How Mr. Alan Garber got hooked.
In my younger days, I restored a 1952 International L110 and a 1944 Dodge pickup. I then sold the trucks and went to university. I gave no further thought to restoring old pickups until two years ago. I was driving through Lacombe and saw an old pickup in a front yard with a “For Sale” sign on it. I liked the looks of the truck and did an immediate U-turn to investigate. It turns out the truck was a 1938 Model 80 Diamond T. It was owned by Louis Weidner who owns the GM dealership in Lacombe. He had the truck since the early 1960s and had planned on restoring the truck but never got around to it. The truck had been used in the coal mines near Drumheller and after that it had been owned by a farmer. I bought the truck on the spot and arranged to haul it to Edmonton. It was nearly complete – missing only the old 3 brush generator and the oil bath air cleaner. One thing led to another and then last October I drove to Colorado with two of my boys (age 7 and 10) and we brought home a 1948 Model 201 that was in quite good condition. It was missing a few parts (one of the Hy-Power glass lenses for the clearance lights, a window crank, etc) plus the front hood ornament was broken.
So this March I went to Phoenix (again with my two boys) and we brought back a 1949 201. We bought the truck from Mike McQueen, who has a beautifully restored 201. On the way we saw the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.
On both trips, the old Diamond Ts aroused much interest and many questions. For some reason, many people wanted to connect the Diamond T name with IHC. I had an old International L 110 and there is no comparison.
Between the two trucks, I now have all the parts I need. I am going to use one of the QXLD3 engines for the Model 80. I know this is not exactly authentic, but the QXB3 engine that was in the Model 80 is a disaster case – rusted shut and frozen fast. Frank Unrau of Star Engines in St. Albert, Alberta is rebuilding both of my QXLD3 engines. He is quite an amazing fellow. He gets old engines sent to him from all over North America.
To complete the story, I bought a 1938 Model 306 farm truck a few months ago in Medicine Hat. The gauges on it are the same as what was on my Model 80, but in much better condition. I have the Model 80 stripped down to the frame and am getting the frame and the chassis parts (fender supports etc) powder coated. My young boys enjoy working on the trucks with me.
I am compiling a detailed parts list for the 201 and the 80, which I will share on the website. “Keep ‘em Rollin”
Allan Garber
10914 – 125 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T5M 0L6
