By Fuelish Media
The only problem with fully customized Dodge trucks is that there aren’t enough of them out there. Sure, there’s a sea full of Chevy and Ford pickups, with specialized events dedicated to both throughout the country, but where do the Mopar truck guys fit in? Of course, there are plenty of shows that welcome models of all badges to intermingle, but even still, sightings of classic Dodge haulers are few and far between.
Charles Utts of Camarillo, California, understands this issue all too well. He has owned his 1977 Dodge Power Wagon pickup since he was in high school (he is now 63 years young). It was the first vehicle he ever purchased, and it’s quite possibly one of his favorites he has owned throughout the years, which is saying a lot! “I’ve raced oval track for 19 years, so most of my builds have been race cars,” Charles says proudly. “I’ve won one championship at Ventura Raceway on dirt and two championships at the Mesa Marin Raceway on asphalt; I’ve raced at Irwindale Speedway, Tucson Raceway Park, and some others as well. When it came time to play around with my Dodge truck again, all I really wanted to do was restore it to its original condition. Oops, I guess I got carried away!”
The truck you see now has been a slow process to get to this point—one that started back in 2001. When Charles started his family, his Dodge ended up sitting in storage until he dug it out to put it back the way he had it in high school. “I got the frame powdercoated, and the body painted, which is the same paint on it now,” he says. “Unfortunately, the gentleman building my engine went out of business, but he made good on the money I had given him. Even still, I had lost my will to continue the build during that time.”
The truck sat again until 2022, when a neighbor asked why Charles was trying to build it as a 4WD again. That piqued his interest. Charles had run out of space in his garage and was faced with two options: He could throw one of his old race engines, a Chevy 350, into the Dodge or use some of the recouped money to hire Brian Finch at Finch Performance in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, to convert it to 2WD. “[Finch] didn’t like my 350 idea, but he did find a 2018 Hellcat engine with harness for $10,000 in his neck of the woods,” Charles laughs. “[Finch] said my truck deserved that engine, although it would require the blessing from my wife, Kristen, since she was the lady paying the bills.”
Luckily for Charles, Kristen gave him her approval with one caveat—Finch had to make the truck run. Dumbfounded, Charles said that he would give him a call to see what he could do—already knowing that Finch would have no problem getting it moving again. The Dodge was quickly loaded up with a one-way ticket to Tennessee. Once the truck arrived, Finch began making some upgrades to the already-muscular Hellcat Redeye Jailbreak powerplant he sourced on Craigslist, like installing a smaller pulley on the supercharger, increasing the injectors, mounting 3-inch Hedman headers, and creating a custom exhaust system to expel spent fumes. A Bowler T56 six-speed manual transmission was selected due to Charles’ penchant for aggressive driving. All said and done, the engine was dyno’d at a whopping 950 hp with 875 lb-ft of torque—more than enough to make your head snap back.
The next phase of the project was centered around the truck’s chassis situation. Finch Performance offers its own full-custom frame—the Apex Predator. Charles was all-in for putting one under his Power Wagon, so Finch made it happen—complete with Detroit Speed front spindles up front and a four-link setup at the rear. A three-piece front sway bar was added to the mix, as was rack-and-pinion steering and Viking triple-adjustable coilovers at each corner. Baer big brake components were then gathered and assembled, and before Charles knew it, he had selected a set of 18×12 Forgeline wheels and BFGoodrich rubber to wrap them in.
While the DuPont red paint had already been handled two decades prior by Saticoy Auto Body in Saticoy, California, the bed floor was raised to compensate for the truck’s lower chassis clearance. The floor was promptly covered in Rhino Lining to properly finish it off. All that was left to do to the exterior was to drop in LMC Truck LED taillights and have Graphic Effects in Mt. Juliet work its magic with custom graphics applied strategically across the truck’s exterior.
The only next step was getting the interior scape all figured out, which Mike Ambrose was happy to assist with. The cab now houses TMI seats that were recovered in black leather and suede and custom matching door panels, center console, dash, and headliner. The MOMO steering wheel and gauges add a familiar dose of race-inspired styling, which Charles would get a huge kick out of upon his first scheduled in-person meetup with Finch and his newly finished Power Wagon.
“I had seen updates of my truck posted on Finch’s social media page, but I got emotional the day he presented it to me for the first time,” Charles admits. “This truck was my first love, and I could now share it with my family and friends. [Finch] and I left in the truck from his shop and caravanned to Texas Motor Speedway and raced it all weekend. I then drove it all the way back home to Ventura County. Currently, I am racing autocross with it and having a ball. Many people have asked if I would consider selling it. I don’t think they were serious, but my response is always the same. This truck will be with me the rest of my life.”
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
