'54 International R-170 4x4 "Coleman Conversion" - Extraction & Walkaround

Well, another old binder with a Coleman 4x4 conversion joined the fleet and this one will be a pile of work! Let's walk around this thing and get some first impressions...
Wanna send out a huge “thank you” to both Doug Duren and Chris Ladika in their help getting this beast and the drone footage!
Want a slick Bare Knuckle Binder shirt or sticker? Check out my online store:
bareknucklebinder.myshopify.com

[@REVJIMDESIGNS]

The amount of knowledge about these old trucks you have under that gorgeous hair is astounding! What a great video!

[@kellysrestorations.7397]

That's what I love about old trucks, all the battle scars, repairs, and modifications. Just big old workhorses that had to keep working to earn money. It all tells a story of it's life and history.

[@glenncourtney4876]

She's a beaut, Clark. Definitely got your work cut out for you on this one. Anything you do will be an improvement on its current state.

[@jaygraham5407]

Wildest relocation for a hydrovac that I have ever seen!!!

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Same! Especially considering all the road salt in Iowa 😂

[@jaygraham5407]

@BareKnuckleBinder oh my goodness YES

[@cliffhaupt5413]

That was cool how you loaded it with a crane. Can’t wait to see more on this one.

[@donalddodson7365]

I hope it is filled with great surprises, worn but not trashed. Maybe the University geology or mining department has some historical photos (appendices to somebody's Ph.D. dissertation. 😊

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

I plan to contact them!

[@so_how_do_i_work_this_app]

This thing is sick man! Keep it up. Two Coleman’s under the belt and many to go

[@robertschuler850]

You have a machine there! Great patina!! I'll be looking forward to seeing your progress!

[@abegiesbrecht1148]

My new favorite channel!!!

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Great to have ya along!

[@406garage3]

rollback ramp truck for farm field rescues!

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

That crane is the monster! Most cool

[@406garage3]

so epic !!!!!!!

[@wes11bravo]

What a beast! I wonder how many terrified nearly froze to death people this rig has rescued during blizzards over the years. And its expedition history is amazing! Glad I stumbled on your channel - gave you another notch closer to 5k, brother. All the best, Wes in Pittsburgh.

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Glad to have you along!

[@wes11bravo]

@@BareKnuckleBinder - brother, I'm falling down the rabbit hole you've dug. Already I'm verbally announcing my suggestions as I watch, "throw a 7.3 IDI in that critter!", etc. Also, there's a late 60s 3/4 ton 4x4 Binder sitting in front of a repair shop that I drive past every day. Is it cool to send you pics to your Instagram?

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

@@wes11bravo absolutely!

[@michaelnault5905]

Not a lot of other places besides you, where I can see this content. Great video!

[@geoffowler8065]

Awesome find dude! Lots of past “ingenuity” on that one! Whatever it takes to get the job done!

[@cablecallen]

Awesome vid and awesome truck! That off road crane is a BEAST!

[@FishyEngineer420]

Ditch the wrecker bed

[@user-ix4dl1dy7q]

Just gave you a sub from upstate New York

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Great to have you along!

[@rangefreewords]

Just slate 2 days of pulling the bed and the tub and have that set up on a timelapse. Then just give a where it's breakdown. Those 8 dash guages restored are gonna set you back 400-600 a gauge. Do a gearbox pedal assembly marathon. Find a donor chassis. Winch cables aren't cheap. Love to see a beast under the hood; NGD MaxxForce 10 P. $4-6k Military Surplus IMO. Allison. Yeah it can be a tow truck again. $12k budget.

[@leroysmith3052]

HOPE YOU GET THAT GOING THAT LOOKS SO COOL.

[@NickManCuso59]

Nice find ! In their day and in my opinion for the money best trucks on the road !

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Agreed!

[@Mauscmkwk]

Keep the duals

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Maybe 😎

[@matthewallen841]

You driving it back to Austin?

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Current plan is to keep it up in Wisconsin. I’ll explain why later.

[@casperkid07]

easy subscribe. excited to see future videos on this build.

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

It’s gonna be cool- Good to have you along!

[@fordnut4914]

Do a series on rebuilding it so i can subscribe and watch the progress

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Already in the works.

[@t1259sw]

Very cool truck, the flat steel peddlles first set I've ever seen. I have my dad's 1951 L-110 4x2 that he dug out of a barn back in the early 70's. My plans is to take a 1953 R-120 4×4 doner running gear and place his body on it. This truck has a lot of history could you go in more detail about mirrors and the running lights? Did you notice there is only one door lock and it's on the passenger door? There is a reason for this.

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Ok, it's taken me a minute to respond to this because you've mentioned a few things that I want to expound on. First, sounds like your dad's L-110 will be a super cool project! However, the R-120 4x4 is a truck that almost never existed: they built exactly TWO of them in late 1955- so if you know where one of the two original R-120 4x4s is you'd be better off to leave it unmolested! If you were to find a S-120 4x4, then your plan would work perfectly and I know of several L&R series trucks that were converted to 4x4 in just that way. Second, the mirrors and lights: this truck was a workhorse and nothing more. The previous owner took care of it, but not as a show car. He'd add random lights as he needed them. Since it was an emergency vehicle and did accident and vehicle recover along I-80 in eastern Iowa, I'm sure he wanted extra cab lights for added visibility. The mirrors are mounted in a such a way that it's clesr he just what he had on hand and made it work. Third, the door lock. In vehicles built before the 1960s, door locks were almost always on the passenger side. This was with the intent that on a city street, you'd park next to a curb, lock the drivers door from the inside and slide out across the bench seat and lock the passenger door from the outside. That way, in theory, no one would be stepping out into traffic.

[@user-ix4dl1dy7q]

Howe brothers in Troy,New York use to do these conversion

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Yes! The Howe Bros were a licensed Coleman dealer/installer for many years and then went rogue in the early 1950s and started copying the design. This caused all kinds of lawsuits with Coleman that lasted for decades from what I understand. I don't know much different (if at all) a "Howe-Coleman" is from an original Coleman. I guess I need to find one of those next!

[@user-ix4dl1dy7q]

@@BareKnuckleBinder I’ll keep my eye out for one the last one I saw was a school bus

[@user-mn6yw3ov6d]

Take the original motor out for the and put a powerstroke and a big bed

[@fredk.2001]

6.9 or 7.3, with turbo, new springs/shocks, straighten out the frame.

[@fredk.2001]

Add another rear axle, too.

[@whathappensinmaine5463]

Reminds me of my 78🤣 shes been abused and mutilated to the job. Ive seen some hack jobs myself too tho

[@marionstorm9004]

Neat project, but a lot of work. DO you have access to technical specs on the 282 engine. I'm pretty sure an IH Farmall had a 282 cu in Dsl motor. WOuld that crank and block work for a donor shortblock and re-use the head of your truck? Lots of IH industrial equipment used the 282 Dsl motor as well as combines and maybe cotton pickers.

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

I don’t believe it’s the same block, but the motor I fired off in the last video is the same for this truck. The only difference is the oil filter, so hopefully there won’t be any clearance issues.

[@ralphnorris-vk8ff]

I know where there is an old dodge tow truck just like the one in the movie (wrong turn)! It is being used as yard art at a towing company and they won't sell it! I want it sooo bad!

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

Revival should always take precedence over yard art!

[@fredk.2001]

New interior needed

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

You're right about that, but it's the least of my worries right now!

[@seantbr2019]

Me personally I'd take the bed off as well

[@JDawghasaTruck]

Absolutely love it! Is that a Bradon mu2 winch?

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

The front winch is a 12k Ramsey, rear winch is a Garwood, I believe it’s a 50k.

[@user-cx5ez3uu6i]

drag up an old Spartan travel trailer non restored and mount it on the rear

[@haroldwilkerson2026]

That was a awesome looking crane do you happen to know what kind it was

[@BareKnuckleBinder]

I don’t, it was powered by a Detroit Diesel and someone suggested it may be a BLH, but I haven’t been able to find any branding on it in pics of vids to confirm.

[@marcus8171]

What is the name of the shop that can key An ignition switch? Can they also match the doors?

[@jjtt7408]

SELL THE BED

[@leroysmith3052]

PUT A CUMMINS IN IT.

[@user-dh8tf3ke3n]

Зil🧐🤣

[@timsheppard4858]

Don’t fit lose it !