On my regular haunts, almost anything automotive is fair game–including a guy painting what may likely end up as a food cart to add to their growing density around here. But this is not just any old step van, but a fine old International; not the classic rounded Metro (my all-time fav step van), but the version that replaced or supplanted it. I love the grille on these–one of the best ever. I don’t know if IH made their own bodies or not but undoubtedly, someone here has the answer.
Metropolitan Body works was eventually acquired by International Harvester as a subsidiary, so you could say yes they did make their own step van bodies. This style is late enough that it would likely have been produced after IH acquired them. I know I’ve read when that occurred at one point but do not remember when. However the data plate continued to say it was produced by Metropolitan Body works just as the early Metros do.
IH continued to offer the Multi-Stop (step van) chassis to other body builders until the full size pickup which it shares many of its components with was discontinued. At the end they even “stocked” the chassis at Grumman facilities until a truck was spec’ed out by the customer and ordered through the IH dealer.
So while you could get an IH chassis under a number of different bodies from different body builders you could only get an IH chassis with the Metro body all the way back to the beginning.
Today’s subject is of the 1500 (2 1/2 ton) series as denoted by the 5 lug wheels (like my 1510 dump), the lesser 1200 and 1300 versions had 8 lug. Under the masking tape under the center of the windshields is a large INTERNATIONAL badge.
Personally I really like the looks of this body style, I really like the low hoodline of these, exaggerated by the higher than common roof on this one. However like Paul I prefer the old round ones from the 40’s and 50’s.
It is interesting how many Metro’s are being revived for food truck duty. Here is one of my favorites that I followed it’s restoration on an IH forum.
Here is another one I followed the return to status of a working truck.
Finally for those that want to go down a rabbit hole with lots of pictures of Metros, from brochures, to restorations, to radical customs check out this thread. http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79687
Those ’40s and ’50s Metros are very cool! I never knew there was a boxier successor; I learned something new today.
I don’t know if any of you are into video games but a recent detective game set in the ’40s, L.A. Noire, is set in 1947 and has accurate renditions of Nashes, Cadillacs, Frazers and more. Anyway, if you so choose, you can drive one of these IH Metros, in various liveries. Pretty neat!
I am not really into delivery vehicles but I wouldn’t mind a DIVCO milk truck.
Spent my teenage years is a Stepside just like this one. Helped my dad install seamless gutters in south Florida in the seventies. My seat was two paint pails stack on top of one another. If a third worker was brought along, I rode between the seats on a plywood edge used to block inventory from sliding forward. Dad made it more comfortable by nailing a 1×4 with a backer on the edge…thanks pop.
While my dad couldn’t write a paragraph, he ran his business with a 100 foot tape, number two pencil, printed note pad with a carbon sheet (made a duplicate quote) and a shoe box (paced them in date order when he got the job). Whole office in that International van, the center console his desk where he kept a roof over our heads.
Thanks for the memories.
Looks like a Buick stepside van. Just need chrome on that waterfall grille.
Good luck on the new venture, hipster food truck guy!
I’ve been in many countries where vans are everywhere, but they always seem factory-built (eg Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Ford Transit or Sprinter), even postal service, UPS and ice cream trucks … or at least factory cabs with box bodies. Is the flat-sided, riveted sheetmetal, integrated cab/body delivery van with sliding doors a uniquely American vehicle?
No the did at least some down under, Bryce posted some pictures of one on the Cohort page not that long ago.
That was of an English Commer and appeared to be truck based rather than the light Commers which were based on the Hillman Minx. Commers years ago were popular with the NZ post office and Rootes actually built special models for NZ Govt contracts like the trim free Hillmans for Govt service.
Love the colour, called Best Bogan Black here