When this 1939 International half-ton truck was first spotted behind a barn somewhere in Saskatchewan, it was the first step in fulfilling a dream to own the coolest rat rod in town.  The owner's brother loaded it up on an 18-wheeler, dragged it halfway across the prairies, and carefully started the process of building that dream truck.  Plans were made, visions were laid out, and the metamorphosis from a pile of scrap to the owner's perfect rat rod was begun.
     That's when James Hildebrand came across the old pickup.  “'Anything's for sale, for the right price,' the owner told me,” Hildebrandt recalled behind the old Eastman Feeds mill in Winnipeg.  Apparently, the right price was just a mere $600.  Hildebrand asked, “Would you take $500?”
     And that's the story of how James Hildebrand came to own the only hot rod 1939 International in Winnipeg. The story of how it became the wildest rat rod in Manitoba is another story.  What James purchased for five brown bills was nothing more than a shell.  Sure, there were other parts still attached to the machine, but none of them fit into the truck's future plans.  This mean, rusty machine was going to be scratch-built from the ground up.
     First, a solid foundation had to be laid out.  As the owner of a graphic design firm, James used his printing and cutting machines to mock up the custom frame in 1:1 scale before making the real thing.  When it was finally time to make it a reality, he relied on Jeff Copp at MRC custom to do the laser cutting for the one-off frame.
     Of course, a sweet frame and body don't make a truck go fast on their own.  Action Auto Wrecking came through with a '67 327ci small-block Chevy mill, which was immediately taken to Winnipeg Engine for a complete rebuild and then some.  Pete Jackson timing gears and a Competition Cam were stuffed inside for big noise, while two Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetors help give it big power-350 horsepower, to be exact.
     Inside, things were kept (almost) as spartan as the outside.  The art-deco guage cluster was replaced with a pair of big round holes-one for the tach, and one for the vintage Chevy speedometer.  Accessory guages are clustered in the centre of the dash, with three monitoring the engine and one keeping an eye on the time.  More specifically, the fourth guage is a clock that Hildebrand's grandfather had salvaged from an old car long ago.  It not only keeps the time, it is a symbol of James' gearhead roots.
     However, the cab isn't completely devoid of style or comfort; a Harley-Davison ultra classic centre console makes the Lokar floor-mounted shifter look good, while a Harley brake pedal gives the cab an extra bad-boy touch.  A leather bench seat from Teez Upholstery rounds out the “au naturel” patina colour scheme.
     That same colour scheme is exactly how the truck was found, although there were a few small details added.  Being in the graphic design business, it was only fitting that some well-planned door paint was in order.  The end result was a 60's-retro advert for “Nitro Speed Shop,” a nod to James' own company, Nitro Graphics.
     All this would make an awesome hot rod on its own, but the biggest attraction is by far the wheels.  The unique rolling stock started with a set of cast-iron hubs from a 1929 International truck, with 2-piece rims.  The entire unit was restored by Winnipeg Wheel, who also adapted it from the pre-depression era design to run on modern technology.     
     To do this took more than a bit of ingenuity, as the original rims were attached directly to the axles using spindle hubs.  In order to make it bolt up to GM disc brakes up front and a GM 10-bolt differential out back, a custom aluminum “donut” was bolted directly onto the vehicle.  Six more mounting bolts were attached to the other side of the donut, bolting onto the wheel in place of the massive original brake drums.
     There's more to be said about this '39 International than there is space in this magazine.  However, Hildebrand's wife summed up the entire vehicle perfectly in one sentence:  “It's just a lot of fun.”