This appealing REO Speedwagon is a great example of post-war Art Deco styling, coming from Ransom Eli Olds’ second act. After selling his Olds Motor Works to GM in 1908, the auto executive founded the REO Motor Car Company. While Olds was responsible for many innovations at the outset of his involvement in vehicle production, he encountered stiff competition after a few years in business as REO. Ford and GM were gobbling up market share with diverse offerings catering to a variety of buyers. Making cars wasn’t profitable enough, so in 1910, REO entered the heavy truck market, and in 1915, it introduced what was arguably the first purpose-built pickup, the Speedwagon. Speedy it wasn’t, but the idea was enough to boost REO’s fortunes, which remained buoyant until the Great Depression. Like a cat with nine lives, REO found ways to persist despite a few bouts of bankruptcy until its final merger with Diamond T eventually sank both companies. From the immediate post-war “streamliner” period, epitomizing forward progress, comes this 1948 1 1/2 ton REO Speedwagon project, advertised for $3800 here on craigslist. The truck can be hauled home from Elizabeth, Colorado. Thanks to Mike F. for the great tip!
By 1948, REO was using its Gold Crown 245 cu. in. flathead six-cylinder engine, good for about 89 hp, backed by a Warner T97 four-speed manual with granny gear. Top speed was around 40-45 mph, depending on the rear axle. This one is a dually. It hasn’t run in a while, though the motor turns. The tires will hold air for a short time – maybe not long enough to unload the truck after hauling it home. Might be best to source new rubber right away.
The cabin has its charms – the crank-out windshield (with cracks across both portions), multiple gauges, even the rounded shape of the roll-down windows is cool. The optional heater is present, but so is a rat’s nest of wiring. In the early days of trucks, one wiper blade was standard. This interior needs plenty of work; fortunately, all the patterns and surfaces are very simple.
The grille and snout are well-tailored, melding together; this treatment distinguished the Speedwagon from the bulky hood and grille arrangements tacked onto ’40s Fords and Chevrolets. This example’s bed is configured as a wood platform with fold-over sides. No word on whether rust is present, but Colorado’s dry weather does a decent job of keeping the tinworm at bay. The seller notes that the original bill of sale and registration are still with the truck. Finding a 1940s Speedwagon for sale – especially one that hasn’t been altered – is not easy. This restored ’49 sold for $51k about five years ago; while prices might not be that strong today, anything close leaves significant scope for resurrecting this ’48.
Well, we got something that’s different–and welcome in my circles. These trucks were in the visivle minority out west; probably about 10% of the truck population. Enough of them to be seen. There was a couple of operators out our way that hauled grain into the elevator with them. No powerhouse but then, neither was our International L-160. Let’s just say that, with a 2-speed axle, they could haul about 250 to 300 bushels of wheat and actually get into high gear, high range, before they had to slow down for the 90 degree curve just before the road high the 2-lane blacktop.
This truck is really worth a restoration. You would need to get rid of the Chrysler heater and get one of those aftermarket accessory units similar to the one in the pics that Michelle provided.
The engine is essentially a Continental which was used everywhere a power unit was needed. The F-226, which was the next size down could be seen in the Reo Speed Delivery pickup, a Massey Harris 44-6, an Oliver combine, lots of forklifts for Hyster and Clark, and even Kaiser automobiles and Jeep pickups. Very reliable and virtually indestructible.
A T-97 transmission? Okay, I won’t argue but I always thought these were a Warner T-9 crashbox, which eventually gave way to the T-98 with its smooth-shifting synchromesh 2nd 3rd and 4th gears. Straight cut gears throughout. You learned to “feel” your next shift with a T-9 and let it slide in. Grinding just filled the case with filings and frustration. Most trucks other than GM used them.
Like I said, a good project…
This would make a great project! These post-war Reos had such a distinctive front end. Not a lot of power or gears to put it through, so I don’t think I’d want to put 8 or 9 tons of wheat on it, but the 2 short sticks through the cab floor tells me that bed dumps so at least you won’t have to shovel it off. The 51k for a restored version was for a pickup, you’d be lucky to get half that for this beast restored. If you can do the work yourself tires and brakes are the biggest outlay, but that’s a one time expense. Again, great project!
(can’t wait to read the comments these old trucks bring!)
Can you take it on the run though? Asking for a friend
Your pal – I heard from a friend who, heard from a friend who, heard it from another she’s been messing around.
Now that’s stuck in my head for the day…..
I don’t believe it.
Wow what a gorgeous truck. That cab style carried on for many years, even into the early White trucks. But none of them integrate so beautifully with the rest of the front sheet metal. And the grill, fantastic!
Absolutely deserves a restoration to return to its former beauty.
Nice write up and also great information from geomechs.
My White/Diamond T water truck has virtually the same cab, but it paired to a huge longnose snout giving it a much tougher industrial look. Possibly because higher horsepower required a larger radiator.
Truck says “I’ve been around for you; I’ve been up n down for you..I believe it’s time for me to fly”
Great, you just replaced Danno’s song occupying my head
Being in Colorado, I’m sure it’s ridden out many storms!
Geo and Jim are right on the money. This is a great restoration project. And still small enough for most anybody to drive!! That REO cab was continued in use into the late 70’s by White’s Diamond REO line. Hopefully the hydraulics still work and any carpenter can build a new body. It is also rare enough, with relatively small production numbers compared to Ford and GM, that it will be popular at shows. As Geo said that Contintinal engine is a work horse and parts are still available for from a place in Chicago and I believe there is a place in Utica NY who rebuilds them. Brockway exclusively used them in their gas applications and Brockway has a good brand organization to help you. I know a man near Scranton PA who replaced his with a 5.9 Cummins and may have his complete engine behind the barn??
I think it would benefit from a chassis swap. get some modern componentry underneath, recreate the stake bed & have at it.
Don’t put a modern pickup chassis under it, or slap a Cummins into it unless it is Completely rotten under the sheet metal. Just sayin’
If Howard A doesn’t weigh in on this soon, someone should call the police in Colorado to perform a “wellness check” on him…
Thanks pal, at 70, “wellness” is relative and let’s not get the cops involved, they have enough to do.
I had a feeling this one would take off. At 4:08 this morning getting ready for work there were 2 comments already. I come home from work and wow, 13. The photo Geomechs showed really highlights how nice this would look restored. Heck, even under the rust and bumps and bruises its received over the years, you can see the beauty in the design. Michelle, you can add this to my list!!!Great, Great write up and research ( as always). Great comments too. And , as everyone else has right about now, several REO Speedwagon songs going through my head.
I’m so old… (how old are you?) I’m so old that I rode to school in a REO bus with a nose like this truck.
In Central Washington this would be called a “Spud Truck”. There’s a virtual twin currently listed on Yakima Marketplace for about $3k less. Looks comparable, doesn’t run, as I recall. B
Me, too. I rode a bus that looked just like that. That and a ’59 REO, also. I’m 71, so that shows my age.
I’m 72 and I rode a generic Chevy/GMC school bus. One after noon riding home I heard very bad mechanical noises coming from under my seat. (I was sitting above the left rear wheel) As I was exiting the bus, I told them driver (Goldie) about the noises. I was a 15 year old kid that in her opinion didn’t know anything. (At that time I was a,Dana Corp. “Doctor of Motors” and had a hopped up 283 assembled and waiting in the basement.) She continued to drive the bus for the second load and a mile from leaving school the complete left rear duallies and axle shift decided to ” exit stage left” and hit a car head on. Both vehicles were traveling approximately 65 MPH. The car was totaled and the bus was down for a week or so. News travels fast in a small town and also my buddy was on the bus on the second trip. So the next .morning when we were picked up by the replacement bus I told Goldie “I told you so”. Her reply was “You never said a word to me!”
What a beautifully styled truck. I don’t recall anything with such a rounded front bumper. A few small dents-nothing serious and it appears to be all there. I agree with others, a good mechanic could have this truck running in short order, tires and brakes, there are no door panels, so all you need to redo is the seat. Unscramble the wiring. I’m trying to picture what color it should be. Someone asked about Howard, This truck says it was posted at 8:13 pm on October 6,it didn’t come up on my computer until this afternoon, October 7. No more comments have been posted to other post recently, wonder where Howard is?
:)
Hi all, thanks for the concern, I have a lot of problems commenting or “thumb uppingz”, have since day one,( no, no more “since “, nobody cares anyway) and suspect this comment will be no different. I’m not sure if it’s my back hills hick innernet[sic] or the site hates me. You’ve all heard my ups and downs here over the years.
Special thanks to Mike F. who is a fellow Colorado compadre, obviously has an eye for this,and there still is a lot of this stuff here, almost expected in Colorado, but,as shown, deteriorating rapidly. Most of these are relegated to holding a sign out front. The real issue for me, is there is just not enough interest here for me anymore. While the REO shown is pretty cool, it generated more comments about the band, than what great trucks REOs actually were. Since I too mentioned the band, the reason they got away with the name without infringement, was REO spelled “Speed-Wagon”, 2 words, and the band was REO “Speedwagon”. Never really cared for them, they weren’t Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I’ve submitted so many cool tips like this, and have realized while these types of posts drift through once in a while, this just isn’t that kind of site. More Firebirds, please,( dig),,,and I know it hurts to say goodbye, but it’s time for me to fly,,,,
You’re not alone there Howard-in many senses of the meaning, I.e., Sometimes there’s no thumbs up or comment opportunities available but I suspect it’s something beyond the BF IT folks.
And FWIW, more than a few here would call the PD to check on you if they seriously thought it required-you’re a mainstay here and I’ll bet a dollar to a doughnut (old cop expression I’ve heard that’s popular in Nevada) that Scotty G. would be the 1st on the hotline.
Most definitely a beautiful truck awaiting a restoration-if the drivetrain and frame are total trash then reboot a new 3500 diesel of your favorite brand but otherwise bring it back to life as it stands.
Gorgeous photo Geomechs- this one needs that metamorphosis.
Even though I am new here (Less than a year) I will miss your very knowledgeable support. I know I am addicted to old trucks and do not follow all the newer cars, But I really appreciate all the vehicles Barn Finds showcases.
I am with Nevada HT in not placing this body on a 3500 style chassis unless the frame is TOTALLY shot..
I couldn’t have said it any better myself Nevadahalfrack, Howard is definitely a fixture here. And it wouldn’t be the same without him, and Scotty probably would be first to check on him.
Howard , please stay.
And Geomechs, love your posts too.
Would hate to see you go Howard! I always key on your comments and you along with a couple others here have such knowledge about these old vehicles that it’s like a daily tutorial. Keep the faith!
Thanks Mike, we’ll see, if ever coming through my town of “Exit”, love to meet ya’, same offer as Angel, McDonalds, Hy.50. I don’t post tips anymore, but if you have FB, a really cool ’48 KB8 CHAIN DRIVE in Ft. Morgan. There’s a guy in Delta that has a slew of cars and trucks too ^^. Stuff is drying up as the bulldozers come in,,,
Couldn’t respond directly to your post Howard so I’ll respond to myself!
Thanks! Would love to meet you. I get up to Salida and BV fairly regularly…been going up there since 1968…should have bought a couple of those homes against the river north of the Steamplant back when they were $10 – $15,000 years ago!
I’ve seen those Delta vehicles…quite a sight!
In my younger days, when inspecting boilers in Kansas, I always enjoyed being on the road during harvest. Anything that could run was being used to haul wheat. It was like a driving through a live truck museum. Seeing this truck made me feel 40 years younger.
Loved to see one of these on the road when I was a kid on a bike. Maybe it was one of the impetuses (impeti?) which led me to become an industrial designer, you know, a guy (or gal) who takes what the engineer cobbled up and makes it aesthetically marketable. And the REO was eminently marketable from an aesthetic standpoint! Best of the contemporary bunch, in fact.
One thing I found interesting from the pix was that there was a vent window in the driver’s door but not the other. Hmmm…
Hey Will, good show mate, that’s a great observance, it does have 2 different doors. Apparently, I read, the REO “Gold Comet” came out in 1949, same cab, and had vent windows in the doors. It was also the year they dropped the “Speed Wagon” name with the 1949 1 ton pickup according to 10-4 magazine.
To Howard A: at 70, you’re not “old” yet — just barely broken-in! If you think 70 is “UP there”, then try being around two decades older! Always enjoyed your posts; please don’t leave us!
Very cool truck! I would be inclined to restore it. As far as REO band is concerned. I’m a huge fan since they were my local band in the Chicago south suburbs. Rode in my very first GTO (1964 SEAFOAM GREEN WITH A WHITE CONVERTIBLE TOP) After an REO concert at Marvell Bakery in So. Chicago It’s. And as Howard said, IT’S TIME FOR ME TO FLY! (sorry, couldn’t resist)
w/specialty of restorin 30’s – ’80s antique trucks (besides ‘maintaining’ the ones local) one of these has never come in. Its CCC country (the best cigar leaf – that’s the wrapper, in the world). Lots of farms, lots of trucks. BUT…
NE usa so an REO might have been out for round here. I’d like to have one in, I hear they were “the cadillac of pick ups” (I saw an early 40s caddy p/u in junk yrd in NV in 1976).