Picked up this one family owned 72 Powerwagon Saturday. Needs some attention here and there but its basic stuff, brakes, tires, etc but overall its pretty solid. It's been sitting since 02, had to drain the rotten gas, put a battery in it and it started right up and ran fine. Engine is a 360 with a "granny" 4 speed, 3.55 gears. I have lots of questions about the uniqueness of the 72 since it was a year one style, the plastic dash is toast, going to need a new one, rear is an 8 3/4, front looks like a small Dana? Only rust is in the rear down legs of both fenders. So step in 72 powerwagon experts...what have I got here? Any tips of stuff I should look out for?

Here's what's left of the underhood tag...

I love it! My 2nd favorite grille alltime for the Dodge trucks. My fave is the '79 vertical stacked quad headlights.

It seems oddly optioned, manual steering, no air, 4 speed am radio...and power brakes? I don't see wheel covers on the underhood sticker does that mean it didn't come with them?

Nice one!!!! My favorite grille. 72 and 73 very similar; same grille, same interior, etc. 74 has same interior also, (edit) including dash, but change in grille (74-76 same grille). 74 is last of the 205 TC and part time 4WD, until 1980, in trucks.

Not that oddly optioned, it was ordered to be worked. My Father ordered one exactly like that in '72 except it was dark blue/white combo. with med. blue interior w/318. I think the power brakes were std. And no they did not come with wheel covers std. , even on the Adventurer. His came with off white steel wheels.

Congrats on the Truck.

back when trucks were just that....a truck to be worked. Great find.

Thanks for the comments guys, my plans for the weekend are to flush the gas tank and radiator, change the oil/filter, new fuel filters and try to run it long enough to quiet one REALLY noisy lifter then get it moved from the driveway into the shop where the next deal will be to get the locking lug nuts off all four wheels (yep, owner lost the key)...once I get the wheels off then it looks like it will be a complete overhaul of the brakes...currently the brake pedal sticks on the floor On a side note...what's the feasibility of converting the front drums to disc?

Awesome find, first year of anything is a crap shoot, but Dodge got it right on the trucks! I have nothing else to add, but have fun with it!

If the lug nuts are the round bulged out in the middle kind, pound a too small socket over them and take them off with a breaker bar. When that won't work, I have broken the stud off and then replaced one on each wheel.

My 74 crew was converted to discs using the pieces off I believe a mid 70's to mid 80's Chevy truck. Everything from the knuckles out, maybe even the stub axles and I'm not sure if you really need the knuckles. So much of that basic Dana 44 stuff is the same between the two.

The only problem is this is a 1/2 ton. The Chevy will have 6 lugs.

Got a little more done today, toasted dash pad is removed, greased every zerk I could find, changed oil and filter, fuel filters, master cylinder and alternator had to come out of Dallas so didn't get those until late, should have it almost ready for a test drive if I can get those blasted locking lug nuts off, bought a tool at Orielly's that was supposed to work but the nuts were to large in diameter for the tool to fit. Tomorrow I'll weld a lug nut on to the lock nut and see if that works, so far air chisel and small pipe wrench have both failed. Sure wish someone would pipe in with a disc brake swap grand plan...lol

I have been told that front discs were a little known option in '74 which would be the same axle as the '72.

I've been googling my tail off from every direction I can think of and Ford stuff keeps popping up

The only 74 4 wheel drive Dodge with discs was the Ramcharger, which used a different version of the Dana 44 (75-79 truck version). You'll have to find an 80-84 1/2 ton to get the same bolt pattern with discs and lockouts, or 85-93 with a center axle disconnect. I do not know if the parts will swap over to your axle, but I recall hearing they do.

Well...got the alternator installed and limped out of the driveway and into the shop, welded old lug nuts onto the locking lugs and poof...they came right off. Got the 4wd checked out on jack stands everything seems good. Got the rear brake drums off...shoes are bad, wheel cylinders are bad and possibly drums. Front drums are kicking my........they won't budge so far...

Is it normal for both front and rear diffs to be single track?

Yes. Limited slip aka anti-spin was available as an option on the rear only.