1935 Dodge K52 Airflow
• The first Dodge K52 Airflow was produced in December 1934,
• 249 Dodge Airflows were built Between 1934 and 1939
• 29 airflow trucks were made for the Standard Oil Company, based in New Jersey and California
• In 1935 Standard ‘Oil established British Columbia operations and this is the only Airflow truck brought into Canada when new.
• a K52 Airflow was driven from California to Begg Motors, a Vancouver Chrysler dealer, and purchased by Standard Oil representatives on August 14, 1935
• The tank was built by Beale of Portland Ore. Now Beale Transliner. Beale says all blueprints had been destroyed by fire in the early 40’s.
• The truck as it is now is exactly as it was when it left the Transportation Museums upon it’s closure ca 1992,
• From 1935-1945 this K52, with 1275 gallon fuel capacity, remained on the job six days a week delivering gasoline to local Chevron stations.
• Standard Oil Co. drivers were F.A. Webber, Frank Darlan and Ed Rainbow.
• In 1945, a Federal truck with the Airflow’s tank temporarily installed replaced the Airflow on Standard’s delivery route.
• The Airflow tank was discarded once a new tank was fitted to the federal truck. It has never been recovered.
• The truck was purchased from standard Oil by Bob King in 1947 and put in storage at his 37 Pender St. garage until 1972.
• Provincial Museum staff carried out a complete restoration between 1575 and 1977, Except for the missing tank.
• Available from 1934 through 1940 by special request, the Dodge Airflow trucks used an unique waterfall grille to mimic the Chrysler Airflow car. Often fitted with streamlined tanker bodies and sold to oil companies such as Esso, Standard Oil and Texaco.
• Under it’s stylish body the trucks were pure conventional Dodge
• With a production run of approx. 260 trucks, they were named based on their capacities and weight: K-52, LM-70, LM-71, and the RX-70 and RX-71 had 331 cu. in. (5,430 cc) engines with 100 horsepower.
• Most of the tank bodies were built by Garwood Industries and Heil Co. of Milwaukee, Wis. and two bodies were built for Schlitz Brewing Company by Barkow Co., of Milwaukee.
• Compartments behind and ahead of the fender skirts gave the Texaco trucks some trunk space.
Under it’s stylish body the trucks were pure conventional Dodge and over their run of approx. 260 trucks they were named K-52, LM-70, LM-71, RX-70 and RX-71 depending on their capacities and weight. The later RX70 and RX71 models, had a 331 cu. in. (5,430 cc) engine with 100 horsepower
Compartments behind and ahead of the fender skirts gave the Texaco trucks some trunk space.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Airflow_truck