1950 M34 Model OC-54 REO Gold Comet

[BaconFarms]

Your truck could have been a "Decontamination Rig" which means it would have had a water tank on the back. Mine was an Air Force truck too and had the double frame like yours.
.

And it is painted blue for some reason...

Thanks,

BaconFarms

 

[NDT]

My 2 cents: This truck was set up by Memphis Equipment in the 1960's for a construction company to do some hard off highway work. The back of the frame angle cut indicates it had a dump bed. This truck would be a huge effort to build back as an original M34 mainly due to the frame issues. Personally I would find a civilian stake bed for it and make it back into a farm truck as is.

 

[BaconFarms]

My 2 cents: This truck was set up by Memphis Equipment in the 1960's for a construction company to do some hard off highway work. The back of the frame angle cut indicates it had a dump bed. This truck would be a huge effort to build back as an original M34 mainly due to the frame issues. Personally I would find a civilian stake bed for it and make it back into a farm truck as is.

I didn't pay a whole lot for it. And like you said, it's not a great candidate for a restoration. I have a small collection of 47-53 GM trucks, all 1-1/5-2 tons. I will probably take the steetmetal off and clean up the frame, etc. I like the idea of truning the hubs and making it single wheel axles (M34) on back. I don't have enough one piece 22.5 rims for 10 wheels, so only six wil be better (read cheaper). Get that all spruced up and set a GM 2-ton cab on it and see what it looks like. If I don't like the look, then back to either patching the M34 cab or look for a better one.

The good news is that it runs and moves. No brakes will be one of the first repairs. I believe flipping the hubs will give me a reason to check the rear brakes.

Anyway,

BaconFarms

 

[msgjd]

The data plates says M34 and no winch. The other tag is really hard to read, but I can bearly make out Eager Beaver (?) and is stamped 136

In the 1970's I occasionally grabbed a copy of the "Rock & Dirt" construction equip advertising newspaper. The ads for Memphis Equipment listed 5-ton's as "Big-M's" but always referred to the M34/35 deuce's they sold as "Eager Beaver's". Legend has it when the Reo trucks were first issued in 1950, someone in the military or in marketing started calling them eager beavers and it stuck. Early US Army informational films about M34's use the name as well.

I also concur with NDT that the Memphis "136" Eager Beaver tag, although barely legible, indicates it has the aftermarket REB front axle shift kit installed .. We had a M108 wrecker from them with it

What immediately caught my eye was that the headlights are in the upper quandrant, this is something Memphis must have done.. The M34's originally had low-quadrant headlamp position as did the entire gas-engined M-series from the factory .. There are many examples of position having been changed later on during a re-motor to diesel or multifuel, and there are examples that retained their low-quadrant position even after re-motoring to diesel or multifuel

 

[Barrman]

M34 and M35 were REO products. Totally different from the GM M135 and M211. I don’t think there are any common parts outside of the light switch and wire ends.

 

[BaconFarms]

M34 and M35 were REO products. Totally different from the GM M135 and M211. I don’t think there are any common parts outside of the light switch and wire ends.

Very good. That is what I had thought, but when you look at one and then look at another 100 miles and 3 days difference, they look simular...

Thanks,

BaconFarms

 

[HDN]

I didn't pay a whole lot for it. And like you said, it's not a great candidate for a restoration. I have a small collection of 47-53 GM trucks, all 1-1/5-2 tons. I will probably take the steetmetal off and clean up the frame, etc. I like the idea of truning the hubs and making it single wheel axles (M34) on back. I don't have enough one piece 22.5 rims for 10 wheels, so only six wil be better (read cheaper). Get that all spruced up and set a GM 2-ton cab on it and see what it looks like. If I don't like the look, then back to either patching the M34 cab or look for a better one.

I remember seeing a deuce on Facebook Marketplace that had a Ford F-450+ truck cab on it. I'm curious to see how your project turns out!

 

[msgjd]

M34 and M35 were REO products.

I concur with you about the M34, however, there were/are plenty of gas M35's and other gas-powered models within the G742/M44-series that were built by Studebaker, White, Curtis-Wright, Utica Bend, and if I missed one or two I am sure someone will pipe in that they own an example of a non-Reo M35 .. I have a Curtis-Wright M35 sitting right outside

 

[HDN]

I concur with you about the M34, however, there were/are plenty of gas M35's and other gas-powered models within the G742/M44-series that were built by Studebaker, White, Curtis-Wright, Utica Bend, and if I missed one or two I am sure someone will pipe in that they own an example of a non-Reo M35 .. I have a Curtis-Wright M35 sitting right outside

I think @Barrman meant the truck was a REO design.

I always thought it would be cool to have a Curtis-Wright gasser, then I could say it's an airplane at heart

 

[Barrman]

I did. We were discussing Gasser trucks of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. I have two REO M35 trucks and an AM General truck. I know others made them.

 

[BaconFarms]

The Eagle has landed...

Drove it on the trailer at the loading dock and then after we rolled it down the tilt bed. Got it into third, LOL..

No Brakes. To include E-brake. I think they may have used that up in its later years...

Farm truck. Actually came from a potato farm.

BaconFarms

 

[BaconFarms]

Also, I did find a insurance card in the glove compartment from last year 8/2022 to 8/2023, so it was an active truck. For something.

Under vehicle ID, it shows 4926, and then in pen someone wrote, 94926. Does that number make more sense for a '50 REO??

And, where is the frame ID i am to look for?

Thanks for all the help!!

BaconFarms

 

[NDT]

1952 reo 2 1/2 ton vin number location | SteelSoldiers

 

[BaconFarms]

Perfect. Thanks, might need a flashlight after dinner...

BaconFarms

 

[BaconFarms]

Well, I found a six, but too much paint for anything else right now, but I know where it is. Paint stripper tomorrow and a wire brush should bring it out. Thanks,

BaconFarms

 

[BaconFarms]

I found the number, and it matches the data tag. Good.

Now I wait to see what the title will say. Probably M3494926 like on my sales receipt. Which would be fine. Someone added the model with the serial number. So, the frame number is 94926, what does that tell me??

BaconFarms

 

[NDT]

It tells you that your truck started life exactly like the data plate says, a 1950 M34. Single rear wheels, 11.00-20 tires, and cargo bed with wheel wells. See the new snip i took of the serial number database, the lowest s/n of a M35 truck is 100422 for a 1952 truck, yours is 94926 which falls into place as a 1950, or 5496 trucks earlier. Reo could crank out about 15-20 trucks a day.

 

[BaconFarms]

OK, thanks, for that information.

I also checked the wheelbase at 169" and the truck has a double frame the entire length. The rear pin holes look like dump truck and look like part of the inner frame, and to me, from the "factory", i.e., day one, but it is 72 years old.

Someone on here mentioned that the water trucks had double frames. Could it have been upfitted to duals and a dump box?? IDK, just currious.

Also has another plate on the dash regards the REB add on. Kind of hard to read..

Thanks for the printout. I appreciate it.

BaconFarms

 

[NDT]

I think Memphis added the double frame. See it's bolted on? Factory would be rivets. See if Memphis still has those data plates, very important to operate the REB correctly or you will damage the transfer case.

 

[BaconFarms]

Thanks. I did see the bolts and thought about that. Man, what a job that would have been to double the frame. I won't be taking that apart to clean all the corrosion, LOL. But, I will make new plates for the spring pivot support. They are rust jacked out over a 1/4" and are a wee bit wavy.

Very interesting. Thanks for the information. I will do some research on Memphis and make contact...

BaconFarms