New Ride

[CheyLadd]

Hopefully I won't get blasted for this but I added a 66 International travellette to the garage over the weekend. Needed a 4 door truck and could not bring myself to buy a newer chevy so I did the next best thing. It is a tank and should be a ton of fun.

[Yukon Jack]

Man that beast looks solid! Is it as rust-free as it appears? What powers it and what is the rest of the drivetrain?

Will you keep it as is or lift it a bit?

[CheyLadd]

It is very solid. Almost no cancerous rust anywhere which is really surprising since it spent it's whole life in Utah. I am new to the IH realm but the motor is a 304 that runs almost perfect and has never been rebuilt. Odo shows 75k and since it was possibly a forest service truck that could be accurate. Trans is a 4 speed manual but I haven't found out what kind yet. Transfer case is a np202. Gears are 4.88 stock with 6x19.5 wheels. Tires stand at about 35 inches and 8 inches wide.

I don't plan to lift or anything at this point. I have to get glass all the way around and do a few other minor things to get it road worthy. It will look a little taller once I replace all the non-existant body bushings.

[70 beast]

sweet ride!

looks like a tanks!

[1969 GMC]

it is most likely a borg-warner tranny of some sort, although IH did make some of their own trannies back in the day. probably a closed knuckle D60 up front, and either a dana or IH corporate dropout rear. It might make sense to upgrade the axles to modern one tons if you can't get the brake parts any more.

Cool truck! All the IH's rusted out years ago around here.

edit: www.binderbulletin.org is a great forum for the old corn binders

[special-K]

I`m blasting you!!! I love those things,you lucky s.o.b!!! I think it was Dept.Of Interior/NPS by the color.probably spent it`s time in one of those beautiful parks out there and saw little hiway miles.Probably why it needs body bushings and not rotted out.That`s a collectors item and you`ll get the thumbs up all over the place leaving it just as it is.The IHs are Edsels when it comes to parts.They were always a headache.But,there is a very strong following and parts networking is big with this group.Once you get into the loop it will be alot easier.The Binder nuts are going to love that thing!

[CheyLadd]

Thanks for all the replies.

Ran into my first problem last night. Tore into the brakes and I am going to need parts. I can't even get one of the front wheels off. The lugs are spinning with the nuts. It is surprising because they don't look rusted at all. I soaked with pb blaster and will continue to do so for a few days. Any ideas on how to remove? This is one I haven't faced before.

[special-K]

Take the locking hub off,spindle nut,then drum with wheel and tire on.Then you can get to the back of the studs.They may be pounded from rough roads and enlarged the wholes.

[CheyLadd]

I will give it a try. Thanks.

[rwolf9653]

Congrats on the cool truck. Finding parts is going to be a pain, but hopefully you wont need many.

Originally Posted by special-K

Take the locking hub off,spindle nut,then drum with wheel and tire on.Then you can get to the back of the studs.They may be pounded from rough roads and enlarged the wholes.

I would like to add..........most of the time you can put a quick tack or two on the drum to hold the stud while you get the lug nut off.

[nbrfd007]

We all have to stray every once in a while. I love my 68 travelette, I just pick up a 79 3/4 chevy 4X4, going to swap the axles to my Travelette. Mine was ordered by the Army Corps of Engineers

[dammitmitchell]

not to be blaphemous.. but i LOVE internationals..
my uncle had a stepper restoed about 10 years ago... i miss it...
alot.. it was so so so dang cool..

[CheyLadd]

Thanks again for all the replies. On to the lug nut problem...

I feel like a total idiot. I attacked the problem again last night. I had only turned each of the lug nuts about 1/4 turn. Last night as I looked at it, I decided to turn one of them further. I marked the position of the stud and turned it another 1/4. The stud did not move. Odd. I decided to try and tighten it and see what would happen. It came off. THE STUDS ARE REVERSE THREADED on the driver side. Maybe it is just me but I have NEVER heard of this before. Needless to say I am embarrassed but more importantly thrilled that they all came right off.

Go figure... I guess I have a lot to learn about internationals.