For most of us, pulling a great find from its resting place is half the fun. The other half is the thrill of taking it on its first drive after getting it running again. While that maiden voyage is one of our favorite parts, getting the car to the point where it is safe to drive can be a massive undertaking. So, sometimes the benefits of buying a car that someone else has already done the dirty work can outweigh the excitement of finding one and fixing it yourself. This 1938 International Harvester listed here on eBay is a good example of that.

To get it back on the road, the seller pulled the cab and box from the chassis. They prepped and painted the frame, rebuilt the engine and carburetor, and reinstalled the body and box back onto the frame. They also converted the electronics over to 12 volt and installed an electric fuel pump. We are starting to see more and more barn finds preserved in this fashion, but we aren’t sure if this is the perfect patina like the seller claims. While it appears that the body is solid, we are a little concerned about the amount of rust this truck has. It came from a barn in North Dakota, so we would be sure to check the underside very carefully for any cancer or thin spots.

This truck is powered by International’s Green Diamond series inline-six and the seller has already had this one rebuilt. The Green Diamond came in three sizes, 2.9 liters, 3.5 liters, and 3.8 liters, but the seller doesn’t state which size this one is. In the late ’30s and early ’40s, International trucks were some of the toughest and best built trucks you could buy, which could explain why so many have survived all these years. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise though, seeing as International started out as a Tractor manufacturer. Making the leap to light and medium duty trucks was a slight adjustment for the company, but with their well known durability and some great design work by the likes of Raymond Loewy, they were able to compete with the best the Big 3 had to offer.

This truck looks solid, but we think the rust might be past the point of just being considered patina. We do love the originality and we hope that it will be preserved, but we want to treat that rust right away so that it doesn’t turn to cancer. So what would you do to preserve that “patina”?