1939 D2 Panel Truck

My grandfather had one of these that he sold his flowers and occasional produce out of. It was gray & blue (I think) and he painted his "Gladview Gardens" business logo on the sides of it. It rusted up long before I was born and they got rid of it. Being the only car nut in the family, I felt it was my duty to resurrect a copy of it, so I purchased this '39 IH panel out of Wisconsin. I had to pay the seller to put new tires onto it as the original ones were trash. So it took quite a while to get here.

On the practical side (everything has to have a practical use right?) I want to use it to haul camping trailers and car trailers around. And the motor is missing the head and has all sorts of dirt collected inside the motor with the oil pan rotted away. No good. So I am thinking that a 12 valve Cummins motor may be the right transplant for this truck. Couple that with a NV4500 manual overdrive trans and try to keep the original park brake in the same location. Large disc brakes up front is also in the plans, but no other suspension changes except maybe boxing in the frame to handle the extra weight & torque. My goal is to make it look and feel as much like my grandfather's original, and still be useful enough to run on today's roads.

I purchased it 3 months ago, but didn't receive it until 2 days ago. Apparently, the right rear wheel was jammed stuck, and It looked like the shipper bashed it around trying to move it. They bent the bumper and grille quite a bit. The grille was already bent so I guess it just means a little more work. Once I cleaned out the trash and dirt, I found that the rear wood is in pretty good shape. The front floor needs to be replaced. There is rust on the inner metal in the back and along various places, here and there. The gas tank is completely rusted out, so I'll need to get a new one.

After trying for an hour to unfreeze the brakes on the right rear, I noticed that the drum was severely cracked. Maybe dragging it around had jammed the broken spring (that later fell out) against the drum and cracked it. Most of the wheel studs are broken too so I couldn't use a puller to pull the hub off either. Since the drum was garbage, I just got my mini sledge and broke the rest of it to free it up. Now I can move it around, but I'll need to find another drum if I want to use this axle. Now to count the gear ratio to see if I want to keep it or not.

As the saying goes, it needs a bit of work but has a lot of potential. One plus that I see right off is that you have plenty of room for the front seats. It's a bit snug in the front on my '36 C40, and since the seat back is already attached to the rear of the cab, it doesn't go back any further!

Rare and Cool! Love it!

Thanks. That's true about having more room for the seats I think the original seats were really simple bus style single bucket seats and I believe the original passenger seat would lift up and forward. At least I had one like that in my old Chevy suburban. The passenger seat was an option in these that wasn't commonly paid for so it's unlikely I will be able to find anything like that. I'll just look for something that doesn't destroy the 1939 look.

Nice truck and looking forward to your restoration , love roof line especialy how it dips towards the drivers door .

Yeah, I like that roof line too. Designers back then had more style than today.

I found out today that the steering box is completely stripped out. I've never encountered that before. The shaft is connected, but turning it does nothing. That makes it really painful to move around. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good power steering box swap for these?

Now that I can turn the wheel, I counted the gear ratio as 4.18:1. Pretty low. Not sure I want to use that. Assuming that there are no gear swaps available for this axle; which seems likely, I will probably swap it out to get higher gears into it. I measured the rear axle at 58.5" between wheel mounts on the drums. That's almost identical in size to a Mopar B-body 8 3/4 axle I have sitting in my shed. I would need to move the axle pads to the 41.5" spacing on the international, and use narrow spring pads.

Also, it is weird that this truck has a battery box on the firewall in the engine compartment, and also has one under the floor on the driver's side. Did they all come like this? The one under the floor seems to be where it was hooked up last. Additionally, there is another box under the passenger floor boards. Does anyone know what it is for? I have included a picture of it. It extends further toward the back, under the floor, as well.

More than likely the other box is for tools. International seemed to always have a box on the floor for them.

COPY AND PASTE.
So I am thinking that a 12 valve Cummins motor may be the right transplant for this truck. Couple that with a NV4500 manual overdrive trans and try to keep the original park brake in the same location.
I like Cummins. You may need to consider the weight of a Cummins 5.9/12 valve. The engine will likely fit into the space. Where will you put the intercooler? The 12 valve is a heavy engine. It weighs around 1000 pounds. This weight will likely be too much for the OEM frame. The torque of the 12 valve could twist the OEM frame. http://www.cumminshub.com/12v.html The 24 valve is a little heavier. http://www.cumminshub.com/24v.html
I would suggest that you look for a Cummins 4bta. This Cummins engine is about 750 pounds and close to the OEM engine weight.
If you can find a Cummins 4bta it should be everything and more than you will ever want. The 4bta is rated for up to 16,000# http://www.cumminshub.com/4bt.html
Anything that will bolt to a 12 and 24 valve Cummins will fit a 4bta.
The 4bta may be more difficult to locate now, but I would suggest it might be well worth the wait.
Here is another suggestion. You might like to look for a Ford Crown Victoria modular front suspension. This is an easy transplant. The Ford CV 8.8 differential is another easy transplant. On the off chance the track width may be a little wide, for your taste, a later Ford alloy wheel with a positive offset should correct this.
A 4X4 conversion is an easy fix for better brakes and that 4X4 look. Careful planning with attention to the ride height will keep your build as low as possible, or, high enough to attract the police.
My friend tows a two axle Airstream with his Cummins 4bta powered Willys Jeep. He does not have any trouble keeping up with traffic on the I-5. He gets about 25 mpg.
These are suggestions. You should make your you own choices.

If you are considering a 4X4 conversion, I discovered the solid DANA 44 axles used under the 1997 RAM 1500 pickup are available and affordable. These axles may be a little wide, but, I plan to use RAM 1500, 20 wheels with a positive offset to correct this.
I bought my RAM 20 wheels from A Craigslist seller. He had aftermarket wheels installed on his RAM. The OEM wheels were taken off at the dealer a week after the time of sale.