Posted by Clint Dixon [74.206.62.210] on Thursday, December 25, 2014 at 11:20:42 :
I have been reading through Phil's archives, reviewing the hundreds of posts where Deluxe Cab options were discussed. Based upon the previous threads, personal observations of others, and from options found on the trucks I have personally owned, I may have narrowed down what defines a Deluxe Cab as far as WDX-WM300 model Power-Wagons are concerned.
First off, I think we can safely list the available options for the truck as follows (though not necessarily all of these were available throughout all the years of production):
Winch
Draw bar
Transmission mounted PTO
Tail shaft
Belt pulley drive
Mechanical governor
Radiator overflow tank
High output generator
Dual horns
Oil filter
High capacity spring packs
4.89:1 gearing for use in conjunction with 7:50x16 tires
Passenger side tail light
Rear shock absorbers
Power steering
Power brake booster
And those specific to the cab:
Leather seat cover
Air-ride seat
Dome light
Arm rests
Sun visors
Vent wing windows
Floor mats
Dual windshield wipers
Electric windshield wiper motors
Chrome windshield frame
Interior rear view mirror
Dual external mirrors
Adjustable arm external mirrors
Depending upon the year of production, some of the items in the above two lists may have more correctly been considered MoPAR accessories, dealer installed accessories, or Special Equipment Group options. Some may have migrated over time from earlier being considered "accessories" to later being available as "options". Turn signals would be a good example of this trend. Items such as the following, I feel would have been considered accessories (whether MoPAR or other, regardless of the year of availability):
Cab heater
Spot lights
Fog lights
Flat bed/stake bed
3-point hitch
Cigar lighter
Ash tray
Under hood light
Other unique equipment and attachments commonly found only in Special Equipment manuals
I may have unintentionally left some items off of one or more of these three lists.
Three of my early trucks (1947-1948) were found without: dome light, leather seat cover, arm rests, sun visors, electric wipers, vent wing windows (though all had the correct door stampings to accept vent wing windows). One of these did have the air-ride seat and floor mats. All three had dual vacuum windshield wipers.
I would consider all three of these early trucks to have been ordered with the Standard Cab.
Three of the later trucks I have owned (1949-1956) had vent wing windows, air-ride seats, floor mats, arm rests, sun visors, and dome lights. One of these had electric windshield wiper motors and a cigar lighter. I would consider all three of these trucks to have been ordered with the Deluxe Cab.
None of the trucks I have ever owned had the chrome windshield frame, ash tray, or dual non-adjustable outside mirrors.
So in summation, if a truck is found with none of the above listed cab options, I think it can safely be considered a Standard Cab truck. If it is found with all of the listed cab options, it can safely be considered a Deluxe Cab truck. Some combination in between these extremes - it could go either way and is probably a result of the particular year the truck was made and what just happened to be available as far as options at that time.
Junior
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