Rare RV: 1971 Krager Kustom Koach
When it comes to vehicles that allegedly only saw a few dozen examples ever made, sometimes details get sketchy and are hard to confirm, with a case in point being this 1971 Krager Kustom Coach here on Facebook Marketplace. But what does seem verifiable is the company was started in Winona, Minnesota, and was the brainchild of Eugene Krager, who was issued a patent in 1970 protecting his design, even though with its odd shape there probably wasn’t much risk of the motor home falling into the hands of copycats. But from a standpoint of uniqueness it scores high, and with an asking price of $6,000 that’s some pretty inexpensive real estate if you break it down to cost per square foot. This one’s located in Bethel, Pennsylvania if you’d like to go check it out. Thanks go to Francis C for the tip!
One thing that does seem potentially credible is a comment I found online from Alan Krager, the son of Eugene, in his reply to a Hemmings article published in 2010 featuring his father’s creation. The younger Krager tells us his dad founded the company back in 1957, with the first units built in 1963 using a Chevrolet chassis with a steel tube frame. Other sources mention an International Harvester chassis was utilized, so maybe the platform varied or was changed at some point. But this one here has a badge that reads Chassis By Ford, so there seem to be some variations.
A feature here good for longevity is that fiberglass was used for the body, and while there is some waviness in the material, it does appear to be somewhat structurally sound on the outside, although the darker-colored pieces are showing some wear. There’s no mention of the last time the body was given any attention, but the appearance is decent overall and I’m sure the seller is correct when he says it’ll turn heads everywhere you go.
Most of the inside components are looking better than I was expecting, with the appliances stated to be in excellent condition cosmetically, even though they are not presently connected to a gas source. All the seats appear to be in nice shape including the front captain’s chair, and the minimalist dash seems to be nicely preserved as well. There’s even a wetroom-style bathroom, complete with a sink, toilet, and showerhead. Just know that towards the rear aisle area, a sizeable stain can be found on the carpeting.
This one’s running and driving, at least around the seller’s driveway, but it can’t be tested beyond this area as the brakes are non-functional. We do get to see a video of the 330 Ford motor in action, which seems to back up the seller’s claim that it runs smoothly, and he also states that the transmission functions to the extent that it can be checked out on a vehicle with no stopping power. He throws out the idea of it being a good candidate for restoration, or simply a thorough cleaning and taking it out for some fun camping as-is after those brakes are repaired. What would you do with this one?
Comments
We used to call vehicles with bodywork like this a friendly vehicle, because it waves at you as you go by.
A little wavy … like the Pacific Ocean is a little wavy. Nothing 10 gallons of bondo won’t fix.
It is delamination nothing Will help but new fiberglass skin.
I wonder how that very rare 330 ci. Ford V-8 is on fuel economy?
Going by the eight lug wheels, that would be the one ton chassis which would have the pickup V8, (360). The 330 would be either a special order, or maybe later swapped in as it typically was used in the next size bigger F500- F600 series which used ten lug 20 inch wheels. Fuel economy not great, maybe 7-9 might depending on load.
Link is for Facebook Marketplace btw
Avocado green, Astro turf, man, what a ride !
Along with the “friendly” body work, I find the front to be very groovy!
Overall I like it and it will be a great little coach with a little effort.
COOL! I can see a Corvair van on the face of this. I’ve never heard of a 330 cid Ford engine.
The 330 was part of the FT Series, which was a heavier duty version of the FE.
It was used in Ford’s medium duty line, most commonly the F-500 and F-600 series.
The front end looks a little like a corvair
Actually it’s a 331 fe Ford engine
Not quite as aerodynamically slippery as the equivalent Airstream.
Not a huge fan of the acronym I gotta say
Geez Louise. The way the numbers are done on that speedometer would drive me insane. Haha!!
I don’t think you would need to worry about getting up to the backwards 80 – 90.
I think it’s just plain ugly, if I needed a engine and transmission for another project I might be interested but I don’t have any non running projects at the moment
get out the bondo boys!
When bodywork on a motorhome is wavy like this it is usually a sign of water intrusion and rotting woodwork behind it.
It’s not quite ugly enough.. let’s give it the ol #1 with the # 2 striped paint package so there’s no confusion.! LOL yep the family would be proud to travel around the country with dad in this beauty for sure
It’s ugly,and yes, l mean ugly, and no chevy corvare,never had, a but ugly brother either.Just stay away from this one, it’s to outdated away, and that old Ford mill,probably won’t pull,to heavy a load away, besides there are two many other choices out,there, buy, or rent,a sprinter,van,fun,and fuel is just to expensive these days.
That Ford mill is the best thing about that rig. A 330 MD medium duty real truck engine. The reason you don’t hear much about it was that it was not a pickup truck engine but rather one that was used in full size medium duty 500-600 series trucks that did not get the limelight but just did hard work.
My parents used to work at Krager Kustom back in the 70’s, designing and building them. I now live 2 miles from where they were built.