That was an outstanding read... And it brought back memories. Circa 1973, I had a '66 Scout 800 that I almost traded on a lo-miles '54 USN surplus Willys wagon. I think it had been used as an airfield radio carrier... it was haze grey with a white top, and had a call-sign painted in large black letters & numbers on the roof. But even with the six cylinder flat-head, it was just plain geared too low & slow. IIRC, max was 55-60, and even that was at the price of hellacious screaming noises. Since I was commuting a fair distance, and it would have been my only ride, I had to pass on it.
Of course, that was before I had more than a vague understanding of the math behind taller tires & gearing, let alone the variety of gear sets and add-on OD's that would have been available even back then.
Thanks for touching off the memories... It also reminded me of a 'real' civvie Power Wagon with an original hemi that I test drove from the same lot....
Jim H.