I am back from Ft. Stockton, here is what I learned...
built in Norwood Oh, Feb 1944 1.5 ton originally,
engine is not original, and I am not sure where it came from, casting number was 307499 (as far as I can tell) description matches the 216s, according to Inliners, may be from 39?? anyway, it has a broken rocker arm on the #3 Exhaust, likely from a stuck vavle, so will take some work before it does anything.
rims are in good shape, master cylinder is frozen (no big surprise there) the emergency brake is not functional.
shifts easily in 3 and 4, and somtimes 2, did not try to force it into 1 or R, all of the glass is broken, but bolts were easy to remove, and no major rust anywhere (bless the west texas desert) had oil in the pan, and radiator empty (good) gear oil in the tranny too.
cleaned off the stakebed, and could probably use it as a template for a replacement. has arrow blinkers front and back off of a later model vehicle...
clutch seems to be in working order.
rear tranny is from a 53, 2 speed vacum shifted, added from a donor wreck, as well as beefed up rear springs, (thus making it 2 ton) there might have been a brake upgrade at the same time, but I couldn't tell this time out.
pictures forthcoming (got to get them developed and scanned)... should prolly be posting this somewhere else...
-Mike R,
P.S. I want the truck because I am starting an organic farm, I will be growing Olives, and veggies, selling the veggies at local farmers markets... big old farm truck == good marketing, besides it is a family heirloom and kinda rare at that (being a 44 and all)
