Another Diversion Motors success story!
This 1951 International L-112 pickup truck came to us last year needing some help. Its owner, Mike H., said it needed some help with a bunch of running and operational issues, the biggest of which was the transmission being uncooperative and the truck being quite rough to shift.
A couple visits later after some electrical work, maintenance items, new tires, and a transmission swap - the team here at Diversion have this rare classic running great, and most importantly shifting smooth!
Our guys took the time to do the necessary research, and found that the '51 IH L-Series pickups were equipped with a non-synchronized 'T9' transmission. This one in particular was, in addition to being non-synchronized, quite worn out and a real bear to drive. We also found that the later IH R-Series pickups came equipped with an updated, synchronized 'T98' transmission that would bolt into the older L-Series with minimal modifications.
We reached out to Tom and Mary Stottlemyre at T&M Classics and Customs Auto Repair who specialize in classic Internationals, and they got us set up with all the hard-to-find parts our guys needed to do the swap. A few days of wrenching later and we have a wonderfully driving truck with an OEM looking update that made this truck a pleasure to drive!
All of us at Diversion Motors are thrilled with the outcome of this project. We have to send thanks to Tom and Mary at T&M for their help with both knowledge and parts, and we thank Mike H. for his confidence and trust in us to get this truck right.
Can't wait to see this one driving around Manitowoc all year!