Thank you for this video. So many people today don't realize International made pick ups back in the day. I had a 1972 1210 All Wheel Drive, 9ft step side with a 345, Dana 60 front, Dana 70 rear. 430 gears and factory limited slip front and rear. Truck was a beast. Unstoppable. They most definitely don't make 'em like that anymore. Shame. 👍🇺🇸
I was born in 1951. From day one I remember our iH freezer outside with a piece of plywood covering the top. In 1980 my parents died and during the clean out there was the iH freezer…still outside still working perfectly. I gave it to my uncle he put new weatherstripping on the gaps and used it until he went to heaven 1988. House was sold and freezer as far as I know…is still in the back yard ticking away. Amazing durability.
My father worked at the Indianapolis foundry finally retiring in ‘74. He had a ‘64 pickup and a refrigerator in our kitchen. Thank you for explaining the IH history. Greatly appreciated!
Some of my relatives preferred International pickups and Travelalls in the late sixties and early seventies. I never knew why they switched away from them, but, thanks to this video, now I do: International stopped making them in the mid-seventies. My relatives considered them good vehicles.
repair parts were to expensive and not always availible. I had a 51 pu and normal auto part store didnt carry every thing and the International dealer was rediculous expensive this was in 1983. Sold it. bought a Ford.
Thanks for the video. After WW2, my Dad started a local delivery firm in northern Wisconsin. By the 1950s, his small fleet was all IH. The fleet pickup was an R series 4X4. Even in a small Wisconsin town, a 12 block hike to 7th grade (particularly at 20 degrees below), was "taxing", so Dad drove his 2 sons to school. The lucky "middle of the seat" guy got to rest his chin on the gearshift knob and experience "Blured Vision" (No seat belts y'know,)
As an owner of a 1952 IH L-120 3/4 ton ,it's really nice to see a video about the history of international harvester, only wish there were more videos about them out there. great job by the way
I’m 83 and worked for International Motor Truck from 60 to 64. A proud well managed company but a big part of their downfall was due to a “stuffed shirt” attitude to other truck mfrs. In the early 60s they owned the medium truck gas engine market ie: 28,000-32,000 tandems. They ignored Ford in particular who had just introduced their Louisville series. Soon Ford was stealing sales. Where I live there is a 1951 L110 pickup in original condition still running around the city. It belonged to a landscape company whose faded logo can still be seen on the factory green cab and box. There is also a KB 5 on static display along the highway.
I owned two IHC scouts. One was a 1968 800, which I used for parts, since the body was totally shot from rust. My driver was a 1969 800A. 304 V8 three speed with an overdrive unit. The '69 lasted till the middle '80s when the body mounts succumbed to rot. No replacements were to be had. The thing I found strange about the 800's was that they still used vacuum operated wipers. A long hard pull on a rainy night was a nightmare. I chased down all the vacuum hoses and fixed the leaks, which made a world of difference. I loved that 800 A. It was a shame they were such rust buckets.
In the early 80's I bought a surplus ex-Highways Department IH pickup for $ 500.00. It was a 2WD short box "heavy half-ton" with the 345 V-8 and three on the tree. That engine was a torque monster. We lived at the top of a steep hill with a winding street and several switchbacks. When it snowed heavily, there were a few times when it wouldn't make the hill, even with lug tires and weight in the bed. I'd take a good run at the hill and try to keep a constant speed in high gear, but no matter if I feathered the throttle, going around one of the switchbacks, the rear wheels would break loose and start to spin. After a few attempts, I'd have to admit defeat, park at the bottom of the hill, and trudge through the snow the last half-mile to home.
@@mikeskidmore6754 Yeah, but I was [am] too cheap to buy chains for that once or twice a winter that I might use them. Anyway, the walk probably did me some good... 🙄
My first truck was a 73, 1110 that had all you could check on the order sheet, except 4 x 4. It even had twin spotlights on the A pillars. 392 v8, 727 turboflight trans, power steering and brakes, am radio, clearance lights and marker lights on the step bumper, andA/C. I bought it used with 23,000 miles in 75 when I was a junior in high school. I loved that truck!
I got a 51 L-110 with a SD-240 as a project at 16 and with some work, it ran like a champ! Had a death wobble from the Kingpins at 50 that was scary, and the 6 volt starter was always a pain but it had TORQUE!
In 1969 my dad bought a 1967 International pickup HD 3/4 ton, 2 wheel drive, manual transmission. It was dark green metallic with a white cab roof. Being very mechanical my dad maintain all our vehicles. I was five when he purchased it he passed in 2020 and it went to my brother. Dad loved the, "old corn binder", as he affectionately called it. He also drove commercial truck for a living. My great uncle and aunt had one of the 60's Travelall in tan color, was still driving it in the mid 80's when he passed away. My dad enjoyed pissing off his friends who had Fords and Chevys back in the 80's as he could still easily get parts for his International while the newer Ford and Chevy owners couldn't get parts for their much newer trucks. I remember how good it sounded when he installed glass pack mufflers on it. Enjoyed this video as I didn't know the full history of IH.
I used to have a 1970 International 1200-D, 4 door, 4x4 shortbed. It had a transplanted, 392 CID V8, a Borg Warner Flash-amatic automatic transmission. I could go on and on about that truck. I wish I still had it today.
My first new car was a Scout II. I went to the dealership, I was 19 at the time, sat down with a salesman and went through the options list. I wasn't interested in fancy so much as durable ond off-road capable for going up over steep off-road passes, such as Engineer Mountain and Black Bear Pass near Telluride, Colorado. I got the 304 engine, four-speed transmission, limited rear-slip differential, and, I believe 4:27 gears. No carpet but rubber floor mats, no electric windows but crank and power steering.We took that thing everywhere camping, skiing etc. Even off to Utah to Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Stepping Stones, etc. I traded in my 1965 IH Scout pickup truck. That was an awesome vehicle. We used to watch the shorter wheelbase Ford Broncos with coil springs in front just bouncing up and down trying to get up some of those passes. All tobether I have owned five Scouts. As Tony the Tiger would say, "They're great."
I have a similar story; I started my first full-time job in late May 1974 on a Monday and went down to the International dealer on Tuesday and bought a new ’74 Scout II. There were only 4 or 5 left in all of Montreal (3 dealers) and it came down to a “plush” version in puke brown with bench seats, the AMC 256 I-6 with the IH chain-drive transfer case, or a school bus yellow with two single front seats, no rear seat, and the V304 with four speed and two-speed Dana with 3.73 rear. I went with the latter and had a ball with it, drove it all the way out to Tofino with two buddies non-stop, one of us would sleep in the back for four hours and we’d rotate. I put 115,000 miles on it before the body gave out, Montreal was bad for salt usage but I later learned that Inters were prone to rust in Arizona! I didn’t have much experience with a manual when I picked it up, so salesman Geoff took me out for a five-minute lesson (skip first gear unless you’re pulling something) and off I went. One thing I now feel bad about is that aside from the quick lesson, he told me had filled in with gas… I don’t think I even thanked him, not realizing at the time that a dealer usually puts in just enough in to make it to the closest station.
I spent a short time working at Case IH in suburban Chicago in 1998, and while there learned that the heavy truck teams at IH held all the political power, and when they needed more volume at Ft. Wayne the light truck guys were pushed out. Unfortunate as this market was just about to explode in sales, leaving Jeep as the only Independent in that field. IH might have done quite well with the right upgrades and modernizations.
I worked for the wiring supplier of the 1992-96 Ford F-Series/Bronco at the time they were working on the new 7.3L turbodiesel, what was eventually given the marketing name "Powerstroke". Internally at Ford it was supposed to be ready for 1992 and was called "NGD" (Next Generation Diesel) but became known as No Good Diesel, Next Century Diesel, etc. Ford finally got tired of dealing with Navistar and started up their own internal diesel program.
My dad had an International pickup in the early '70s. It was late '50s or early '60s model. He used to take us to his property in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Amador County CA when we were young. I was 14 in 1971 and he taught me how to drive on roads around his property.
The four cylinder used in the early Scouts was basically a 304 V8 cut in half making it 152 ci. Our family had many Travelalls, a 62 pickup, and a Scout. The 62 pickup took me where ever I needed to go. Great truck, wish I still had it.
We sold McCormick, IHC & Case IH, great memories. The trucks were tough, the scouts were the best all terrain for their size & the Tractors were and still are leaders in the industry. Good times & great history.
We owned a 57 4x4 S120 from 58 to 76. Dad bough a 4x4 1210 the last year they made them. 75? He was never afraid to load the heck out of either truck. He said he had 6600 lb of gravel in the 1210. When he sold the 75 in 2012 it had less than 74,000 miles on it. Dad was a WW2 truck operator and knew how to put those trucks on our steep hills. I regret I didn't but a 80 Scout II with diesel and had Ziebart rust treatments applied. My 80 Subie did get me through some deep snows.
My dad bought a truck only dealership in 1963. I went to work there in 1975. Stayed a medium duty dealer until 2018. Still a Fleetrite parts and service location. Poor management hurt NAV/ IHC.
The IH Travelall was (along with the Chevy Suburban) one of the first large SUVs, coming out in 1960. (a Travelall was featured on an episode of Wheeler Dealers - along with a 1st-gen Scout.)
I worked for International Harvester in the 70’s when they still owned their dealerships. This was on Bedford Street, Portland, Maine. It was awesome. So much tradition of quality there. The building had a flat roof with doghouse style windows on the roof. In the ceiling of the garage there were wires strung taught from one end of the garage to the other. The black curtains were still in place. They were used during the WWII years so they could work at night if there was a blackout. I worked with several old timers who taught me about the K line and so much more. The 196 cu in slant 4 cylinder was simply their 392 cu in V8 missing the casting for a head on one side…….rugged! Their vehicles were not as polished as from other manufacturers but were engineered for strength and durability. Later I worked for PACCAR (Kenworth and Peterbilt) but I remember most fondly IH.
As a kid, my dad bought a new 1973 IH Travel-all to pull a 30' Airstream trailer. With the 345cid & manual transmission, it would pull up any grade. Trouble free and easy to work on. Great trucks. In the seventies, I got a job with the road crew in the small New England town where I lived. For snow plowing, they had an IH 4WD pick-up, chained on all 4 wheels with a cross bed 100 gal auxiliary fuel tank, for plowing the narrower roads the big trucks wouldn't fit through. Had about a yard or yard and a half of sand in the back of the bed for traction. I spent many days and nights plowing snow with that truck, it was a beast and would go anywhere. Pulled a lot of unfortunate drivers out of ditches with it also.
In the middle 70s, IHC was streamlining its farm tractor brand names, instead of "International / McCormick / Farmall" it was less confusing to just use one name of International. The CaseIH name became a brand of CNH, owned by FIAT of Italy in the 90s. In the 2000s, CaseIH started using the Farmall model name on compact and utility tractors. The McCormick name was sold, along with the UK plant, to ARGO of Italy, applied to red tractors alongside blue tractors of the Landini brand.
owned a 67 travelall with the twin doors at the back, a 68 with the electric windowgate at the back, and a 67 scout.. miss those things and always wanted the four door 68 pickup in 4wd but never found 1
when i was a kid in the 60s.most of the farmers in my area had 50s & 60s international pickups.even though their tractors were mostly massy ferguson's & oliver's.a real testiment to them being true workhorses in the pickup market at that time.
I read that on the early trucks the radiator was placed behind the engine was to protect it from teamsters. The teamsters did not like the gas trucks cutting in on their work so while waiting in line to get loaded they would back their wagons into the truck radiator putting the truck out of business. My first vehicle was a 1964 C1000 half ton. Wish I had it today.
Nice presentation and accurate. Started in my dads small IHC dealership in 1975. Kept it going after illness slowed him down in the 90’s. Still at it but now as a Fleetrite parts and service location. Started part time in 1973 while still in school. Loved thru all of it in the trenches.
Had a 1967 International pickup, 3/4 ton, 3 spd manual on the column, with the 304 cu in V8 engine back in the mid '70's, that was the most rugged, toughest darn truck I've ever owned and at 79 years old I've owned every American brand truck out there. In winter time when the big snows came I'd put a little weight in the bed, and a pair of tire chains on that sumbitch and go where a snow plow couldn't go.
To make a long story short, my favorite International Harvester vehicle now is the long wheel based Scout 11 Tera or Traveler with the Nissan SD33 6 cylinder diesel engine. I wish i have one today..
For a few years International also made a line of refrigerators and milk coolers for the farm. I don’t know what happened to them but they no longer have refrigerators anymore
In 1951 my dad expanded and enclosed our back porch and made room for mom's washer, bought their 1st dryer and one of those VW sized IH chest freezers. That freezer holds a whole beef. At the time they still ran a Servel butane refrigerator. I'll never forget the odor of gas always present in the house. BTW: that 1951 IH freezer was moved to my garage in 1990 and still runs like a top. The walls on that thing are 5 inches thick. I've heard the closure handles are prone to break after 50 yrs so I take special care when opening and closing. I sure hope someone gives it a chance to go for 100 yrs of operation since I probably won't make it to 2051.
Great video. My Uncle and Aunt owned an International Dealership. On my one aunts farm they owned a Farmall A,, a Cub, a KB-2 and a KB-5. My grandfather had 2 Farmall A''s. I also own two Cub Cadets.
i dont know much about their farm equipment.but as a truck driver for 22 years.i never drove an international truck that DIDNT have electrical problems in one form or another.one in particular was known for all the lights dying with no warning.an interesting situation when your going 62 mph at 3 AM in the middle of nowhere.
I know what you say about that problem, one plug and all the lights are on it. It happen just like that late a night going on the Interstate on a moonless dark night, I had a flashlight on the dash and was able to use it to see and drive to a safe place and stop. Look and look for why then found under the dash the loose wire and plug-in at fuse box. The fun of over the road truck driving back in the day.
Any IH/Navistar truck prior to 2008 is a good truck. Our newer '08 and up have been plagued with emission system problems. Had a '62 V-196 truck with a 549 V-8, 257hp, but what a beast, 55 mph tops. Had Navistar not tried to cheat on the engine emissions, they might still be an independent company. R.I.P. Melrose Park, home of the "Legend" (DT 466 engine).
You mention the V549 that started as a V478. What not many know is that there was also an FTV549. Twin distributors with 2 spark plugs per cylinder. At Wenatchee, we dropped an FTV549 crate engine into the cities old La France open topped pumper. I think the call sign was changed to "K4" as the reserve pumper.
@@markdanielczyk944 I'm pretty sure it was the other way around V or VS 549 block was turned into the DV550 diesel. Not a great success. In the 70's they came with a new series of gas engines. The MV404 and MV446. Then the gas crisis hit. The bottom dropped out for gas. So they turned it into the 6.9L diesel which later became the 7.3 IDI
@@Colorado_Native They also used a Borg-Warner automatic that had a cast-iron shell instead of the usual aluminum. Our family had a 1971 Travelall and that's the transmission it was equipped with. Back in the 1970s, an acquaintance of my father who was a mechanic for the post office said (I'm pretty sure of this) that the Borg-Warner automatic was every mechanic's favorite, being exceptionally durable and reliable, but so easy to overhaul when necessary that it could be done without even removing it from the truck.
I miss the good ole days. Where you would see a farmer with his pickup truck, tractors, combines, farm equipment, lawn mower, and even home appliances would all say International Harvester or at least IH on them. A proud country and a proud brand.
My first vehicle was a 1968 IH half ton pickup. I kept it until it died and I couldn't afford or find the parts for it. A friend had a Scout. That thing was almost unstoppable.
What a great video, I'm fascinated by US pickups and trucks as over here in the UK pickups have never been too common unless imported from overseas. I love the older models particularly the D2 and K series. When over in Canada a few years back I saw a number of the Navistar Lonestar series on the main highways, always an impressive sight; indeed, US trucks in general tend to present as aesthetically far more interesting and exciting than most of their European counterparts. Although there were some interesting British trucks (Lorries) in the 1940's, 50's and early 60's; Foden, Albion, ERF, Guy and AEC etc., sadly these are all long gone along with most of the British car and motorcycle industry.
@@thehopelesscarguy Ah interesting, I guess you refer to Land Rover which of course made a pickup variant until the demise of the venerable 'Defender' model. However, here in the UK they tend to be regarded simply as 'Land Rovers' regardless of the variant. I owned a 1981 series 3 long-wheelbase station wagon version some years ago; converting it from the dreadful 2.6 litre 6 cylinder F-head engine to a 3.5 liter Rover (Buick) V8. With that engine it ran very well but consumed fuel at an alarming rate! In the classic car world here in the UK we do occasionally see some of the old British models which were manufactured as pickup's ('utes' in Australian parlance) over in Australia or South Africa; usually Vauxhalls, Fords, Standards or Armstrong Siddeleys (very rare). A comparatively small amount of pickup variants from Austin, Morris and Standard were sold here during the 50's, 60's and 70's but all very rare now due to the dreaded rust. This might make an interesting, if rather short vid compilation for you; you could perhaps do 'European pickups', some great ones made by Peugeot, Panhard and Simca!
I miss the 1210 AWD I had, 60 front 70 rear and a factory locker pushed with a 345 and a 4 sp. Terrible fuel mileage but it would pull a house down without breaking a sweat. The truck was pea soup green and Id give my left nut to get it or a like truck again.
My father in law had both a Scout and a PU truck many years ago. The truck wasn’t pretty but that thing was bullet proof and could plow snow without four wheel drive by just filling the bed with gravel.
Thank you for making a video of this. This taught me a lot about the history of the International Harvester company, I have a 1968 International Loadstar CO-1700 Believe it is a 4 speed and has the 2 speed rear with the 345 V8 that we are fixing up to haul my garden tractors to tractor shows.
They also made a V 220 Gasoline V8 powered semi through the sixties that was often used as a yard truck. A seal coat paver that I worked for had one used as both haul truck and asphalt tanker for filling the distributor between shots.. If you disconnected the carburetor-governor it would go scary fast pulling an empty flatbed. That 6.9 Liter Diesel used as an option in mid '80s Ford 250s and International school buses was a good one. Whatever IH gave up to make their pickups competitively priced they seemed to make up for in replacement parts prices though. I felt I might as well have owned a Mercedes Benz when I went to the dealer for parts.
My Dad had a 1954 IHC R110 3/4 ton pickup he purchased new from the local dealer. It was ivory with a pink cab top with a 4 speed transmission on the floor. He built a side solid box so that he could haul soybeans directly to the elevator in town. In those days the elevator had an inside hoist that picked up the front of the pickup so the soybeans rolled out of the tailgate and into the elevator pit. The box height was just right so that the Allis Chalmers 66 regular bin combine could unload directly in to the truck box. That truck hauled many a load of hogs to the Hormel plant in Fremont, NE. Occasionally he would haul the sows to Union Stockyards in Omaha. That was in the late 1950 early 1960’s when the stockyards were at the peak and the unloading chutes were always busy. That truck was the first vehicle I learned to drive and had to know how to drive a 4 on the floor. When I was old enough it was my job to haul the soybeans to town during fall harvest. He used that truck until he traded it for a new 1970 Ford F250. By 1975 he purchased a used F600 straight truck with an Omaha Standard box to haul grain to town. That is when I had to learn how to split shift a 4 speed with the red button to run the two speed axle. Never did know what happened to that IHC truck after it was traded in.
I have a 53 l110 6 cyl 3 speed floor shift that I’ve had since 76. Only upgrades are the steering, brakes and suspension. Had no idea my truck was birthed in Canada
I had friends with a Travelall they named "Tallulah." She was indispensable for towing their MG when it broke down, which happened a lot. Three guesses as to who steered that little orange lump as it was towed through Dallas traffic. Good times.
We had nicknamed the travellalls the Hud wagons, or ‘binders’, tough torquey engines that loved the gas. Loadstars kept the exhaust donuts blown out. They had a heater & a radio. Top of the line, for the time lol
Had a IH 64 stepside pickup with the 152 slant 4, half of the 304 V8. The trim level was "Custom". I drove it until it wouldn't pass inspection due to rust. Best $500 truck ever.
Call me a latecomer as I was stuck on brand as a kid, then onto the young adult as well. I found out all the features for international and then couldn't wait to get my hands on more of them. A friend who happened to be a large collector of the internationals, turned me on to the many different ones including help restore some that had seen harder times. My biggest joy though is the Case tractors have evolved into Hydrogen power for their lineups and have a great chance at being a leader in hydrogen which is a free natural element. Just possibly cutting part of our tie to foreign oils. Mainly just the fuels as plastics and base oils will be needed yet as a lubricant.
@@thehopelesscarguy Dodge used the same engine in their pickups at the same time. I still have the factory IH manual for the turbo version. IH-633-T. For Nissan it primarily a large towmotor engine or so I've been told.
The IHC M1s were actually a Cold War era contract and made for a few years in the mid fifties after the Korean War. I have one, they are sought by collectors and bring a premium.
the company I worked for for 45 years has a KB7 and and R190 I helped restore about 25 years ago. They get them out for parades and other special events.
Do you have any ideas where I can find some 6 lug 20" bud style rims for my L series ton and a half International truck that ran 8.25x20" tube type tires ? These truck rims were used from the mid 1940's to the end of the 1960's . They have the lock rig that's split . No , Not the 1930's era split rims , better known as the widowmakers for truck rims !! Way too many people don't know the real difference , believe it or not . Any help would be appreciated !! Thank You .
@@zakman9244 some old school buses may have them. Find a salvage yard that has old buses or even old trucks. There are companies on the internet that will make them to spec. You might consider a 22.5 tubeless wheel and get a tire that would be a close match.
My Uncle had a L series pickup truck. What I really loved about the truck is the bed was 12 feet long and could carry more hay than an eight foot long wide body pickup truck of the mid 70's. It was slow but could carry a lot of weight. We could carry 100, 100 pound bags of corn from the mill to the farm. Weighing over 10,000 pounds the truck was just on the overload springs as we headed back to the farm. My Uncle would back up to the large feeder, which looked like a small grain silo with a ring of doors around the bottom. The pigs just had to come to the feeder and with their nose lift the door to put their snout in and eat. The feed tray used gravity to keep refilling the tray from the bin. I would stand on the tailgate and empty the corn bags into the top loading hatch door.
Yes. We had just moved to Ft. Wayne when Harvester pulled stakes and moved to Illinois. It took years for the town to recover. See, a business is a living thing that grows. When it grows to such proportions, it cannot be moved, or it will be like amputating an appendage.
Probably the best video out there on international they squeeze it in but there years with parts hard to get and Jake brake problems and a nightmare was that they weren’t dependable. after the 70s the scout was there gold mine but rust destroyed them . Trucking companies lost millions on their engines a lot of farmers used them when fuel was 25 cents a gallon drove them millions of miles the eagle was a disaster electric fires going down the road . Day cabs were dependable . They had a heavy duty rear end for hauling heavy trailers in the travel all that no one could match . Trailer hauler special.
I got the impression from this video that you said the International crew cab pickup was introduced in 1961 with the C series, when in fact it was with the A series that came out in early 1957. The original crew cab Travelette had three doors rather than the four introduced with the C series in 1961. The International crew cab started a trend as it was the first pickup that offered two rows of seats. Which today the 4 door pickup has replaced the family sedan with everyone rather than the farm families and work crews. Drove Internationals from a 1952 L110 and later in my working career International especially the 4 x 4 crew cab model was the favourite through the 60 to the 70's.
Lots of useful information on my favorite truck brand. My family purchased a new Scout in 1964. I was 16 and a real car nut and to this day feel the Scout was more desirable than Ford's Mustang. You didn't mention IH's C-900 pickup of 1964. Few even know it ever existed.
My dad drove international and Dodge all through the 60’s , on the ranch we bought had a 1949 on it. We had a 1961 Scout and 1963? As a kids we had 7 different International on ranch our last was a 1970 4 wheel drive. We had one ton single wheel, a 1966 dual wheel one ton with 5 speed overdrive transmission and a 1969 one ton 5 speed road ranger over drive transmission too! My dad would have kept driving them if they would have kept building them. Dry in south Texas!🤠🇺🇸
I drove prostars from 09 to 20 they were initially the worst although my 17 was reliable then were the lt series, they were used for loaner trucks 8f our Pete was in the shop although I did use a good one for awhile well equipped with inverter and fridge
They were good quality trucks. I was watching rerun of "Friends" and noticed the refrigerator was an international. And after googling found they made refrigerators too
I began working for International Harvester Motor Truck Div Jan 2nd 1960 in Brandon Manitoba Canada. At that time gas engines in med and big trucks were still the norm and IH ruled the market. In particular, the R series big trucks with Red Diamond 372, 406 and 501 cu in 6 cyl engines the workhorse. They also had a line of h d V8s as well with 549 cu in being the big guy, but most of the big and smaller Canadian Transport used the 6 cyl. The old L and later R series cab were built like bomb shelters as were the engines which featured piston sleeves which meant that overhauls were simple and economical. The medium duty 6 cyl 282 and 306 Silver and later Black Diamond engines were off shoots of the engines in W line of farm tractors and very tough. In 1958 IH introduced a modern cab in first the A and then B series. These cabs were a piece of junk but the fact that the IH gas engines were so good kept sales up. In 59 they came out with the BCF 180 tandem featuring a 345 cu in V8 engine and a 28,000 lb Bogie/ Tandem. These sild like hotcakes as they were tough, lousy cab non withstanding, and a cab and chassis sold for $10,000 Canadian. At that time Manitoba was in the throws of building a huge new electric power grid and a gigantic flood diversion around the capital city of Winnipeg. There were literally hundreds if BCF 180s with gravel boxes operating. The Travelall was heavily in use as people transporters by many of the 70 plus Hutterite Colonies in the province and across Alberta and Saskatchewan as were medium duty grain body trucks. I H was so big that they could basically tell the manufactures of truck components that they had to give I H exclusive access to their products. For example I H had and exclusive deal with Eaton the giant mfr of rear axle assemblies. Thus the 28,000 snd 34,000 lb tandem bogie axles became the domain of I H. Other users of those two units had to I was told, buy at a higher price so I H got a royalty. I was a partsman and for example we sold a crown and pinion set for the 28 ,000 for $88.00 If you bought one off Ford or White it was about $50 more. So Ford and White owners came to us. I H was late into the Diesel truck engine market. The story was that they tried to fineagle Cummins into a deal like they had with Eaton Axle but were turned down. So they cut a deal with Rolls Royce and we ended up with the RR 180 and 220 hp inline 6 diesel engines. These were super engineered like their aircraft engines as in roller con and crank bearings. They also had a complicated high pressure CAV British made fuel injection pump that was a constant problem. We understood that the British not having access to rubber during WW2 had developed Neoprene which were used as seals in engines and of course the fuel pumps. While it was fine in damp climates, Neoprene could not tolerate hot dry summers which were the norm in the Canadian prairie provinces. Thus the seals dried and cracked causing the fuel pump to lose pressure. Front and rear engine crank seals also suffered a similar fate. In other words the RR needed humid or wet climate to perform as advertised. I have a very interesting and funny story about a buckshee fix we csme up with that worked but drove RR around the bend ! At any rate I H and RR parted ways and IH cut a deal with Cummins. I well remember the first IH hd truck that arrived with a Cummins NH220 diesel at our branch. It was a CO 405 tandem tractor. We flocked around it like kids at a carnival. I left IH in 1964 but memories still stay with me at 83.
@@thehopelesscarguy Funny story about Rolls Royce diesels. I mentioned they had a problem running well in the hot dry weather of Canadian prairie summers. Our asst shop Forman was a farm raised boy who grew up with John Deer two lung engine tractors. If you know those engines you’ll know that above the cylinders they had a petcock that could be turned to allow water to be dropped into the cylinders to smooth out the engine in hot dry conditions. Our inventive man when down to the war surplus store and bought some army Jerry cans. He mounted these under the hood and tapped into the intake manifold running a line from it to the water filled Jerry can. Presto.. the engine ran like a dream.. Rolls Royce went bonkers ! 😂
International's line of Straight-6's were absolutely bulletproof, the only way to kill one was extended over-revving. Compared to a Chevrolet 235/261 or Dodge Flathead 6, IH's Silver/Black Diamond series was much, much better engineered and built.
Excellent job once again. I remember this company for the school buses and commercial trucks, the Scout( which will be returning reportedly through Volkswagen). This brand is so varied and has an interesting history. They sold off so much. It kept changing. How did you recall of that information? Thank you so much for your efforts.
My friends had a Farmall Cub and a bigger Massey Ferguson. They also had a Gravely. They all got used on the farm, along with a couple 3 wheel ATCs. I had a 59 Willys with a smallblock Chevy in it. This was in the 80s. That farm's overgrown, dilapidated, and surrounded by cul-de-sacs with McMansions and mini stripmalls now. And the railroad tracks have become a bicycle trail for yuppies. Can't ride dirtbikes, and four wheel, and target shoot, and hunt, and fish, and drink keggers in the woods anymore, because the woods are gone, replaced by suburbia. Sad. And they call it "progress"...
1960 C Series lured my dad away from GMC for a short time. No dealer would take the IH pickup for a trade-in when he was ready for a new GMC after 2 or 3 yrs of farm use. The few times he went off the GMC reservation was due to horsepower and/or engine design upgrade. That old green IH pickup sat down in the pasture for 20- 30 yrs. Someone finally drug it off. Probably the same person who cut out the grills and removed tailgates of all the other ones down there. Most had their radios stripped out too. There was an old baby blue 70s Dodge half ton that no one bothered. What does that tell ya?
(Please get back to me with your information on this) Hello, when I lived in Montana I purchase a what I thought to be a 1956 international pickup truck. I a straight 6 black diamond engine. One thing that was very unusual about it is the size of the axles they were huge! The front axles had round casings enclosing the universal joints on the inside of the wheels. Everything about the truck was heavy duty. For instance to lock the hubs oh, it had a c-type ranch that you had to insert into the Hub to lock them in for four-wheel drive.
I'm no expert but I have paid a lot of attention to this topic over decades. Three-quarter ton International trucks used a larger grade of axle than the other companies, though one time I saw an exception, where a four-door 3/4-ton Dodge had the exact same rear axle as used on a 3/4-ton International. Also, Kaiser military pickups (used a lot in the Vietnam War) used that same heavier-duty axle as the one International used. For the typical 3/4-ton rear axle used by International, the main body of the axle was the same as that used by Ford or Dodge, but the wheel bearings were quite a lot bigger, resulting in a much bigger external hub and axle flange connection. However, International sometimes put an even bigger rear axle on 3/4-ton pickups, I think mainly on four-door models and for military applications. That might be the rear axle you have (if your axle has a "third member" style of differential housing instead of having a bolted-on cover on the back, then that's probably the one). Regarding those "round casings" that you described on your truck's front axle, International was the last American company to stop using enclosed knuckle joints on front-drive axles. The other US companies had used these kinds of knuckle joints in older 4x4 trucks but they stopped using that style many years sooner than International did. That style of axle is generally considered better, being more weatherproof and not requiring any specialized tools to take apart and put back together (modern "open" steering knuckles are absolutely a mechanic's nightmare, but they are cheaper to assemble in production which is why every company switched to them). I once was able to compare a 3/4-ton Chevy Pickup and a 3/4-ton International pickup from the early 60s, and both had identical or nearly identical front-drive axles, both with enclosed steering knuckles, but the steering knuckles were one or two sizes larger on the International than on the Chevy, and surely those larger joints were a lot stronger. Bear in mind, though, that the front axles on Internationals were still made by standard companies like Dana or Spicer (I think mostly or perhaps entirely Dana), just as was true for the other light-truck companies at the time. On that topic, I once saw a 4x4 International of roughly two-ton capacity, apparently dating back to the mid or late 1950s, which had enormous enclosed steering-knuckle joints consisting of two facing plates connected by a cylinder of heavy canvas enclosing an oil bath inside for the axle U-joints. The flexibility of the canvas allowed the oil-bath container to bend during steering. It was the strangest front-drive axle I ever saw on a 4x4 truck, and I don't know the company that made it. It was heavy-duty, though. By the way, I think I have seen the style of locking hub that you described, but it wasn't on an International. I have seen at least two or three other kinds of locking controls too from that time period which also were very strange by today's standards. Bear in mind that in those days, locking hubs were strictly an aftermarket item which the owner installed himself, and with the front axles of all US pickup brands being made by just one or two companies, the various kinds of locking hubs that were available in those early years could be found on any brand of truck.
I believe that you are referring to the axle made by Coleman(or it's called a Coleman.) My brother has one on his medium duty/crew cab ramp truck. It began life as a Lineman's rig.
I had a travelall", late 60's , i had a couple loadstar 1600 1800's . People didn't like them , they said parts were hard to find. I bought all my internationals at fire sale prices. All were as good or better than the other 3 brands available.
How did you miss the DCF & DCOF 400 series from 1965 that morphed into the Trans star 4300. DCF had a long hood with a shorter CA than the DCOF which features a cab forward design with dog house protruding into the cab allowing a longer CA. Makes a big difference when hauling Logs or Hogs!
Thank you for this video. So many people today don't realize International made pick ups back in the day. I had a 1972 1210 All Wheel Drive, 9ft step side with a 345, Dana 60 front, Dana 70 rear. 430 gears and factory limited slip front and rear. Truck was a beast. Unstoppable. They most definitely don't make 'em like that anymore. Shame. 👍🇺🇸
I was born in 1951. From day one I remember our iH freezer outside with a piece of plywood covering the top. In 1980 my parents died and during the clean out there was the iH freezer…still outside still working perfectly. I gave it to my uncle he put new weatherstripping on the gaps and used it until he went to heaven 1988. House was sold and freezer as far as I know…is still in the back yard ticking away. Amazing durability.
Nice.
My father worked at the Indianapolis foundry finally retiring in ‘74. He had a ‘64 pickup and a refrigerator in our kitchen. Thank you for explaining the IH history. Greatly appreciated!
Glad you liked it.
Some of my relatives preferred International pickups and Travelalls in the late sixties and early seventies. I never knew why they switched away from them, but, thanks to this video, now I do: International stopped making them in the mid-seventies. My relatives considered them good vehicles.
Clearly people were buying them as any trip through farm country is going to find them lined up along the fields.
repair parts were to expensive and not always availible. I had a 51 pu and normal auto part store didnt carry every thing and the International dealer was rediculous expensive this was in 1983. Sold it. bought a Ford.
@@thehopelesscarguyas an owner of my 1952 Farmall super C thanks for making this video
Thanks for the video. After WW2, my Dad started a local delivery firm in northern Wisconsin. By the 1950s, his small fleet was all IH. The fleet pickup was an R series 4X4. Even in a small Wisconsin town, a 12 block hike to 7th grade (particularly at 20 degrees below), was "taxing", so Dad drove his 2 sons to school. The lucky "middle of the seat" guy got to rest his chin on the gearshift knob and experience "Blured Vision" (No seat belts y'know,)
We had a 1960 International B 120. I loved that truck. It was a great 6 cylinder.
Nice
As an owner of a 1952 IH L-120 3/4 ton ,it's really nice to see a video about the history of international harvester, only wish there were more videos about them out there. great job by the way
Thanks, glad you enjoyed.
I’m 83 and worked for International Motor Truck from 60 to 64. A proud well managed company but a big part of their downfall was due to a “stuffed shirt” attitude to other truck mfrs. In the early 60s they owned the medium truck gas engine market ie:
28,000-32,000 tandems.
They ignored Ford in particular who had just introduced their Louisville series. Soon Ford was stealing sales.
Where I live there is a 1951 L110 pickup in original condition still running around the city. It belonged to a landscape company whose faded logo can still be seen on the factory green cab and box. There is also a KB 5 on static display along the highway.
I owned two IHC scouts. One was a 1968 800, which I used for parts, since the body was totally shot from rust. My driver was a 1969
800A. 304 V8 three speed with an overdrive unit. The '69 lasted till the middle '80s when the body mounts succumbed to rot. No replacements were to be had. The thing I found strange about the 800's was that they still used vacuum operated wipers. A long hard pull on a rainy night was a nightmare. I chased down all the vacuum hoses and fixed the leaks, which made a world of difference. I loved that 800 A. It was a shame they were such rust buckets.
I understand.
Hell for stout tho. Brutally simple and tough as nails
@@ronunderwood5771 As a truck should be.
You can get replacement sheet metal for the Scout II, and some sheet metal for first generation Scouts.
In the early 80's I bought a surplus ex-Highways Department IH pickup for $ 500.00. It was a 2WD short box "heavy half-ton" with the 345 V-8 and three on the tree. That engine was a torque monster. We lived at the top of a steep hill with a winding street and several switchbacks. When it snowed heavily, there were a few times when it wouldn't make the hill, even with lug tires and weight in the bed. I'd take a good run at the hill and try to keep a constant speed in high gear, but no matter if I feathered the throttle, going around one of the switchbacks, the rear wheels would break loose and start to spin. After a few attempts, I'd have to admit defeat, park at the bottom of the hill, and trudge through the snow the last half-mile to home.
Been there myself.
I could probobly put some chains on the tires in less time than you could walk a half a mile in deep snow .
@@mikeskidmore6754 Yeah, but I was [am] too cheap to buy chains for that once or twice a winter that I might use them. Anyway, the walk probably did me some good... 🙄
@@brunobandiera2062 Oh I got the impression maybe there were a lot of snow days .
@@mikeskidmore6754 No, Vancouver. BC lots of hills, few plows, and for most people, zero preparedness in general. I know from snow, grew up back East.
My first truck was a 73, 1110 that had all you could check on the order sheet, except 4 x 4. It even had twin spotlights on the A pillars. 392 v8, 727 turboflight trans, power steering and brakes, am radio, clearance lights and marker lights on the step bumper, andA/C.
I bought it used with 23,000 miles in 75 when I was a junior in high school. I loved that truck!
Nice
Thank you for this video. I love the older trucks. So many nice ones here.
I got a 51 L-110 with a SD-240 as a project at 16 and with some work, it ran like a champ! Had a death wobble from the Kingpins at 50 that was scary, and the 6 volt starter was always a pain but it had TORQUE!
In 1969 my dad bought a 1967 International pickup HD 3/4 ton, 2 wheel drive, manual transmission. It was dark green metallic with a white cab roof. Being very mechanical my dad maintain all our vehicles. I was five when he purchased it he passed in 2020 and it went to my brother. Dad loved the, "old corn binder", as he affectionately called it. He also drove commercial truck for a living. My great uncle and aunt had one of the 60's Travelall in tan color, was still driving it in the mid 80's when he passed away.
My dad enjoyed pissing off his friends who had Fords and Chevys back in the 80's as he could still easily get parts for his International while the newer Ford and Chevy owners couldn't get parts for their much newer trucks.
I remember how good it sounded when he installed glass pack mufflers on it.
Enjoyed this video as I didn't know the full history of IH.
Thanks for sharing.
I used to have a 1970 International 1200-D, 4 door, 4x4 shortbed. It had a transplanted, 392 CID V8, a Borg Warner Flash-amatic automatic transmission. I could go on and on about that truck. I wish I still had it today.
I understand.
My first new car was a Scout II. I went to the dealership, I was 19 at the time, sat down with a salesman and went through the options list. I wasn't interested in fancy so much as durable ond off-road capable for going up over steep off-road passes, such as Engineer Mountain and Black Bear Pass near Telluride, Colorado. I got the 304 engine, four-speed transmission, limited rear-slip differential, and, I believe 4:27 gears. No carpet but rubber floor mats, no electric windows but crank and power steering.We took that thing everywhere camping, skiing etc. Even off to Utah to Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Stepping Stones, etc. I traded in my 1965 IH Scout pickup truck. That was an awesome vehicle. We used to watch the shorter wheelbase Ford Broncos with coil springs in front just bouncing up and down trying to get up some of those passes. All tobether I have owned five Scouts. As Tony the Tiger would say, "They're great."
Cool.
I have a similar story; I started my first full-time job in late May 1974 on a Monday and went down to the International dealer on Tuesday and bought a new ’74 Scout II. There were only 4 or 5 left in all of Montreal (3 dealers) and it came down to a “plush” version in puke brown with bench seats, the AMC 256 I-6 with the IH chain-drive transfer case, or a school bus yellow with two single front seats, no rear seat, and the V304 with four speed and two-speed Dana with 3.73 rear. I went with the latter and had a ball with it, drove it all the way out to Tofino with two buddies non-stop, one of us would sleep in the back for four hours and we’d rotate. I put 115,000 miles on it before the body gave out, Montreal was bad for salt usage but I later learned that Inters were prone to rust in Arizona! I didn’t have much experience with a manual when I picked it up, so salesman Geoff took me out for a five-minute lesson (skip first gear unless you’re pulling something) and off I went. One thing I now feel bad about is that aside from the quick lesson, he told me had filled in with gas… I don’t think I even thanked him, not realizing at the time that a dealer usually puts in just enough in to make it to the closest station.
I spent a short time working at Case IH in suburban Chicago in 1998, and while there learned that the heavy truck teams at IH held all the political power, and when they needed more volume at Ft. Wayne the light truck guys were pushed out. Unfortunate as this market was just about to explode in sales, leaving Jeep as the only Independent in that field. IH might have done quite well with the right upgrades and modernizations.
It does seem a missed opportunity, particularly when they are teamed up with one of the big three.
I worked for the wiring supplier of the 1992-96 Ford F-Series/Bronco at the time they were working on the new 7.3L turbodiesel, what was eventually given the marketing name "Powerstroke". Internally at Ford it was supposed to be ready for 1992 and was called "NGD" (Next Generation Diesel) but became known as No Good Diesel, Next Century Diesel, etc. Ford finally got tired of dealing with Navistar and started up their own internal diesel program.
I am an I H guy and I enjoyed this video very much I owned them and worked on them until I retired in 2021.
Nice
My dad had an International pickup in the early '70s. It was late '50s or early '60s model. He used to take us to his property in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Amador County CA when we were young. I was 14 in 1971 and he taught me how to drive on roads around his property.
Cool.
Had a '72 Scout for three years
Love my Prostar. EF 18 speed and X15 Cummins. Blizzards to tornadoes. Great sleeper and EZ maintenance and trip checks.
The four cylinder used in the early Scouts was basically a 304 V8 cut in half making it 152 ci. Our family had many Travelalls, a 62 pickup, and a Scout. The 62 pickup took me where ever I needed to go. Great truck, wish I still had it.
People quit buying them because you couldn't wear them out. Mine was a 64 model three quarter ton.
We sold McCormick, IHC & Case IH, great memories. The trucks were tough, the scouts were the best all terrain for their size & the Tractors were and still are leaders in the industry. Good times & great history.
We owned a 57 4x4 S120 from 58 to 76. Dad bough a 4x4 1210 the last year they made them. 75? He was never afraid to load the heck out of either truck. He said he had 6600 lb of gravel in the 1210. When he sold the 75 in 2012 it had less than 74,000 miles on it. Dad was a WW2 truck operator and knew how to put those trucks on our steep hills.
I regret I didn't but a 80 Scout II with diesel and had Ziebart rust treatments applied. My 80 Subie did get me through some deep snows.
@@gregkocher5352 thanks 😊
My dad bought a truck only dealership in 1963. I went to work there in 1975. Stayed a medium duty dealer until 2018. Still a Fleetrite parts and service location. Poor management hurt NAV/ IHC.
The IH Travelall was (along with the Chevy Suburban) one of the first large SUVs, coming out in 1960. (a Travelall was featured on an episode of Wheeler Dealers - along with a 1st-gen Scout.)
The Travelall was awesome. IH was always ahead in light truck technology - offering medium duty engines, 5 speed manuals, 4WD, Crew cabs etc.
@@Hogger280 The Chevy Suburban dates back to the mid 1930s
Thanks, the video missed this.
My Dad had 3 International pick ups.
1956, 1972 and 1975. Loved them.
Always like the look of the old D-2's and the Original Scouts!!! 🤠👍
There are some D2 Rat Rods locally, and to me they look like cartoons.
I worked for International Harvester in the 70’s when they still owned their dealerships. This was on Bedford Street, Portland, Maine. It was awesome. So much tradition of quality there. The building had a flat roof with doghouse style windows on the roof. In the ceiling of the garage there were wires strung taught from one end of the garage to the other. The black curtains were still in place. They were used during the WWII years so they could work at night if there was a blackout. I worked with several old timers who taught me about the K line and so much more. The 196 cu in slant 4 cylinder was simply their 392 cu in V8 missing the casting for a head on one side…….rugged! Their vehicles were not as polished as from other manufacturers but were engineered for strength and durability. Later I worked for PACCAR (Kenworth and Peterbilt) but I remember most fondly IH.
I WAS WITH THEM THEN I REMEBER THAT BUILDING. THEN UP IN AUBURN WAS MORRISON AND SILVESTOR KEITH M WAS A GREAT GUY RIP.
As a kid, my dad bought a new 1973 IH Travel-all to pull a 30' Airstream trailer. With the 345cid & manual transmission, it would pull up any grade. Trouble free and easy to work on. Great trucks.
In the seventies, I got a job with the road crew in the small New England town where I lived. For snow plowing, they had an IH 4WD pick-up, chained on all 4 wheels with a cross bed 100 gal auxiliary fuel tank, for plowing the narrower roads the big trucks wouldn't fit through. Had about a yard or yard and a half of sand in the back of the bed for traction. I spent many days and nights plowing snow with that truck, it was a beast and would go anywhere. Pulled a lot of unfortunate drivers out of ditches with it also.
Nice.
In the middle 70s, IHC was streamlining its farm tractor brand names, instead of "International / McCormick / Farmall" it was less confusing to just use one name of International. The CaseIH name became a brand of CNH, owned by FIAT of Italy in the 90s. In the 2000s, CaseIH started using the Farmall model name on compact and utility tractors. The McCormick name was sold, along with the UK plant, to ARGO of Italy, applied to red tractors alongside blue tractors of the Landini brand.
owned a 67 travelall with the twin doors at the back, a 68 with the electric windowgate at the back, and a 67 scout.. miss those things and always wanted the four door 68 pickup in 4wd but never found 1
when i was a kid in the 60s.most of the farmers in my area had 50s & 60s international pickups.even though their tractors were mostly massy ferguson's & oliver's.a real testiment to them being true workhorses in the pickup market at that time.
I agree... for my farmer dad to have veered away from GMC that 1960 IH pickup he owned had to have some very promising engine/trans stats.
I read that on the early trucks the radiator was placed behind the engine was to protect it from teamsters. The teamsters did not like the gas trucks cutting in on their work so while waiting in line to get loaded they would back their wagons into the truck radiator putting the truck out of business.
My first vehicle was a 1964 C1000 half ton. Wish I had it today.
IN THE BEGINING THEY PUT A TRAY UNDER THE DRIVERS SEAT WITH A VALVE THAT DRIPPED GASOLINE IN IT LIT IT FOR HEAT.
Thanks! That was a blast from the past!
Glad you enjoyed.
I had a 1971 international pick up trucks with an AMC 258 inline 6 and a three on the tree!
Cool.
The Travelall was perfect for the oilfield, as that is what my neighbor drove for many years.
Nice presentation and accurate. Started in my dads small IHC dealership in 1975. Kept it going after illness slowed him down in the 90’s. Still at it but now as a Fleetrite parts and service location. Started part time in 1973 while still in school. Loved thru all of it in the trenches.
Nice.
Had a 1967 International pickup, 3/4 ton, 3 spd manual on the column, with the 304 cu in V8 engine back in the mid '70's, that was the most rugged, toughest darn truck I've ever owned and at 79 years old I've owned every American brand truck out there. In winter time when the big snows came I'd put a little weight in the bed, and a pair of tire chains on that sumbitch and go where a snow plow couldn't go.
espléndido documental para q las nuevas generaciones vean la calidad de carros q se hacían en aqellos años , saludos Rule " s naucalpan mex.
Encantado de que te haya gustado.
To make a long story short, my favorite International Harvester vehicle now is the long wheel based Scout 11 Tera or Traveler with the Nissan SD33 6 cylinder diesel engine. I wish i have one today..
For a few years International also made a line of refrigerators and milk coolers for the farm. I don’t know what happened to them but they no longer have refrigerators anymore
We had a IH refrigerator and AC, and a test Cub Cadet. My day worked at IH for 30 years and ran the Louisville factory.
In 1951 my dad expanded and enclosed our back porch and made room for mom's washer, bought their 1st dryer and one of those VW sized IH chest freezers. That freezer holds a whole beef. At the time they still ran a Servel butane refrigerator. I'll never forget the odor of gas always present in the house.
BTW: that 1951 IH freezer was moved to my garage in 1990 and still runs like a top. The walls on that thing are 5 inches thick. I've heard the closure handles are prone to break after 50 yrs so I take special care when opening and closing.
I sure hope someone gives it a chance to go for 100 yrs of operation since I probably won't make it to 2051.
Great video. My Uncle and Aunt owned an International Dealership. On my one aunts farm they owned a Farmall A,, a Cub, a KB-2 and a KB-5. My grandfather had 2 Farmall A''s. I also own two Cub Cadets.
Nice.
i dont know much about their farm equipment.but as a truck driver for 22 years.i never drove an international truck that DIDNT have electrical problems in one form or another.one in particular was known for all the lights dying with no warning.an interesting situation when your going 62 mph at 3 AM in the middle of nowhere.
I know what you say about that problem, one plug and all the lights are on it. It happen just like that late a night going on the Interstate on a moonless dark night, I had a flashlight on the dash and was able to use it to see and drive to a safe place and stop. Look and look for why then found under the dash the loose wire and plug-in at fuse box. The fun of over the road truck driving back in the day.
When I was a kid in high school I had a cherry red '41 International pickup. Corvette 283 engine and 4 on the floor.
very cool.
Any IH/Navistar truck prior to 2008 is a good truck. Our newer '08 and up have been plagued with emission system problems. Had a '62 V-196 truck with a 549 V-8, 257hp, but what a beast, 55 mph tops. Had Navistar not tried to cheat on the engine emissions, they might still be an independent company. R.I.P. Melrose Park, home of the "Legend" (DT 466 engine).
You mention the V549 that started as a V478. What not many know is that there was also an FTV549. Twin distributors with 2 spark plugs per cylinder. At Wenatchee, we dropped an FTV549 crate engine into the cities old La France open topped pumper. I think the call sign was changed to "K4" as the reserve pumper.
IH LV401, 461, 549 were the first generation, 401s are hard to find. I believe the FTV549, FTV meant fire truck v I could be wrong.
@@stephengrant4344 Heard the 549 started life as a diesel, could be wrong, but that's what I was told. At 2000+ lbs, the 549 is a Rockstar!
@@markdanielczyk944 I'm pretty sure it was the other way around V or VS 549 block was turned into the DV550 diesel. Not a great success. In the 70's they came with a new series of gas engines. The MV404 and MV446. Then the gas crisis hit. The bottom dropped out for gas. So they turned it into the 6.9L diesel which later became the 7.3 IDI
@@ronunderwood5771 Like I said, I could be wrong. Just went with what an IH employee told me.
I'm probably incorrect, but I thought IH Travelalls were available with a 392 cu in engine, but NOT 392 Hemi from "Chrysler". Well documented. Thanks.
The International 392 was a truck engine through and through, as opposed to the Chrysler 392 Hemi
@@gcfifthgearThe 354 Hemi was used in trucks
They did use a Chrysler automatic, the Torque Flight. My Scout used a GM power steering pump and a GM distributor.
@@Colorado_Native They also used a Borg-Warner automatic that had a cast-iron shell instead of the usual aluminum. Our family had a 1971 Travelall and that's the transmission it was equipped with. Back in the 1970s, an acquaintance of my father who was a mechanic for the post office said (I'm pretty sure of this) that the Borg-Warner automatic was every mechanic's favorite, being exceptionally durable and reliable, but so easy to overhaul when necessary that it could be done without even removing it from the truck.
I had a 396 IH in my Travellall
I started in the engine rebuilding shops in 76 and those RD 450s were still getting valve jobs. 15 degree intake valves.
I miss the good ole days. Where you would see a farmer with his pickup truck, tractors, combines, farm equipment, lawn mower, and even home appliances would all say International Harvester or at least IH on them. A proud country and a proud brand.
My first vehicle was a 1968 IH half ton pickup. I kept it until it died and I couldn't afford or find the parts for it. A friend had a Scout. That thing was almost unstoppable.
Not a very common first car.
What a great video, I'm fascinated by US pickups and trucks as over here in the UK pickups have never been too common unless imported from overseas. I love the older models particularly the D2 and K series. When over in Canada a few years back I saw a number of the Navistar Lonestar series on the main highways, always an impressive sight; indeed, US trucks in general tend to present as aesthetically far more interesting and exciting than most of their European counterparts. Although there were some interesting British trucks (Lorries) in the 1940's, 50's and early 60's; Foden, Albion, ERF, Guy and AEC etc., sadly these are all long gone along with most of the British car and motorcycle industry.
I wonder when Rover quit making pickups.
@@thehopelesscarguy Ah interesting, I guess you refer to Land Rover which of course made a pickup variant until the demise of the venerable 'Defender' model. However, here in the UK they tend to be regarded simply as 'Land Rovers' regardless of the variant. I owned a 1981 series 3 long-wheelbase station wagon version some years ago; converting it from the dreadful 2.6 litre 6 cylinder F-head engine to a 3.5 liter Rover (Buick) V8. With that engine it ran very well but consumed fuel at an alarming rate! In the classic car world here in the UK we do occasionally see some of the old British models which were manufactured as pickup's ('utes' in Australian parlance) over in Australia or South Africa; usually Vauxhalls, Fords, Standards or Armstrong Siddeleys (very rare). A comparatively small amount of pickup variants from Austin, Morris and Standard were sold here during the 50's, 60's and 70's but all very rare now due to the dreaded rust. This might make an interesting, if rather short vid compilation for you; you could perhaps do 'European pickups', some great ones made by Peugeot, Panhard and Simca!
@@rogerward9584 Yeah, sorry, I did mean Land Rover. I may actually do more pickup vides at some point.
@@thehopelesscarguy I look forward to it!
They bodies on the IH trucks were bad to rust out,but motor and transmission were as good if not better than most...
The most-seen but least-noticed IH product might very well be the refrigerator in the tv series “Friends.”
I've an Australian built defender fridge that were badge IHC
I miss the 1210 AWD I had, 60 front 70 rear and a factory locker pushed with a 345 and a 4 sp. Terrible fuel mileage but it would pull a house down without breaking a sweat. The truck was pea soup green and Id give my left nut to get it or a like truck again.
I understand.
My father in law had both a Scout and a PU truck many years ago. The truck wasn’t pretty but that thing was bullet proof and could plow snow without four wheel drive by just filling the bed with gravel.
Thank you for making a video of this. This taught me a lot about the history of the International Harvester company, I have a 1968 International Loadstar CO-1700 Believe it is a 4 speed and has the 2 speed rear with the 345 V8 that we are fixing up to haul my garden tractors to tractor shows.
Very cool.
I have been posting it on my channel “Tractors and such”
@@Tractorsandsuch1013 And it seems to run pretty good.
@@thehopelesscarguy thankyou
They also made a V 220 Gasoline V8 powered semi through the sixties that was often used as a yard truck. A seal coat paver that I worked for had one used as both haul truck and asphalt tanker for filling the distributor between shots.. If you disconnected the carburetor-governor it would go scary fast pulling an empty flatbed.
That 6.9 Liter Diesel used as an option in mid '80s Ford 250s and International school buses was a good one.
Whatever IH gave up to make their pickups competitively priced they seemed to make up for in replacement parts prices though. I felt I might as well have owned a Mercedes Benz when I went to the dealer for parts.
Very interesting. Never knew all this. Thank you. 😊😊
My Dad had a 1954 IHC R110 3/4 ton pickup he purchased new from the local dealer. It was ivory with a pink cab top with a 4 speed transmission on the floor. He built a side solid box so that he could haul soybeans directly to the elevator in town. In those days the elevator had an inside hoist that picked up the front of the pickup so the soybeans rolled out of the tailgate and into the elevator pit. The box height was just right so that the Allis Chalmers 66 regular bin combine could unload directly in to the truck box.
That truck hauled many a load of hogs to the Hormel plant in Fremont, NE. Occasionally he would haul the sows to Union Stockyards in Omaha. That was in the late 1950 early 1960’s when the stockyards were at the peak and the unloading chutes were always busy.
That truck was the first vehicle I learned to drive and had to know how to drive a 4 on the floor. When I was old enough it was my job to haul the soybeans to town during fall harvest.
He used that truck until he traded it for a new 1970 Ford F250. By 1975 he purchased a used F600 straight truck with an Omaha Standard box to haul grain to town. That is when I had to learn how to split shift a 4 speed with the red button to run the two speed axle.
Never did know what happened to that IHC truck after it was traded in.
Thanks for sharing.
I have a 53 l110 6 cyl 3 speed floor shift that I’ve had since 76. Only upgrades are the steering, brakes and suspension. Had no idea my truck was birthed in Canada
I had friends with a Travelall they named "Tallulah." She was indispensable for towing their MG when it broke down, which happened a lot. Three guesses as to who steered that little orange lump as it was towed through Dallas traffic. Good times.
Ah memories.
lol.
We had nicknamed the travellalls the Hud wagons, or ‘binders’, tough torquey engines that loved the gas.
Loadstars kept the exhaust donuts blown out. They had a heater & a radio. Top of the line, for the time lol
5:22 Tailfins without tailfins. I love it!
Had a IH 64 stepside pickup with the 152 slant 4, half of the 304 V8. The trim level was "Custom". I drove it until it wouldn't pass inspection due to rust. Best $500 truck ever.
Call me a latecomer as I was stuck on brand as a kid, then onto the young adult as well. I found out all the features for international and then couldn't wait to get my hands on more of them. A friend who happened to be a large collector of the internationals, turned me on to the many different ones including help restore some that had seen harder times. My biggest joy though is the Case tractors have evolved into Hydrogen power for their lineups and have a great chance at being a leader in hydrogen which is a free natural element. Just possibly cutting part of our tie to foreign oils. Mainly just the fuels as plastics and base oils will be needed yet as a lubricant.
8:40 A Nissan engine in a International, never heard of that before.
Was news to me too.
@@thehopelesscarguy Dodge used the same engine in their pickups at the same time. I still have the factory IH manual for the turbo version. IH-633-T. For Nissan it primarily a large towmotor engine or so I've been told.
Have a 1954 I.H. pickup. Trying to find parking lights and rear tailgate rod is impossible. The truck runs also.
Some parts just don't come easy.
I think I know where to get the rear tailgate and maybe the lights too .
IH was also a manufacturer of city transit busses. I remember seeing these within the fleet of DC's Metrobuses.
My relatives on the farm bought everything IH, IH made everything. They made freezers and refrigerators. During WW2, they made M-1 rifles,
I had a M-1 rifle, I think I'd rather have the truck.
The IHC M1s were actually a Cold War era contract and made for a few years in the mid fifties after the Korean War. I have one, they are sought by collectors and bring a premium.
the company I worked for for 45 years has a KB7 and and R190 I helped restore about 25 years ago. They get them out for parades and other special events.
Nice.
Do you have any ideas where I can find some 6 lug 20" bud style rims for my L series ton and a half International truck that ran 8.25x20" tube type tires ? These truck rims were used from the mid 1940's to the end of the 1960's . They have the lock rig that's split . No , Not the 1930's era split rims , better known as the widowmakers for truck rims !! Way too many people don't know the real difference , believe it or not . Any help would be appreciated !! Thank You .
@@zakman9244 some old school buses may have them. Find a salvage yard that has old buses or even old trucks. There are companies on the internet that will make them to spec. You might consider a 22.5 tubeless wheel and get a tire that would be a close match.
Wonderful informative video content. Thank you.
Thank you.
My Uncle had a L series pickup truck. What I really loved about the truck is the bed was 12 feet long and could carry more hay than an eight foot long wide body pickup truck of the mid 70's. It was slow but could carry a lot of weight. We could carry 100, 100 pound bags of corn from the mill to the farm. Weighing over 10,000 pounds the truck was just on the overload springs as we headed back to the farm. My Uncle would back up to the large feeder, which looked like a small grain silo with a ring of doors around the bottom. The pigs just had to come to the feeder and with their nose lift the door to put their snout in and eat. The feed tray used gravity to keep refilling the tray from the bin. I would stand on the tailgate and empty the corn bags into the top loading hatch door.
A 12 foot bed on a pickup would be awesome!
@@timothykeith1367 It was, the spare tier sat on the running board between the cab and rear axle, I think on the passenger side.
Im about to swap the manifold and carb on my 73 scout 2 (345 2 bbl) I picked up an OEM 4 barrel setup from a 392. Wish me luck folks
Good Luck.
Yes. We had just moved to Ft. Wayne when Harvester pulled stakes and moved to Illinois. It took years for the town to recover. See, a business is a living thing that grows. When it grows to such proportions, it cannot be moved, or it will be like amputating an appendage.
Very informative video! Thanks.
С удовольствием смотрю ваши ролики
Я рад слышать это.
They were tougher than anything in the 70s and back. Autocar and Mack kept up.
You do such an amazing job of presenting these
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy them.
Probably the best video out there on international they squeeze it in but there years with parts hard to get and Jake brake problems and a nightmare was that they weren’t dependable. after the 70s the scout was there gold mine but rust destroyed
them . Trucking companies lost millions on their engines a lot of farmers used them when fuel was 25 cents a gallon drove them millions of miles the eagle was a disaster electric fires going down the road . Day cabs were dependable . They had a heavy duty rear end for hauling heavy trailers in the travel all that no one could match . Trailer hauler special.
I got the impression from this video that you said the International crew cab pickup was introduced in 1961 with the C series, when in fact it was with the A series that came out in early 1957. The original crew cab Travelette had three doors rather than the four introduced with the C series in 1961. The International crew cab started a trend as it was the first pickup that offered two rows of seats. Which today the 4 door pickup has replaced the family sedan with everyone rather than the farm families and work crews.
Drove Internationals from a 1952 L110 and later in my working career International especially the 4 x 4 crew cab model was the favourite through the 60 to the 70's.
Lots of useful information on my favorite truck brand. My family purchased a new Scout in 1964. I was 16 and a real car nut and to this day feel the Scout was more desirable than Ford's Mustang.
You didn't mention IH's C-900 pickup of 1964. Few even know it ever existed.
That's the shorty, right?
My dad drove international and Dodge all through the 60’s , on the ranch we bought had a 1949 on it. We had a 1961 Scout and 1963? As a kids we had 7 different International on ranch our last was a 1970 4 wheel drive. We had one ton single wheel, a 1966 dual wheel one ton with 5 speed overdrive transmission and a 1969 one ton 5 speed road ranger over drive transmission too! My dad would have kept driving them if they would have kept building them.
Dry in south Texas!🤠🇺🇸
There’s also international acco trucks in Australia.
I drove prostars from 09 to 20 they were initially the worst although my 17 was reliable then were the lt series, they were used for loaner trucks 8f our Pete was in the shop although I did use a good one for awhile well equipped with inverter and fridge
I owned 1965 D1100 LWB 266 V8 borg warner 4 SP 4.10 rear end. Excellent pick up truck.
Borg Warner T98 4 sp
They were good quality trucks. I was watching rerun of "Friends" and noticed the refrigerator was an international. And after googling found they made refrigerators too
I began working for International Harvester Motor Truck Div Jan 2nd 1960 in Brandon Manitoba Canada. At that time gas engines in med and big trucks were still the norm and IH ruled the market. In particular, the R series big trucks with Red Diamond 372, 406 and 501 cu in 6 cyl engines the workhorse. They also had a line of h d V8s as well with 549 cu in being the big guy, but most of the big and smaller Canadian Transport used the 6 cyl. The old L and later R series cab were built like bomb shelters as were the engines which featured piston sleeves which meant that overhauls were simple and economical. The medium duty 6 cyl 282 and 306 Silver and later Black Diamond engines were off shoots of the engines in W line of farm tractors and very tough. In 1958 IH introduced a modern cab in first the A and then B series. These cabs were a piece of junk but the fact that the IH gas engines were so good kept sales up. In 59 they came out with the BCF 180 tandem featuring a 345 cu in V8 engine and a 28,000 lb Bogie/ Tandem. These sild like hotcakes as they were tough, lousy cab non withstanding, and a cab and chassis sold for $10,000 Canadian. At that time Manitoba was in the throws of building a huge new electric power grid and a gigantic flood diversion around the capital city of Winnipeg. There were literally hundreds if BCF 180s with gravel boxes operating. The Travelall was heavily in use as people transporters by many of the 70 plus Hutterite Colonies in the province and across Alberta and Saskatchewan as were medium duty grain body trucks. I H was so big that they could basically tell the manufactures of truck components that they had to give I H exclusive access to their products. For example I H had and exclusive deal with
Eaton the giant mfr of rear axle assemblies. Thus the 28,000 snd 34,000 lb tandem bogie axles became the domain of I H. Other users of those two units had to I was told, buy at a higher price so I H got a royalty. I was a partsman and for example we sold a crown and pinion set for the 28 ,000 for $88.00 If you bought one off Ford or White it was about $50 more. So Ford and White owners came to us.
I H was late into the Diesel truck engine market. The story was that they tried to fineagle Cummins into a deal like they had with Eaton Axle but were turned down. So they cut a deal with Rolls Royce and we ended up with the RR 180 and 220 hp inline 6 diesel engines. These were super engineered like their aircraft engines as in roller con and crank bearings. They also had a complicated high pressure CAV British made fuel injection pump that was a constant problem. We understood that the British not having access to rubber during WW2 had developed Neoprene which were used as seals in engines and of course the fuel pumps. While it was fine in damp climates, Neoprene could not tolerate hot dry summers which were the norm in the Canadian prairie provinces. Thus the seals dried and cracked causing the fuel pump to lose pressure. Front and rear engine crank seals also suffered a similar fate. In other words the RR needed humid or wet climate to perform as advertised. I have a very interesting and funny story about a buckshee fix we csme up with that worked but drove RR around the bend !
At any rate I H and RR parted ways and IH cut a deal with Cummins. I well remember the first IH hd truck that arrived with a Cummins NH220 diesel at our branch. It was a CO 405 tandem tractor. We flocked around it like kids at a carnival. I left IH in 1964 but memories still stay with me at 83.
Very informative. Thanks for sharing.
@@thehopelesscarguy
Funny story about Rolls Royce diesels. I mentioned they had a problem running well in the hot dry weather of Canadian prairie summers. Our asst shop Forman was a farm raised boy who grew up with John Deer two lung engine tractors. If you know those engines you’ll know that above the cylinders they had a petcock that could be turned to allow water to be dropped into the cylinders to smooth out the engine in hot dry conditions. Our inventive man when down to the war surplus store and bought some army Jerry cans. He mounted these under the hood and tapped into the intake manifold running a line from it to the water filled Jerry can. Presto.. the engine ran like a dream.. Rolls Royce went bonkers ! 😂
@@DavidMScott-cs8pp If it works . . .
Excellent video. One minor correction though. Hough is pronounced "huff". Thanks for keeping IH history alive.
I would not have guessed that.
Earlier pickups look like Ford and Chevy bodies with international chrome and badges. My dad had a 76 Scout ll.
This is what is really a honest and true American made vehicle and the first American suv
Interesting.
A lot of facts I did not know.
[ as always, great video].
📻🙂
Thanks.
International's line of Straight-6's were absolutely bulletproof, the only way to kill one was extended over-revving. Compared to a Chevrolet 235/261 or Dodge Flathead 6, IH's Silver/Black Diamond series was much, much better engineered and built.
Excellent job once again. I remember this company for the school buses and commercial trucks, the Scout( which will be returning reportedly through Volkswagen). This brand is so varied and has an interesting history. They sold off so much. It kept changing. How did you recall of that information? Thank you so much for your efforts.
Most of it was new to me.
@@thehopelesscarguy An excellent job regardless...
@@OLDS98 Thanks.
I remember the steering box was what wore out on the pickup truck
Great show, thank you!
Thanks for watching.
2:00 Their early trucks look hot.
My friends had a Farmall Cub and a bigger Massey Ferguson. They also had a Gravely. They all got used on the farm, along with a couple 3 wheel ATCs. I had a 59 Willys with a smallblock Chevy in it. This was in the 80s. That farm's overgrown, dilapidated, and surrounded by cul-de-sacs with McMansions and mini stripmalls now. And the railroad tracks have become a bicycle trail for yuppies. Can't ride dirtbikes, and four wheel, and target shoot, and hunt, and fish, and drink keggers in the woods anymore, because the woods are gone, replaced by suburbia. Sad. And they call it "progress"...
I can relate.
1960 C Series lured my dad away from GMC for a short time. No dealer would take the IH pickup for a trade-in when he was ready for a new GMC after 2 or 3 yrs of farm use. The few times he went off the GMC reservation was due to horsepower and/or engine design upgrade. That old green IH pickup sat down in the pasture for 20- 30 yrs. Someone finally drug it off. Probably the same person who cut out the grills and removed tailgates of all the other ones down there. Most had their radios stripped out too. There was an old baby blue 70s Dodge half ton that no one bothered. What does that tell ya?
I have the 59 B series B-110 step side short wheel base
I've had Scouts and 4x4 Pickups
They were all burned in a wildfire
I miss them all
That is unfortunate.
Never got to drive one, but thought the lonestar was a fine looking truck! Have heard some not so good reviews on them.
I have not driven one either, but they sure stand out on the highway.
(Please get back to me with your information on this)
Hello, when I lived in Montana I purchase a what I thought to be a 1956 international pickup truck. I a straight 6 black diamond engine. One thing that was very unusual about it is the size of the axles they were huge! The front axles had round casings enclosing the universal joints on the inside of the wheels. Everything about the truck was heavy duty. For instance to lock the hubs oh, it had a c-type ranch that you had to insert into the Hub to lock them in for four-wheel drive.
I'm not exactly an expert on International, but what information are you looking for exactly?
I'm no expert but I have paid a lot of attention to this topic over decades. Three-quarter ton International trucks used a larger grade of axle than the other companies, though one time I saw an exception, where a four-door 3/4-ton Dodge had the exact same rear axle as used on a 3/4-ton International. Also, Kaiser military pickups (used a lot in the Vietnam War) used that same heavier-duty axle as the one International used. For the typical 3/4-ton rear axle used by International, the main body of the axle was the same as that used by Ford or Dodge, but the wheel bearings were quite a lot bigger, resulting in a much bigger external hub and axle flange connection. However, International sometimes put an even bigger rear axle on 3/4-ton pickups, I think mainly on four-door models and for military applications. That might be the rear axle you have (if your axle has a "third member" style of differential housing instead of having a bolted-on cover on the back, then that's probably the one). Regarding those "round casings" that you described on your truck's front axle, International was the last American company to stop using enclosed knuckle joints on front-drive axles. The other US companies had used these kinds of knuckle joints in older 4x4 trucks but they stopped using that style many years sooner than International did. That style of axle is generally considered better, being more weatherproof and not requiring any specialized tools to take apart and put back together (modern "open" steering knuckles are absolutely a mechanic's nightmare, but they are cheaper to assemble in production which is why every company switched to them). I once was able to compare a 3/4-ton Chevy Pickup and a 3/4-ton International pickup from the early 60s, and both had identical or nearly identical front-drive axles, both with enclosed steering knuckles, but the steering knuckles were one or two sizes larger on the International than on the Chevy, and surely those larger joints were a lot stronger. Bear in mind, though, that the front axles on Internationals were still made by standard companies like Dana or Spicer (I think mostly or perhaps entirely Dana), just as was true for the other light-truck companies at the time. On that topic, I once saw a 4x4 International of roughly two-ton capacity, apparently dating back to the mid or late 1950s, which had enormous enclosed steering-knuckle joints consisting of two facing plates connected by a cylinder of heavy canvas enclosing an oil bath inside for the axle U-joints. The flexibility of the canvas allowed the oil-bath container to bend during steering. It was the strangest front-drive axle I ever saw on a 4x4 truck, and I don't know the company that made it. It was heavy-duty, though.
By the way, I think I have seen the style of locking hub that you described, but it wasn't on an International. I have seen at least two or three other kinds of locking controls too from that time period which also were very strange by today's standards. Bear in mind that in those days, locking hubs were strictly an aftermarket item which the owner installed himself, and with the front axles of all US pickup brands being made by just one or two companies, the various kinds of locking hubs that were available in those early years could be found on any brand of truck.
@@ericl2969 Thanks for providing the info.
@ericl2969 Thanks, knowledge like yours is comparable to the value of GOLD!
I believe that you are referring to the axle made by Coleman(or it's called a Coleman.)
My brother has one on his medium duty/crew cab ramp truck. It began life as a Lineman's rig.
I had a travelall", late 60's , i had a couple loadstar 1600 1800's . People didn't like them , they said parts were hard to find. I bought all my internationals at fire sale prices. All were as good or better than the other 3 brands available.
How did you miss the DCF & DCOF 400 series from 1965 that morphed into the Trans star 4300. DCF had a long hood with a shorter CA than the DCOF which features a cab forward design with dog house protruding into the cab allowing a longer CA. Makes a big difference when hauling Logs or Hogs!
How did I miss those?