International Truck Was Left to Rot in the Woods, Takes First Drive in 50 Years

Reviving an abandoned car is totally doable when the engine still turns. But getting a stuck mill to run again is almost impossible without taking it apart. And that's exactly what the folks over at Restored had to do to put this old truck back on the road.

It seemed like an impossible task at first, but some disassembly, hammering, and a couple of crowbars later, and the 74-year-old inline-six agreed to turn and eventually run. Not surprisingly, the old L-head has too many problems to get the truck moving, but a Toyota forklift comes to the rescue and gives the International a much-needed push.

Granted, the drive is rather short, and the hauler spends only a few minutes on the road, but it's an impressive achievement for a vehicle that hasn't been moved for half a century. Hopefully, this is only the first step of a more thorough revival. It's not clear whether the owner wants to fully restore the truck or not, but it's a solid candidate for a rat rod project.

This truck was part of International Harvester's K series line of light-duty trucks. It debuted in 1940 and remained in production until 1949. In 1947, the company rolled out a facelifted version called the KB. The series was popular due to its reliability and low price, but this truck is not as collectible as its Ford and Chevrolet counterparts from the era.

Much like all International trucks from the 1930s and 1940s, this KB draws juice from a Green Diamond engine. In this setup, the 214-cubic-inch (3.5-liter) L-head inline-six was rated at 83 horsepower. Watch the old mill come back to life in the lengthy video below.

rd and Chevrolet counterparts from the era.