My first rat build........

Turner-66C10 said:

International Rat, Where in KS are you located? Im in Kansas City and am picking up a late 30's early 40's cab next weekend. If your close Id love to stop by and check it out!

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Arkansas City Ks. 67005
Sure stop by I love showing it to people cause it looks a whole lot better in person then it does in the pics, plus i've gotten alot more done too! Let me know.

thats a long ways from Kansas City but ya never know. If I mak it down that way Ill try to give some notice. SO in the meantime, how about some updates with lots if pictures!

Turner-66C10 said:

thats a long ways from Kansas City but ya never know. If I make it down that way Ill try to give some notice. SO in the meantime, how about some updates with lots if pictures!

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I will soon, I just stopped posting on my build cause its kinda slow moving and boring to read so I'm just waiting to get far enough along so it'll be more interesting. I've got the rocker panels done and finished the inside of the cab, chopped the windshield frame, I've done most of the body work on the cab. I picked up an original 40's IH bed the other day for free! Me my buddy and my son carried it out of the woods, it was on his property down by the river with about a foot of sand in it! That was allot of work. I've started cutting it down. What is the most common length to cut a bed down to? I was thinkin around 4 1/2 feet?

I hope my IH turns out like this.

Does your windshield crank out on that truck. I want to chop my K series Binder but am concerned about the windshield. It is the split type and the bottom cranks out for airflow.

Also, I like how you kept the rear window full size. The sections that you took out around the window..... is that what you used to patch the section on the top? Or do you just just use sheetmetal from something else?

I used sheet metal from a old chevy hood. However I did use some of the pieces that I cut out. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask. I've been gone for awhile but im back and getting ready to start thrashing on the IH! Breaks over time to get back to work!![

Fired up the horn for the boys today. I had to hear it. Great vintage tone to it. It's a keeper. I had a couple buddies stop by to see it and they had to hear it too Pulled the hood off. Inside the cab is good and clean. Pulled the radiator out as well. Looks in great shape but who knows about the inside. Inside the hoses, which I had to hack saw off, was nasty.

Do these old beds with the rusted out floors need to be x braced before taking off?

IRON MAIDEN said:

Do these old beds with the rusted out floors need to be x braced before taking off?

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The IH beds were built very tough they have a lot of bracing in the already. I don't know the extent of your rust but i would think you would be ok. I got my bed from a friend and it was down by the river half buried in the sand we got it dug out and flipped it end over end for about a 1/4 mile out of the woods and to the road and it didn't hurt it a bit!

Here is a few pics of about where it sits now. I know this thing is taking a lot longer then I wanted it to but I've been pretty busy with other things so the new goal is to have it finished by the next lonestar round up!

Heres the headlights I think i'll run on it. They are actual IH lights which I think is kinda cool. What do you think? Should I can the IH lights for some bigger ones? The last two pics are of a steering wheel and column I picked up at a local scrap yard. Does anyone know what it's from? I thought it looked kinda cool so I think i'll redo it and put it in the ol IH!

Here's a couple of the tag box.

the column looks very chrysler imperial ish but I could be wrong. Run the lights I say!

Run the lights.
Can't believe that thing sits that low. The roofline that is. How tall are you?
I'm 6'4" and standing next to my truck the roof is higher than my head!!!
I know it will be waaayyy lower when I change the frame and suspension/wheels/tires, but wow. That thing is gonna be cool.

Lights are cool - run 'em! Like the wheel too.

I was thinking the wheel looked like a Chrysler also, ditto on the lights.

Im 6'4" too. I thought the wheel looked like it was from a chrysler also. Thanks for the input on the lights, I thought it would be kinda cool to have actual IH lights on it.

That is some nice metal work on the cab! Good luck and keep us posted.

international rat said:

Heres the headlights I think i'll run on it. They are actual IH lights which I think is kinda cool. What do you think? Should I can the IH lights for some bigger ones? The last two pics are of a steering wheel and column I picked up at a local scrap yard. Does anyone know what it's from? I thought it looked kinda cool so I think i'll redo it and put it in the ol IH!

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Not positive, I have a steering wheel just like that in my 66 chevy pu. I got it from a 64 custom cab pu. But have yet to positivly identify it. A guy I know said it looks like the one that was in his 58 chevy?

Oh, and the center cap on that steering wheel is chrome under the paint. Mine was worn thru, and a little acetone and super fine steel wool and paint gone and nice chrome underneath. I liked the whole chrome center cap, as my truck is a mild custom. It is a sharp looking wheel.