Most Insane Dodge Power Wagon Out There Has a Hellephant-Spec Engine and Suicide Doors

For all intents and purposes this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas was one that will be remembered for a long time. It seems that those taking part didn’t hold back on anything, and they came to the floor of the Convention Center with the best weapons in their arsenal. If I were to choose my favorite build from the 2024 SEMA, though, then it would certainly be the 1962 Dodge Power Wagon we have here.
The stunning truck broke cover this week as one of the most insane builds of its kind out there. It is a design imagined by TV personality Colby Donaldson, made real by an Ohio-based builder called SugarCreek, and meant to benefit a charity run by another TV personality, Mike Rowe.

You may be inclined to believe that the statement I made earlier, the one saying this is the most insane Dodge Power Wagon out there, might be a bit of a stretch. Well, read on and judge for yourself.

You see, the truck is not a single platform, but was put together with bits and pieces coming from no less than five other Dodges. All of them were slapped onto a  four-wheel-drive chassis coming from a late-model Dodge RAM, and gifted with the best there is in terms of mechanical bits.

I’ll start with the engine, naturally, because even if you don’t get to admire it as easily as you do the truck’s body, it is the most important element fitted on the thing. So, we’re dealing with a supercharged HEMI V8 that displaces 426ci and is tied to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

This is no regular HEMI, as it works with a a J1 Motorsports direct-connection 3.0-liter IHI twin-screw supercharger, and that makes it a Hellephant-spec beast that can deliver over 1,000 horsepower to the wheels.

The wheels would be Black Rhino Abrams parts with a diameter of 18 inches, all of them wrapped in 37-inch Toyo tires. A Carli Dominator 3.0 suspension it what makes them move up and down and ensure a smooth ride.

The body of the Dodge probably looks so impressive because every single bit of metal that went into it was custom made. Completing the look is the functional bed at the rear, put together by M&M Fabrication.

Access to the interior is made possible by suicide doors, something we don’t get to see all that often on custom American trucks. Once opened, the doors reveal an interior in hand-crafted leather, Alcantara, and black microsuede on pretty much all surfaces, including the TMI seats.

The dashboard is where the builders installed a Dakota Digital gauge cluster and the controls for the Pioneer entertainment system.

As said, the truck was made to benefit a TV star’s charity, namely the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which, focuses on supporting skilled trades education. To do that, the Dodge will have to sell, and it will do so during the auction Barrett-Jackson is holding in mid-January in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The truck will be known from now on in the world of custom builds as the Project S.W.E.A.T., a term which stands for Skill and Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo. It will go in possession of its new owner complete with autographs by Mike Rowe, mikeroweWORKS logos on the bed and cab, full documentation, and an autographed start-to-finish photobook.