Doug Kraft is a retired farmer and carpenter who built one of the most interesting REO Speed Wagon resto mod trucks on the planet.
His 1948 REO Speed Wagon truck was originally built for hard work but now it has been rebuilt for fun.
Jim Sutherland
Life as a farmer typically builds practical mechanical skills in most situations, including Doug’s, so he was able to map out a cost-effective game plan for his REO Speed Wagon resto mod project.
It started with a project truck that Doug purchased from its former owner after he used the ’48 REO Speed Wagon as a parts donor for his own REO truck project. One car guy’s donor truck is another car guy’s project in many cases, including Doug.
He was able to buy the REO parts truck at a reasonable cost and begin the resto mod process. The first order of business was to find the right donor truck for his project-and a 1987 Chevy ¾-ton 4×4 was Doug’s choice.
The ’48 REO was originally rated as a 2-ton truck, but the 1987 Chevy ¾- ton chassis was a good platform for his resto mod project. Additionally, Doug’s choice was a practical car guy solution to his resto mod challenge because it was also a smart investment as a donor vehicle.
The REO Speed Wagon truck’s original chassis was not in good shape and would have been a complicated process to repair and upgrade it for a newer powertrain. On the other hand, the ’87 Chevy ¾-ton chassis was in good shape and still had its 350 small block engine, 4-wheel drive components, and 4-speed manual transmission.
The only major complication for Doug was the Chevy truck’s fuel injection system because it was an early factory-installed system that he hated because it was not very efficient or reliable enough for his purposes.
For Doug, the simple solution was to rip it out and install a 2-barrel carb with a manual choke because there was no heat riser system on the original fuel injection intake manifold. Problem solved because Doug is old enough to know how to use a manual choke.
MyStarCollectorCar readers will notice the door signs and likely wonder whether they are original. Doug explained they were copies of the original door signs because the original signs were virtually gone, but he wanted to showcase the REO Speed Wagon’s history as a workhorse with CP Rail.
Doug built the truck to attend events within about 60 miles (100 kms) of his home after he completed his resto mod build in only one year. The project included his custom wooden truck box because the original REO box was gone-and he has a sizable set of carpenter skills.
The 1987 Chevy truck powertrain and chassis means Doug can travel down the road at highway speeds, but the 1948 REO Speed Wagon truck body has plenty of wind noise, according to Doug. 1948 REO truck cabs were built for 35 mph (60 km/h) speeds and are not designed for twice that speed on the road, so the wind howls through the cab.
Doug is working on a solution but right now he just wants to enjoy the drive in his 1948 REO Speed Wagon resto mod truck.
Jim Sutherland
