1949' International Harvester Metro - Kb3-M

Up for sale is this awesome 1949 International Harvester Metro - KB-3 M - it’s a second generation Metro model (built between 41-49) that features the small tall chrome grill, blade bumpers, flat fenders, triple diamond logo and other cool early Metro van features

I found this Triple diamond truck in 2014 in Montana, US. The truck was advertised by someone who just bought it with the idea of converting it into an ice cream truck but decided shortly after not to go ahead and selling it on. I got in touch with the person who owned it before that but unfortunately he didn’t give me anymore history other then it was found in the mountains and the usual ran when parked..
At that time the Metro was blown over with some kind of grey roofing paint and I could just about see some sign writing peeking thru.
With very little information & knowledge on these trucks and a few photo’s I decided to take the plunge and buy this incredibly cool van.
When it arrived back home in the UK it was completely dead with no brakes nor electricity.. after a few weeks tinkering I managed to get the engine going but soon after life got in the way and the truck ended up in friends yard.

Fast forward to December 2020, I had moved back to Belgium and had the Metro transported there just in time to avoid a Brexit customs fee.
From here onwards the Metro received a lot of work..

The body is in overall great condition! There are some signs that the van has had damage on the passenger side front corner.. In terms of rust issues it’s actually in remarkably good condition considering the vehicle is 73 yr's old. It had some rust on both front corners behind the front bumper that's now been repaired properly and some on the driver side sill. I’ve tried to repair as minimal as possible to keep as much of the original metal.
I tried several ways to remove the grey paint and ended up stripping it mostly with thinners and a very gentle wet sanding afterward followed by a mild polish.
The paint work, well what’s left of it, has a great patina to it and I think looks super cool on this van! Sadly some previous owner has had a go at either trying to strip all the paint or perhaps also tried to get the logo's back but weren’t very careful as they created scratches from sanding with what looks like very coarse sanding paper, they can’t be removed because they’re filled with the grey paint.
The logo’s are mostly there and in great condition. It was incredibly hard to get them back because the same or very similar blue was painted over them and also below.. all together I spent roughly 500hrs getting the paint work back to it’s former glory!! For the enthusiast there's still some grey paint to remove here and there but I finally got my finger prints back so that's for the new custodian..
The super cool tall grill is in excellent original condition and so are the bumpers.
The front bumper guard aka “cow catcher” is what I believe an original and very rare accessory - I have found several black and white early Metro van pictures with that same bumper guard, and by coincidence they're also "Cleaners" vans.

As far as I can see the chassis is never been welded and it won’t require any - it’s rock solid!

The engine has been serviced and all components have either been opened up for inspection and cleaned or have been rebuild with new parts such as the fuel pump, it has new HT leads, spark plugs and fresh oil. The carburettor is an updraft type that’s been opened up plenty of times and has been cleaned thoroughly. The float needle bracket was broken but I’ve welded/ repaired this properly. It does require a clean from time to time as it has a solid full line from the tank tot the fuel pump which I haven’t replaced and I suspect this may have some dirt in stil.. The original tall radiator was leaking and had small damages, I had it professionally repaired/ refurbished.

I had the brake cylinders professionally rebuild with new internals and a new master brake cylinder was fitted after the original was found to be in too poor a condition to re-use. I also replaced the solid copper lines and have had new flexible lines made up. I cleaned up and reused most of the original couplings. In the process of refurbishing the brakes I also inspected the wheel bearings and they’ve been cleaned and packed with grease.

Tyres are in excellent condition and good as new, it comes with 2 spares!

The initial plan was to completely re-wire the van but I ended up repairing some of the wires so it’s still sporting most of the original wiring. Fuel, amps & temp gauge all working properly - the fuel gauge is not 100% accurate though the sender unit is new. This model was never fitted with tail lights either side on the back nor indicators. It only had one central light that also served as brake & license plate light. The taillights fitted are period correct and the lenses are real glass. The indicators are super cool and again very period correct too.

Interior wise.. well there isn’t much there to start with.. Originally these Metro vans were fitted with just a drivers seat. Because I also like to enjoy the van with company I installed another seat & post that came out of a 57 Metro. I recently had both seats re-upholstered to original spec with some really nice patina’d leather I got from an old sofa - the leather is thick and the wear fits the van really well! The dash is complete and in working condition. It also features a really cool period dash fan that works!! Furthermore there’s also a heating unit installed behind the drivers seat, it works but I haven’t reconnected it.

Overall this badass Metro Is a real eye-catcher, I’ve only had it out to one local car meet and it draws in a crowd instantly.
I spent every single free second of my life for more than a year to restore it to it’s former glory trying to keep as much of it’s originality and to just repair what was needed. This is perhaps one of the most original Metro’s out there and early models like these are very hard to find in this condition especially one you can jump in and drive away.
I would love to see this go to someone who will enjoy it just as much as I have. It’s a tough decision to let it go but I have to many vehicles on the road and another project that needs work and there’s only so much time in life - I prefer doing road-trips more then spending time in the garage looking at my tools.
I’m asking 29. 500 €. The van is located in Antwerp, Belgium.
I’m happy to assist in shipping of course at buyers expense.
I‘m looking for a cash buyer so no Part ex please.