Vehicle Description
1963 International Harvester 1600 Loadstar
Loadstars were medium duty trucks produced from 1962 to 1978 with
4x2 chassis, along with 4x4, 6x4, and 6x6 chassis available. It
served in construction, agriculture, as a delivery truck, and as a
school bus in the Schoolmaster configuration, and was succeeded by
the International Harvester S-series trucks. The Loadstar name was
almost revised in 2012 to be heavy duty, cabover trucks, but never
went into production.
For consignment, a 1963 International Harvester 1600 Loadstar 4x4
with a title verified 16,091 actual miles. In the words of Monty
Python, and now for something completely different. Perhaps the
idea of street rodding a former medium duty farm truck hasn't
occurred to you, and while not fully customized, this IH has some
nifty mods that make it wonderfully cool and hip while retaining
its hauling capabilities.
Exterior
Well, we have to talk about it. It happens to the best of us.
Shrinkage, and we notice it right away. You see, this truck has
been shortened both in the frame and the driveshaft and by quite a
bit. That's created a stout 4x4 with a much shorter wheelbase which
makes it arguably more maneuverable and gives it a much cooler
profile. The front of the truck remains large and in charge,
painted here in white with modern looking eyes in the form of LED
headlights in black bezels flanking the massive black grille that
wears an external pressure gauge for outside accessory use. 20-inch
black wheels take on a MadMax persona with spiked black lug nuts in
front and a cargo rack up top wears lighting and an olive green
Jerrycan. A diamond steel flatbed awaits out back and is protected
with textured paint, in black of course and its heavy duty
construction wears oval slanted LED tail lights. Any other part
that might gleam with metallic reflection has been blacked out as
well including the emblems, door handles, and large side mirrors,
and there's not an exterior flaw to be found!
Interior
Up to the nosebleed section we go to find clean, white painted door
panels with black hardware leading to a plaid covered bench seat
surrounded by more white paint than a Good Humor truck. The
original looking steering wheel is nicely patina'd and does have
some cracks in the plastic, and you'll have an easy time making
turns with the mounted spinner knob. An unpainted diamond steel
plate serves as the instrument cluster and houses Motor Meter
Racing gauges with clear white readout on black faces and digital
screens on some. The ignition switch is on the left and the start
button on the right, in a row of original knobs that still shine.
In the center, a row of unmarked toggle switches just above an
AM/FM radio that the ice cream man could only dream about after
miles of bell ringing. The floor is busy with controllers including
the shifter, handbrake, and range selector, all over a utilitarian
rough coated floor and no carpet. Up top, the white paint is not as
glossy as the dash while an LED dome light is perched above the
large back window.
Drivetrain
Each side of the hood opens independently and underneath, we have a
345ci V8 fueled by a 4-barrel carburetor. Monochromatically black
and a bit dusty but all components seem to be in order. To move
this big boy, a 5-speed manual transmission and a dual range
transfer case are onboard, working through 4.11 gears in the front
and rear differentials. Drum brakes are found on all four
corners.
Undercarriage
After sports cars and antiques, the underside of this truck is like
visiting the land of giants, the hardware and components are
enormous! It's mostly clean with some road dust and surface rust
about. Under the running boards, some of the braces show some
intrusive and pitted rust. There's some residual oil on the pan
which is accessible without a lift! Leaf spring suspension is used
front and rear and the dual exhaust hits some Cherrybomb muffler
just before dumping under the rig.
Drive-Ability
We climb up and push the magic button and the 345 starts eagerly
and idles smoothly. Once we get it on the test loop, the
Cherrybombs light up with a pleasant growl that's exactly the right
tone and volume. Meanwhile, the truck rolls smoothly with adequate
power, amazing visibility, and straight tracking. What it lacks in
length, it more than makes up for with virility! And all functions
onboard operate as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents
that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we
cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of
your purchase.
If you're a Freiburger fan, you may remember Stubby Bob, a 1950
Ford F6 project truck that was shortened. Though not nearly as
extreme, this International is a big truck that's been shortened to
a manageable size with a cool profile and an ease of driving that
is going to provide a lot of fun for the next owner. Truck show,
Cruise Night, Cars and Coffee, it'll fit right in! And don't forget
about your town's parade. Mount Old Glory on the back of this thing
and maybe an old ragtime band on the bed, and you've got yourself
the ideal rolling stage. However you use it, you'll be smiling from
on high as you motor this 4x4 down the road!
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
