Customs 1946 REO Speedwagon build planning

Lipton · Apr 23, 2011

Im trying to get all my ducks in a row over the course of this coming year in Afghanistan so that upon my return I can build my truck to the massive, intimidating 'bomber' that I envision in my head.

As of now I want to maintain the stock ride height and have no desire to chop the top. And I really am a fan of the iconic flat sixers.

Ive located a machine shop that makes adapter plates to the Continental F226 (3.7L) that allow me to bolt up any of the TH series automatics (I was shooting for a TH700r; 4 speeds v 3 but Im open to the idea of a lighter TH350)

However I really want to keep running duals on the back, but I want to replace the Timken Drive Axle with something more modern ie disc brakes. I was thinking a Dana 60 or a Dana 80 off of the F350/3500's. And some Alcoa 22.5s

Lipton · Apr 23, 2011

There are just a couple things that I havent been able to figure out yet. For example, since Im 1000 miles from my truck I dont know off hand what my vacuum pressure is. Though the TH transmissions are adjustable so that shouldnt be too terribly difficult. But what I havent seem to figure out is how Im planning on attaching the TV cable to the single barrel Zenith carb. The 226 in the book is rated between 90 and 110 HP.

With a port and polish and a handmade manifold, swapping out the old oil bath air cleaner for something with some more flow, electric water pump, plus a total rebuild and a mild cam grind I think poke it up to 130 HP. So Im going to need the assist from the TV cable no matter what lol.

cavisco · Jun 1, 2011

I've always liked the REO trucks and I really like your plans for your truck. Have you considered a 5 speed? Your old truck looks to be in great shape. Where did you find it?

Scott.

sololobo · Jun 1, 2011

Love the truck bro, something to think about while your away. Appreciate your service and admire your commitment, please be safe and get back here soon as possible. Neat plans and the truck sure looks sweet in the pix. Thinking good thoughts for ya bro. ~sololobo~

Lipton · Jun 12, 2011

Cavisco, I found my truck peeking out from a shallow ditch on the side of a little used highway. It had been pulled down there in what I was told 1993 and had sat there until 2004 because the owner couldnt get back out and didnt want to pay to have it pulled out. I paid $1500 for the truck and $50 to have a wrecker pull it out and another $50 for the same guy to tow it 40 miles to my house.

Even after sitting for 10 years, a new battery, oil, plugs, wires, fresh fuel and a shot of ether and she was running. From there its been a slow build. Ive been cleaning saving what I can and painstakingly replacing what was beyond saving with OEM and period gear.

Its just recently that Ive been toying with the idea of doing something crazy with it. Not terribly crazy, Im going for something that looks like it could have been stock for the 1940s. Ive definitely been considering a diesel swap to replace the Continental F226, mainly because the adapter plate is ~$900 to mate it to a newer transmission and due to the costs associated with trying to improve on a nearly 70 year old design. I could dump about the same money Id be in on the adapter, a rebuild and the machine time and be in as much as I would if I just went for the swap. The rearend conversion is for better gearing and disc brakes, to take advantage of all the grip Ill have with duals.

Anyone have any input on the subject? All in all Im shooting for somewhere in the $8-10,000 range for this build when I get home. I think its do-able for that kind of money.

gonzoengineer · Jun 13, 2011

Good luck, post up some pics!

My grandfather had one of these, which is sadly wasting away on his property at the moment. If it hasn't completely returned to the earth by the time I have the facilities to work with it, I hope to reclaim it and restore it to it's former glory.

47Ford - 1.5Ton · Jun 18, 2011

Lipton said: ↑

Ive definitely been considering a diesel swap to replace the Continental F226, mainly because the adapter plate is ~$900 to mate it to a newer transmission and due to the costs associated with trying to improve on a nearly 70 year old design.
Anyone have any input on the subject? All in all Im shooting for somewhere in the $8-10,000 range for this build when I get home. I think its do-able for that kind of money.
Click to expand...

We'll I know you've been through my build thread... let me caution you.... this path is indeed expensive as big toys mean big $$$ that being said I build mine to be a driver and hence the power train and chassis/brakes.

Hydroboosted disc brakes are nice to have on 6000 lbs of steel.... I would encourage you to go down this path if you plan on rackin up the miles as well....non-boosted manual brakes on a big rig are 'interesting'

Good luck and i'll be paying attention!

~M

mart3406 · Jun 18, 2011

banjeaux bob said: ↑

"Just put the cab on a Dodge frame with
Cummins "B" and 6 speed.Old body with
all of the newer running gear you want.
You'll still be able to put big dual tires on
it."
Click to expand...

--------------------
Ditto on that....especially if you actually want
to drive and use the truck as a truck. Swapping
the Reo cab and front-end sheet metal etc.,
onto a late model diesel-powered Dodge - or
even Ford or GM 1-ton chassis would be the
quickest and easiest - and in the long run,
cheapest and most practical way to go. You'd
end up with a very cool looking, but also safe,
practical and useful truck, able to haul or tow
a load and brake, steer, handle and accelorate
to modern-day standards and and run down
the highway at normal speeds. And if you used
a turbo- diesel from the donor truck, even
nearly bone-stock you could get 300-325 hp -
and still get decent fuel mileage - probably in
the 15 to 19 mpg range. That's certainly better
than the 7 to 9 mpg that the original - and still
only 90 hp - Continental gas burner probably
gets in that truck. About that Continental 6
too. Even if you built it up - short of maybe
using high-boost pressure - ie - 14 or 15 or
even higher psi turbocharging - which
wouldn't be cheap or practical, let alone
be reliable or very long-lived - it will still
be way underpowered for a near 6000 lb.
truck. And putting an automatic transmission
of any kind - even a 4-speed auto - behind it
will make it feel even more anemic and
underpowered. Don't forget, that when that
truck was originally built, commercial trucks
were legally limited by Federal law and I.C.C
regulations to a 45 mph maximum speed on
the highway, which is why, by gearing it low
enough, they could get by with such a small
and underpowered engine in a truck of that
size. Even in '46 though, the slick Reo
art-deco "aero" styling and "Speed Wagon"
name notwithstanding, I'll bet the truck was
no actual speed wagon!

One idea does come to mind if you insist on
keeping original chassis and the 226 Continental.
You could maybe find a factory McCullough blower
set-up from 226 Continental-powered Kaiser
Manhattan. That would boost the power output
to about 125 hp or so. That would help some and
be a more or less, a straight bolt-on. But finding
a complete blower set-up from a '50's vintage
Kaiser wouldn't be cheap and you'd still only have
about 125 hp in a 6000-plus lb. truck. Anyway,
good luck with what ever you decide to do. Reo's
are cool looking trucks!

Mart3406
=================

Lipton · Dec 31, 2011

Id like to give a sort of update as to what Ive managed to accomplish even though Im 8ooo miles away from home still.

I have access to the internet so I still troll epay on a fairly regular basis. Ive been able to find some relatively presentable chrome including the pot metal badge. The badge on my truck had split pretty badly. Included in the auction with the badge were the wings that go under it, with what appeared to be fairly decent chrome. I dont think I did too badly for ~ $50

I also found a nice windshield frame and windshield hinges. The previous owner, who had tinkered around with the truck before I got it had come up with an ingenious way to stop water leakage around the original frame, a hearty application of RTV silicone. The frame was pretty rotted out and I managed to get the replacement for a song. I guess that one of the bonuses of building a truck thats not very well represented. I also found the rear window molding strip for the interior, mine was missing. All told the window pieces were ~ $45.

I also have been thinking pretty hard about all the advice given previously about what to do to make this truck enjoyable on the road. I think that I pretty much agree that unless I change the drivetrain out to something more modern Ill regret it. It would be nice to maintain the truck stock but I really dont want to have the headache of trying to source parts that are getting harder to come by. Sure I can put a Supersonic or a Hurricane head on the 226 if it cracks like the one in my 48 REO (yes, I have 2 of these damn things ) , but honestly I think that would look sillier than a 350. The same has to be said for the axles, though I honestly cant even think of a good reason to want to keep them.

So for now Ive hit a wall at least until I get back stateside sometime in April. Ill still piss away change here and there if I find something that I know for sure I can use, but until I source a donor it makes no sense to spend money.

On a side note I came across this thread on a different site. Now I wouldnt go in the direction that this guy went, HMMWV tires and diamond plate just sounds like it would look like shit, but the truck appears to not sit too terribly different from stock.

http://trucks.about.com/cs/readersgallery/a/reo_speedwagon.htm

1946-REO-SPEEDWAGON · Jul 17, 2012

Lipton,

Where did you find a windshield frame for your '46 REO? I'm desperate to find one. Mine is rotten right through.

1946-REO-SPEEDWAGON · Jul 17, 2012

Lipton,

Where did you find a windshield frame for your '46 REO? I'm desperate to find one. Mine is rotten right through.

mrconcdid · Jul 17, 2012

Any chance this is a REO fire Truck?

Godspeed
MrC.

volvobrynk · Jul 17, 2012

That is such a cool truck! I LOVE old trucks!!

If you are building a truck, you have to desite if you are going for the Big Ass Pick Up-look or the Real thing-truck. I would go with the RT-truck, but thats just me!!

I tried driving a 1968 Reo M36, and that gave me a new mechanical crush! And i like the mechanics behind the multi fuel engine, and it would go fine with that engine! That in mind how rare are they in the US of A? Didnt you re-use the m36 from Korea until now, with an engine/tranny upgrade?
In Europe, there would't be that many realistic choises engine swaps for a truck, but Perkins 6.354 with a reworked pump and a road-ranger behind. Thats the engine combo we got In the only US-truck, ever to be a hit In Denmark; the IH Loadstar.

Might not be the best choise for you, but it good, simpel, cheap and avalible!

Did it need much welding body work?
Do you you have more fotos?

Lipton · Jul 26, 2012

1946-REO-SPEEDWAGON said: ↑

Lipton,

Where did you find a windshield frame for your '46 REO? I'm desperate to find one. Mine is rotten right through.
Click to expand...

Surprisingly enough, ebay. I am on every day simply searching under REO in the motors section. Occasionally I get lucky. I also have about $300 wrapped up in two sets of near NOS chrome from ebay. I got the frame and hinges from martinsupplyinc, they have a salvage yard in Colorado. I got the chrome from a yard in Kansas and some other bits from Iowa and Nebraska.

Honestly though, I am surprised that I have been able to get some of the things as cheaply as I have. Don't give up though, the parts are out there. Its taken me nearly 7 years to get some of these pieces and shes just been sitting in the barn waiting till I had everything amassed.

Its not we can go to Napa or AutoZone and get a new Edelbrock intake and throw it on our swapped Chevy 350 crate....

I do have some things that I would be willing to sell or trade if you're interested. PM me if you're interested.

Lipton · Jul 26, 2012

volvobrynk said: ↑

That is such a cool truck! I LOVE old trucks!!

If you are building a truck, you have to desite if you are going for the Big Ass Pick Up-look or the Real thing-truck. I would go with the RT-truck, but thats just me!!

Did it need much welding body work?
Do you you have more fotos?
Click to expand...

Actually she is really solid. The floorpan has some pinholes and a little rust through on the sill panel of the passenger side. Other than that I cant complain.

Im pretty much set on keeping the truck as stock as possible and concentrating on building it as solidly as possible.

A couple weeks ago I finally got the cab off the frame, strapped it to a pallet and used the Case to lift it into the loft of the barn, to get it out of the way. I also welded an engine stand and made some brackets so I could pick up the engine with the forks on the Case. So now its sitting on the stand.

I really need to just find the time not to break down the rest of the bits from the frame so that I can get it to the sandblaster and start making some progress.

Cobalt1959 · Jul 26, 2012

If that truck was mine, I would keep a flathead six in it, but it would be a Hudson 308 with a 145hp head and Twin H manifolds.

volvobrynk · Jul 26, 2012

So you are going for the Real Truck look and feeling?

Did you move further one with the multi fuel conti' engine? or are you takning another route?
I would never go with a 350 engine and a automatic, it would kill the truck feel.
IMO a truck has to run manual! Preferably with a hi/lo set-up, or 2speed rear end.
I don't give beeeep for disc brakes, since running truck drum on it, keeps the look, and it's possible to find some drums that makes it stop more then good.

woodysrods · Nov 26, 2013

Has anyone here had experience with taking a horn button off?
And does anyone know where we might get serial # identification for year built?
We have a Reo Speedwagon, but don't actually know what year it is???
Thanks
Brian

lahti35 · Nov 27, 2013

woodysrods said: ↑

Has anyone here had experience with taking a horn button off?
And does anyone know where we might get serial # identification for year built?
We have a Reo Speedwagon, but don't actually know what year it is???
Thanks
Brian
Click to expand...

The REO museum in Lansing MI has lots of info, they were helpfull when I was restoring a 1924 REO truck. Check them out online and see if they can assist you.

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Customs 1946 REO Speedwagon build planning

Lipton
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Lipton
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47Ford - 1.5Ton
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mart3406
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Customs 1946 REO Speedwagon build planning

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Lipton
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from South Omaha, NE

60-66 Chevy Truck Molestors

60-66 C10

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from Saint Joseph, Missouri

gonzoengineer
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from Gem of the Hills, FL

47Ford - 1.5Ton
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from Green Bay, WI

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from Canada

Lipton
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from Saint Joseph, Missouri

1946-REO-SPEEDWAGON
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from Ottawa, Canada

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from Ottawa, Canada

mrconcdid
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from Florida

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from Denmark

Lipton
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from Saint Joseph, Missouri

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from Saint Joseph, Missouri

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volvobrynk
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from Denmark

woodysrods
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from Mid Michigan