When I was 14-15 (1971-2) my friend and I would walk 1/2 mile up the road from school, to a High's Dairy store, and get lunch. Same thing every a day, a Half Smoke and 16 OZ Pepsi. A Half Smoke is a Baltimore-DC specialty. A big hot dog, sausage, half beef and half pork. One day it started pouring just as we walked out of High's, and he said, run for that truck! The High's was next door to an Esso station, the truck was in the Esso lot. We jumped in the truck, and from then on, we ate lunch in this truck. After a couple weeks I asked Brian if he didn't feel odd eating lunch in some one else's truck? He laughed and said, didn't I tell you this is my brother in law's truck, he blew the engine up and wants 50 bucks for it. Well, I bought it, and that weekend my Dad drove me up to the station and we towed it home with 25' of chain. He bought me a new motor for my birthday, and by the time I got my license, we had it on the road. In the pic it looks like it's been there a long time. I took the 8' wood flat bed off, and in just a couple weeks all those weeds grew up through the frame. I got home from school one day and a guy with several camera's and bags was leaning on a fence post and asked if he could take a pic of my truck. He was a reporter for the Washingtonian Magazine. He was doing an article on Historic Sandy Spring MD. This is the pic right out of the magazine.
I'd love to have another one like it. There is a guy on another OT forum, in Australia, that has a 55 PU with a 392 in it. I just bought a FED and can't spend any money on anything else. The car is turn key, but it needs all rubber replaced, probably safety belts. Last time it p***ed certs was when it was brand new in 2000-2002.
How about the end of the story…ie how long you had it, when/why you don’t now, etc? You kinda remind me of a girl I dated as a teen, way back when
My son and I have 2 1954 Internationals, his is an R100 with the rare first year automatic and mine is this R110. Both are patiently waiting for other projects to get completed. There were lots of these trucks sold up here so we have been able to gather most of the body stuff we need, though both trucks are very solid and mostly complete. Here is a picture of mine.The hood and fenders are removed in the picture but I have them put away. I have always liked their styling.
I took a nice 55 International 1/2 ton short box in trade for some work I did that I wish I had rebuilt the engine on or did an engine swap after I broke a piston in it. At that time I was so broke I couldn't afford a new piston and the gaskets let alone an engine swap.
Well, I put an Oak bed with a beer keg gas tank on it, and drove it like that through college. Then I picked up a 63 4 wheel drive IH with a 9 1/2' step side bed. It was so rusted out I put a steel digging bar under the cab to keep the floor from rubbing on the driveshaft. I got the idea it would be cool to have the 55 4X4. So, I cut the rotted out 63 cab into little pieces and took it to the s**** yard. The 55 had a straight frame, and the 63 had a Z frame. I made cab mounts so I could put the 55 on the 63. Don't remember how I did it, but the steering column went in easy, Brake pedal I remember being hard, but got it. Didn't have it in that form long. All I wanted to do was get a good paint job on it. Then a storm blew a limb out of a tree and dented the hood. My Dad tried to move it by himself with his IH tractor. I think the rope broke and recoiled into the grill and bent it. The 39 ford Coupe in my avatar came along and I let the 55 go down the road. Never saw it again. My dream for the 39 was 100 % stock body. I had a Columbia 2 speed rear from another project. I wanted to get the rear in it, and a Paxton super charger on it. Ran out of money, like usual. Wound up into 340 Mopar muscle cars. Mixed in, I had a 37 Cord 810 with an Olds Rocket with 6 Stromberg's. A Lynwood FED with a 340, 727 shorty tail shaft, 8 3/4. I was pretty good at getting pics when I brought stuff home. But, guys new I had a way of finding cool stuff, and in the winter when work was slow, I'd get tight on cash, and they would make me offers. I'll be 68 in March, I'm retired, I have the money. Number 1 on my list is my OT 383 convertible formula S. Before Covid I was 1 or 2 on the list to have it restored. I want it restored by Bucky Hess, so I have to go talk to him and see where we are now. Do a search of Bucky Hess if you don't know of him. He's done some nice restorations of Mopar Race Cars. Number 2 on my list is getting the S&W FED out of my friends barn. It was a turn key car when he parked it. It's going to need all new rubber and safety stuff. But, I have the money for that now and hope to have it certified by March or April. There's 50 plus years.
The Jalopy Journal
