Restoration, or...

Hmm, an interesting discovery today. First, however, a bit of back-story. When I started looking for a "play" truck this past summer, my first reaction was to look at military vehicles (MV). I always thought they had that extra something that made them cool. After doing some research, I had identified the Dodge M-37 (a Power Wagon variant that was used mainly in Korea and into Vietnam) as my primary target. They are, in fact, behind Jeeps, the second most popular historical MV to restore. I was all excited about looking for a M-37 (and even saw my first in person at the Russell Military Museum on the Illinois/Wisconsin border), until I sat in one. By the way - I'm tall. Like 6'6" tall. The M-37 wasn't designed for guys like me, as I couldn't reach the clutch. Back to the drawing board. There were other options out there, but I couldn't find any in my price range, or that I liked, or that were as practical as Big Red (which means no 10-ton tractors).

So, I had essentially given up on getting a MV and bought Big Red. I still like to look at the trucks that I can't afford or are just too big (check out Steel Soldiers if you like MV's too), and was today directed to the web-site Olive Drab. They have links about all sorts of military related stuff, including a comprehensive list of MV's used by the US. I was clicking through their info and came across this. An earlier and slightly heavier/larger version of Big Red. And I had a thought. "What if, instead of a pure renovation, I built a 'clone' of the MV International truck?" The biggest difference, besides it being a different color (OD green, I assume, but the link lists it as a Navy truck... Maybe gunship grey?), is the bed. I had been planning on a flat-bed, stake-side, but could switch up and find out what kind of cargo box the MV version had (maybe similar to another MV that could be easier to acquire, rather than a genuine, hard to find variety?).

As I said, an interesting discovery, and some thinking to do...

A fire truck M-37 at the Russell Military Museum

The future "plan" for Big Red? To be determined...