10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

COLORADO TWINS
BY TEEN CORRESPONDENT TROY MILLER

The word “rare” implies that something is hard to find, had low production numbers or does not show up often – or possibly all three, or a combination of the three. Like any other antique hobby, the antique truck culture has its rarities. The old twin-engine Relays, the occasional Brown Mfg. set-up, or possibly a W-71 Mack are all great examples of rare trucks in the antique truck scene. What is even rarer is when you find two of the same (or highly similar) rare trucks. Often times, two similar and rare trucks might be hundreds of miles apart and in highly different conditions. One may be show-worthy, ready to be taken to a national event for display, while the other could be a derelict, not far from rusting into the ground. However, I recently found two rare Coleman D40X’s within twenty miles of each other and in very similar condition – both nicely restored and in good working order. Now that’s a rare find!

Ken Kafka and Dave Wardle, residents of northern Colorado just outside of Ft. Collins, are owners of a 1929 Coleman D40X and a 1933 Coleman D40X respectively. Each one is in a similar condition of restoration – they are drivable but not museum quality. Both Dave and Ken believe that trucks should be built to be driven, even if they aren’t working to make money anymore. Because of this, Ken and Dave restored their trucks to a condition much better than most you will see, but not to the point where driving it would ruin restored pieces.

Ken’s 1929 Coleman D40X (nicknamed “Charley”) is a 2.5 ton model with a Buda BUS engine (no, that’s not a typo – the “BUS” engine was actually a model of engine offered by Buda, rated at 104 horsepower). His Coleman, like others, is a four-wheel-drive model, and set as high as most modern semi trucks. It has an oil-field type bed with a roller at the end. Painted a beautiful, vibrant red, it stands out at whatever show it attends. Kept with several of his other toys, including a classic Ford Model-A and a handful of classic tractors, Ken’s Coleman is a unique, fun truck.

Dave’s 1933 Coleman D40X, on the other hand, is a 3.5 ton model with a Buda L525 engine. The exact horsepower of his motor is not known, however, it is substantially more than the BUS engine in Ken’s D40X. Painted the same rich red as Ken’s, his Coleman, set just as high on the four-wheel drive system as Ken’s, features cab-mounted headlights and hood sides. Much like Ken’s, thanks to its great paint color, Dave’s truck stands out wherever you see it as well.

Both Ken and Dave’s history in classic trucks lies in it being a hobby for both men. Neither one of them ever drove commercially, however, Dave’s father did own a feed company in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, that had a scale at its site. Because of this scale, Dave saw large trucks going in and out of his father’s yard all of the time, which sparked his interest in old mechanical things. On the other hand, Ken worked as an office machine service technician for 27 years and then at the Greeley Museum for 9 years. Ken’s first classic truck was a 1919 Nash 2-ton (his cause for joining the ATHS). However, he did own a 1949 Dodge car and a 1949 GMC pickup prior to the 1919 Nash, but he never really considered them to be old (sounds like he has the correct idea of what’s “classic” and what’s “old”).

I would like to thank both Ken and Dave for allowing me to interview them and take pictures of their trucks. They, and their trucks, certainly deserve the time and effort. I’d like to send out a special “thanks” to Ken for letting me take his 1929 Coleman out for a spin – what an experience! If you know of any unique, weird, custom or rare trucks (near Colorado) that you think I might be interested in, e-mail me some pictures and information to troytrucker@comcast.net and I’ll gladly check them out.