International "barn yard find" Do you have a Salt Flat/ Dirt Push Truck or opinion?

So you do not want her like this :



and you want it to stay like this? :



Thanks,

Mike

www.Customikes.com/International

 

Do you think adapting a speed boat speaker/waterski rack woud be to much with that?

Now we are rolling. That's even funnier..

"Dirt push trucks outnumber salt pushers 1000 to one."

OK Great. Got any pix of those that you want to share?

Thanks for the info. Got some great ideas, keep em coming...

Mike

www.Customikes.com/International

 

Respek.

It is what it is. Don't try to make it something else.
It's so cool because it's so uncool.

A good wash, ditch the mirrors, black wheels w/chrome lugs and a front bumper from a late 50's/early 60's F-100.
If you absolutely have to screw it up, maybe some portawalls.

 

Get yourself some old "West Coast" style mirrors the truckers and van guys used back in the 70's. Those would actually look pretty functional on an old tow rig.

 

I've had two of those trucks. First was a '63 four door cab long bed painted bright red orange with a white top with the 244 cube V8. Slow, but strong and with 6' cab stacks and 18" glasspacks you could hear it a mile away.

Second was also a '63, regular cab 4X4 with a service body, 304 cube V8. Not much faster, but it would pull down a house if you could get traction. Great truck, painted it semi gloss olive drab military and if I hadn't needed the space when I got my '06 Dodge Cummins, I would still have it.

There is something about an International V8 that gives them a sound all there own and long pipes with minimal mufflers really let them bark.

Put a plank on the front, give it a "fresh T-shirt" and enjoy the beast.

 

Here's a real salt push truck. It belongs to Matt Schmidt of the Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop.

 

That truck looks cool just the way it is. My dad would call it a "runner". It's too new to hotrod and chop top, etc... too big to make it look like a cute little pusher... keep it tall and heavy duty looking. Don't cut off it's balls. Leave the crappy paint too. You'd be surprised at the looks you'll get with that truck washed up and driven just like it is.

I talked to my grandfather who was at the salt flats back in the early 50's-60's... and most push trucks were very lightly modified unless it was by a "big name" racer. His push truck was a '56 F100, dropped level with the front in the back, full wheel discs, wide whites with pinstripes. It was already gloss black from the factory and was a custom cab.

It seems most people back in the day focused and put more effort into the race car that was being pushed, then by what was pushing it...

 

do you have a salt car to push? if yes paint it to match your race car. if no build a race car first then worey a bout the push truck

 

thanks gv that made me thing of my great uncle pete and smile.

he just put the suit coat over his bibs

 

hmmm, the OT police must be taking a day off.

 

Truck needs a washjob and to be driven.

 

paint "GOD DAM THE PUSHER MAN " down both side`s

or moon yellow with the eyes, and car ramps going over the cab and a 2x12 bolted
to the bumper

 

How about using a old wooden railway sleeper as a front bumper

 

Make it really low like my Merc and it'll cut threw the wind at B'ville way better
yours is a cool truck, do like Tman said, clean it up and drive it. Figure out how to get the details you want as you need be.

-Shiny

 

Now we are talking. That truck is bad a**

Thanks for all of your comments + or -

Anyone else with picture examples like this?

Thanks 29EHV8,

Mike

www.Customikes.com/International

 

you didnt say what engine you had unless i missed it but i used to do alot of work on rental motor homes and of the ih, mopar, ford and chevy the ih had the most problems and cost the most. mostly heat related and head/block cracking. not bashing them. those people never took care of anything and abused everthing. i like your truck, it is a perfect push/tow truck for for bonneville or whatever. build it the way you want. since bonneville is now the "THING" the snobs that think everyone is looking at thier cars or build stuff just to be in mags will always look down thier nose at you. real racers dont care what you drive. we've been running bonneville/el mirage/muroc for years on hd's and indians with records at all. we are hopefully running our first car and another bike at usfra meet in sept and heck you can push my car. anyway, dont build your stuff for anyone but you (or maybe the ol' lady) and paint it any color you want. if you do change motors i would go for 460 ford, rv type cam, performer w/ 600 cfm, headers etc. or a diesel.....good luck

 

Thanks, I appreciate the advice and suggestions. It will be a lot faster to get it usable this way for now.

We're almost done with getting the basics like brakes, tank drop/cleanout/ lines/ pump, carb etc and if I can finally get the last front inner wheel bearing seal, we might be able to go for the first cruise around the block.
(nobody got one and when I finally found one that located it they wanted twice as much as the first one)

I sure hope its the right one when it arrives...

I'll post pix after the "virgin ride" and a good comet and scuff pad wash

Mike

www.Customikes.com/International

 

let me know if you ditch those mirrors soon I need em for my crew cab, and I am taking it to el mirage this summer if it kills me.

 

if it were mine......military green!!!! only because my son would love it!!! you couldnt turn that thing around onna football field!!! ;0.....cool though.....

 

Hey, Mike;

Neat truck. Binder stuff is a bit more expensive than chevy, but usually worth it.

I'd drop in on the binderbulletin.org, &/or justinternationals.org to look for info n parts n vendors. Most folks are decent on those sites. Low-buck, too.

FWIW.

Marcus...

Oh yeah, may as well post pics n info on those sites, if for no other reason than to shake up the troops, & at least get 'em thinking 'bout something other than 4x4s, although there are some that are into slamming n chopping... .

 

Only option I see is to attach some giant steel and call it a bumper. Then add period correct rear fenders and go dually. Good wash, some TLC and drive that bitch.

 

I've owned TWO of these, one 65 1/2 ton two wheel drive, and a 63 3/4 ton four wheel drive, both short bed. As a matter of practicality, I'd highly suggest NOT chopping the top. When you sit in one of these trucks, you'll notice that the hood is quite high, and the side windows fairly low, relative to the seating position. When you cut the roof, and start losing head room, your only option is to lower the seats. When you do that, the hood will be about 3 or 4 inches below eye level, making driving an interesting experience. Not to mention that lowering the roof will make an already long truck look even longer. The cab is channeled very low over the frame on these trucks as they are built, and my 1/2 ton looked low compared to other trucks of the same era. These things are really neat, and mechanicaly nearly indestructable. Does yours have the Black Diamond six, or a 304-345-392 V-8? My 1/2 ton had a 304 and four speed, and the 4X4 had a Ford 400 and C-6. I drove another one with the Black Diamond big 6 and liked it better than both of mine! It was smoother, quieter, and torquier off the line. Nice find, congratulations!

 

Nice truck Mike. Great find, that I would have loved to have made.

I had a 67 IH short step side with the 304-4 speed when I was a kid. I could not destroy that truck no matter how hard I tried. I regretted selling that truck to this day. I had a 2-1/2" x 10" oak bumper on the front and I rear-ended a 72 Grand Prix one night so hard it put the rear bumper of the Pontiac nearly under the rear window. Only dented the oak. Didn't do my front clip any good though. Fixed it and hit a cow 2 weeks later at 40mph. The cow did more damage than the Pontiac. Fixed it again and kept on driving it. Got my last speeding ticket in that truck 27 years ago next month.
Bob

 

Truth.

A little suggestion,lose that 70's look front clip and replace it with a 1960's slant quad headlight clip. Looks more like what you may be looking for.
regarding hot rodded dodge trucks,I have always liked that shape cab and I owned one with the Australian Hemi 6 (265 cu in ) .
I though it was great until I found one with a light alloy flatbed and V8. It was built by Chrysler in South Australia with a 360 and tricked up torqueflight for use a delivery truck for the Sydney morning herald Newspaper . Folks talk about the mopar little red trucks as being fast. Not as fast as this thing with a load of papers on the back!. There was even a plaque on the dash with instructions on how to use the trans ( manual shift) and warning of the speed potential. Apparently there was fleet of these trucks,how many survive is unknown.

 

Running good and almost ready for the road.

Still trying to figure out the stupis wheels with the 7 1/4 bolt diameter. I'm trying not to spend a bunch of money on it but its got to be safe

Have been staring at it now for a while and the suggestion on an early 60's ft clip might solve the bad fenders and horrible grill situation

Anyone out there have that for a reasonable $ or know of a good place to check?

Thanks

Mike

www.Customikes.com

 

go to a swawmill that cuts oak and get a bridge type plank close to 3 in thich and about 14 in wide, they hold up to driving cats and excavators on them so they are tough, got a few yet in my barn

used to run a 345 to winnepeg canada towing race car and consistantly got 12 MPG more power than brakes, still got it behind the barn

the 304 and 392 both seem to be dogs compared to the 345

also I am runing the 2 barell carb and dual exhaust on the345 w glaspacks

 

i was told the v8 blocks were all the same its all in the heads, my 69 1300 car carrier has the 345 and has a large 2bl holly runnin dual exhaust with some turbo mufflers,it is an automatic too. those glasspacks must bark! shes a thirsty ol girl but gets the job done. what size tire? 16 or 16.5? i picked up a set of biasply 10 ply 16s for my 85 dodge 3/4 ton on feebay 120 each delivered. id use the stock wheels and just get new sneakers.

 

well,did you wash it?
if not jus clean the glass and let er roll! mold is the new flat black

 

look for the Mooneyes 53-ish Ford push truck....that thing is PERFECT!

 

Hahahahahahah.

No we have yet to wash it. Mold and all is still on her. We did clean the windsheild enough to see out of it while moving it around the yard. Maybe I get to take her to the Norco Cruiserz on Sat morning if the cracked old fn' tires don't blow. We'll see

Thanks for the laugh and keeping me honest...

Mike

www.Customikes.com