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June 25, 2021

INDIANA TRUCK

Harwood-Barley Manufacturing Co. (1911-1919)
Indiana Truck Corp. (1920-1932)
Indiana Motors Corp. (1932-1933)
Marion, Indiana
Indiana Motors Corp. (1933-1939)
Cleveland, Ohio 


This is an Indiana truck radiator emblem (c1928-1934)    mjs
Size: 83mm wide 49mm high   MM: D L Auld

The Indiana was an assembled truck. The first Indiana truck model was a four-cylinder 1-1/2-ton capacity truck with four-speed transmission and double chain drive, which continued in production through 1912.  In 1913-1914, the Indiana truck range was expanded to include 1-ton, 2-ton and 3-ton models, all still chain driven. 

Indiana truck production increased rapidly and 600 trucks were built for the US military during World War I. By 1920, the Indiana plant had grown and the range of trucks had expanded from 1-1/2-ton to 5-ton capacity and 4,000 trucks were assembled in that year alone. A 7-ton capacity model was added to the Indiana truck line by 1923.

From 1928 to 1932, the company was under the control of Brockway (see Brockway), but trucks continued to be built under the Indiana name, including six-cylinder models. Control of Indiana passed from Brockway to White in 1932 and production was transferred to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1932, Indiana introduced America's first series-production diesel truck. Heavy duty Indiana trucks were phased out or built to special order only by 1936. Production of Indiana trucks came to an end in 1939.

Emblems

There are very few original photos of Indiana trucks showing the radiator with any clarity and very few surviving Indiana trucks still carrying the correct original emblems. This makes it difficult to confirm the detailed design and dates of use of Indiana emblems. 

The very first Indiana truck built by the Harwood Barley Manufacturing Company in 1911 was featured in a 1918 Indiana truck advertisement, see below:

Ad showing the first Indiana truck  tld

First Indiana truck showing a radiator script (1911) (photo(1918)    tld

The first Indiana trucks from 1911 to about 1914 had a brass radiator. as seen in the photo shown above, but does not carry a radiator emblem, although there is an "Indiana" script attached low down on the radiator core.  

The following original photo of an Indiana fire engine also dates from the 1911-1914 period and displays the same or similar "Indiana" script on the lower part of the radiator core:

Indiana fire engine showing a radiator script (c1911-1914)   alamy

At least some early Indiana truck models also displayed the "Indiana" name on painted metal nameplates attached to the chassis side frame, see example shown below, and, possibly also on the rear chassis frame cross member, although this is not confirmed. 

This is an Indiana truck showing chassis frame nameplate (c1911-1914)   wikimedia 

This Indiana nameplate is similar to the following brass Indiana nameplate, which has lost its original paint finish. This Indiana nameplate is very rare.

This is an Indiana nameplate (c1911-1914)    mjs
Size: 300mm wide 90mm high

The Indiana truck had a new radiator design for the 1915 to 1918 period with a cast iron tank top, which stands higher than the top of the hood. This Indiana truck has the "Indiana" name cast into the plain front of the radiator tank top, the design of which changed slightly over the period, see examples shown below:

This is an Indiana fire truck with a cast-in radiator emblem and radiator script (c1916)  pinterest

Indiana truck with a cast-in radiator emblem (c1915-1918) justacarguy

The following Indiana showroom photo dates from early to mid-1918 and shows a different cast-in radiator emblem:

Indiana truck with cast in radiator emblem (c1918)  worthpoint

The following colored brass Indiana nameplate incorporates the "Motorize and Economize" slogan used in Indiana advertisements in the 1917-1918 period. This nameplate is seen attached to the rear chassis cross member of Indiana trucks in the same period and may have been used elsewhere on the chassis. This Indiana advertising nameplate is rare.

Indiana"Motorize & Economize" emblem (1917-1918) angelfire

The Indiana radiator design was changed again from 1918 to 1922 when the top of the radiator was lowered to just above the hood line. The cast iron radiator tank top had ribs to the front, top and sides and had the "Indiana" name cast into the front, see examples shown below:

Indiana ad showing new rad design (1918) flickriver


Cast-in Indiana radiator emblem (1918-c1922)  proxibid 

The "Indiana" name was also displayed on thin, black painted, metal nameplates mounted on each side of the hood, see example shown below. Original Indiana hood side nameplates of this design are rare.

Indiana hood side nameplate (c1921-1924)   carfromuk

The Indiana truck radiator remained unchanged but, in 1923, the cast-in radiator emblem was replaced by a separate oval shaped Indiana radiator emblem, which was screw or rivet fitted to a specially designed emblem mount in the cast radiator tank top, see example shown below:

Indiana emblem fitted to the ribbed radiator (1923)  eBay

Indiana emblem pinned to the radiator mount (1923) eBay

Close-up of the Indiana radiator emblem mount (c1923-1925)  lktec

The cast, ribbed radiator was changed in about 1925 to a cast, plain fronted radiator tank, which continued to carry the same oval radiator emblem. This arrangement continued for heavy duty Indiana truck models until about 1930.  

Light and medium duty Indiana trucks were restyled in 1924 to provide a more up to date appearance with a separate steel radiator shell, which carried the same oval shaped radiator emblem as for the heavy duty ribbed radiator trucks, see example shown below:

Indiana truck with new radiator shell & emblem (c1925)   ms

Close-up showing radiator emblem (c1925)     ms

This is the red, white and black enamel, oval shaped Indiana truck radiator emblem shown below. This Indiana truck radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Indiana truck radiator emblem (c1923-1930)   mjs
Size: 101mm wide 60mm high    MM: Childs

Indiana trucks in the period from about 1925 to 1927 also displayed the "Indiana" name on red and black nameplates attached to the sides of the hood, see example shown below:

Indiana Model 11 truck with hood side nameplates (1925)  angelfire

This red and black painted Indiana truck hood side emblem is shown in the example below. Original Indiana truck hood side nameplates of this design are rare.

This is an Indiana truck hood side nameplate (c1925-1927) angelfire

The following cast Indiana nameplate was attached to the exhaust manifold on Hercules engines used in Indiana 3-ton trucks in the c1925-1927 period:

This is an Indiana manifold nameplate (c1925-1927)  lktec
Size: 243mm wide 73mm high    MM: None

Indiana offered a 4-ton to 5-ton "Roadbuilder Special" heavy duty model called "Big Steve" from about 1925 to 1929. The "Big Steve" had a protective shroud over the radiator with a nameplate at the top of the shroud displaying the "Big Steve" name, see photo from an Indiana "Big Steve" advertisement shown below:

Indiana "Big Steve" ad (c1925) americanikons

Close-up showing the "Big Steve" radiator emblem

Unfortunately, the detailed design of the "Big Steve" radiator emblem is unclear. If you have better details of this emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.

The Indiana truck radiator emblem for light and medium duty Indiana trucks was changed at the time of takeover of Indiana by Brockway in early 1928. The new Indiana radiator emblem was a smaller oval emblem attached to the front of the radiator tank top. 

This is the red, white and black enamel Indiana truck radiator emblem shown above at the top of tis post and again below. This Indiana truck radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Indiana truck radiator emblem (c1928-1934)  mjs
Size: 83mm wide 49mm high   MM: D L Auld

The same emblem design, but with the "Indiana" name replaced by the "Brockway" name, was used on Brockway light duty trucks at this time, see example shown below. This Brockway truck radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Brockway radiator emblem (c1928)   sam
Size: 83mm wide 51mm high  MM: Unknown (poss D L Auld)

Heavy duty Indiana trucks continued to carry the larger oval emblem with the fixing holes until about 1931, when there was a change to a smaller radiator emblem. Based on the design, the following radiator emblem would appear to be the logical successor to the previous emblem with fixing holes:

This is an Indiana radiator emblem (1933)   natm

This is the red, white and black enamel Indiana truck radiator emblem shown below. THis Indiana truck radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Indiana truck radiator emblem (c1931-1934)    kmc
Size: 84mm wide 48mm high    MM:  D L Auld

However, some surviving Indiana heavy duty trucks carry the same small radiator emblem shown earlier above and used on the light and medium duty trucks. It is possible that some trucks were restored with incorrect emblems. It is also possible that both emblems were used after about 1932.

The "Indiana" name was also displayed on hood side nameplates with a new design from about 1928 to 1930. These were painted, pressed metal Indiana hood side nameplates, see examples shown below. Original Indiana hood side nameplates with these designs are scarce.

This is an Indiana hood side nameplate (c1928-1930)  natam
Size: Unknown   MM: None

This is an Indiana Six hood side nameplate (c1928-1930)    mjs
Size: 300mm wide 48mm high   MM: None

In the period 1931 to 1932, Brockway marketed some Indiana trucks as Brockway-Indiana trucks. These Brockway-Indiana trucks were mainly Brockway trucks with Brockway emblems, or, in some cases, Brockway trucks with Brockway radiator emblems and Indiana hood side nameplates with rounded ends, see example shown below: 

This is a Brockway-Indiana truck (c1931)   hcvc

Brockway rad emblem & Indiana hood side nameplate (c1931)

The Indiana hood side nameplate with rounded ends was used on heavy duty trucks models from about 1931 to 1934. This is the dark blue and white painted cast metal Indiana truck hood side nameplate shown below. Original Indiana hood side nameplates of this design are rare.

This is an Indiana hood side nameplate (c1931-1934)   mjs
Size: 227mm wide 38mm high   MM: None

There was a change in emblem design for Indiana trucks from 1934 to 1936 to a diecast radiator grille emblem and new hood side nameplates, see example shown below:

Indiana truck Model 89 with new emblems (1936)  bcvtm

Close-up showing rad grille emblem & hood side nameplate (1936)

The following is a well weathered example of an original red and black painted, diecast Indiana truck radiator grille emblem:

This is an Indiana radiator grille emblem (1934-1936)   mjs
Size: 77mm wide 75mm high   MM: Unknown

The following is an example of the new Indiana truck hood side emblem, which was originally painted  either red and black, or green and black. This Indiana hood side emblem is scarce.

This is an Indiana hood side emblem (1934-1937) worthpoint
Size: 179mm wide 57mm high   MM: Unknown

The Indiana truck radiator grille emblem was changed back to an enamel finished oval emblem in 1937 to the end of production in 1939. This is the red, white and black enamel Indiana truck radiator emblem shown below. This Indiana radiator emblem is rare. 

This is an Indiana truck radiator emblem (1937-1939)   mjs
Size: 83mm wide 49mm high     MM: D L Auld

The following is an example of the corresponding Indiana hood side emblem. This Indiana hood side emblem is scarce.

This is an Indiana hood side emblem (1937-1939)   lktec
Size: 179mm wide 57mm high    MM: Unknown



 




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