1952 International L-122 with Coleman Conversion 4x4 - Part 1: Uncovering A Unicorn

So the next big adventure is here and this is the rarest of the rare! An early '50s 3/4 ton IH with a Coleman 4x4 conversion! Before we get into the information about the truck and drivetrain, I want to send out a huge "thank you" to Geof Fowler and Eddie Steele for their help, it would have taken me days to complete alone what we did in a few hours! Also, a thank you to Craig H. Trout for his extremely informative Facebook group about Coleman trucks. You can find that here: www.facebook.com/groups/460918157429120 International didn't offer a civilian factory four-wheel-drive truck until the R-140 & R-160 4x4s (which were both larger, medium-duty trucks) and they didn't offer a mass-produced 3/4 ton 4x4 until late '55 with the S-120 4x4. So as it says in the video, a truck buyer who wanted a 4x4 truck before the major manufacturers offered them would either have to buy a Dodge Power Wagon, settle for a WWII surplus truck OR get an aftermarket 4x4 conversion on their new truck. Marmon-Herrington was probably the best known for these types of conversions, however Coleman was a main competitor and widely considered a superior design for front driving axles- even to this day. Coleman conversions are so rare that any information, shop manuals, parts, etc are also nearly mythical. Coleman built their own line of all wheel drive trucks that have their own workhorse legacy, so I'm not sure how big a slice of the business the conversions represented at the time. According to the info that I've been able to find, these conversions were often performed at the truck dealership or a local shop that specialized in those conversions. There are a few line-setting tickets that show a few IH trucks ordered with Coleman-conversions at the factory (truck would be built in the factory, shipped over to the Coleman installer nearby and then shipped off to the dealership and customer), unfortunately a check with the Wisconsin State Historical Society shows that the LST for this truck has been lost to time. However one clue to the truck being ordered with the intention of a Coleman conversion is that the serial number plate appears to have been stamped over at the factory - upgrading to the larger SD240 engine, instead of the stock SD220 and the weight-rating was upped from a stock L-120 to the optional double-spring upgrade to the L-122 rating. One important note: Due to the rarity of Coleman conversions and the information surrounding them, I am learning as I go. I will update info in the video descriptions about this truck if contradicting details arise, since I'll be doing my best to accurately represent what I'm working on. No matter what, this truck is rare as snake ankles and I've never seen another. However, if there are other survivors of ANY 3/4 ton IH Coleman conversion 4x4s (any year, model, etc.) I really hope this upcoming adventure helps bring them out of the woodwork. There are several parts that I am hunting to complete this project, so I'll update the parts hunt as I progress with these videos. Currently I am hunting Goodyear 16" open-center, lock-ring rims, those rims are also extremely rare, so if you know of one or some- please contact me! Keep on Binderin'! Eric