This old Navy 4×4 truck listed on eBay was purchased by an avocado grower as surplus after the war. It didn’t come with a cab or bed so it was likely new as well as cheap. A home made cab, bed and sprayer was added. It was used for a couple of seasons and it’s been in the barn since. It’s in Fullerton, California with a BIN of $5,800. It’s also listed on the dealer’s website. Those orange groves were turned into suburbs long ago beginning right after the war. Perhaps that’s why it was never used again. Somehow the barn survived.
This part of the cab appears dusty but complete. The seller claims the seats are original, but if it came without a cab it likely came without seats.
There’s some chance the engine may not be seized. Everything appears just as it was left. It’s been in a very mild dry climate so perhaps there’s hope.
Perhaps there’s a farmer somewhere that can use the spray rig. Perhaps the farmer can use the truck or a military collector can use the chassis for a restoration. There must be some potential for this truck. What would you do with it?
The cab appears to be home made. As this may have been one that didn’t have one. International manufactured. But pretty much the same as a Dodge of the time frame. All parts would be inter-changeable. This would be a great buy, as there is very little, if any rust. It won’t be fast, but more torque then you would know what to do with.
It look more like a older Power Wagon
The cab is indeed home-made, as these usually were open models. This, I think is a M-1-4 or M-2-4, and shared military styling with Autocar, Diamond T, and White. Apparently, IH army trucks like this were all shipped to Great Britain. http://olive-drab.com/images/id_ih_m2-4_full.jpg
The original cab would’ve been a soft top; I don’t blame someone for closing it in if it was going to be used regularly. Definitely a Green Diamond (Binder) motor under that hood. I like the truck. I sure don’t know what I’d do with it but I still like it…
Myself I would scrap the sprayer and then install a newer drivetrain paint it drab Army green then take to some 4×4 jamborees, you would be a hit on the trails with that old style brush guard and who would care if it got a scratch or two.
Hi JW, I don’t think you are too far off. ( Apparently. others don’t agree) This setup may have been ok for the war, but with a top speed of 45 mph, it could limit your travel considerably. I think it would be great with a modern drive train.
I would use it to haul maple sap
I’d paint it up to look like a hazmat truck and paint a toxic waste symbol on tank. Fill it with water and leave a valve open so it looks it’s “leaking”. Then get in traffic and mess with other commuters. But, I’m twisted like that.
Put some orange food coloring in that water. I’m twisted too.
Thinking outside the box. I like that. Orange would be a nice touch!
Yup, Gotta be a Green Diamond 6, probably 233 cu in. . Just back of that oil filter cannister there will be a very cool logo with 3 diamonds and the word GREEN in it. Early trucks were often delivered without bodies both to the end user and to the many body manufacturers of the time. Cars too, but less common and usually in the very high price range ( Duesenburg ). The Ford Model TT (Ton Truck) started in 1917 but wasn’t available with a Ford body until 1924. I grew up in Eastern Oregon farm country and drove many GI WW2 surplus trucks that never had cabs. As late as 1956, a local farmer ordered a fleet of around 10 brand new 1956 Chevy 2 ton trucks without cabs. Those were fun. My most recent experience on this subject were the years I spent building motorhomes, which of course arrive from the factory without cabs, or in the case of Class “C”s , with an open back on the cab. :-) Terry J
This truck was used for more than a “few” seasons. If it was new when they got it, it should still look like new. The bent gas pedal, worn by the starter, motor crusty. I think it was used for many seasons.
Relax… It think “without a body” is symantecis. These, IH trucks were used by the Marines early in WWII. They were open cab (no hard top) with a pick-up bed. The home built body in question is the enclosure and top over the driver/passenger seats.
This truck is sporting combat rims
Back in the early 60’s one International farm truck I drove often was a circa 1943 US Air Force K-6. It was a big brute and had a 5 speed main gear box. The shift pattern was odd, and it was a bear to shift without grinding gears, and when it did, it hurt all the way to my shoulder. Made for a long 12 – 13 hour day. Still, it was an adventure for a 13 year old kid. The going pay rate for the time was only $1 an hour, but 7 days a week all summer long meant a tidy sum to pay for school clothes and expenses. Terry J
Congrats on hijacking the thread Terry.
Meaning what Luki ? Terry J
Oh….I get it, changing the subject. My driving experiences with different 1943 International. Sorry . Terry J
Are trolls such as Luki still allowed on BF?
Ha Ha, I think that Luki was just having a bad day. Regarding a 1977 Maverick listing last week he had this interesting comment:
Luki
Oct 27, 2016 at 1:00pm
I was in Venezuela in the 1990s. We would pull up to a red light and be surrounded by Mavericks.
I asked about it and found out that Ford sent the tooling down there and they cranked them out for years.
:-) I think he’s getting the drift of BF. :-) Terry J
At the risk of offending Luki again, I grew up in Eastern Oregon farm country in the 50’s and 60’s. That area grows wheat, barley and green peas. From the day school was out in June, until it started again in September, all us kids worked 7 days a week in the harvests. We operated machinery from the 6th grade on. Those farms all had WW2 surplus trucks just like the one above. 2 wheel drives, 4x4s, 6x6s were everywhere. I have hundreds of hours of driving experience in such trucks. Remember, in ’61 that 1943 International was only 18 years old. It was very hard work, but I have fond memories of those times and those trucks. :-) Terry J
I enjoyed the story. That’s what I like about the car hobby. Sometimes, the stories are better than the cars.
Looks like something they ended up NOT using for one of the A-Team episodes! Still cool!
I didn’t know you could double hijack a thread.
Great story but has nothing to do with the truck for sale.
Well Luki, If you will please publish YOUR rules so us readers can know what specifically we can and cannot talk about, it would be helpful. On the other hand, maybe we will all just continue to decide for ourselves without your “help”. Terry J
I’ll give you a hint.
Your 7 days a week work story and the type of crops raised in Easter Oregon is not helping us learn anything about the truck for sale.
This is Barn Finds.com not Barn Stories.com. Maybe you got confused.
Nobody wants to hear you cry like a girl on this thread either.
I like Terry J’s stories, but I don’t like Luki’s snarky comments. This is all fun Luki, so lighten up.
I like the story as well. My comment was directed at Luki whining not Terry.
They must be selling on consignment or paid nothing for this. Any smart person trying to get top dollar would have aired up the tire and rolled it outside to take proper photos. I myself would have gone as far as washing it too. If it’s consignment and I was the owner I’d be pretty unhappy.
I think that people sharing their experiences from back in the day are wonderful. In a way it puts us in the drivers seat, in this case of a similar not very user friendly vehicle. I actually felt a tinge of pain radiating up my right arm as I read Terry J’s story. We all have memories of the vehicles we’ve driven and I think it’s fitting to share those on Barn Finds.
The whole point of playing with antique vehicles is to celebrate the history and preserve the technology of a bygone era. The tales of days gone by are a part of that history. The best resource for a restorer is the old guy that drove and repaired one back in the day and remembers that the damn whatzit always broke when you cranked up the gizmo too tight ! I for one enjoy the stories of old (As long as the vehicle in question is somehow relevant to the story) So keep the stories coming Geezer Patrol. Just think, What are the stories going to be about 60 years from now? “Gee I remember I had so much trouble programming that damn Navigation system” ?!?!?!?
I like the stories too. Truth be known, I’ll probably never buy something like this, but to hear from someone that actually spent time driving one ( as WW2 vets are getting scarce) in a civilian application, I think is great. Thanks Terry. I’d be curious what the shift pattern was. Sometimes, 1st and reverse were way over to the right, and with no synchro’s, it would be a bear to drive.
Hi Howard, A few years ago I went home and as I often did, went out to that old (abandoned) shop where the trucks were. The International K6 was there and I removed the dash plates for a keepsake. Gottem somewhere, including that tin “shift pattern” tag. I’ll dig it up.
On the Truck for sale (above) you can swee 3 individual tin tags on the dash, full of information about how the truck operates. Importsnt reading for a city kid who had just joined the Nasvy in 1944 and had never driven anything larger than a bicycle. :-) Terry J
Pardon the spelling, didn’t notice. That truck above actually has 4 tin dash tags with driver info on it, which was common in military trucks. It also has 2 extra smaller shift levers on the floor. The one with the knob is probably a 2 speed (high/low) auxiliary transmission, and the other one could be for a hydraulic dump bed. There is no other view that would confirm that other than an oil like stain on the front of that box and on the frame back of the cab, though that may have come from that tank in the bed. 2 speed rear ends usually didn’t have an actual shift lever, but were commonly actuated either by an electrical solenoid, or a heavy “Choke cable” . That large tin dash plate above those levers would be instructions for their operation, and you can see that the text is divided into 2 sections. :-) Terry J
K guys, let’s play nice! Now back to the finds, stories and enjoyable comradery!
Lol
Hey JASON see below.
Rules: No profanity, political rants, or personal attacks.
Calling someone a Troll is a personal attack.
This should not be tolerated by the monitor.