Identify these Trucks

[ecotourist]

My FIL and his father had a fuel delivery service from the late '40s to the '80s. Here are 2 of their trucks from probably the early 1950s.

Can you identify them - make, year?

 

[Rand]

That looks cold. no help with the trucks though.

 

[vwmaniaman]

Big one looks like a Ford from the late 40's. The smaller one could be the same.

 

[ecotourist]

The split windshields are a clue. In cars the last year for split windshields was +/- 1952 depending on the make.

I've been thinking the half ton might be a Fargo. It looks a bit like my uncle's little red truck and it was a Fargo, but I don't know trucks from that era.

 

[ecotourist]

The half ton looks a bit like the grey truck in the second line on this link. It's apparently a '48 Fargo.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...144D85A90EB7453E40A96E&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&first=1

 

[cjcride]

The smaller truck is a Dodge Fargo. The larger truck looks a lot like a 46 International.

 

[cjcride]

Correction: the larger truck appears to be a 46 Ford Jail bar

 

[ATex7239]

Black. I’m ready good at this game

 

[PF52]

Can I play too?

These came from an ancient (50s-era?) roll of film I processed recently. Its really dark and muddy and it looks like maybe those people are picknicking at a campground or a state park somewhere (some of the other shots show people frolicking in a lake, in bright sunshine, and those shots look fine).

Anyone recognize them? That girl might be someone's grandma now.

 

[cjcride]

The vehicle in the foreground looks to be a 1956 International

 

[ecotourist]

The vehicle in the foreground looks to be a 1956 International

Here are photos of a '56 International. It's a bit smaller size but the grill is different and it doesn't seem to have a split windshield.

https://classiccars.com/listings/vi...ickup-for-sale-in-las-cruces-new-mexico-88001

Here's a '47 International of about the right size. Split windshield (check) but the grill seems different.

https://classiccars.com/listings/vi...-sale-in-thief-river-falls-mn-minnesota-56701

International brand is quite possible though because he had an international truck when I first knew him - which was 1969. No doubt he turned them over occasionally but I never heard him complain about his work truck so he could have been brand loyal.

It looks like there is a wind blocker in front of the grill of the tank truck. It's deep winter and it was common practice to put the equivalent of a sheet of cardboard in front of the radiator to promote more rapid warm up and hotter running in very cold weather in those days. In fact getting and keeping a vehicle running at all in very cold weather was quite a feat. I remember people bringing batteries into the house overnight to warm up. And one of our neighbours put a pan of hot coals from the kitchen stove under the oil pan of his early '50s Chevrolet (car) to try to start it on a cold day.

I understand it was hard to get any vehicle in the early post war years, and while my FIL tended to be a Ford man (with an occasional Oldsmobile) for his cars later in life, getting a small truck of any brand in '46 - '48 might have been a win.

 

[ecotourist]

Correction: the larger truck appears to be a 46 Ford Jail bar

Here are photos of a '46 tank truck of a similar size. Split window (check) side of hood (quite similar) but the top of the grill looks a bit different.

https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1264791/1946-ford-tanker-for-sale-in-cadillac-michigan-49601

 

[meep]

Here are photos of a '56 International. It's a bit smaller size but the grill is different and it doesn't seem to have a split windshield.

https://classiccars.com/listings/vi...ickup-for-sale-in-las-cruces-new-mexico-88001

Here's a '47 International of about the right size. Split windshield (check) but the grill seems different.

https://classiccars.com/listings/vi...-sale-in-thief-river-falls-mn-minnesota-56701

International brand is quite possible though because he had an international truck when I first knew him - which was 1969. No doubt he turned them over occasionally but I never heard him complain about his work truck so he could have been brand loyal.

It looks like there is a wind blocker in front of the grill of the tank truck. It's deep winter and it was common practice to put the equivalent of a sheet of cardboard in front of the radiator to promote more rapid warm up and hotter running in very cold weather in those days. In fact getting and keeping a vehicle running at all in very cold weather was quite a feat. I remember people bringing batteries into the house overnight to warm up. And one of our neighbours put a pan of hot coals from the kitchen stove under the oil pan of his early '50s Chevrolet (car) to try to start it on a cold day.

I understand it was hard to get any vehicle in the early post war years, and while my FIL tended to be a Ford man (with an occasional Oldsmobile) for his cars later in life, getting a small truck of any brand in '46 - '48 might have been a win.

I grew up with a 2bbl carbuerated Chevy in the house - with about 50k on the clock. Everything said here is legit. Automatic choke? What a joke - pull cable far more trustworthy. Pump the gas 2 times or not? Depends on engine temp, ambient temp, how long since it last ran, and if it’s rainy/foggy out. Battery health dictates how many chances you have to get it wrong. Stupid cold, and not much battery left? Don’t risk it, get ether. 3rd time this week? Mom asks to leave the air cleaner at home, as she’s gotta wear nice clothes. You may need to crank first to fill the carb, then pump it twice, then hold slightly open to fire. Hope the 26 amp generator can help the battery some before stalling at the stop light. If the headlights are on (12 amps, heads and tails, markers and dash) and you’re running the heater (8), you might give it a minute.

Ever roll start a Chevy with manual brakes and vague steering down hill in reverse? Hint - manual brakes are far better for this!

 

[ecotourist]

I grew up with a 2bbl carbuerated Chevy in the house - with about 50k on the clock. Everything said here is legit. Automatic choke? What a joke - pull cable far more trustworthy. Pump the gas 2 times or not? Depends on engine temp, ambient temp, how long since it last ran, and if it’s rainy/foggy out. Battery health dictates how many chances you have to get it wrong. Stupid cold, and not much battery left? Don’t risk it, get ether. 3rd time this week? Mom asks to leave the air cleaner at home, as she’s gotta wear nice clothes. You may need to crank first to fill the carb, then pump it twice, then hold slightly open to fire. Hope the 26 amp generator can help the battery some before stalling at the stop light. If the headlights are on (12 amps, heads and tails, markers and dash) and you’re running the heater (8), you might give it a minute.

Ever roll start a Chevy with manual brakes and vague steering down hill in reverse? Hint - manual brakes are far better for this!

What you describe is entirely accurate. It's amazing how much the starting technique varied with the season. You got used to winter starting slowly as the weather cooled, and vice versa for summer. You either pumped the gas a couple of times (winter) or strictly left it alone (hot summer day).

Never roll started in reverse though.

 

[vavavroom]

The bigger truck does look like an R-Line IH. It does have a split window but I do see even 1950s R-Line trucks with split windows. Maybe they were less expensive aftermarket windshield replacements for the one-piece window? The smaller one does look like a very late '40s Dodge Fargo. I can see the large chrome grille bars.

 

[ecotourist]

The bigger truck does look like an R-Line IH. It does have a split window but I do see even 1950s R-Line trucks with split windows. Maybe they were less expensive aftermarket windshield replacements for the one-piece window? The smaller one does look like a very late '40s Dodge Fargo. I can see the large chrome grille bars.

Or maybe an L-series IH, around 1950.

Not sure about the windshield though. In a lot of the photos on line it looks like the L-Series had a curved one piece windshield. Maybe this one was a very early L-series, or possibly a 2-piece windshield option, or even an aftermarket replacement. The roads were very poor in that era and flying stones were a regular feature. A cheap and easily replaced flat half window would have been a definite advantage.

The small one does seem to be a Fargo, about 1948.

 

[ecotourist]

I noticed that this Australian L-series has a split windshield. Maybe they were split in Canada too? Or at least in the early production.

As they were supporting the farming community, if there was some sort of rationing (formal or otherwise), my FIL and his dad would have had a good claim for a heavy truck, meaning a very early post war model.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter...e:1952_International_AL-130_(16060701251).jpg

 

[ecotourist]

Some late news. Seems they only had the small truck originally and were desperate for a tanker. These was a shortage of trucks in the early post war years and it's imminent arrival was an ongoing topic in their letters.

All that to say, the tanker would have been a very early model. So split windshields may have been what you got at the time.

This photo may have celebrated the arrival of their tanker. If the small truck is a '48 (which looks about right), the tanker could be a '50 or so. This story is all fitting together.

 

[mccandish]

The bigger truck looks like a 1946-47 Mercury.

 

[cjcride]

This^!
Look at the small round signal light in the fender.
Plus the chrome trim that runs up and back over the peak of the hood. It is a solid unbroken line