I live in the Baltimore area. I had a 1974 Sno Commander. The holes in the dash that Steve says were for light switches were actually for the plow controls. There were 2 pull levers for the plow, 1 for up & down, the other for power angle. My truck was a standard trans, 360 with the 205 transfer case and Dana axles. That truck was a beast
I concur, I have a 77 Power Wagon that someone put the entire Sno-Commander package on and it has two rods sticking thru the dash with knobs on them. And the plow light switch next to them. My truck has a 400 auto and 4.56 Dana's but no suregrips on either end. moparbens/ michigan
@@benjamincresswell3713 mine had 4:10’s with a 360 and no sure grip. I remember having the plow on it, truck in 2 wheel drive and not being able to get out of my iced over driveway. Truck was still a tank and more than paid for it self. Made some good money in the late ‘80s plowing. Here in the mid Atlantic we don’t have the winters we once did
dunno how he missed that. Plow setup was mostly an off the shelf Meyers with Mopar pump and manual spool valve factory installed. In later years it was snow commander on a/w 100s and rocked.
I'm from Canada and I remember lots of Fargo trucks on the road. If I'm not mistaken, they were sold at Plymouth dealers to give them a separate truck brand apart from Dodge much like GMC trucks were sold at Pontiac / Buick dealers.
In the 50s they did and possibly even into the 60s as well. Can't be sure about that. GMC had their own line of engines (many people don't know that) which consisted of some pretty large V6s but also used Pontiac and even a few Oldsmobile V8s.@@douglash3129
I was glad to hear from your friends at the Mecum Auto auction yesterday...they gave you a shout out ...saying that they were hoping to see you back soon! Glad to see your steady recovery .
WELCOME BACK STEVE!!!!!IT IS GREAT TO SEE YOU AT THE JUNKYARD AGAIN!!!!!!! I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL. I ALWAYS LEARN SOME THING NEW. PLEASE CONTINUE TO SPEAK YOUR TRUTH.
This brings back memories, I bought a w 200 snow commander back in 98. It was a 1978 with 400 big block. I used it for work truck, then parted it out. Mine had the king pin Dana 60 front axle also. But it had the 203 transfer case.
I think those holes in the dash that you said were for lights were actually for the plow control, two push pull type for lift/lower/float and power angle. Edit: Hope for a soon recovery. I wish I could come talk about cars with you. I’m just waiting to crack open my fathers old ford 1966 factory manuals for cars. I’m glad I ended up with the coveted parts catalog for 1954-1968 ford off road only use.
Bought the plow, plow frame, pump, valve, lines, the whole shebang off a 77 Sno Fiter for $200, has lived for 20 years on my '84 F250, most faithful. Trouble free rig ever. Welcome back, Steve.
Oh my god Steve! My dad used to have a 74 Dodge W250 Sno Fiter.... Right up until I crashed it into a tree, and had to be rescued with the jaws of life. LofingL😂 Thanks brother, I love you.
Steve, hope you're feeling better! That hole and plug behind the drivers door was not the fuel filler. That's an abandoned hole for a full size CB antenna! The center hole is not nearly large enough to be a filler neck. The 3 hole pattern was universal on the stainless steel ball mounts for full length quarter wave CB antennas. (107")
I remember seeing tons of these in Michigan back in the 70's. By all accounts great plow trucks. Among the toughest duty you can put a pickup into. I'm surprised that Ram never replicated it.
Dodge ram could not replicate this truck in volume after 1978. Lee Iaocaca got a government bail out loan. They were facing bankruptcy. Chrysler even had to destroy all their molds for big block engines as part of the deal. That is why Dodge designed the V10 in the early 2000s. They could never build another big block V8. These trucks would not meet cafe fuel mileage standards by the mid 80s.
I had a buddy who drove his old Sno-Commander from Michigan to Florida when he moved there for work. It looked pretty funny tooling around down there. He got rid of it quickly. It was not a great FL vehicle and definitely on its last leg.
I am a car-guy that loves ancient cars. My toy right now is a '66 Chevy. I know ancient trucks by reputation: I know they existed and I am aware a fossil record must exist. But I never thought I'd find learning about them fascinating. Chin up and keep getting better, all good wishes from Norfolk CTY Mass.
Steve, I think the bed is more than “currently missing.” That implies it could return. I think it’s permanent at this point. 😆 Another interesting show!
I just bought a '73 Sno-Fiter off FB marketplace for cheap. The frame is surprisingly solid for its age. Some cab corner, fender, and door rot, but very fixable. The hood is rough and someone took the bed off it, just like this one you show. So I'll have to source them from somewhere. But it'll be a nice workhorse to add to my collection with the Dana 60s and 360 under the hood. The holes in dash are for the plow controls, and mine has the tank behind the seat. Great video, glad to see you on the mend. Keep them coming.
I don't (and would NEVER) live on the East coast. However, there were plenty of these trucks, along with their "Sno-Commander" cousins running around my area back in the day. I always thought that this style of Dodge trucks looked good. So much so that I actually bought and restored both a 1978 Lil Red and a 1979 Warlock II. They now live in harmony with my GM "square bodies", 2 V-8 Ford Rangers and 2006 F-250 FX4.
Aaah, memories of growing up in the rust belt, in my case Western New York. Wood flat bed because the original rusted out completely, along with the frame. Passenger door is blue, rotted out driver door is red. I briefly had one of these with a 318. Single digit MPG and spine pounding ride, but the reflective stripes were still bright.
Had a 73 D100 granny gear 4sp 83/4 sure grip 318 short narrow box Government auction $900 in 81 Daily driver till the mid 90s Loved that truck I never so much as took the valve covers off it Just used abused and sadly neglected it
I live in far northeastern Minnesota and the Dodge Sno Filter pick-ups were commonplace in my small town of 3500 to 4000 people with about a dozen of them being here.
I have a 76 Sno Commander. It’s been family owned since new. My truck is a W200 custom with 360 2bbl, NP435 and NP203. It has Dana 60 front and rear with no lockouts. AWD. 4.10s with open diffs as it came. It also came with a Meyers full hydraulic plow. The holes in the dash are where the control rods come through to operate the plow.
I remember the "Snow Commander" package Dodge trucks in my area (MN). I remember my dad buying a brand new 1985 Dodge W-150 Royal SE and a "Snow Commander" was sitting right next to it on the lot. ;)
Yeah I am familiar with this Dodge truck I seen them in the winter season being a native of Chicagoland growing up in the 1970s LOL !! The Dodges always stood out to me because Chevy/GMCs & Fords were the common go to trucks then you had Dodge & Jeep & I-H pickup trucks Glad to see you out of hospital & back in your element Steve
Hi Steve, glad to see you back! I hope you are OK now! When I was A youngin I always worked at service stations and the first time I plowed the lot was in a similar Dodge long bed. I can't remember if it was a sno-fiter or a Power Wagon . It sat up pretty high ,was a 4 SPD, FWD, strobe stripe, big aggressive tires and real low gears and it was red. Even in 2WD you could tell the gears were pretty low. We kept the truck immaculate, Nice Truck!👍👍
the 2 holes are actually for the rods that shift the hydraulic spool valve. you can see the plastic bushings in the holes that carried the rods which had yellow knobs about 1" d. the valve stack was mounted on the inner fender and the pump was a second ps pump mounted up high above the water pump. there was no ac available because of this and mopar actually had complete sets of engine brackets for a and b motors both w and w/o smog pump. they were the most involved of all bracket sets. these engine driven systems were monsters and had both pressure and flow regulation in the stack to chill them out. they went electric in 81.
Come on Steve, lots of these snowfighter plow trucks sold in CANADA. Don't forget us Canucks. We exist and we watch your videos too. My personal snow fighter I am trying to finish is a Cummins powered 1991 W35O with an 8 ft snowblower mounted on the front. It will drive the carbon cult crazy as it has a 6 cyl Hercules gen set on the flat deck to drive the 50 hp snowblower electric motor!
So much interesting stuff in the junkyard (as Steve always says!). There’s a humpback vehicle in front and to the side of the sno-fiter that looks intriguing. I can see how you could fall down a rabbit hole in that place!
Somehow, the posts are dropping out. Another video, another day closer..... For a full rundown, including the VIN, look at my previous response done when it posted the first time.
I bought 2 new sno-fiters, 74 & 76, I ordered the 76 in April and received it in May, the 440 was a $300 option over the 360. I went with the 360 because the 74 was a stick and a 318 and it got 9 MPG. When I ordered the 76 I knew it was gonna be full-time four-wheel-drive and I went with the load flight transmission, so I figured the MPG with the 440 would kill me. 72-74 door panels were steel, 75 was the 1st year for full time 4WD and front disc brakes Sno-fiter package actually started in 72 or 73, I had a 73 and on the door tag it had sno-fiter but no decal, the decals started in 74. Sno-fiter package also included, HD Springs, Shocks & increased cooling. Tires were the best traction tires aside from BFG mud terrains, they were General Super All Grips ( SAGS), only problem was that if you had them on in the spring, they were shot by the fall, (soft compound) boy did they sing, especially after a tire rotation. Chrysler had to give up the name Sno-fiter name because of a copyright infringement from the Walter truck company, they had a truck called the snow fighter. My 76 came through with the stripe, minus the sno-fiter wording. 77 was the name change to Sno Commander As others have said, those 2 holes are for the plow rods, the switch to the right of those 2 holes is the headlight switch to switch from Body to Plow lights. The full hydraulic system was a Chrysler design, Meyer only provided the Plow, early spool valves were prone to cracking, they were a 3 piece unit,the end plate was made of pot metal, and the bolts to mount the spool valve went through it, all of the weight of the spool valve hung on that plate, 77 or 78 they went with a one piece spool valve, problem solved. And it is a Power Wagon. Door handle on the car door is the same that is on the truck. BTW I still have the 76, retired it from plowing in 97.
@@genetownsend8847 Separate pump, power steering pump at 12 o’clock, plow pump at 5. Both 318 & 360, not sure of location on a big block. Plow pump was sealed as the system had an oversized reservoir ( 1 gallon ) on the driver side on top of the fender well. and the system called for power steering fluid, however, like some people do, they ran ATF. Me personally, I only use Mopar power steering fluid. The system had more power than electric over hydraulic type system, and I used the angle frequently to push myself back out of a situation.
Hi Stebe. Thank you for doing some Mopar stuff. IMO: The "Super Six" Slant Six would be a very capable engine in that rig. I have a a 77 pwr wgn w/ 400, auto, 4.56 axles & fulltime 4 wd. It gets 10mpg city and 12mpg hiway. I don't believe it's a Sno anything, but somebody else put the Sno-Commander blade PACKAGE on it. The original package including the auxiliary ps pump and rods thru the dash. With that 400 and those gears the only thing it can't pass is the gas station. It's too bad they didn't get off their asses and put the Super Six together befor 77 because it would easily push all the snow you want to push in my 77 pwr wgn w/ those 4.56 Dana's and deliver some serious better mpg doing it. I own 4 Slants right now, one in a 69 Dart *(mint) one in a 72 Gold Duster *(mint w/ less than 10K on it) and another in an 81 Diplomat. The Dippy has a Hydraulic Tappet Slant which is way cool, no rocker clatter ever. Plus, I have the Super Six engine from my 77 Volare' lying on the ground out there in the backyard. My 77 pwr wgn fulltime 4 wheel drive is great and I have enough experience w/ it plowing snow and pulling a slide in camper and a car hauler trailer and driving my 77 Volare' Super Six pulling a Dart GTS to the drag strip to say, the "Super Six" would do the job for sure in that truck. Now, one time I pulled a Volare' on my trailer w/ the camper on AND the plow up front too. In that case the Super Six might struggle on some good, long hills, but for around town sheesh, it'd do it w/ ease. Stopping it is a whole nother story. If the trailer brakes failed or the trailer tires hit loose gravel on the pavement or somehow lost traction and something pops up, start looking for a place to go, cuz you are NOT going to stop it. I can be reached at y a h o o mail under the name moparbens if you'd care to know about the cars. OK. Fine Business moparbens/ michigan
I had a 1978 ford f250 that i had bought from the original owner of a tree nursery. The truck had the snow commander package ( dana 60 front, np203 full time t-case, 351m and c6 auto) had a meyer brand plow on it also.
Because of who it’s for I’ve watched the ad for the new Apple Vision Pro for what I think was the 4th time. That is one long ad, but I assume they are paid on that. Might even buy one now. None the less, happy to see Steve out and moving around. The videos are great and always will be. Thank you.
The holes are for the T-handle "Raise" and "Angle" controls. One would be red and the other black. This is how the plow was controlled. The lights were in another location. This was before a plow remote or combined angle / lift controller. Old Fisher and Meyers (which is what this looks like) had similar controls. They were similar to equipment hydraulics.
My best friend in senior year of highschool stumbled across a rusted out 79 dodge adventurer w200 gold metallic with a blue pinstripe just under the Sno Commander decal stripe I'm sure that was added especially since even the interior was gold
I ended up putting manual hubs on my 2005 Cummins Dodge. The axle U joints last a lot longer and I probably get a mile or two better fuel mileage and it has made backing trailers much easier when I stick it in Four low without locking the hubs. I don't know why they went away other than people are just to lazy anymore. Back then you didn't need diesels. Gas was cheaper then and big blocks where available for all.
Those holes in the dash were actually for the hydraulic controls for the plow I had a 72 w200 snowfighter 360 4 Barrel and it used a western system with a extra power steering pump that ran the Hydraulics for the plow.
Actually, Mr Magnante, i lived, grew up in michigan, and i remember the Dodge Sno-Fighters very well. my dad was a Process Engineer for Chrysler Corp, working out of the Outer Drive Stamping Plant then. they werent just in the new england areas as you stated in your video. Please get well soon, Sir!
Praying for complete healing for you Steve. We LOVE your channel. Your knowledge is incomparable!
I live in the Baltimore area. I had a 1974 Sno Commander. The holes in the dash that Steve says were for light switches were actually for the plow controls. There were 2 pull levers for the plow, 1 for up & down, the other for power angle.
My truck was a standard trans, 360 with the 205 transfer case and Dana axles. That truck was a beast
I concur, I have a 77 Power Wagon that someone put the entire Sno-Commander package on and it has two rods sticking thru the dash with knobs on them. And the plow light switch next to them. My truck has a 400 auto and 4.56 Dana's but no suregrips on either end. moparbens/ michigan
@@benjamincresswell3713 mine had 4:10’s with a 360 and no sure grip. I remember having the plow on it, truck in 2 wheel drive and not being able to get out of my iced over driveway.
Truck was still a tank and more than paid for it self. Made some good money in the late ‘80s plowing.
Here in the mid Atlantic we don’t have the winters we once did
Aggressive snow tires lol
dunno how he missed that. Plow setup was mostly an off the shelf Meyers with Mopar pump and manual spool valve factory installed. In later years it was snow commander on a/w 100s and rocked.
I had the same issue
My truck was set up the same way
Hey Steve,
Holy moly Sunday,
Thinking the best for you and your health.
I'm from Canada and I remember lots of Fargo trucks on the road. If I'm not mistaken, they were sold at Plymouth dealers to give them a separate truck brand apart from Dodge much like GMC trucks were sold at Pontiac / Buick dealers.
Hey, didn't GMC's have Pontiac Power even in the States?
In the 50s they did and possibly even into the 60s as well. Can't be sure about that. GMC had their own line of engines (many people don't know that) which consisted of some pretty large V6s but also used Pontiac and even a few Oldsmobile V8s.@@douglash3129
@@douglash3129yes the early one's were poncho powered
I was glad to hear from your friends at the Mecum Auto auction yesterday...they gave you a shout out ...saying that they were hoping to see you back soon! Glad to see your steady recovery .
Glad you're feeling better, Steve. 🙂
Thank you kindly
@@SteveMagnanteGet back to work! You have spent enough time “Loafing Around “. We miss you, and I’ll keep praying for your full recovery.
I remember seeing one of these at Stanford gas station in Michigan in the 70s when I was a kid. Had a Holmes Tow hook on it also. Quite the rig 😊😊
keep on trucking 🤓❤️
Always!
The plum crazy color intrigues me, regardless of car model.
WELCOME BACK STEVE!!!!!IT IS GREAT TO SEE YOU AT THE JUNKYARD AGAIN!!!!!!! I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL. I ALWAYS LEARN SOME THING NEW. PLEASE CONTINUE TO SPEAK YOUR TRUTH.
I don't think he's back yet....
It's a rerun
This brings back memories, I bought a w 200 snow commander back in 98. It was a 1978 with 400 big block. I used it for work truck, then parted it out. Mine had the king pin Dana 60 front axle also. But it had the 203 transfer case.
I think those holes in the dash that you said were for lights were actually for the plow control, two push pull type for lift/lower/float and power angle.
Edit: Hope for a soon recovery. I wish I could come talk about cars with you. I’m just waiting to crack open my fathers old ford 1966 factory manuals for cars. I’m glad I ended up with the coveted parts catalog for 1954-1968 ford off road only use.
Bought the plow, plow frame, pump, valve, lines, the whole shebang off a 77 Sno Fiter for $200, has lived for 20 years on my '84 F250, most faithful. Trouble free rig ever. Welcome back, Steve.
We had the SNO-FITER here in Pennsylvania too. Really nice package.
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you back in the Junkyard soon
I had a 74 Plymouth Trail Duster with a 360 as a plow truck, it was a beast and almost magical in how quickly it could make gasoline disappear!
My father had a 1/2 ton like this with the 360. I can only imagine what a big block V8 would guzzle. Lol
This would make Mr. Plow proud.
Oh my god Steve! My dad used to have a 74 Dodge W250 Sno Fiter....
Right up until I crashed it into a tree, and had to be rescued with the jaws of life. LofingL😂 Thanks brother, I love you.
Steve, hope you're feeling better! That hole and plug behind the drivers door was not the fuel filler. That's an abandoned hole for a full size CB antenna! The center hole is not nearly large enough to be a filler neck. The 3 hole pattern was universal on the stainless steel ball mounts for full length quarter wave CB antennas. (107")
I remember seeing tons of these in Michigan back in the 70's. By all accounts great plow trucks. Among the toughest duty you can put a pickup into. I'm surprised that Ram never replicated it.
Dodge ram could not replicate this truck in volume after 1978. Lee Iaocaca got a government bail out loan. They were facing bankruptcy. Chrysler even had to destroy all their molds for big block engines as part of the deal. That is why Dodge designed the V10 in the early 2000s. They could never build another big block V8. These trucks would not meet cafe fuel mileage standards by the mid 80s.
Snow. Watch out.... Steve is back and the snow is moving!
I had a buddy who drove his old Sno-Commander from Michigan to Florida when he moved there for work. It looked pretty funny tooling around down there. He got rid of it quickly. It was not a great FL vehicle and definitely on its last leg.
I am a car-guy that loves ancient cars. My toy right now is a '66 Chevy. I know ancient trucks by reputation: I know they existed and I am aware a fossil record must exist. But I never thought I'd find learning about them fascinating.
Chin up and keep getting better, all good wishes from Norfolk CTY Mass.
Seen this one before but watched again hope your feeling better I miss your vids in the morning before work and waiting to play the hubcap game soon
Steve, I think the bed is more than “currently missing.” That implies it could return. I think it’s permanent at this point. 😆 Another interesting show!
So bakers have a dozen, now we have a Steve week which so far is 12 days and I'm ok with that as long as the great content keeps coming!
😂 keep em coming
That’s the most well behaved dog I’ve ever seen. Get back soon Steve. You are missed.
Thanks for a great job. I've still got the '89 Sno Comander I drove off the lot.
I saw them in IL too. They sacrificed themselves to the salt as they fought the snow.
I just bought a '73 Sno-Fiter off FB marketplace for cheap. The frame is surprisingly solid for its age. Some cab corner, fender, and door rot, but very fixable. The hood is rough and someone took the bed off it, just like this one you show. So I'll have to source them from somewhere. But it'll be a nice workhorse to add to my collection with the Dana 60s and 360 under the hood.
The holes in dash are for the plow controls, and mine has the tank behind the seat.
Great video, glad to see you on the mend. Keep them coming.
I don't (and would NEVER) live on the East coast. However, there were plenty of these trucks, along with their "Sno-Commander" cousins running around my area back in the day.
I always thought that this style of Dodge trucks looked good. So much so that I actually bought and restored both a 1978 Lil Red and a 1979 Warlock II. They now live in harmony with my GM "square bodies", 2 V-8 Ford Rangers and 2006 F-250 FX4.
Aaah, memories of growing up in the rust belt, in my case Western New York. Wood flat bed because the original rusted out completely, along with the frame. Passenger door is blue, rotted out driver door is red. I briefly had one of these with a 318. Single digit MPG and spine pounding ride, but the reflective stripes were still bright.
Had a 73 D100 granny gear 4sp 83/4 sure grip 318 short narrow box Government auction $900 in 81 Daily driver till the mid 90s Loved that truck I never so much as took the valve covers off it Just used abused and sadly neglected it
Great Video I love the old Iron.
Old Trucks Rule.
Right on
I live in far northeastern Minnesota and the Dodge Sno Filter pick-ups were commonplace in my small town of 3500 to 4000 people with about a dozen of them being here.
I have a 76 Sno Commander. It’s been family owned since new. My truck is a W200 custom with 360 2bbl, NP435 and NP203. It has Dana 60 front and rear with no lockouts. AWD. 4.10s with open diffs as it came. It also came with a Meyers full hydraulic plow. The holes in the dash are where the control rods come through to operate the plow.
Your truck has the best combo.
Love how the purple door takes his attention! True car lover! Get well Steve!
I had the 1978 model they called it a Snow commander I think they change the name in the mid 70s.
Late 76
I always love hearing about all of the interesting Chrysler packages back in the day. The Macho, The Warlock, etc. Pretty neat stuff.
Binged about 50 unmatched Steve videos today.
Good Stuff!
I remember the "Snow Commander" package Dodge trucks in my area (MN). I remember my dad buying a brand new 1985 Dodge W-150 Royal SE and a "Snow Commander" was sitting right next to it on the lot. ;)
Yeah I am familiar with this Dodge truck I seen them in the winter season being a native of Chicagoland growing up in the 1970s LOL !! The Dodges always stood out to me because Chevy/GMCs & Fords were the common go to trucks then you had Dodge & Jeep & I-H pickup trucks Glad to see you out of hospital & back in your element Steve
Hi Steve, glad to see you back! I hope you are OK now! When I was A youngin I always worked at service stations and the first time I plowed the lot was in a similar Dodge long bed. I can't remember if it was a sno-fiter or a Power Wagon . It sat up pretty high ,was a 4 SPD, FWD, strobe stripe, big aggressive tires and real low gears and it was red. Even in 2WD you could tell the gears were pretty low. We kept the truck immaculate, Nice Truck!👍👍
Steve posts, I watch.
the 2 holes are actually for the rods that shift the hydraulic spool valve. you can see the plastic bushings in the holes that carried the rods which had yellow knobs about 1" d. the valve stack was mounted on the inner fender and the pump was a second ps pump mounted up high above the water pump. there was no ac available because of this and mopar actually had complete sets of engine brackets for a and b motors both w and w/o smog pump. they were the most involved of all bracket sets. these engine driven systems were monsters and had both pressure and flow regulation in the stack to chill them out. they went electric in 81.
Dodge W200 Snow- Fiter 👍
In my 1980 snow commander the holes in the dash was were the plow controls were.
He’s back… thats the best thing happening on TH-cam 👏🏽
Mr. B. Here ! 🍔🍺👀😎👍. Goody more truck video and more information ! 👍👍👍
Come on Steve, lots of these snowfighter plow trucks sold in CANADA. Don't forget us Canucks. We exist and we watch your videos too.
My personal snow fighter I am trying to finish is a Cummins powered 1991 W35O with an 8 ft snowblower mounted on the front. It will drive the carbon cult crazy as it has a 6 cyl Hercules gen set on the flat deck to drive the 50 hp snowblower electric motor!
THESE WERE THE NICEST TRUCKS EVER MADE FROM DODGE..BEST WITH A BIGG BLOCK.
Big block??? Really shitty gas mileage
I had two of the w series a 75 and a 76…neither were snofiter models, 318’s….wish I still had them…
So much interesting stuff in the junkyard (as Steve always says!). There’s a humpback vehicle in front and to the side of the sno-fiter that looks intriguing. I can see how you could fall down a rabbit hole in that place!
Somehow, the posts are dropping out. Another video, another day closer.....
For a full rundown, including the VIN, look at my previous response done when it posted the first time.
I have a 78 sno commander. Need a lot of love but is all there! It's my next project truck
I bought 2 new
sno-fiters, 74 & 76,
I ordered the 76 in April and received it in May, the 440 was a $300 option over the 360. I went with the 360 because the 74 was a stick and a 318 and it got 9 MPG.
When I ordered the 76 I knew it was gonna be full-time four-wheel-drive and I went with the load flight transmission, so I figured the MPG with the 440 would kill me.
72-74 door panels were steel, 75 was the 1st year for full time 4WD and front disc brakes
Sno-fiter package actually started in 72 or 73, I had a 73 and on the door tag it had sno-fiter but no decal, the decals started in 74.
Sno-fiter package also included, HD Springs, Shocks & increased cooling.
Tires were the best traction tires aside from BFG mud terrains, they were
General Super All Grips ( SAGS), only problem was that if you had them on in the spring, they were shot by the fall, (soft compound) boy did they sing, especially after a tire rotation.
Chrysler had to give up the name Sno-fiter name because of a copyright infringement from the Walter truck company, they had a truck called the snow fighter.
My 76 came through with the stripe, minus the sno-fiter wording.
77 was the name change to Sno Commander
As others have said, those 2 holes are for the plow rods, the switch to the right of those 2 holes is the headlight switch to switch from Body to Plow lights.
The full hydraulic system was a Chrysler design, Meyer only provided the Plow, early spool valves were prone to cracking, they were a 3 piece unit,the end plate was made of pot metal, and the bolts to mount the spool valve went through it, all of the weight of the spool valve hung on that plate, 77 or 78 they went with a one piece spool valve, problem solved.
And it is a Power Wagon.
Door handle on the car door is the same that is on the truck.
BTW I still have the 76, retired it from plowing in 97.
Did the hydraulic system share the pump with the power steering? I seem to recall hearing that back in the day.
@@genetownsend8847
Separate pump, power steering pump at 12 o’clock, plow pump at 5.
Both 318 & 360, not sure of location on a big block.
Plow pump was sealed as the system had an oversized reservoir ( 1 gallon ) on the driver side on top of the fender well. and the system called for power steering fluid, however, like some people do, they ran ATF.
Me personally, I only use Mopar power steering fluid.
The system had more power than electric over hydraulic type system, and I used the angle frequently to push myself back out of a situation.
Hi Stebe. Thank you for doing some Mopar stuff. IMO: The "Super Six" Slant Six would be a very capable engine in that rig. I have a a 77 pwr wgn w/ 400, auto, 4.56 axles & fulltime 4 wd. It gets 10mpg city and 12mpg hiway. I don't believe it's a Sno anything, but somebody else put the Sno-Commander blade PACKAGE on it. The original package including the auxiliary ps pump and rods thru the dash. With that 400 and those gears the only thing it can't pass is the gas station. It's too bad they didn't get off their asses and put the Super Six together befor 77 because it would easily push all the snow you want to push in my 77 pwr wgn w/ those 4.56 Dana's and deliver some serious better mpg doing it. I own 4 Slants right now, one in a 69 Dart *(mint) one in a 72 Gold Duster *(mint w/ less than 10K on it) and another in an 81 Diplomat. The Dippy has a Hydraulic Tappet Slant which is way cool, no rocker clatter ever. Plus, I have the Super Six engine from my 77 Volare' lying on the ground out there in the backyard. My 77 pwr wgn fulltime 4 wheel drive is great and I have enough experience w/ it plowing snow and pulling a slide in camper and a car hauler trailer and driving my 77 Volare' Super Six pulling a Dart GTS to the drag strip to say, the "Super Six" would do the job for sure in that truck. Now, one time I pulled a Volare' on my trailer w/ the camper on AND the plow up front too. In that case the Super Six might struggle on some good, long hills, but for around town sheesh, it'd do it w/ ease. Stopping it is a whole nother story. If the trailer brakes failed or the trailer tires hit loose gravel on the pavement or somehow lost traction and something pops up, start looking for a place to go, cuz you are NOT going to stop it. I can be reached at y a h o o mail under the name moparbens if you'd care to know about the cars. OK. Fine Business moparbens/ michigan
It would buff out fine!
I had a 1978 ford f250 that i had bought from the original owner of a tree nursery. The truck had the snow commander package ( dana 60 front, np203 full time t-case, 351m and c6 auto) had a meyer brand plow on it also.
Cool 😎
Love the Mopars
Old ones
Oh yes @@gman77gas
I've seen a slant six snowfighter but it was in a Plymouth Trail Duster.
we saw a lot of those in minnesota over the years.
In Wisconsin we had the Snow Commander and it came with a Meyers Snow plow.
Because of who it’s for I’ve watched the ad for the new Apple Vision Pro for what I think was the 4th time. That is one long ad, but I assume they are paid on that. Might even buy one now. None the less, happy to see Steve out and moving around. The videos are great and always will be. Thank you.
National Park Service had some in snow country.
The Nissan diesel was an indirect injected, naturally aspirated 4.0 liter I6 with 100 horsepower..about like a 225 Slant Six.
glad youre back steve. hope all is well.
Neighbor had one in green! Great truck!
I’ve had 2 1979 D150 trucks and both had the Dodge Fargo DeSoto tag.
Another great truck episode Steve!👍
Thank you for all you do stay healthy and strong
Feel better Steve. God Bless...
Steve our dealership supplied and installed Western plows for the lot and would continually sell and replace as the winter progressed...
❤ My dad had a Dodge crew camp with a 318 up.
The holes are for the T-handle "Raise" and "Angle" controls. One would be red and the other black. This is how the plow was controlled. The lights were in another location. This was before a plow remote or combined angle / lift controller. Old Fisher and Meyers (which is what this looks like) had similar controls. They were similar to equipment hydraulics.
Thanks Steve Good friend in School drove one of these, thing was a Tank.
Thanks for sharing this
Called sno commander later..
Nope
Snow commander. 1979 and on up
77 up
My best friend in senior year of highschool stumbled across a rusted out 79 dodge adventurer w200 gold metallic with a blue pinstripe just under the Sno Commander decal stripe I'm sure that was added especially since even the interior was gold
In the 70s, the US military bought a bunch of the w200 trucks. I drove one when I was in the Army as a Military Police vehicle.
I ended up putting manual hubs on my 2005 Cummins Dodge. The axle U joints last a lot longer and I probably get a mile or two better fuel mileage and it has made backing trailers much easier when I stick it in Four low without locking the hubs. I don't know why they went away other than people are just to lazy anymore. Back then you didn't need diesels. Gas was cheaper then and big blocks where available for all.
hope you're getting better every day, continued prayers!
Thanks Steve!!
Those holes in the dash were actually for the hydraulic controls for the plow I had a 72 w200 snowfighter 360 4 Barrel and it used a western system with a extra power steering pump that ran the Hydraulics for the plow.
Sno fiter system was a Chrysler design, I called Meyer in Ohio and they confirmed this to me.
Meyer only provided the plows
Actually, Mr Magnante, i lived, grew up in michigan, and i remember the Dodge Sno-Fighters very well. my dad was a Process Engineer for Chrysler Corp, working out of the Outer Drive Stamping Plant then. they werent just in the new england areas as you stated in your video.
Please get well soon, Sir!
He said and other snowy areas
I factory ordred a 76 Ramcharger 4×4. It was fabulous
Cool truck.
neighbor has one , never started right, he would crank that gear reduction starter for 30 minutes straight to start it every time!!!! 😂😂😂😂
In 1974 that truck was sold when gas was 60 cents a gallon. Driving a truck like that today is not even affordable. 10 MPG tops
Rust was Dodge’s Achilles heel for many years, especially in the 70’s. They did build a great looking truck though!
growing up in mass i recall seeing these things but had no idea they were so comprehensively built.
This was built before the days of Lee Iaocaca working for Chrysler. He did away with all of these gas guzzlers in his government bailout.
In 🇦🇺our 318 Fire 🔥 Ball VAliants had 230 hp 🇦🇺👍🏻. Good on you Dodge 👍🏻.
Good history
Great video Steve Keep feeling better Love Rick and Susan White 🤍🤍🤍
I had a 79. It had a 360 with a four speed. The plow controls were in those 2 holes. The salt ruined the truck.
Another awesome video Steve! Thank you! 😎👍
My W250Doddge was called a Sno commander 1984 a beast plowing snow with chains on rear tires in lo rrange
Love it brother. You keep fighting to man !
Cool stuff for sure and i hope your doing better steve thanks for sharing this!
Breaks my heart to see that rotting away.