Somebody get P.E.T.T. on the phone, pronto!

That’s People for the Ethical Treatment of Trucks, in case ya didn’t know . . .

Anywho, we spied this example of Old Iron near our palatial offices the other day, and we were . . . well, frankly disgusted that any dignified truck owner could let such a fine ¾-ton project go to seed like this, abandoned as it was next to a dumpster (apparently it wouldn't fit inside) to be reclaimed by the elements. The ol’ Dodge---judging by the grille, it’s a ’91 to ’93 vintage, give or take---came with the factory-option 5.9L Cummins turbodiesel that was good at the time for some 375 ft-lb of torque, along with (most likely) the Getrag 360 5-speed grindbox and the preferred-by-us-with-all-gear-guts NP 205 transfer case. If this fella had plunked down a little more money for a 4WD model, he’d have gotten a stout Dana 60 front drive axle to go along with the model 70 that all W250s like this one had out back. This was one of our favorite work mules back in the day, and it just pains us to see something so venerable being subjected to this kind ritual abuse. Is there a Humane Society for truck owners we can call?

This almost looks like art to us. Fiberglass body panels, while pricey, do have their advantages.

Wheeler’s Rule # 3.1: Make sure all gear is safely stowed and secured before heading into the backcountry.

Good off-road tires are a must for any serious trail rig. Unfortunately, this truck doesn’t have them.