blind pew

I tried the rubber channels on the tailgate window and found them to be a royal pain in the ass. So, I went with window setting tape instead, as it provides a good seal and is a hell of a lot easier to work with! Heck- that's what I've used on windshields and wing vent windows for a long time and it seems to work well.

A. They aren't that bad as is. I personally sometimes wonder why everyone strives to have all peices perfect on a very old car. There is nothing wrong with a little "patina". If those were mine, I'd leave them. Essentially ALL of the handles I have ever had for woodies have been so trashed that they needed replacement or rechroming. That is the case with the international I'm doing now- everything that WAS chromed or stainless was trashed. B. If you don't like them, just get them re-chromed. The only downside of chroming is: a. the time it seems to take b. finding a US chromer that hasn't had the EPA close them c. someone who doesn't outsource the pieces and uses some cheap, crappy mexican chroming (for God's sake- use a US chromer. MANY of those in CA are sent to Mexico and do a crappy job). I found some dudes in Elizabethton, TN (about 15 miles from where I used to live) who did a great job and were not out of control for time or price. High quality stuff that will last (and has done so). C. Get some new repro handles that are not identical to these, but CLOSE. From the photos, the car has been re-finished at least once, so it's technically not "original" anyway. "Original" to me means original paint, all original parts (except mechanical/engine parts that need replacing every 20,000-50,000 miles with usual use and wear). Rarely, if ever, do I run across an "original" car- they are ALL MODIFIED in one way or another. It all depends what kind of car you want. Some want every nut, bolt and screw to be like the original car. I've had (and currently have one) completely bone stock woodies. I prefer modified/restomods, as sometimes ORIGINAL SUCKED. There are, of course, completely stock cars that are beautiful and still functional. Do the car as YOU prefer, whether stock or modified.

I believe you are right, Tom! Thanks! I was "gathering" my parts that still need to be assembled onto the International and for the life of me I didn't know where those parts went. Well..................... since I've replaced the wheels, front and rear end, and the brakes, I guess I don't need them anymore. Just another part to add to the "Island of misfit car parts" I have in one of my barns. 🤣

Im pretty sure they came off the 41 Interbational, but forgot what they are! They are not tail light housings (I have only one tail light). 6 inches tall and 4 wide. The metal is thin.

Indeed- smells certainly round out an experience! It reminds me of my kin with combat experience. Cordite, blood, bowel smells, burning wood and brush, bodies decomposing, all combined with dank vegetation and mud. I talked with a patient who was a Stalingrad vet and he said you could smell the rotting bodies for miles before arriving at the front. I think I prefer the varnish, leather, rubber, and wood smells more!

Wow- I see what you mean. That "dove" colored distressed leather looks amazing! Not only the appearance, but the smell of the leather is amazing. I've done essentially all of my cars in leather, but chose to use vinyl in the International woodie for a change. I must admit- the vinyl does not look nearly as sharp as leather. That looks great!

Thanks, Dave!

Do you guys know of the proper rubber window seals for the upper tailgate windows? Thanks!!

Thanks Tom! I know its rough compared to the work you guys do, but its okay for me. The seats, oddly, were not in that bad of condition. The frames and springs were just fine; I had them re-upholstered in vinyl, rather than leather. I've done most of the cars I have in leather and wanted to do something different. I do like the look of a high quality leather, however. Yes- you are coming along very nicely with that LaSalle! I'm going to make another trip to my farm in a few weeks and put in the remaining windows, put on the tailgate, glue down the linoleum, and put in the rest of the ash woodwork. I found someone to paint the cowl as well over the next month. I had originally planned to do all the metal in yellow, but changed my mind and will do black fenders with a yellow hood, front clip, and cowl. I have new gauges to put in, which will be pretty easy. I did not like the shape of my floor pans in the cab, so am having new ones made with a thicker gauge steel. Got a "stripper pole" to put in the center for support of the roof (as the expanse is longer than most woodies). I initially was going to use a brass "fireman's pole", but stuck with a more muted, blackened bronze.

Yes- definately a "varsity" level job. I'll stick to the B team JV work.

More work on the International. I added some trim pieces that were not originally used in the International, as they were somewhat spartan. I used dowls, rather than screws, for a lot of the pieces for something different and a color contrast. I liked the dowls so much that I think I'll pull the screws out of the mahogany horizontal piece below the window trim and use ash dowls. I don't know why it looks like there is some white stuff on the interior wheel wells (there is not); it also looks like some "white stuff" on the finish of parts- there is not. Must be the photo. I made some "quarter round" trim out of ash and mahogany to put at the border of the linoleum, but couldn't put them in until I glue down the linoleum. I like the way the arches around the wheel wells turned out- it was fun as well to use some finger joints in making them. I couldn't glue down the linoleum, as it was too cold. I have to do a little minor trimming. I do like the linoleum- I've always done hardwood flooring instead on other cars, so I wanted to try linoleum. Tony was very helpful in buying the linoleum- nice guy. I moved the battery connections to inside the cab (it will be just behind the front seat) for easier access and I had to make some room for duel exhaust. I found a cool old "tool box" with a lid in which to place the battery and conceal it. I know that many purists will condemn the additional interior trim pieces, but I'm a resto-mod guy, have several woodies, and just want to do something different. It's more fun that way. I know my project is far more amateurish than those posted here, but what the hell- it's fun for me. Next up to install the windows. I am holding off on installing the doors and tailgate (even though they are done), as I have to paint the cowl yet. My front floor pans are gone, so I need to find used floor pans, reproduction, or patterns to have them made by my welder/metal guy. Any thoughts on that?

Got the linoleum from Tony yesterday. I have some time off scheduled next week, so will go to the farm and install the linoleum and do some more work on the woodie. Tony is very nice. Oddly, he sent me a check for $40 yesterday, with a note saying the shipment cost was less than he had anticipated. Most people would have just pocketed the cash and no one would have known. It's nice to see there are good, honest people around! Thanks for the tips on the installation. The leveling, templates, and pointers on adhesive are going to be very helpful. I hope to get the inner fenders and all the interior ash trim installed as well during the trip.

Just looking at your photos............................................ and realized you are damn near DONE with your project! All of the difficult and time consuming elements are all completed!👍

So it sounds like linoleum is okay over planks then? I would think that any cracking would be somewhat dependent on traffic as well. As I currently have no grandchildren, and no one but me is interested in driving my woodies, I would assume that the traffic in the deck area would be minimal. Also, if and when it cracks, it would not be a huge deal to replace it. I would imagine that may happen after I'm dead, so I won't be too concerned about replacement at that time. I'm committed to eliminate worrying once I'm dead. I think I'm going to go with the linoleum. Thanks very much for the information regarding templates and cutting- that is VERY helpful. I'll order it from Tony, as he seems very nice and helpful.

Thanks! I certainly understand that my job is amateuristic compared to the outstanding jobs posted on this site. However, I like working on the cars and understand that it would look better if I had a professional do it, but it would not be any fun. I have found that when you do everything on the car, you immediately know what is going on if there is a problem, as you are intimately familiar with the potential weaknesses of the vehicle. Stripper pole? I guess I inadvertently revealed something that I would consider to be a common frame of reference from shared familiarity!🤣My nurses and I were talking about common "striper names" we see among some patients. One of my nurses pointed out, "Heck- YOUR WIFE has a stripper name (her name is Cherri)". I suddenly realized she was right and would have installed a stripper pole in our home had I made that correlation when we were younger! She's 6 ft tall and 135 lbs still and looks exactly like the Corrine chick from "Swing Out Sister". I definately out kicked my coverage there. I didn't even think about the wheel well covers getting "dinged" by people stepping on them. I can certainly see that happening. I like the idea of covering them to protect them. This may sound stupid, but with "traffic" over the interior wheel well covers, would black rubber mats cut to the shape of the well cover (it has a "flat" top and is curved only in two dimensions) be a good option?