Buyers Guide

[Ben]

Hello everyone,
I am pretty new here so you will have to excuse me if i am a little off starting out. So, I a looking at buying a 1949 model 201 and I am not sure where I should look for problems or common areas to look. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Ben

[Toolslinger]

Ben,
Welcome aboard. I can’t offer too much as I deal with a 404HH, so a whole lot bigger truck… What I will say, is things move kinda slowly here (even slower than our trucks), so I’m not sure how quickly you’ll get any feedback from a 201 owner.
Keep in mind that Diamond T used components from major manufacturers to put together their trucks. So while specific DT info can be sparse, you can find info on the components like the Hercules engine, or Eaton axles, etc. It does become a bit of a scavenger hunt.
If it were me, I’d be looking at sheet metal condition. Engines, axles, brakes, can all be found, and repaired, but the sheet metal is likely going to be tough to find. Obviously, that too could be repaired/recreated if you have a bottomless wallet, but to me at least, that’s harder than drive line.

-Tim

[Cliff]

It all depends on what condition it’s in, and how original it is, and how original you want it to be. (i.e. drivetrain, etc.) Despite my ’49 being very low mileage, I have seen some issues on it.

The steering box required rebuilding, due to old grease allowing wear. (Farm trucks driven 20 miles per year do not tend to get much maintenance.) I filled it with very heavy gear oil, so at least the worm-gear would always have lubrication. After fixing this, I could drive over 40mph, and stay within the lane lines.
The front shock linkage rod ends on the shock end wear out–the rubber disappears. Ford (F150 steering?) linkage can replace the whole linkage, if you rig something to deal with the lack of taper. (I have a lathe, so I cut threaded sleeves.) They do not look original, however. The plastic bag had part number 2490-8478 on it.
The running board mounts always rust–it’s basically an open u-channel begging to be filled with mud. So does the external storage door, under the passenger door, parts of the cab floor.
My ’49 is rated for 2 tons, so it rides like a brick. Get replacement U-Bolts, and remove half of the leaf springs. (The same half on each side, not all on one side…)

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Cliff.

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