TOTM – November, 2011 – 1922 IHC “Red Baby”
Dr. Marsales' Red Baby
November’s Truck of the Month (TOTM) is owned by Dr. Peter Marsales of Ontario, Canada. A 1922 International Harvester “Red Baby”.
The truck was purchased from the estate of the late Clarence Coons, Kemptville Ontario. Clarence’s father had been an International Harvester equipment dealer in Lakefield, Ontario and this is how Clarence became interested in this IHC truck. Originally Clarence and I drove with his trailer to just east of Cleveland Ohio and loaded up the truck.
Dr. Marsales' Red Baby
Buried under the seat in a squirrels nest were two North Dakota farm licence plates dated 1943 and 1945. So the truck may have operated on the road for 23 years. The engine is a four cylinder Lycoming that Model S trucks had when they left the factory. These trucks had seven leaves in the front semi-elliptical springs and eleven in the rear. This truck had 17 leaves in the rear springs plus helper springs as well. The shackles on the front springs were severely worn and the brackets that were riveted to the frame had broken from the frame. Running off the transmission was a small Kellogg air pump number 295-F. I am in need of this pump and while I have found many Kellogg air pumps I have yet to find this particular one.
Dr. Marsales' Red Baby
I intend to restore the truck as a Red Baby dealer’s service truck with the express box. I need the side tailgate castings and the lateral hinges that the the tailgate chains fasten to.
International introduced the model S truck in 1921. Abandoning the Renault style hood and radiator at the rear, the S moved the radiator up front. Although they were still 4 cylinder models, the gearing was changed to allow the model S to have considerably more speed than its predecessors: up to 25 MPH.
The model S was the first International to have pneumatic tires as standard equipment, and the first to have a battery ignition system. It was the first International to have a starter as original equipment and the first to have electric lights and tire pump. A speedometer and windshield were still optional.
Dr. Marsales' Red Baby
The four cylinder Lycoming model KB engine had a 3-½ inch bore and a 5-inch stroke for a total of 192 cubic inches and an SAE horsepower of rating of 19.6. Drive went through a multiple disk dry clutch and into a sliding gear three speed transmission.
Under Restoration
International Harvester’s farm equipment business suffered from hard times in the economic slump of 1921. Alexander Legg, the president of IHC conceived of a brilliant idea to improve sales. New model S trucks were painted bright red and sold to dealers at reduced price.
These trucks, soon known as “Red Babies”, had the normal 124 inch wheelbase, with full cab and doors and an express type body with floor boards. They were lettered with several IHC and McCormick-Deering logos.
The “Red Babies” became a familiar sight throughout rural America as dealers used them to make deliveries, service runs and communicate with farmer customers.
Prepared for the Internet by J. P. Hansen – thanks to Dr. Peter Marsales and Jim Guthrie.
Red Baby Ad
Red Baby Styles
PDF 
Wow, beautiful work on the cab! And interesting history– so there were three groups of S-series IH trucks!
Dean