Sheldon Endy of Walnutport, PA first bought this 1946 Dodge WFM 35 in the early 1970s. All he needed was a right-hand side windshield wiper motor for his 1947 Dodge pickup, but the owner insisted he take the whole truck for $25. He stored the 1946 Dodge in a friend’s barn after he removed the wiper motor – he had no intention of restoring the Dodge because Mack trucks are his first love. A few years later, he sold the Dodge to a man who never came back to pick it up. Two years later, Sheldon sold it again, but bought it back when that buyer got divorced shortly after and couldn’t keep the truck. Buyer number three purchased the Dodge in 1982, but called Sheldon five years later when he lost the lease on the garage where the truck was stored and offered it back to him at no cost. So, for the fourth time, Sheldon was the owner of the 1946 Dodge. In 1989, he decided to restore the Dodge since he seemed destined to keep it. His favorite hobby is the equipment that moved railroad circuses from the 1920s to the mid-1950s, so he decided to restore the Dodge as a railroad circus water truck. The restoration became a two-year project – Sheldon did the mechanical work with help from a friend who did the body and paint work. The two-ton cabover has a four-speed manual transmission with a single-speed, full floating hypoid rear differential, a six-volt electrical system, and the 7.50 x 20 tires rest on a 107-inch long wheelbase. Since the restoration was completed, Sheldon has displayed his circus truck at many truck and car shows. It appears that this unique old Dodge truck has finally found a permanent home! For more weird and wonderful old time trucks, visit www.oldtimetrucks.org today.
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John & Shirley Sponholtz
John & Shirley Sponholtz have been involved with old trucks for over 20 years. Shirley was editor at Wheels of Time for 12 years before going out on her own and starting Old Time Trucks magazine in 2004. John is an avid photographer who enjoys taking pictures of odd and/or rare trucks (he provides most of the pictures for this article and their magazine). John & Shirley, who are from Richmond, Indiana, have been regular contributors to 10-4 Magazine since 2006.