New, and needing advice

I may have found a project for this spring. There is a 1950-56 IH and a second parts truck for sale at a reasonable price. I would like to ask, is there a year or engine type to be avoided, or are there more desireable years in that range? I'd like to keep it stock, and in doing so, not commit myself to a financial nightmare. Are there specific things to look for when I take a closer look at these trucks when the snow melts off?

Sorry if these are too broad of questions. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

Hello and welcome to the site-

When contemplating the restoration of a binder, it helps to realize that you won't find much in the way of reproduction parts- practically nothing, as a matter of fact. This means you will spend a lot of time hunting down parts- either NOS or refurbishable junkyard parts.
That is both frustrating and part of the fun. When you get your truck- you'll be joining this network of lunatics that will bend over backwards in order to further your addiction. If you put out the word that you're looking for something you will likely find some packrat that has just what you need lying around and willing to sell it to you for a reasonable cost. People will also help you find part numbers and sources, because sometimes there are crossovers into agricultural parts that are still being produced (the trucks basically have tractor engines in them) or parts cadged from other manufacturers.

Another thing to keep in mind is that these rigs were built like tanks. A lot of the time when I've been working on my truck, all I've had to do is scrape off 50 years worth of crud, disassemble, derust, paint, lube and reassemble and it looks and functions like new. A little elbow grease goes a long way. The fact that the truck you're looking at comes with a parts truck will save you a lot of legwork.

A few essentials:

1- JOIN a site or several like this one, actively participate, and pepper away with all the questions you've got. They are an absolute gold mine of information and resources to get your rig to rolling again. Won't be too long before you'll have the answers to other's questions and be able to pay it forward.

2- GET the shop manual and maybe the parts catalog as well. Binder Books will have them, but you can get them on ebay and find some downloads on IrisHmikes Gangster IH pages as well. Best purchases I have ever made, period. They pay for themselves several times over.

3- PATIENCE GRASSHOPPER! Because of the aforementioned parts availability issues, you're not going to bang this out in 3 months or even 6 or maybe not in a couple of years depending on how detailed your restoration is going to be and the condition of your project to start.

If you can post up some pictures, we can help you identify the model (1950-56 crosses 3 different series). More than likely - you will not be making money on this venture. It will be a labor of love, so if it speaks to your soul- it's the truck for you. Someone else will have to pipe in on what to look for in engines, but as far as I know, there are few options and nothing that stands out as unreliable. IH tended to find stuff that worked and stick with it.

Hope this helps- good luck with your find and keep us in the loop on it
Gary

I may have found a project for this spring. There is a 1950-56 IH and a second parts truck for sale at a reasonable price. I would like to ask, is there a year or engine type to be avoided, or are there more desireable years in that range? I'd like to keep it stock, and in doing so, not commit myself to a financial nightmare. Are there specific things to look for when I take a closer look at these trucks when the snow melts off?

Sorry if these are too broad of questions. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

If they are both in that year range, the cabs and beds are the same, just minor interior and grill changes. What do you consider a "financial" nightmare? Several things on these trucks. Wiring was a cloth covered rubber over the wire(gets real brittle with age, wiring harnesses can be bought or made. All circuits went through the Light switch. Good Idea to put in a fuse block. Keep in mind that Gaskets dry out(carburator needs looked at) Fuel tank needs cleaned/lines cleaned. If it was stored with fuel in it, the bottom of tank will be varnish and pickup tube could be plugged. If motor turns over,by hand it will probably run. DO NOT JUST CRANK UP, that could cause problems that will cost you lots of money. Put a little oil down the plug holes and crank over to check compression, if fairly consistent readings across all cylinders, should run(100) is not to bad. DO not crank with 12 volts unless you make sure the wires to your gauges are disconnected(possible damage could occur) These trucks are a 6 volt positive ground system. Like any old vehicle that has been sitting for many years, always best to check things out. The brake drums are getting hard to come by, treat them gently. The 220 motor is a good motor, the later years had the tilt valve set up. Keeping the exterior/sheet metal of the truck original is neat. upgrading some of the other things is good common sense, especially if you are going to make it a daily driver. There are some options for putting better brakes on the front, and the explorer 8.8 rear end goes under with not to much work.
Just keep in mind, These are not trucks that have "off the shelf" parts readily available. It takes time and patience to put them on the road. There are not a lot out there, and always draw a crowd when displayed at the "shows"
Hope I have answered some of your questions, Keep asking, others will answer also.

Lloyd

Thank you for the replies, this is just the kind of info I am needing.

With limited financial resources I want to be realistic before starting a project I can't do right. I have seen people cut corners and mess up a nice old truck rather than doing it right.

Thanks

Lots of things, if you can do them your self, will save you money. Do not let us discourage you. Pictures of the vehicles will help us to know what your are looking at. Parts are out there, and there might even be some close to you.
Lloyd