1938
Dodge
RE31
Truck
and
Tanker
In
1928
the
Dodge
Brothers
acquired
a
truck
line
from
the
Graham
Brothers
who
had
been
using
Dodge
engines
in
their
commercial
vehicles
since
1921.
By
1930
a
mere
two
years
later,
they
had
America's
4th
largest
selling
truck,
and
found
their
corner
of
the
market.
This
tractor
with
tanker
trailer,
is
a
very
nicely
restored
example
of
an
early
commercial
vehicle,
that
was
5
years
in
the
making
being
completed
in
1993.
It
has
some
rare
options
that
were
just
becoming
available
in
1938
with
technology
and
engineering
advances.
Primitive
by
today's
standards,
in
the
day
this
was
the
latest
and
greatest.
Exterior
Sprayed
in
mostly
white,
we
can
see
strategically
placed
blue
panels
on
the
top
of
the
hood,
and
rear
dual
wheel
fenders
on
the
tractor,
and
side
panels
on
the
tanker.
All
paint
is
very
nicely
done
and
covers
very
straight
panels.
With
its
white
rounded
front
fenders
with
forward
and
rear
facing
turn
signals,
and
bullet
style
headlights
nestled
into
the
fender
near
the
front
clip,
it
has
the
old
school
styling
which
was
about
to
get
more
art
deco
in
the
1939
models.
Also
noted
are
the
telescoping
small
round
mirrors
which
have
a
lot
to
be
desired
when
trying
to
navigate
this
truck
in
reverse!
Bringing
up
the
rear
is
a
1932
Kingham
Quaker
City
4
tanker
trailer
that
has
also
been
meticulously
restored
and
can
hold
approximately
1,250
gallons
in
its
4
separate
tank
bays.
These
are
topped
with
red
painted
2
handled
screw
caps,
and
a
hose
and
pump
setup
is
in
the
rear
of
the
trailer.
The
truck
is
sporting
red
steel
wheels,
and
the
trailer
has
silver
outside
with
red
inside
dual
steel
wheels.
Interior
Extreme
utilitarian
would
best
describe
the
interior,
with
just
the
basics.
From
simple
snap
on
vinyl
with
white
stitching
door
panels,
to
the
smooth
plain
gray
bench
seat,
rubber
floors,
2
shift
levers,
a
simple
painted
dash
with
a
mere
2
large
circular
gauges
imbedded.
The
beautifully
restored
original
steering
wheel
with
turn
signals
and
air
brake
gauges
labeled
Bendix
are
mounted
on
the
column
and
front
the
dash.
Looking
upward,
a
new
headliner
is
tight
and
clean,
and
some
venting
can
be
seen
at
the
top
of
the
windshield.
Noted
no
heater,
so
it
would
be
a
cold
delivery
route
in
the
winter!
Drivetrain
Equipped
with
a
rare
4-speed
primary,
and
a
2-speed
auxiliary
duplex-type
transmission,
this
truck
is
powered
by
a
241ci
L
head
6-cylinder
gas
engine
which
produces
85hp.
Also
noted
are
air
brakes
which
was
also
rare
for
1938,
and
these
bring
you
to
a
halt
quickly.
This
all
runs
on
a
6-volt
electrical
system.
Undercarriage
A
glance
underneath
without
the
advantage
of
the
lift,
one
can
see
just
as
much
attention
was
paid
here
as
the
upside
for
this
restoration.
No
rust,
fully
working
air
braking
system,
a
heavy-duty
driveshaft
and
large
geared
rear,
transfers
power
to
the
dual
rear
tractor
wheels.
Air
brakes
have
been
installed
on
the
trailer
as
well.
For
a
collector
who
wants
something
completely
different,
and
certainly
not
seen
every
day,
a
vintage,
beautifully
restored
example
of
early
Dodge
commercial
trucking,
in
its
simplest
form.
With
styling
cues
from
its
cars,
and
from
the
front
it
looks
very
much
like
the
Dodge
sedans
of
the
day,
you
just
cannot
go
wrong
with
this
investment.