Inspection

Inspection

Although Cornelius was purchased on February 13, he didn’t arrive in Verona until late in the evening of March 17. We backed him out of the trailer and parked him in the garage for the night.

Excited to get started on our new arrival, I gave Cornelius a thorough going-over the next morning on March 18. Using the checklist included in the service manual, I inspected the truck from bumper to bumper. Although several items caught my eye, overall, the truck is in good condition with very little rust at all.

IHC Warranty Checklist

IHC Warranty Inspection Checklist

I decided that for a “rolling restoration” the best approach to this project would be to address any issues that might affect the running of the vehicle, starting with the engine. It is unknown as to when the last tune-up was performed, so upon inspection of the carburetor, cooling system and ignition, only the spark plugs, which looked a little rusty in the flat cylinder head, stood out.

The spark plug wires were evidently replaced within the past two years. They are the original cloth-insulation type and seemed snug and clean. I pulled the plugs, and when I inspected them, they all reflected the same amount of normal wear, which looked good. Since I had them out, I decided to replace them with new plugs; Autolite 386, all gapped to specs at 0.023″.

I can’t be certain, but with new plugs at the proper gap, the engine seemed to tick over a little more smoothly!