Reo is going places in 1938
I couldn’t help but post this also, it’s an ad from the magazine the Bonneville article (below) came from (October 1937 Automobile Trade Journal). Check out the windshield, the roof doesn’t even need to be chopped.
Click image for larger view.
Do any of these exist today? Googling didn’t turn any up right away, but I did find this 1938 4 door ex-forestry fire truck (what a great tow vehicle). A company apparently makes a model of the streamlined moving van pictured above. I wonder how hard it would be to make one from scratch…I mean, lots people make little teardrop campers. The sides on this are flat, you could use aluminum or fiberglass over foam. Maybe use a 1-ton 4x4 truck chassis and a straight 4 or 6 turbo diesel, an nv4500 5 spd and ranger splitter. You’d have a great camper/tow vehicle. I love the semi-coe look, not a true cab-over where you lose the streamlining and style, but a shorter hood than a regular truck.
It’s a good thought, using a 4x4 chassis for a recreation of this truck. But, given what it would be used for, you might be better off if you could find the original blueprints and get a chassis shop to build a proper frame for it, with appropriate mods.
As to the engine, (since I’m a trucker, I’m biased), IIRC, they used either Packard or Cadillac big blocks, (i.e., 12-16 cylinder beasts) for heavy duty trucks. You’d almost have to go with a Cat C15, maybe 475 horse. (You’d also need earplugs for every time you fired it up…) OTOH, maybe a Ford Diesel would work better.
Hell, if I had the money, I’d give it a shot myself.
Comment by Roadtoad — August 15, 2006 @ 8:33 pm
I’m looking for 1937 reo pickup paint colors
Comment by Stuart — September 3, 2008 @ 11:24 pm