Bob Moorish is the owner of a 1952 International Harvester L110 pickup truck he bought and restored in honor of his late father, Alfred.
Bob’s dad worked for an International Harvester dealership in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta Canada and used an IHC truck on the job.
Alfred wore many hats that ranged from sales to parts to service when he worked for the IHC dealership and spent plenty of time behind the wheel of his company pickup, including its use as a tow vehicle for a float in several annual parades in his town.
Jim Sutherland
Alfred also introduced his son Bob to driving the IHC when he was still a young kid and steered the truck down the road with the able assistance of his dad to keep control of the truck. The memories in the company International Harvester pickup with his dad were a big reason behind Bob’s decision to get his own vintage IHC.
Bob is only the second owner of the ’52 IHC pickup and told MyStarCollectorCar the original owner ordered as much bling as possible when he bought the truck, a rare choice that drove up its value, according to Bob’s appraiser. It was a special-order pickup and Bob wanted to respect its heritage during the restoration process.
As a result, Bob left the original powertrain in the truck, including its factory SD (Silver Diamond) 220 Six, a six-banger that delivers a modest 99 horsepower, according to him.
Attention to detail mattered to Bob so he chose to replace the IHC’s factory wooden truck bed with authentic Eastern Maple lumber which was the same type used in the ’52 IHC ‘s factory production, a replacement he described as “dead-correct” because of its authenticity. Bob added the wooden bed was only built for the Canadian market.
Bob had to replace the upholstery on the truck’s bench seat and was not as dead-correct successful with the new fabric. Nevertheless, the material is very similar to the factory fabric and Bob had it sewn in the same simple stitch pattern as the truck’s original seat covering.
The 1952 IHC comes from an era when turn signals were a dealer-installed option, but Bob did not want roof-mounted signal lamps, so he converted his truck’s front park lights into signal lights to avoid that look.
The truck has a windshield visor that was also a dealer-installed option and looks great on the vintage IHC L110. Bob added a rear bumper to his pickup because he liked the look, and it was a customer choice back in the day.
Bob left the vacuum wiper system on the truck but rebuilt it and now the wipers even work headed up a hill–no mean feat to say the least. His theory is replacement parts eliminated the vacuum leaks in the wiper system.
Bob also found an original IHC sales brochure and carries it with him when he attends a show.
He managed to complete the restoration in only two years and wanted to drive it in the parade with his father Alfred riding shotgun, but unfortunately his father was not feeling well enough to ride in the IHC.
Instead, the father and son team watched the parade from the sidelines, but Bob was grateful that he was able to watch it with his dad, the man who made him a lifetime IHC fan.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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