Go Joe! Memories... I had an old "Cornbinder" (IH) 3/4 ton with 4 on the floor, PTO winch, 4x4 etc. It had a REAL truck V8 (red lined at 4000) not some automotive V8 with different accessories. It started life as a cab-chassis unit that was used in filming the movie "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and was sold at 8 mo of age to an artist in Leucadia, CA who built on a home brew RV complete with walk through from the cab. It looked like a cross between a field ambulalnce and a Brinks truck. He shipped it overseas and did Europe in it. It had bars over the windows that wre big enough for unauthorized entry, locking shovel holders, ladder to the walkable top, two potable water tanks, a built in 5 gal white gas tank for the Coleman stove and lanterns and on and on. Cruised the great American south west in it and Baja California as well. Under the seats-four-people couch there was a spares bin stocked with U-joints, clutch disk, brake shoes, radiator hoses, center bolts for the springs trany oil, diff oil, brake fluid, and on and on and on.
Cornbinder story #1: Cruising down in Baja we blew a radiator hose. Stopped by the dirt track (not quite a road) we were following, got out a spare hose and the old hose clamp was unusable and I didn't have the right size in stock (bummer). I was standing by a barbed wire fence thinking how it was two strands twisted together and a foot of just one strand wouldn't be to disruptive and doubled or tripled would make a hose clamp. I was standing there trying to look nonchalant because I could here a nother truck coming. Just my luck on a one vehicle every few hours type road one wouldl show up to witness my "borrowing" some wire. I was waiting for it to pass while I was inspecting the trees for bird life and disease. It stopped right next to us. I turned slowly to see another gringo driving the same model cornbinder but he had a service body. He says, "Trouble?" and I say, "blown radiator hose." He gets out, goes to a side cabinet and asks which hose to which I reply I got the hose just need a clamp, its an upper. He reaches in a bin of clamps and pulls out the right one and tosses it to me. Of course as usual he will accept no payment other than my promise to pass on the favor when I get the chance (same rules I go by).
Cornbinder story #2: Only carb trouble I ever had was no fuel in it. We limped a mile or two to a station WAY OUT IN THE DESERT by virtue of my buddy pouring fuel out of a coleman lantern directly into the carb as we were afraid we wouldln't get such a small quantity to feed from the tank. Luckily he understood about fuel/air ratio.
Cornbinder story #3: Once while in Baha I got wheel hop climbing a rough unpaved mountain road and blew the rear end out. Had to back down the narrow winding road and try to back up the hill in 4 wheel drive (due to weight xfer on incline you can't pull up a steep grade with front wheel drive). We made it but later broke a main leaf in the front left leaf spring. Well, with front wheel drive only the main leaf is what ultimately transfers thrust from the axle to the frame to make you go down the road. Without an intact main leaf the axle tries to go off down the road on its own. We splinted the spring with branches, wrapped it with clothesline rope, attached a pair of Vise Grips to it set so tight that it took two of us, each using two hands, to close the pliers. We made it back to the states the next day andmany miles later with out repair still holding. For Baja buffs the hill's name translated from Spanish means the little orphan because a faimily went off the road and plunged to the bottom of the gorge killing the parents and leaving a baby alive. While negotiating this hill in our crippled condition we could look down the steep fall (no guard rails or shoulders) and see the remains of the old pickup.
I'll give everyone a break. The IH saga could go on and on.
Stand by to be envious: I had an 8 1/2x11 workshop manual as thick as the Los Angeles yellow pages that covered every STOCK nut bolt and screw in the entire vehicle and all of the factory options like the PTO winch (Ramsey). It covered all the carb options, rebuild instructions, test procedures, etc. Very handy publication.
Joe, best of luck to you with your Cornbinder. Hope you have lots of fun with the "old soldier."
Patrick
