The July/August 2024 issue of the magazine is available in our gift shop now and will be available on newsstands soon. Our cover feature is JoAnn Tanner’s 1979 W-150. Story by Loren Hoekema, Photos by Brad Bowling

Cover Story | 1979 Dodge W-150 Macho Power Wagon

Putting the MACHO back in a Power Wagon

JoAnn Tanner’s 1979 W-150 was rescued from a California salvage yard.

Story by Loren Hoekema, Photos by Brad Bowling

When Diener Motors in Roseville, California, took delivery of this 1979 Dodge W-150 Macho Power Wagon in early February of that year, no one at the Dodge-Jeep dealership would have dreamed it would be in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 45 years later in even better condition than new. The path from 1979 to 2024 was long and, at times, dangerous, but the Dodge somehow survived and wound up in the best possible home for a vintage 4X4.

The truck’s current owners, JoAnn and Mike Tanner—JoAnn is quick to point out it is really hers—bought the Power Wagon from Sam Bledsoe of Dinuba, California. (If that name sounds familiar, it should. Bledsoe’s 1979 Dodge W-150 Palomino was featured in vol. 28, issue no. 1 of Vintage Truck.) Bledsoe located the Macho at Whittlesey Wrecking Yard, a salvage yard in the Sierra Nevada Mountains foothills, near Nevada City, California. It was sitting on a rack with no axles, springs, or engine, and a replacement New Process (NP) 205 transfer case. It was also missing its bucket seats, but the body was in remarkably good condition with original paint. Bledsoe made a five-hour drive to inspect and buy the Dodge. He returned later with axles and springs, loaded the truck, and hauled it home.

To read more about the 1979 W-150, pick up a copy of the July/August 2024 issue of Vintage Truck magazine!

Articles in this issue include:

FEATURES

New Deal Chevy
This 1936 Chevrolet FC Coupe Pick-Up was a rare bright spot during the Great Depression!
Story by Robert Gabrick, Photos by Daniel Perkins
The Streetbeater
Fred Sanford’s 1951 Ford F-1 is alive and well in Ohio!
Story and Photos by Brad Bowling
Putting the MACHO back in a Power Wagon
JoAnn Tanner’s 1979 W-150 was rescued from a California salvage yard. Story by Loren Hoekema, Photos by Brad Bowling
Knight Terra
Coleman Knight’s low-mile 1978 Scout Terra represents International’s last pickup model!
Story by B. Mitchell Carlson, Photos by Al Rogers 60
DEPARTMENTS
Letter from the Editor
Letters to the Editor
The Workhorse: 1975 Chevrolet C10 Stepside
Photos from the Attic
Books in the Bed: Reviews by Robert Gabrick
Aid for the Anxious Amateur: Keeping Oil Clean
Classifieds
Show Guide
Granny Gear: South of the Border (El Salvador Way)

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