I've seen this one before...but didn't know the story behind it.
"It was less than four years ago that Winslow Bent wasn't merely bent, he was broken. His job suddenly evaporated and, with no immediate prospects, it left Bent, as he describes it, "devastated."
Bent found a degree of solace in his garage, where he was restoring a Dodge Power Wagon, the first factory-built 4-x-4 pickup, an oversize rough and tough truck created for military service during World War II.
After the war, Power Wagons were domesticated, more or less, for use in forestry and other industries.
"What am I going to do now?" Bent asked his wife, Andrea.
"You're already doing it," she replied. "Just get an 'open' sign."
And thus was born Legacy Classic Trucks of Jackson, Wyo.
Bent was amazed when people stopped by his garage and asked about buying his restored trucks. Soon, he had had to hire help to keep up with the demand. He was astounded when he quickly got to the point that he needed to add a bookkeeper to the business, let alone the office manager he's added to the staff.
Today, Bent employs 14 people and has done more than two dozen Power Wagon restorations, vehicles that sell for $120,000 or more, sometimes much more.
Bent not only restores Power Wagons, but modernizes them for a customer base composed primarily of people who own ranches in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and other Western states, as well as in Canada and even New Zealand.
"Primarily, they are second-home owners who want something to complement their ranch," said Bent, who explained that while such buyers like the classic look of the workaday Power Wagon, they also demand a vehicle that can cruise comfortably and quietly down interstates.
Bent grew up near Chicago. His father collected classic cars, and Bent raced and restored cars when he wasn't studying business and communications at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.
Now, Bent scours fields in several states to find donor Power Wagons, sheetmetal shells discarded after being used by potato farmers, telephone companies, fire departments and others. He hauls them back to his shop in Jackson to begin their restoration and transformation.
Bodywork is restored and mounted on new chassis components and empowered by modern engines — gasoline or diesel (the Cummins turbo diesel version can run 75 miles per hour and average 23
miles per gallon
, Best said).
They get power steering and disc brakes and such and while the interior retains its classic appearance, it also gets leather and air conditioning and modern audio systems.
Yet, whether wearing regular or extended cabs or even four-door bodywork, the trucks remain very much ranch-capable
off-road vehicles with 100:1 reduction gearing and winches mounted front and rear.
As good as business has been, Bent has discovered that not everyone with a ranch necessarily wants a modernized Power Wagon, so he's expanding his offerings by doing similar restoration and modifications to other classic vehicles, including a Willys wagon and a vintage Chevrolet Suburban."
For information, visit the
www.legacypowerwagon.com.
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"Laid-off worker finds success in restoring, transforming vehicles"
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