- Seller: David B (Contact)
- Location: Killingworth, Connecticut
- Mileage: 83,800 Shown
- Chassis #: L11287462
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 220 cui Silver Diamond Inline-6
- Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
Said to originally be from South Carolina, this 1952 International L-120 Flatbed has no rust-through, just some normal surface rust, according to the seller. It has a few scars here and there, but for a truck to be 73 years old and be this solid is pretty amazing. It’s now located in Portland, Connecticut, and the seller is asking $7,000. It’s listed here as a Barn Finds Classified!
One of the most interesting grilles, maybe of any pickup, let alone International Harvester trucks, this one has a few dings and creases, as you can see. Hopefully, it can be straightened out by the next owner if they aren’t content with just using this truck as a truck. What a concept, using a truck as a truck?! What was I thinking? Just kidding, the current owner used it as it was intended, for hauling things.
The flatbed is an interesting part of this truck. The seller is representing the current owner, and he says that the wood flatbed was added sometime before the current owner got the truck, so maybe from the South Carolina era? It’s hard to beat for those who actually want to use this truck for semi-heavy hauling duties, as the L-120 is a 3/4-ton truck. Here’s what the bed looks like.
As always, this seller knocks the photos out of the ballpark, with plenty of them, all angles top to bottom, and they’re horizontals! I can’t help but think about how beautiful this truck would look if it had a little bodywork and were painted this beautiful blue outside rather than flat black. The seller also includes photos of the underside, and it looks solid there. This truck has a 4-speed manual, and they say that the steering box, while working, could use some tweaking before taking it on long drives.
The engine is International’s Silver Diamond, a 220-cu.in. OHV inline-six with around 100 horsepower. With a 4-speed manual transmission sending power to the rear wheels, they say it runs well and idles smoothly. The seller is hoping to get $7,000 for this L-120 flatbed. What are your thoughts on this cool International? Would you restore it or maintain it and use it as it looks now?
Great find, practically unobtainium today. With those chains and tail gate, ( and oil) almost looks like a dump bed, but I see no evidence of that. The L series was a short lived one,1950-1952, after the KB models, but it did feature the all new “Comfo-Vision” cab, that was used in a slew of applications. Not sure why a tachometer is needed, they didn’t have enough carburetion to over rev, a governor, of sorts, and original gauges are easily restored. Spinner knob may be illegal in some places, and I see an alternator, indicating 12V conversion. It’s practically impossible to find a L series with the parking lights intact. I read, if column shifted 3 speed, it had 2&3 synchros, but a floor shift 4 speed in a 120, was a T98 with 2.3.4 synchros and was an option after 1950, but this may still be a T9 crash box. These cost about $1600 new, typical of most, and while sales numbers aren’t available, it’s estimated they sold tens of thousands. Looks like dual 50 gallon(?) tanks, so fuel shouldn’t be an issue. Paying for it will be.
In my usual demeanor, we’re quickly losing interest in vehicles like this, but for someone that can still drive it, a wonderful find.
The L-120 was probably one of the most popular sizes amongst the Binder crowd back in the day. I can count (6) in our region and I’m sure that there were more. What was interesting is that most of them were equipped with the “new” T-87 Super Heavy Duty 3-speed transmission. That almost sounds like an oxy-moron doesn’t it? A Heavy Duty 3-speed?
Believe me it was heavy. I rebuilt a few of them and they were just as heavy as a 4-speed; just one less gear and column shift.
Although this looks like it might be running a T-98, there were a lot of L-120s and 130s sporting a T-9 crashbox. That T-9 really taught you how to shift something with straight-cut gears, and you could hear it coming up the street from three blocks away; maybe not as loud as a Ford with a Flathead V8 but it made its presence known.
Out of the ones that used to grace our community in the past, there’s only (1) left. My friend’s dad bought his new back in ’51 and it’s been a fixture on the farm since. Last weekend, my friend offered it to me; he says he won’t likely get around to fixing it himself. Sure is tempting, because it’s complete, right down to the hubcaps on the Budd wheels.
Parts getting a little difficult to find but still lots out there. I even found a rear end gear set for a guy a couple of weeks back.
I’m sure they’ll be around for a long time…