Finding an International pickup of this vintage is unusual. It is especially unusual if it’s a 3/4 ton 4×4. So when I saw this recently, I was compelled to cut a “u-ie” in the F-150 to grab a picture for more than just my enjoyment.
It appears to have had a name on the door. It is possible the name belonged to a private party given the model year and former Missouri state law requiring owners to place their names on their pickups. The law disappeared in the 1970’s as did the production of International’s light duty pickups. International made their last light-duty pickup in 1975.
The old girl looks like she is ready for the adventure of a weekend trip in the woods. She wants to tackle some poor roads – or somewhere there is no road at all.
What, what? You had to put your name on your truck in Missouri? What kind of crazy law was that?
I don’t remember having to put the name so much as having to list the GVW on the side . . . which reflected I believe in the older Mo. truck plates for “L” (local) and “BL” (beyond local), many of which I have in my license plate collection.
On the other hand, growing up in the S.F. Bay Area, I saw a fairly decent number of IH trucks – the real hard core truck people would buy IH pickups (San Rafael had ISI motors which sold IH trucks of all sizes and carried NSU cars for awhile too!). In 1977, for S & G’s I did look at a Scout Pickup (!). Blue, 4×4, V-8. Ready for the hills.
I remember IH 4×4’s of THIS vintage usually at resale lots in the mid 70’s that were former forestry trucks, and so on.
Same crazy law that they had in Illinois. I lettered my uncle’s truck in 1965. I couldn’t resist the Nascaresque reference to engine size on the hood.
Jim, I’ve never understood it either. It seems there was concern in both Illinois and Missouri about how people would use their pickup, thus the law.
As luck would have it, I found a ’69 Chevrolet Custom Camper earlier this afternoon. It had the town of residence and GVW still visible on the side. The name wasn’t as conspicuous.
Growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I used to see a lot of these, as there was a big International plant there. A really nice find, Jack.
I was always intrigued by how International designed such a low beltline on the sides of these. The side window glass area always seemed so big and airy on these. Still, make mine a Travelall.
I still see a fair number of Scouts and the 70s full size International pick ups here in the desert southwest but that is mainly due to the lack of tinworm.
My grandmother’s second husband (Cecil) worked for International in the Fort Wayne plant up until the “passenger vehicle” business closed. I regret to this day never asking him about his experiences. I chuckle now a little that both of her husbands were UAW men.
My friend Tom whose dad had the 69 Club Wagon that I wrote about the other day – his dad’s name was Del, and Del worked at that plant too. (aside, so did a lot of my stepmother’s relatives). Anyway, I once asked Del why he didn’t drive a Scout or a Travelall, since he probably got an employee discount. His reply was that he had seen how they were made and wanted no part of one. He was a diehard Ford guy, but I doubt that 1970s Ford plants were any better.
That’s strange JPC, my grandfather (my grandmother’s first husband) worked at a GM plant but had a late 60s Econoline as well for hauling around his large family. He refered to it as the “Sufferin’ 6” because it never had enough power for him and he felt like he was beating the hell out of it just to make forward progress.
One of my most memorable trips was in a 65 Travelall up the Left Coast. We didn’t try anything odd (2WD beast, and the truck was 12 years old at the time), but we managed to hit most of the national parks north of SF and get a week on Vancouver Island.
Fun truck to drive, though I’d hate to pay to gas one up now.
There are lots of this era still around and since IH specialized in selling to farmers, govt agencies and other commercial type customers 3/4 ton 4x4s are one of, if not the most common survivor as they were one of the most common variations produced and due to the intrinsic higher value of 4x4s and 3/4 tons they are more likely to escape the crusher than their 2wd and lower capacity brethren. The hard ones to find are the torsion bar IFS 2wd 1/2 tons as parts for that suspension went obsolete long, long ago and the only source is Rare Parts Inc and not a lot of people know about them.
This one does look much better than many though.
It’s funny. In my entire life I’ve never seen an IH pickup and I’ve seen maybe two Scouts.
I find that a little hard to believe, they likely just didn’t register. Search your local craigslist I bet you find a bunch of IHs in your area.
I see IHs, granted mostly Scouts, on a regular basis but of course when I do see them I’m usually not driving one of my IHs, just like I’m never driving my Marauder when I see another one.
Isn’t the color Air Force Blue?
well spotted, Brian.
And the paint on the door would imply a short name or a simple military designation?
Love this old girl, I”d be ready to attack the day’s errands in this. a true jewel
Back in the day, IH frequently outsold Dodge pickups. IH pickups seemed to be the vehicle of choice for municipalities in northern New Jersey.
Operator name, Domicile and Tare are still required on commercialy used Trucks in NZ, gawd knows why any traffic cop can type in the rego number and get all the information he needs from his laptop
It’s true – IH iron of this vintage has pretty much vanished, save some pockets out West.
The tinworm…well, duh. But, given the hard-core Binder community, it’s odd that they don’t preserve, protect, defend and ressurect more of them. Except that as I remember it, as the IH models got newer, the rust got faster.
Little DPW I worked for, had one IH pickup…the General Foreman’s rig; he took care of it like it was his own car. He was felled suddenly (four months) from cancer; and on his passing the truck went into the general pool.
And like the preacher’s One-Horse Shay, that IH just fell apart visibly. It was a 1973; and all this was 1977…in one season that thing went from a advertising picture to a rust-riddled wreck, with the bed sides falling off and the door hinge mounts breaking free from corrosion.
So it goes…so it goes. Dust to dust…yet the earlier Binders, and even some A and B trucks on which this was based, seem to have survived. Not these lower-riding later models, still with the archaic wraparound windshields…a 60s time warp.
Us IH faithful do try to save everyone we can, lots of us have a half dozen or more and I know more than a few guys with a dozen or more and they are all over the world. I know guys from most states that have a IH or six I also know guys in Austrilla, South Africa, Germany and other European countries. As I mentioned above search “International” on your local craigslist and I’m sure you’ll find a number for sale.
My younger friend was looking for a truck one time. I found him one very similar to this for a steal. I test drove it for him, then he drove it. i thought it was great, he hated it. For him the suspension was too stiff, the searing hard (manual), the clutch heavy, the transmission, clunky. To me it felt like what a truck should feel like. But it was just too much truck for him.
A neighbor once refused to buy a late model GM 1/2 ton truck. After test driving he told the dealer; “It’s too damn car-like.”
Your young friend has probably grown up on the car-trucks we’ve had the last twenty years and more. Since about 1988 or so, the pickup has become more and more an item of FASHION – and as such, must have ride and handling tailored to his car-expecting taste. The Cadillac and Lincoln versions were just the natural culmination of this trend.
International used to make that point in their ad copy – that their trucks were built AS trucks, by a truck company, with truck components. Some of their points were duplicitous (they hyped the beam front axle with leaf springs; anyone who’s driven such a rig without a track rod on the front knows it’s a nightmare). Others were just untrue…they claimed their engines were designed for trucks. But one of “their” common engines was actually the AMC V8 – used in such heavy-duty installations as Matador and Ambassador engine bays.
But the point rang true: they were saying, don’t expect a carlike ride or tilt wheels from us. We build for other purposes.
Sadly, there weren’t enough buyers in that mindset to keep the line moving.
“But one of ‘their’ common engines was actually the AMC V8.”
Not really. IH only used the AMC 401 for a couple of years in the mid-70s when production issues limited the availability of their own 392 V-8, and then only in light duty ½-ton pickups and Travelalls. All other V-8s – the 266, 304, 345, and 392 – were part of the IH SV (for “Small V-8”) engine family. The SVs were true truck engines and were also used in medium-duty rigs, farm equipment, and industrial applications. They were also used as heavy-duty marine engines.
IH did use a lot of AMC sixes in Scouts and light-duty ½-tons from the late 60s on. Their own sixes were still used in heavy-duty ½-tons and up.
The only other non-IH engine used in the post-war Light Line was the Nissan SD33 six-cylinder diesels installed in Scouts from 1976 on.
You definitely can get a work out driving some IHs, I spent most of the day hauling gravel in my 1973 1510 dump truck and between driving it and raking the gravel I’m pretty done today. On the plus side driving my Scout II home feels like I’m driving a Caddy.
By far, my favorite model pickup of the ’60’s, and I’m biased (I own a Scout). This one rings all the right bells; the only thing that could make it better would be a stepside bed with side-mount for a spare. Do want.
I gave my nephew the 1940 Intl half ton that belonged to my brother. Don’t regret it but would like to have been able to keep it. One classic per person is about all my age and economic group can support.
We had the one ton dually versions of these at the municipality where I worked. 2WD, 4 spd manual, six cylinder, with dump beds. They had personality, especially the oldest one, a 1966. By the time I hired on this truck was 5 years old, and was anything but factory fresh. The muffler was on it’s way out, and the truck had a pronounced agricultural exhaust note. This truck had also apparently been in some sort of fender bender, with a new steering column installed. It would turn on a dime going left, but turning right was like trying to dock the Queen Mary. And for this then 18 year old, catching 3rd gear instead of reverse was an acquired skill.
These were tough old trucks, I miss them.
The picture doesn’t make it entirely clear, but in that dark blue color could this vehicle be a former USAF truck? The painted over signage on the door could be explained by this as well. During that era, they had a habit of buying commercial models (meaning not mil-spec tactical vehicles) with special features, like 4×4 and crew cab when similar models weren’t common in civilian hands. The air force “Strata Blue” has no metallic in it; I can’t see the paint well enough in this pic to be able to make that distinction.