International Harvester Loadstar (1962-1978): America's Favorite Truck

The International Loadstar was the single most successful truck in IH’s long history of commercial vehicle manufacturing. Ubiquitous, reliable, and adaptable, the Loadstar was an extremely common sight throughout its long life and for decades thereafter. Its distinctive stubby front end styling had practical advantages and made it instantly recognizable and unique in the medium duty segment. The Loadstar’s looks exuded the tough and reliable character it came to be so appreciated for, not unlike certain Mack trucks back in the day. No wonder it has so many fans, including me.

Ostensibly a medium duty truck, the Loadstar was offered in a wide variety of models spanning the commercial truck market from the lighter end of medium duty all the way up to tandem axle heavy duty models. Many engines, both gasoline and diesel, were found under the Loadstar’s distinctive short hood along with a dizzying array of transmissions and axles in keeping with International’s reputation for offering their customers most anything they asked for.

The Loadstar had its origins in the International AC series of 1957. The AC was part of the new A series which comprised of many light and medium duty conventional (engine in front of cab) models and featured a modern new cab with a wrap-around windshield and an airy greenhouse which gave the trucks excellent visibility and made for a very nice looking pickup truck and Travelall station wagon. The AC was something of a new concept in that it had a shorter hood than the regular A series medium duty models to provide the longest possible bed length for a given wheelbase without the expense and complexity of a full cabover model.

The A/AC models were replaced by the updated B/BC in 1959. Most of the changes, like quad headlights, were minor but there was a major change under the hood in the form of International’s new small V-8’s. These modern V-8’s, initially was offered in 266 and 304 cubic inch displacements, were fully competitive with the passenger car derived V-8’s used by G.M., Ford, and Chrysler in their light and medium duty trucks.

With the dawn of the 1960’s came intense competition for International’s truck division from G.M., Ford, and Chrysler (Dodge). In a short span of two years all the Big Three introduced new light and medium duty trucks featuring highly styled cabs that were lower and wider along with dropped frames on light duty models that made the new trucks appear sleeker and made them easier to get in and out of.

International’s stylist Ted Ornas responded with the new C series in 1961 with featured major upgrades to the light duty models including torsion bar independent front suspension, a dropped frame, and a substantially redesigned cab. The new cab was still based on the 1957 A/AC series cab and shared the greenhouse but was new below the beltline with a flatter floor that eliminated the step wells and featured a new dash. In 1962 the C series cab was used on a new line of medium duty trucks called the Loadstar.

The Loadstar replaced both the B series medium duty conventional and the BC short conventional thus becoming International Harvester’s primary medium duty offering. At first glance the new Loadstar appeared to be simply a restyled BC model, but that was actually not the case. The trucks featured an all-new chassis that was substantially stronger than the BC’s, a 76” wide track front axle that enabled a very tight turning radius, and a redesigned steering column with a U-joint to provide a flatter steering wheel angle.

The seating position was improved and most Loadstars received the domed roof seen on some BC models to increase headroom. Somewhat surprisingly the new Loadstar’s cab was slightly longer at 91.75” bumper-to-back-of-cab than the BC’s 90” cab, but the new design substantially reduced engine intrusion into the cab and eliminated the ‘dog house’ with many engines.

Under the short side-opening ‘butterfly’ hood the Loadstar offered the new small IH V-8 is 3 displacements (266, 304, and 345), 3 of the old BD in-line 6’s (264, 282, and 308), and 2 diesels, the International D-301 and the 354 Perkins. In typical IH fashion, the Loadstar was available in many wheelbases and models, ranging from a 16,000 lbs. gross weight medium duty to light tandems, and a 4 wheel drive version.

In addition to the standard three seat cab and six seat crew cab there was also a narrow one seat cab for steel haulers (above), all available as factory options. International had the medium duty market almost completely covered with the Loadstar.

The Loadstar had a very distinctive look, even for something from International Harvester. While for the most part competing short nose conventional trucks were re-proportioned versions of their respective standard conventional trucks sharing the same styling cues, the Loadstar had a unique look compared to the rest of the IH model lineup. According to an interview of Ted Ornas featured on Super Scout Specialist’s (a Scout parts supplier) website, the Loadstar was one of the most challenging projects he had undertaken while at IH. Ornas found it very difficult to design the Loadstar in such a way that he could integrate the styling of the existing C series cab with a very short hood and an essentially flat grille.

He succeeded by using a large, stamped grille that wrapped around the sides of the hood and was slightly leaned back, usually painted a contrasting argent silver. The Loadstar’s high arched fenders were mounted nearly flush with the grille at the front. Although Ornas was unhappy with some of the changes from the original design required for production, the result was probably as good as it could have been all things considered. By comparison, the Dodge C series short-nose conventional seemed to have a hood and front fenders designed with no regard whatsoever to what the rest of the cab looked like.

The Loadstar went on sale in 1962 in capacities ranging from the 18,200 lbs. GVW 1600 series up to the 46,000 lbs. F-1800 tandem, and the range included a school bus cowl/chassis model. Loadstar school buses could be seen hauling kids everywhere.

And hauling books to the kids, as in this bookmobile.

As well as hauling cars and just about anything else.

It would seem that International medium duty truck buyers didn’t miss the B series standard conventional model at all, as almost 40,000 new Loadstars were sold in its first year making it one of IH’s most successful trucks of all time. Many of the new Loadstars were powered by IH’s small gasoline V-8, and aside from the underpowered 266, the 304 and 345 cubic inch versions were ideally suited to the new trucks. Despite the very short hood these V-8 engines didn’t intrude into that cab at all, and most service points were reasonably accessible through the side-opening ‘butterfly’ hood. The BD in-line 6’s did have a small removeable ‘doghouse’ under the dash and the 2 rear spark plugs were accessed through it. Neither the IH D-301 or the Perkins 6-345 diesels equipped many Loadstars, but a far more successful (and powerful) diesel option was on the way for 1964.

1963 saw the Loadstar continue with very few changes, which in a way was an indication of the soundness of the truck’s original design. Sales remained strong, and International added two new truck models that complemented the Loadstar range. The first was the CO-Loadstar, a new medium duty tilt cab slotted below the older medium/heavy CO series. The CO-Loadstar series mirrored the Loadstar model range and offered buyers a shorter wheelbase alternative with even better maneuverability.

The other new truck was the Fleetstar, a low-cost heavy duty short nose conventional that also used a modified C series cab and thus bore a resemblance to the Loadstar. The Fleetstar’s GVW range picked up where the Loadstar’s ended, and the new truck offered larger engines like the IH ‘Red Diamond’ 406 and 462 straight 6 gasoline along with the Cummins N and Detroit 71 series diesels not available in the Loadstar. Both of these new trucks were successful additions to the IH model lineup.

International’s truck sales topped 145,000 units for 1964, buoyed by the success of the new truck models and the pioneering Scout which like the trucks had gotten off to a strong start. Although no major new truck models were introduced for 1964, IH did see fit to expand the Loadstar range to fill a market niche that had been identified and, in the process, replace slow selling diesel engine options with one that proved to be successful. The market niche was for a higher GVW diesel powered medium duty truck that could be used as a single drive axle city tractor or a higher GVW tandem axle diesel dump. The slow selling Perkins 345, though a fine engine, was clearly not up to this task. IH responded by offering the 195 h.p. Detroit Diesel 6V-53 in two new Loadstar models, the single drive 1890-D and tandem F-1800-D. The 6V-53 had been introduced a few years earlier in Chevrolet trucks and IH was one of the first non-GM manufacturers to offer it.

Another new option for the Loadstar 1700 series was a package that consisted of oversized axles, springs and brakes commonly offered on higher GVW (gross vehicle weight) trucks. The idea was not to increase the GVW of the 1700, but to offer more durable components for trucks used in severe service, such as off road, oil field, or utility service. This is a common practice today and the Loadstar was one of the first medium duty trucks to offer such a package.

By 1966 the Loadstar was firmly established as one of the best-selling medium duty trucks, no doubt fostered by the wide range of models and options International offered on these trucks. International’s 4 millionth truck, a Loadstar, rolled off the old Springfield plant’s lines that year.

The year saw yet another new diesel option, International’s in house DV-462. This 4 stroke V-8 was basically a straightforward diesel conversion of IH’s V-461 V-8 gasoline engine. The DV-462 produced 170 h.p. and was slotted below the 6V-53 which remained a popular option in the Loadstar, even though the new IH diesel was significantly less expensive than the Detroit.

A rare and unusual option that also debuted in ‘66 was the Monoframe, a back-bone design behind the cab that was designed for bodies with low side floors to facilitate loading like bottler’s bodies. The option was also offered on the CO-Loadstar.

For the remainder of the decade the Loadstar didn’t see much in the way of new options or models as by that time there really wasn’t any sector of the medium truck market International didn’t have covered with the Loadstar and its companion truck the CO-Loadstar, which had been renamed the Cargostar. The Loadstar was selling on average better that 43,000 units a year by 1970, and International Harvester had built a brand new state of the art truck plant in Springfield OH to keep up with demand. The Loadstar, which had been built in Fort Wayne IN, saw most of its production moved to the new Springfield plant. The 1970’s went on to prove to be a most difficult period for International Harvester, and some of the problems that nearly drove IH to bankruptcy were beginning to show. The complexity of the situation is too much to get into here, but I recommend reading ‘A Corporate Tragedy’ by Barbara Marsh for the complete story of International Harvester’s downfall and rebirth as Navistar International in the 1980’s. If it had not been for the strong sales of Loadstar and its successor the S Series, International may not have survived.

For 1971 International offered a new fiberglass tilt-hood that not only provided for better engine access but also improved the looks of the Loadstar somewhat. I can say from personal experience the side-opening steel hoods on the Loadstar were not terribly user-friendly, and it was a good thing that engines like the 345 were reliable and didn’t require much service! Also new that year was an optional simplified integral power steering box. The early 70’s saw International emphasize their new Transtar heavy duty truck models while the Loadstar continued to sell in large numbers with few updates, significantly contributing to International Harvester’s bottom line.

In 1975 a new family of gasoline V-8’s were offered in the Loadstar. Known as the ‘MV’ (for ‘Medium V’) series, the engines slotted between the 266-392 V-8’s and the large 401/461/549 V-8’s that were not offered in the Loadstar series. The new engines displaced 404 and 446 cubic inches and were an all-new design. The MV’s were originally intended to be used in the light duty truck line to compete with the GM 454, Ford 460, and Dodge 440 but by the time the MV’s were ready for production the decision had been made to drop the light duty line (even though the light trucks were modified in 1975 to accommodate the new engines).

The modern design of the MV’s was supposed to make them more efficient than the existing V-8’s, and the 404 was seen as a replacement for the 392 and 401 while the 446 replaced the 461. Unfortunately, many operators of the new engines did not see a significant improvement in fuel economy or output over the old engines. In retrospect IH had spent a lot of money on the MV engine family just to have yet another gasoline V-8 for medium duty trucks that really wasn’t necessary, and the project was a contributing factor to IH’s brewing financial troubles.

1975 also saw the introduction of a very basic low cost 1600 model named the ‘Binder’. Although ‘Binder’ (an abbreviation for ‘Cornbinder’) had long been a somewhat derogatory nickname for International trucks, the Binder was a big hit with fleets, municipalities, and the U.S. government. Tongue-in-cheek name aside the Loadstar Binder’s low initial price and reliability endeared it to owners.

In 1976 International’s Springfield plant built their 1 millionth truck, which happened to be yet another Loadstar. This was a fitting tribute to the truck that contributed so much to International’s profits in those days and was increasingly keeping the wolves at bay as losses at International’s other divisions were mounting. An even though by this time the Loadstar’s successor was on the verge of introduction, IH saw fit to add one more engine to the Loadstar’s option list for the last 2 years of production, and it turned out to be a legend- the DT-466. Adapted from an IH agriculture engine, the DT-466 was a simple, robust, and powerful 210 hp 466 cube turbocharged straight 6 diesel that was remarkable in the fact that design-wise it was so unremarkable. The DT-466 was about as basic as a diesel could be and gained a great reputation for reliability. It was a tight fit in the Loadstar and did require a doghouse under the dash but it wasn’t much of a service concern as the DT-466 seldom required more than routine maintenance.

On September 15, 1978, the last domestic Loadstar rolled off the Springfield assembly line for a grand total of over 940,000 examples of the model built since introduction in 1962. The successor was the new International S Series 1600 to 1900 models with offered many of the same powertrain options as the Loadstar did with new cabs and chassis. The S Series was introduced in phases and the heavy duty models that replaced the Fleetstar were out in mid-1977. Many design aspects of the S Series did address some of the Loadstar’s shortcomings, particularly the cab design. The S Series cab was a very simple and easy to manufacture design which replaced both the Loadstar and Fleetstar cabs and offered improved visibility, better ergonomics and entry/egress, accommodated modern integral HVAC systems, and was less prone to corrosion.

Throughout the Loadstar’s long production run it stayed a strong competitor in the medium duty truck field. Even as the design aged compared to the competition’s trucks, the Loadstar’s sales remained strong due to its reliability, value, and reputation. Perhaps the Loadstar’s biggest innovation was that it consolidated standard conventional and short conventional medium duty truck models into one product line. Even though International was quite successful with this strategy, it is somewhat surprising that of all the major medium duty truck manufacturers only GM followed suit. Chevy consolidated their standard C series and short L series trucks into the new for ‘67 C-40 through 60 series trucks, which featured a 96” long cab. GMC introduced their 92” E series medium duty in ‘66 which replaced both their standard C and short B series conventional medium models.

Driving a Loadstar was a unique experience, even compared to contemporary medium duty trucks. The cab was somewhat narrow which made it a bit tight for 3, and it also required the rear-view mirror brackets to hang off the doors a considerable distance. Luckily they were well-braced, at least until the doors rusted out. Visibility was generally good to the front though the curved windshield made it seem a bit like you were driving a fishbowl, but the narrow cab sometimes made it difficult to look out window to the rear past the body. The instrument panel was simple and laid out well, but the heat/vent controls were 5 similar knobs placed close together. This made it hard to find the right one without taking your eyes off the road, but since the cables often froze up when the truck got old you didn’t bother with them.

Loadstars usually rode and handled well, but the driving position was a bit strange. The steering wheel was at a horizontal angle and the seat was quite high off the floor with the pedals relatively close to the seat. Thus, you sat quite upright in a Loadstar compared to other trucks. I didn’t find it uncomfortable, but it was a little awkward. No doubt a compromise to keep the cab short!

Shortcomings and styling aside, the Loadstar delivered the goods for a long time. It made people money, it helped keep the lights on, put fires out, took the trash out, took the kids to school, made a great hippie bus, and did everything else that a good medium duty truck does. It was reliable, durable, ubiquitous, and a major reason why International Harvester made it through the late 70’s.

This yellow bucket truck is a 1975 1700 model powered by the MV 404 gasoline V-8, a typical late production Loadstar. The original owner of this unit was the U.S. Army, and it is currently owned by the Southern California Railroad Museum in Perris, CA. The truck is in very good condition and is used to maintain the electric overhead for the museum’s vintage streetcar operations.

There’s still a large number of Loadstars in all manner of conditions to be found. A number of them have become resto-mod trucks, but I’ll avoid showing you those here. This restored 1970 Loadstar 1600 sold for $44,500 on Bring A Trailer a couple of years ago, which confirms the strong following these trucks still have.