Although we’ve never done a full CC on the International C Series (1961-1968), they’ve made numerous appearances on our pages. I don’t have time to do a detailed write-up today, as it gets a bit complicated, given the considerable number of variations, including those with torsion bar IFS. So I’m going to focus on one particular aspect, which confirms something I’ve long suspected: these always looked exceptionally low to me (total height), and to the extent I’ve been able to find that metric, it does appear that they really were the lowest of the conventional pickups. In this case, it’s a 3/4 ton 1200C (as best as I can tell), and it’s all of 69.9″ tall. That’s right about a foot shorter than a 2021 Chevy HD pickup, and an inch taller than the very popular RAV4, as a frame of comparison.
I’m not trying to instigate another pickup growth pissing match, but these were mighty easy to climb into the cab. No need for running boards, stepladders, or airstairs.
I spotted this on a recent trip to Portland, and it’s obviously missing a few non-essential body parts. Given the reduced weight, this one might well break through the 70′ height barrier. I didn’t have a measuring tape on me.
As another frame of reference, my ’66 1/2 ton F100 is listed as being 70.5″ tall. The 3/4 ton F250 sits a couple of inches taller. The closest one I could find specs on was the 1967 Chevy C20, at 71″. I could not find specs on the comparable Dodges.
Given the lack of side marker lights, we can pretty safely assume it’s a 1967 or earlier. And where did International buy those taillights? At Pep Boys? Yes, if there was a styling department at International, I’m guessing it didn’t exactly attract the best talent coming out of ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena.
It’s all business back here, along with the taillights.
And no need for dashboard designers either. Just a flat “board” and a passel of SW gauges. And there’s the obligatory “snake charmer” gear shift rod with at least four bends in it. A four speed with a granny low first gear. Another oddity about these is how vertical the steering wheel is.
Here’s a spec sheet for a 1968 version. I assume things didn’t change much from a year or two or three earlier.
As to what’s under the hood, your guess is as good as mine. The standard mill was the BG-241 six, churning out a 140.8 gross hp @3800 rpm, and 223.5 lb.ft. of torque @2000 rpm. I love those International ratings, with the tenths listed. No Big Three maker would do that. But where’s the net ratings? Even Ford listed those back then.
Optional was a 193.1 hp 304 CI V8, as well as the 345 V8, hp unspecified.
It seems rather incongruent that International—that hard core truck maker—would build the lowest pickup. But when those International engineers set their mind to such a lofty goal, they really went for it.
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In addition to the lowest conventional pickups, International also made the shortest ones, the Compact C900, with a 2.5 L four. More details here.
International also pioneered the standard production crew cab, dubbed “Travelette”.
Undoubtedly the 4WD version was a bit taller. Maybe an extra 4″ or so, from the looks of it.
Wasn’t the original point of a “pickup” truck that it would mostly be loaded and unloaded at street level rather than at a loading dock, so the cargo bed needed to be as low as possible?
Not to fuel a debate but there is such a thing as too low. I’d rather pick up a heavy box starting at a kitchen counter height than pick it up off the floor. 36″ or so seems about right for most items (to me anyway).
I agree with you about the loading and unloading aspect. IHC could have built them low to please a desire from customers who used their trucks for work. Styling seemed to be secondary to utility. I love it.
No sure exactly when, but in the early 60’s IHC trucks went to a drop frame, also revised the cab floor to remove the separate entrance step. They were nice and low at that point making entrance and exit a breeze. Probably enhanced handling and aerodynamics by the lowered cab. I’ve noticed most of today’s trucks required a ladder to get in and out.
Also notice the green truck the huge rear axle bearing hub. In comparison with say a Chevy, the bearings are suitable for a 1 1/2 ton load. I had a 1972 Chevy 1 ton, had to replace the rear axle bearings frequently, they were dinky compared to the IHC.
There is an article in the current(June 2021) issue of Collectible Automobile about IH design chief Ted Ornas. He went to the Cleveland Institute of Art. I think taillights are usually an afterthought on trucks – they are either obscured by a trailer or come with a third-party body.
These are cool. I doubt the dodge is any lower possibly but they usually were the same as Chevy in my experience at least without a measuring tape.
Over the years there has become less and less of a height difference between 2wd and 4wd trucks. GM pioneered this with IFS on the whole line up making it possible for the suspension design to be pretty common across models. I know Nissan did the same with the frontier and titan where 4wd and 2wd have almost the same suspension.
At first this made the 4wd slightly lower then before but later it made the 2wd versions taller as the market prefers the added height it seems.
I am wondering if the owner of the green truck is doing body repairs while keeping the truck on the road….Perhaps circumstances require it due to it being an only vehicle in the household?
In certain states, that truck would likely not pass an annual state inspection with a missing fender and might get a warning or a ticket for the front license plate being displayed in the front windshield.
Missing fender, I have to wonder at all the modified trucks running around today with tires sticking out from the body 6-8 inches, the same as no fender at all, and yet never do the police write anyone up for the safety violations.
12 volt…37 amp alternator…..fuse box in glove compartment. Hi tech!
With a GVWR of 7300 lbs. max, I’d hesitate to put this in the same category as modern HD pickups (over 8500), although it was a “3/4 ton” by the standards of the day. But it’s a lowrider nonetheless. Even in 2WD guise, a GMT400 2500 light-duty with 6-lug wheels or a jellybean F-150 7700 would still sit higher.
You have to factor in the weight of the truck. My F100 only weighs 3400 lbs. I doubt this one weighs any more, or maybe a bit more. So max. load capacity is what counts, right?
Fair point–a modern regular cab 2500 weighs something like 5700 lbs.
The IH is a little heavier than other similar trucks of its era. The spec sheet you posted shows the Cab & Chassis version starting at 3400lbs. Since it is a 1200 some of that is certainly due to the heavier rear axle, larger brakes and tires/wheels. The big lump of iron under the hood is another big culprit as IH engines are known for being heavy, even the 6 cyl families. Even if you use 4000lbs that still leaves more room for payload than my 2005 F-250.
The jump in GVWR had mostly to do with changing emissions regs. F-100 became F-150, “Heavy Half” or 5/8 Ton, etc. to get over 6000lbs and avoid the stricter passenger car standards. Then, the Feds caught on and raised the bar to 8500lbs, figuring no one would want one like that for personal use. So, “3/4 ton” models went from 7-8000 up to 8600. Also, in order to get any diesel, at least in California, your were forced up to a less efficient, heavier, truck than you needed for the job, kind of self-defeating in a way.
When did the truck classes actually get set in stone regarding their GVWR? Looking in old brochures, it seems that most “one-tons” were sub-10K GVWR until the Super Duty came out.
IH was a farm implement company and it shows in the light duty trucks. the bends in the shifter handle are necessary due to how far IH pushed the drivetrain towards the front of the vehicle. the transmission bellhousing connects with the motor a good 4″ from the firewall. Makes access a breeze. I had a 66 in the 90’s shortbed with the torsion bars.
Once on a hard stop, a torsion bar blew out the mounting mounting pocket and ran the wheel askew. I believe that the body style continued but the torsion bars were dropped.
Last I seen my truck it was at Bisio motors on Sandy Blvd. in Portland. They were an IH specialist and former dealer I believe.
The Torsion bar IFS did transfer to the square body trucks, though it only lasted until 1973. 1974 saw the I beam front axle go away on the 2wds and a new coil spring IFS become the only 2wd option.
Yes Ernie Bisio and Bisio Motors was a Light Line dealer, considered the “last Light Line” dealer by many. He and his long time mechanic kept at it until the early 10’s. When he gave up his dealer’s license it was the oldest in the state of Oregon according to Ernie. All the others had changed principals at least once since he got his in the 50’s.
Is that the place on Burnside? If so it was full of Scouts when I was last there about a decade ago.
One odd thing about this series of Internationals is how the bed sides don’t exactly align with the cab sides. Understandable for Ford when they had to scramble with the old bed in ’62, or for Studebaker when they picked up the old Dodge bed for the Champ, but this was a contemporary clean sheet design.
I think it was Visio motors that was over on Burnside, yes a cheap ripoff intended to trade on Ernie’s good name. Bisio was on Sandy as Wayne noted. 2869 Sandy to be exact and Google streetview, if you are in the right “X” location on Sandy still has a shot from 2007 with Scouts and other IH lined up and the trashed building that had been the showroom when there were still new IHs to sell is visible to the east.
Here is a story about Ernie https://www.oregonlive.com/window-shop/2011/07/ernie_bisio_who_sold_cars_until_he_was_90_died_in.html note he was not known as “Mr Scout”, that was yet another IH focused business down near Paul’s stomping grounds.
I had read that the Jeep Gladiator and J Series trucks were considered the lowest of their contemporaries, though perhaps only in the ‘80’s when the Jeep’s were still in production and the IH pickups were gone, or at least not considered relevant. The best spec I could find now though, from a 1964 Gladiator brochure at Allpar, shows the height at 71 inches “at curb weight” for all versions, 2wd and 4wd, all load ratings from 4000 to 8600 lbs GVW.
They were definitely the lowest of contemporary 4WD trucks.
Oh, ah dunno- I think an Art Center grad would be proud to have this series of IH trucks as an example of their work. Strikingly attractive in my book. Scouts too.
What I’m wondering about with a bed so low is cargo capacity versus ride. I would imagine the rear springs are quite stiff and the thing must ride around like a buckboard (even more than a usual pickup), particularly when unladen.
The crew-cab ‘Travelette’ looks like something from the USSR.
It has nothing to do with it whatsoever. The current trucks aren’t high for that reason.
I noticed the optional 5 speed in both direct and overdrive ratios, but no external od. I’ve only seen at most granny four speeds in Fords and GMs of this era. I guess those makes could have been had with an overdrive box if someone really wanted/needed more gears. I assume the 5 speeds would have had a granny first for the heavy loads and steep inclines.
I wonder what the take rate on the od five was, as the final drive ratios start in the 4s- they would scream on the highway, even with their larger tire size. I think my old 73 Cheyenne Super had around a 3.53 final drive and really needed an od, saw (and heard) 3000 rpms at 70 or so.
IH actually had 3 5sp transmissions
Direct
Close ratio OD
Wide ratio OD
From what I’ve read if you wanted the OD version in a Light Line truck you got the close ratio version. The wide ratio was available in the 1500 series and above.
Because the direct was the original version of this transmission the shift pattern is unique as the direct gear needed to stay in that down and to the right position.
Yup IH made em low and it didn’t end with the “C-series” trucks. They did note the lower step in height vs the competition in some of the advertising materials over the years.
You are on the right track about the taillights. I’m not sure about Pep Boys but at least until a few years ago if your local auto parts store could order Grote you could still buy brand new lenses. Of course that is because Grote also used them on other universal lights they sold in the aftermarket.
The ones used by the factory did have the man on the tractor logo which of course is missing on the ones they sold direct. But the Grote name and part number are on the originals.
It would be nice if you could get a lower version of the new pickups. I like my F150 but damn need a lift to get in.
Nowadays your best option for a low truck, especially with lots of payload capacity, might be to build a heavy-duty van-up like this one. It’s a Ford E-450 with duallies and a low eight foot bed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWheels/comments/mf6ot3/ford_e450_pickup_conversion/
Funny, now I recall that I owned “that” IH pickup, green and all.
I don’t recall where it came from or where it went. LoL
Mostly I recall that the shifter cane would sweep way over when it was pulling hard. Must’ve had a broken engine mount?
That’s it for my useless comment. Shrug
The gearshift got even snakier when an airconditioner was installed. I tried driving one of those once and just couldn’t get the hang of it. In theory the vector should be the same, but in reality a curved lever feels different from a straight lever.
As a teenager in the late 60’s and early 70’s I worked as a ranch hand and for a building supply store. Both used this series of IH trucks, and I spent many miles driving them.
The stated advantage that these trucks had over the competition was the solid front axle that seemingly made them indestructible. They had strong brakes and tough engines. They also drove quite well if my memory serves me correctly.