Dragging home a big truck project is one of the more daunting prospects I can think of when it comes to a rescue mission. I routinely have non-running projects shipped here and there, but it never requires more than a flatbed to accomplish. This 1968 International Harvester cab-over flatbed is an appealing project if you’re looking for a usable work truck loaded with patina, but you’ll have to find a way to move it if you don’t currently reside near Aberdeen, South Dakota. The seller of this International notes that it doesn’t run but that it’s also quite solid, no doubt thanks to that dry South Dakota climate. Find it here on eBay with no reserve and bidding at $2,550.
The cabover design has aged extremely well, and while the reasons for moving away from it are valid, I do wish more trucks retained this style of engine access. Of course, I can only imagine how sobering the moment you realize after driving such a rig through years of snow and salt that the hinges have finally worn out and your truck cab has ended its contract with the chassis. That scenario certainly makes it an even more logical decision to procure one from a dry, western state, as the body on this International appears to be quite solid with no evidence of rust in the fenders or the lower doors.
The seller believes the 248,000 miles to be genuine, and if that’s the case, this International is holding up far better than most work trucks of this vintage. The interior has seen better days but the passenger seat appears to be unused. The dashboard and instruments all look quite clean, and the floors are likely solid given the seller’s assertion that it is rust-free. The glass is also crack-free, and really, for a truck that clearly hasn’t been used in quite a few years, this flatbed COE is faring far better than most commercial rigs in this sort of state. The seller confirms the bed is hydraulic but does not confirm if it still works.
The engine appears to be complete but there’s no mention as to whether it is free or locked up. The good news is that it appears to be in the same sort of undisturbed state as the rest of the truck, which likely bodes well for attempting to get it to fire up once again. The market for used flatbeds and vintage trucks like this isn’t particularly hot, as it requires the obvious logistics of moving the truck and finding a place to store it, but there’s also not much upside if you’re trying to sell it later on. The best scenario here is for a vintage truck enthusiast to get their hands on it and use it as a tow rig or a mobile advertisement for a hot rod shop, in my opinion. How would you use it?
This is a very interesting truck. 345 V8 gas engine. Looks like a 5 speed with a 2 speed rear. If you notice the photo of the rear in the ad, you’ll see the rear tandem axle is not powered only the front. I have always liked cabovers of all makes, but this is a really good looking truck. And I hope someone restores it.
I’ve always been a fan of IH COEs Loadstar and Cargostar. The first ones left a lot to be desired with the Column-Shifted 5-speed transmissions but this one is after that. Driveline is fairly easy to get parts for but you’ll have a challenge in the cab. You’ll probably need to get the control cables fabricated (good outfit in CA). Brake and clutch master cylinders are not available but can be rebuilt very well at places like White Post Restorations. Slave cylinder and wheel cylinders are still in use. Brake shoes can be relined but if the drums are bad replacements are as easy to find as the winning Power Ball ticket. However there are some places that can restore drums and they do a great job.
I hate tag-axles. Tandem-Drive is preferable. Unless the tag can be lifted, those rear wheels can high-center on a cigarette paper. And I’ve seen that happen more often than not.
345? Possible 392. Tough as nails. Still fairly easy to find parts but because of so many parts builders contracting off-shore typically plentiful rebuild parts supplies have dwindled. Parts for SBCs have gotten challenging to find. However, some of those companies have become the prodigal companies and have talked about reviving things back over here. I sure hope so…
I owned one of these, without the tag axle. It used oil, was hard to start, seldom ran properly and was a giant PITA to work on.
I loved it.
Stirring up some ghosts for me. The cabover here was in direct competition with the C series Ford, and almost as successful. These medium duty cabovers had a huge place in the transportation world. Just about every city rig was either a Ford or IH cabover. The asphalt company I worked for in the 70’s, had several of these as their distributor trucks. Their sharp turning made them perfect for tight jobs. I too remember when these were column shift 5 speeds and the 2 speed switch was on the dash. That was some REAL gear-jammin’ there. The tilting cab does nothing for ease of repair, actually worse, I remember many with bent shift levers, as many lowered the cab on them, and they always wreaked of dripping gas. I haven’t a clue as to what to do with it, as is. I suppose, in this crazy world, and considering the cost of new trucks today, someone might actually want this AS A TRUCK, and not some wild resto-mod truck that does nothing. Won’t work for me, I swore a long time ago, I’d never step on a steer tire( or a step in front of the steer tire) to get into a truck again. Always have been a “conventional” man, even though, spent plenty of time in a cabover. I drove what the boss told me to, whether I liked it or not. And another thing, the speedo is 5 digit not 6, so who knows the mileage, and the dumping bed is a big plus.
Geomechs, Howard,
What’s the possibility of converting this to a rollback and ditching the tandem axle? At the current price, this rig is intriguing.
Hi John. You would have few problems knocking off that tag and mounting a roll-back. This truck would make a nice rig in that configuration. I’ve got a customer up in Ohio who specializes in special truck beds. He’s also got a budding collection of vintage Binders (that see regular service). If anyone knows how to tap into this truck’s potential, it would be him.
Given the long over hang and what looks like a fixed beaver tail on the deck, winch cable on the deck and short lift hoist this maybe what was a tilt and load in it’s day. To up grade to today’s roll back style of recovery vehicle 1 modern new or used deck 2 remove fixed suspension tag axle 3 move drive axle to position for the length of deck you are using and modify drive shaft to suit 4 plumb, wire and outfit truck to suit. When you are finished you will own a very cool old truck that is hard on fuel and at times difficult to get parts for but they were bulletproof in their day
Hi John, quite frankly, it would probably be easier to put this cab on a modern chassis for any kind of business duty. As a hobby truck, however, the possibilities are many. The tag axle is just dead weight, and should be removed, unlikely you’d ever haul anything that would require it. Just make sure the power steering works on these,,,.
I drove truck for 32 years. From straight trucks to triple trailers & the way the pedals were positioned on these cornbinders made them some of the most uncomfortable to drive cabovers I’ve ever driven.
I never realised this UK design cab made it iver to the USA. An AEC (then Leyland Group) standard fare.
Cabs were built by Budd for IH.
Make a great hauler to take your trailer queen to the concours show.
I always remember my father in law saying about cab overs, not good that in a frontal collision your feet get there at the same time as the front bumper. I like this, surprised by the lift bed.
I bought a 73 International cabover to replace a 63 Ford F350 with a rollback. The rear frame on the Ford was rusting through at the spring hangers. The International will probably get an implement body – I have one 28 foot long with an 11 foot hydraulic dovetail. Will probably shorten it to better fit the International. The cab over is low mile, runs and drives well but will need brake master cylinder work. Found it at a garage sale on the way to work, $800.00 needing a fuel pump. I stuck a quick temporary electric pump on and drove it the 15 miles home.
Nice. Looks like a COF1800.
Cool old horse, last year before the different front and dash. Placing the cab ahead of the steer axle, improved ride some, but it still rode like a cabover. In ’74, they went with a more modern look. I STRONGLY suggest converting that truck to modern S cam “piggy back” air brakes, if the truck HAS air, that is. When you said “master cylinder”, scary rides of dump trucks that had that God awful “hydra-vac” setup came flooding back. I’d NEVER drive another vehicle that had that again. Believe it or not, air brakes were still slow to catch on, and well into the 70’s, truck buyers still insisted on hydraulic brakes. Probably for the same reasons diesels were not preferred by some, they didn’t know enough about them. Perhaps it was the the cost, air brakes added a lot of hardware,, and the vacuum booster was usually located out in the elements, and had a nasty habit of seizing, right when you needed them the most. Plus, there was no “parking brake”, like on air brakes. Many trucks I drove with hydraulic brakes, still had the old band type emergency brake, that was practically useless. Good luck on the resto, if I can help with my vast,,VAST trucking knowledge, let me know, eh?
I once bought a IHC 1800 series diesel rollback with an aluminum bed with a stinger, 2 speed rear diff and 22.5 tires. When the diesel gave out I dumped the engine and the IHC cab and dropped a Chevy gas 402 cu engine with a 5 speed in the frame and put a mid 70’s Chevy LCF cab on it with the biggest Ford radiator available. It never broke over 180* degrees even when it was 113* out, would cruise at 80 mph and got 11 mpg. Hauled a lot of cars on it but hated the aluminum bed because it cracked endlessly. But I still miss that old truck.
Up to $5100.00, didn’t see that coming. I have a Chevrolet COE with the big block. Was going to scrap it, now I need to rethink that idea.