Getting Truck Running That Sat For Many Years

nrowles · Oct 22, 2018

As long as we don't get too much rain this weekend I will finally be going to get a 1953 International Harvester R-112 truck from my great grandmothers farm. 220 ci silver diamond engine with 100 hp. 4 speed on the floor. This truck has sat for 35 years in a corn crib. I am somewhat mechanically inclined but getting this thing back on the road will certainly be a challenge. My hopes are for 3 years.

I don't want to get crazy with this restoration but just try to get it running and roadworthy. What do you thing the likely things will be that need replaced or worked on?

I'm already planning on brakes and lines, fuel tank flush and fuel lines, new electrical (hopefully not but likely), tires, new carb or rebuild, all new fluids, radiator flush, exhaust, belts, hoses, battery, plugs, wires, cleanup distributor. I haven't gotten a chance to dive in to it yet but I'm assuming the engine may be stuck. I will let it soak and hopefully be able to break it loose and use it.

So what am I missing? What else will likely need replaced with a job like this?

hd6gtom · Oct 22, 2018

Lots of patience, good luck with her.

Pete_5959 · Oct 22, 2018

Take a set of points and a small gas tank with rubber gas line. Check oil to be sure still has some viscosity to it. Should be able to get her going in a few hours. I spied a 1951 3/4 chevy truck in a field in West Va. Stopped and purchased from owner. Came back and drove it on a trailer for the trip home in a few hours. Farmer said it had been sitting in the field better than twenty years. Good Luck.

JustIn Case · Oct 22, 2018

Nice looking truck! Just have to take it one step at a time! I'd say get the old fluids out of it first, then some new oil, see if the engine will turn with a wrench.

JustIn Case · Oct 22, 2018

You can run it with fuel in a gas can then you can address the fuel tank issues later. I've taken a short piece of hose from fuel pump to gas can. Then loosen. remove fuel line from carb to see if you can get clean fuel up to the carb. Of course you will have to get it to where you can crank the engine first...

rusty6 · Oct 22, 2018

That is a good looking IH. If it has not sat too many years out in the weather that engine might be ok and turn over. I was not so lucky with
the 49 Mercury truck. Those old Ford flatheads can seize up pretty tight. Pistons and valves.

4520BW · Oct 22, 2018

That's a good looking truck! If the motor
is stuck it would be a great candidate for
a repower with a 2.8 cummins crate motor.

jeffcat · Oct 22, 2018

With those 6cyl engines a good old fashioned way of doing things.
Drain the old oil out. Change the filter next. Then fill the engine
right to the tippy top with freash motor oil and let things soak a
couple of days. Next step is to drain that fresh oil down to the
correct dip stick level and save it for your next oil change. What
this procedure does is every single moving surface will get a total
oil soak. Just before you are ready to try the engine pull all of the
plugs out. Then fill the radiator to the top with plain water. Just be
VERY conscious of the out door temperature. Nothing to freeze. If the
engine is free then you can check for compression to see if any valves
are stuck open. Also watch for any water blowing out. Blown head
gasket. Then before you screw the plugs back in see if you get spark.
Maybe clean the points. Last step is squirt a tiny bit of gas down the
carberator. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN EXTINGUISHER HANDY. Turn the key and
cross your fingers. If she runs let her warm up good. See if all of
the gauges work. Hopefully the clutch isn't stuck. Now the rest is up
to you and your wallet. DON'T forget to drain out the plain water and
refill with 50/50 mix. That plain water is not messy, blowing
antifreeze all over kinda stinks.

Jim in LA · Oct 22, 2018

Make sure the throttle linkage works freely, the last time I fired up my dad?s old 59 f100 the throttle stuck wide open. I was able to shut it down
immediately without any damage.

SweetFeet · Oct 22, 2018

Sure is a neat old truck.

Steve@Advance · Oct 22, 2018

Sounds like you've got a plan.

About all I can think of would be the fuel pump, rebuild or replace.

Pretty much count on anything rubber being bad, like seals, shackle bushings, weather stripping, window seals...

You say you want to get it road worthy, what are your plans?

If keeping it all original, I wouldn't want to count on it being practical to drive very far. It wont like running much over 50 MPH for long. And you probably won't like driving it very long either! LOL

If it's going on the highway I would be looking at a repower, complete drive train upgrade.

That's a solid looking truck! Will you try to save the original paint, if it is original?

Keep us posted!

Tony S. · Oct 22, 2018

Bet you'll find it's not stuck. Take off the valve cover and tap on top of each valve stem. If they're all free, put a socket on the bolt on the front of the crankshaft and try to rock it back and forth

tracto-man · Oct 22, 2018

Some rubber line and a gas can can make
getting something running much easier then
flushing the tank for a first run.
<img
src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvp
hotos/cvphoto479.jpg"/>

Rich'sToys · Oct 22, 2018

Sounds like you've got most of the bases covered, and the others have covered by everyone else who responded.

Check out the forums at oldihc.org They have a forum specifically for the R-series trucks. Plenty of good info there, including parts sources.

Keep us posted on your progress. You have a cool truck there.

Dr. Walt · Oct 23, 2018

First and foremost, a good Pressure Washing with soapy water!

showcrop · Oct 23, 2018

Since brake fluid absorbs water make sure that you don't have water in the wheel cylinders.

Richard G. · Oct 23, 2018

Aww, come on. You know you want it to look like this one a friend stores in my old shop.
Richard

nrowles · Oct 23, 2018

I cannot figure out how to multi-quote in one reply. How to do this should be put in the FAQ link. How do I multi-quote?

Rich'sToys · Oct 23, 2018

Looks like the shiny truck is a little newer than the OP's truck. It has the single back window instead of the split one.

nrowles · Oct 23, 2018

Thanks to all for the tips. I forgot to put in OP my uncle said he thought it was parked because the starter went on it. I will get that rebuilt as well.

I hope my 3 year goal is do-able because that's about as much patience as I have. I really don't want to turn it into a job though either.

The truck has never sat in the weather. Always been in the barn or corn crib. I'm hoping engine isn't stuck but I don't want to be too optimistic and then let down.

My preference is to keep this truck as original as possible due to sentimental reasons. I doubt it will get many miles and will be very unlikely to see any highway use. I bought a 1965 Mustang last year that has become my weekend ride and my 2007 Silverado is upset with me. A slow rough ride isn't a big deal if only getting it out a couple times a month. If the body ends up decent I will just clean it up real good and let it as is. I really don't want to modernize the truck, keep it old school.

I joined the oldihc forum 5 months ago when this process started. It doesn't get much traffic but it will be helpful.

I think the first thing of order will be freeing up the seized brakes my uncle told me about. Then a good thorough cleaning to see what's under the dirt/dust.

Richard G. - that is a beautiful truck. Definitely not expecting it to look like that anytime soon but maybe some day.

Leroy · Oct 23, 2018

Check the head and manifold over real good, acording to the 1950 we had they are likely to be cracked as we found that problem when we got ours in the early 70's and it had sat awhile but not that long. It started and ran to drive it home but could not get rid of a miss, Turned out those parts were cracked. A BD 220 bolts right in and that is what was done to ours. That driveshaft brake never did hold and when got rid of it the gas was spouting out the top of the carb.

nrowles · Oct 31, 2018

Got the truck home last weekend. Tires pumped up and held air. Only one wheel was stuck when we pulled it out of the shed. It broke loose after pulling 100' out in the open. Crank turned easily with a bar. Put a little ATF in the cylinders anyways. Tried to turn motor with plugs out but starter isn't working (uncle told me that's the reason it was parked 35 years ago). Starter is on the way to the rebuild shop. Engine had ZERO coolant in it so hopefully it was drained or the freeze plugs popped out and nothing major like a cracked block. I will be checking this out more over the weekend. You can tell this truck was used hard on the farm. The only body damage on the outside is the driver fender must have been backed into something and pounded out with a hammer. The inside of the bed is really bad though. Very wavy with holes through it and the front has separated from the floor and is pushed against the cab. Some major bed repair is in order. The tailgate is also pretty rough but at least I found it, covering up a man hole in the barn floor. The floor under the pedals is rotten and needs repaired. Frame is solid. Overall I think I have a pretty good starting point considering it has sat for 35 years.

What are your opinions on wiring? If I follow/inspect each wire and the wire is not broken/cracked/wore through should I let it be? I did notice the wire to the solenoid has coating falling off in a few places. There is one spot with 1" of completely bare wire with no coating. Obviously I can replace that wire but doing the whole truck would be quite an undertaking for me. I would rather just let the wires go that still look decent and work. Any risk of danger/fire with that?

showcrop · Oct 31, 2018

(quoted from post at 06:37:21 10/31/18) Got the truck home last weekend. Tires pumped up and held air. Only one wheel was stuck when we pulled it out of the shed. It broke loose after pulling 100' out in the open. Crank turned easily with a bar. Put a little ATF in the cylinders anyways. Tried to turn motor with plugs out but starter isn't working (uncle told me that's the reason it was parked 35 years ago). Starter is on the way to the rebuild shop. Engine had ZERO coolant in it so hopefully it was drained or the freeze plugs popped out and nothing major like a cracked block. I will be checking this out more over the weekend. You can tell this truck was used hard on the farm. The only body damage on the outside is the driver fender must have been backed into something and pounded out with a hammer. The inside of the bed is really bad though. Very wavy with holes through it and the front has separated from the floor and is pushed against the cab. Some major bed repair is in order. The tailgate is also pretty rough but at least I found it, covering up a man hole in the barn floor. The floor under the pedals is rotten and needs repaired. Frame is solid. Overall I think I have a pretty good starting point considering it has sat for 35 years.

What are your opinions on wiring? If I follow/inspect each wire and the wire is not broken/cracked/wore through should I let it be? I did notice the wire to the solenoid has coating falling off in a few places. There is one spot with 1" of completely bare wire with no coating. Obviously I can replace that wire but doing the whole truck would be quite an undertaking for me. I would rather just let the wires go that still look decent and work. Any risk of danger/fire with that?

I would inspect and repair the wiring, but you would have to literally have go over every inch. I would get the water out of the master and wheel cylinders ASAP. Not likely but you may be able to save them.

Getting Truck Running That Sat For Many Years

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