5 at least eventually but not essential yet)

All that done in 2 days so far.

Bought oil for diffs to fill them up haven't checked levels of them yet.
Also think it needs a carb tune or a upgrade. My Brother in law said he had a shop replace the original one but this one is a Carter Carb as the stamp on the back right of it but I don't know how to check model number for the CFM rating ? It does have a aluminum tag on the front left but I can't make out the numbers. Really looking at the Holley 2 barrel 500cfm but we shall see.

The A/C fuse slot was melted so I can only guess the fuse was under amp'd ? I bought more 20 and 30 amp fuses. I really want to try and keep the AC and get it working since it's 115 during the summer.

Transfer case does shift but doesn't feel very distinctive on the changes. I did get it into Hi-Loc and then the shifter fell over. I think it came un bolted from the base ? you can grab the nub through the rubber boot and still shift but I'm not going to touch it til I know how to get into it without ruining that rubber boot that still works lol.

I have so much more questions that are eluding me right now but I will pop in and ask them but I will keep this thread going with updates

Oh also there is a electric connector dangling by the transmission that I only assume is the speed sensor ? Where does that plug into ? The spedo doesn't work and the other gauges kinda work ? All the lights work and turn signals as well

And the 727 is a 3 speed ? I have gotten it to 45mph or a little higher but I don't wanna over rev the motor so definitely no freeway or highway driving for now lol. Does this seem about right ? I would like to get this truck to be stable at 55mph or so.

Brakes supposedly have been turned and new calipers and pads on the front but it doesn't slow down to well but it is a BIG truck lol. Probably need to re bleed the brakes.