Old International commercial truck R185

I got a call yesterday from a person who wanted me to think about doing some work to an old international truck. when I got there, I could see it was a commercial truck which he did not say to me over the phone. the truck has to be a 1950 - 1957 R sires 185 truck. It looks like it needs door windows and back window maybe even a windshield to be replace. I am not really to Shure what this guy wants to do with this truck. It has a six-cylinder gasoline engine in it and a two-speed rear end. What I need to figure out is how easy is it to get parts for this truck. This person wanted me to make up my mind if I wanted to do the work on repairing the stuff that is wrong with it. Needs less to say this is an old dump truck with a snow blade on the front of it. Interior on the truck only has one seat in it for now. Never have I worked on a commercial truck that has air brakes on it. so, this might be another learning curve. Sorry I don't have a picture of this night mire. Just want to post this and see what people can tell me. should I run form this job OR shall I try to help this person out. Looking forward to reading what you can tell me.

You might get some answers in the forums on this site:

http://oldihc.org/phpBB3/index.php

Would love to see a picture or two of that truck.

This post was edited by Rich'sToys on 07/31/2023 at 05:50 am.

Sounds like this may be like jumping into the middle of a swamp with the alligators blindfolded at night..It would be a challenge that might last a long time and taste pretty bad in my opinion.

If it were me, I would not accept this job. Especially if I was already busy. Too many unknowns.

I own a couple International trucks and I would advise you to run not walk away from this one, parts are hard enough to find on the everyday truck and almost impossible to find on the commercial ones.

My experience with IH commercial trucks is that while they were tough and durable trucks no two were completely the same. Parts can be very difficult as they used many different ones.

I agree with Tony. Bill

Our Fire Dept. had 1963 R-185. They were produced from 1953 to 1967. Outside of the cab and engine the truck would have been assembled from mass produced components used on all other makes.

I think you should decline .... if you dont know air brakes, how can you help him? If its been any length of time, the brakes are going to need attention. A learning curve ... on brakes .... on a heavy truck... no. Whatever you miss during your... learning curve... will be pointed out by motor carrier enforcement, for about $400 per 20% loss of braking force... or make him call a wrecker if it is bad enough.

I was the service manager at a medium duty IH dealership. As pointed out, there were no standard production components except the tin work and maybe the engines. Each truck had a Line Setting Ticket in the glove box that described electrical components, the axle manufacturer model and specifications, the transmission manufacturer and specs, and brake components. Even with that information they were (and are) a nightmare. Wiring diagrams were almost useless in many cases because they could not be made to cover the variants noted above. Some of those components were made to fit only those trucks, and as such are realistically not on planet earth. The diesel engine issue that haunted the tractor before this was a cake walk. Jim

Well the Mseries trucks are very similar to the R model cabs. I own a M series M6123 or something like that it's an old cement truck. 6x6 and all. Pats were available through the dealer for it 30 years ago or more. The transmission would probably be able to be swapped with something else if needed pretty easy by possibly changing the bell housing. Rear ends were IH 's own make in some cases like mine they are an RA351 in a live tandem. Engine is probably one of the old red diamond engines. A slow speed high torque engine of the times. Clutch is not a problem probably just a 14inch double disc clutch. As for the Air brakes those are simpler than juice brakes to work on with no mess from brake fluid. IF the air compressor works and the engine runs the brakes will probably just need shoes for the wheels which are a generic part from either of a couple of manufacturers. The big brake issue would be if they are wedge lock brake style those will need heat to get the screws loose so you can turn them and then a lot of lube of choice to keep them loose. Front brakes can be either of those S cam or wedge lock. S cams are much desired and easier to work on if there is no shaft from the shoe out towards the center of the axle with a slack adjuster on it they are probably wedge locks. The wedge lock has the air chamber right out from the backing plate. S cams are fastened to a plate welded to the axle facing front or back. Big thing will be if they have the old copper lines on the brake chambers. I would change them over to the synflex line with the compression ferrels for the lines from stem to stern. Quick release valves are on the frame usually for the axle release. Soapy water is the easiest way to check for leaks. Call me if you want more information. Cab parts like your glass will be the biggest problem for getting parts.

I have a '55 R200 with the same drivetrain; parts don't fall at your feet by any means but you can locat them. first thing I did was get a Holly and an adapter plate...that stock carb was...well...complicated

First thing you need to do is ask the owner how much he wants to spend. That will help make the decision for you to get involved. It may seem crass, but when I have a customer ask about things like this, I ask what they think they'll be spending on it. Usually, we are thousands of dollars apart. If this truck hasn't run in awhile, and glass is missing, you might get it working and legal for $5K parts and labor. But,I also warn people, all old trucks were parked for a reason, so it could have a bad major assembly (engine, transmission, rear end) that could balloon the budget to $10K+. If it has a bad major assembly, you aren't going to find a used one that is install ready without a rebuild.