1978 International Loadstar 4x4, '71 vw Beetle

[Ratchet]

I may be a little premature posting this as I'm yet to get this truck home, but i have paid for it an right now so... going to start a thread anyway..

have a couple of other projects on the go but I'm really bad at getting round to writing threads on them.. going to try to keep details on this one though.


Anyway, a little background on why i decided to buy a non running truck sight unseen from America.... will try and keep on track and not get *too* wordy



Have always been into cars and trucks, since i was a kid, (particularly beetles but that's for another thread) anyway when I was about 8 i was given a copy of a truck magazine by my Grandfather who at that point ran a trucking company, inside was an article on this really cool looking metallic blue American truck, now i didn't know much about trucks then but for some reason the styling of this one piqued my interest and i swore i would own one one day...






Fast forward a decade or so, various projects came and went and all the usual stuff, still occasionally remember this truck, though it remained a pipe dream, other then me buying some badges for one via ebay at one point for reasons forgotten, and seeing another almost identical truck that visits the local shows near where i now live.

Anyway about 2020 i was back at my parents visiting so went to grab soem more of my things from the loft, among them was the very magazine

after getting home out of curiosity i searched the registration and found.. it was still around, and sorned recently.. more searching found me a recent for sale ad, though the truck was now in an ugly shade of maroon

I decided to put out a few feelers to see if anyone knew of its whereabouts, not that i needed a truck nor had space for it, but actually found the owner, he had recently bought it and was in process of restoring it, turns out it was in pretty dire shape, partly through neglect, but also seems some of the modifications done to it in the 90s were of the same kind of quality as seen on 90s cal look bugs and the like.. lots of fiberglass and pog :I he did mention he may sell it but not till its done, and seeing the state it was in i decided to look for another one.

Now International did build and sell some Loadstars in the UK back in the 60s but they weren't exactly a roaring success, the USAF had a not insignificant amount of them here which they de-mobbed in the 90s (which was where the blue one and most of the others i know of originated from) they don't exactly turn up for sale very often *though as i type this one of the original UK built ones has turned up on ebay

However they were and are very common in the USA, and they don't command anything like the pricetag seen over here so even after shipping i figured was worth looking at


now originally i wanted the exact model as the one in the magazine, which was fitted with a international V8 diesel, these however aren't very well regarded, and werent a popular choice in the US, so i decided to expand my search to any..


After a bit of searching (on facebook of all places), i found what looked to be a good candidate, a late model with a very rust free cab, and it was a 4x4 which ticked some extra cool boxes.

however it was a non-runner and had been messed with a bit, but it was very cheap and had been for sale for some time so i figured could get it for even less...


Actually making the purchase itself was a saga, as the owner didn't seem to want to deal with someone outside the US (don't entirely blame him) so it which involved me wiring a friend of a friend the money and him going cross state to pay for it, then me getting it recovered to the guy who is shipping its yard, while the paperwork gets sorted, hopefully soon it will be en route to the UK in a container (its a mid size truck despite appearances)

will add more info in a bit but ive already made a wal of' text so some info on the truck and pics











Its a 1978 1700 4x4, with a 345 gas engine, Was originally a water tanker in a mine/quarry but has lost the tank somewhere along the way and since then has had a few.. odd alterations that i need to amend, the body that's seen ratchet strapped to the frame in the photos is part of the original tanker setup, which i may keep and alter into a service truck type setup.





now from the pics i saw it had an unusually long wheelbase for a 4x4, and seeing the ID tag confirmed something was up as it gives it as 151" and its way longer now.


The frame doesn't seem to have been stretched in the usual fashion, rather having another identical frame rail welded to the end of the original length then a second rail run over the top which should bode well if i want to return it to stock, which is my current plans, however whoever did it cut about the L-channel reinforcement that the 1700 has, so those need replaced, trying to track down a scrapped 1700 to salvage them from, drawn a blank so far. (if anyone stateside can help let me know)

If i draw a blank there i have found some companies that will form truck chassis parts.. however if they will deal with an individual customer is another matter (yet again its something that is fairly easy to get in the USA)

[grizz]

Something a little different.

Certainly one of my favourite brands over the years, International.

[The Rascal King]

Gonna be a fun one...

[LAndy]

Yea this is awesome! Looking forward to the progress on this!

[88zxturbo]

Space in the middle to put another international 👌 fascinating machine that

[Ratchet]

I actually have a passing interest in international tractors.. not got one yet though, once the truck and beetle are a bit further ahead maybe...


While i've been waiting for shipping and title stuff to get sorted out, I have been collecting some parts, mostly lights and smaller bits that i could easily get shipped

Including a new old stock Holley 2210 carb, main reason i bought this was i had a feeling i may need to fly to the stats to get the truck running to ship, however the shipper says it will fit in a container so as of now i don't need to do that, will come in handy when i get the truck here anyway, as i have no idea about the condition of the one it has, and it looked a bit suspect... future plans *may* include a engine swap but nothing is set in stone yet so no loss either way

And a photo of the front wings, as you can see have seen better days, life in a mine/quarry has taken its toll, despite the hefty and somewhat agricultural brushguard

On lookout for a better pair, or at least straighter than these as i think they may be beyond my panel beating skills, figuring out how to ship large panels from the states complicates matters so if anyone knows an easy way to do that let me know (if i can get some before the truck ships i may be able to put them in the container)

[ianbuckwell]

Just been watching a Diesel creek video on YouTube, came over here looked at this thread completely by chance and thought that looks familiar.

[generallee]

Love it. Did International do school buses? Might be a source of wings if you can find a manky hippy living van rotting away somewhere over here.
There are often school buses on the docks at Bootle, off the roro, someone must be importing them.. perhaps whoever is could toss a couple of 'fenders' in the back for you?
Apologies, I'm thinking aloud.

Edit I just looked on google and they did do buses, they look as long wheel base as yours but with the same again hanging off the back!

[Ratchet]

Jul 28, 2022 19:07:46 GMT generallee said:

Love it. Did International do school buses? Might be a source of wings if you can find a manky hippy living van rotting away somewhere over here.
There are often school buses on the docks at Bootle, off the roro, someone must be importing them.. perhaps whoever is could toss a couple of 'fenders' in the back for you?
Apologies, I'm thinking aloud.

Edit I just looked on google and they did do buses, they look as long wheel base as yours but with the same again hanging off the back!

They did, seems a good portion of loadstar production was schoolbusses, lot of the later ones used the fiberglass front end though (an option on all loadstars from 1974, that makes it far easier to work on,, but isnt as aesthetically pleasing imho

defintly worth a shout though, even a rusty pair would be useful they tend to rot out at the top where they bolt together.. mine are pretty sound in that respect

[generallee]

Saw this at Welland this weekend

[Ratchet]

Jul 31, 2022 17:43:24 GMT generallee said:

Saw this at Welland this weekend

That one is often at the shows near where i live, really nicely restored truck that, its ex USAF and has the DV550 diesel v8.. which isn't the most desirable engine but man does it sound nice, those old IHC engines idle on 4 cylinders which i really like for some reason

[Ratchet]

thought things were going too well haha, the guy who my fiend was dealing with to sort out a replacement title has ceased replying to him :I

if anyone knows someone who can sort out that sort of thing state side let me know (i have all the details that are needed.. if i was a US citizen it would be a relatively* straightforward thing to sort.. but as I'm i need an intermediary who is happy with doing this kind of thing...






*its not totally but its do-able



In other news i have found an online source of the IH parts manuals for the loadstar, which shows that the 4x4 and 2wd 1700 have different part numbers for the front reinforcement side members that i need to replace due to a former owners hack job, this makes finding s/h ones more of a chore...

Sadly it doesn't give detailed drawings so not sure what the differences are either, could be a simple as extra holes drilled in them.

However i have found a guy parting out a slightly older 1700 4x4 in iowa ..which may be a source, if the truck is same w/b and isnt rotted out... AND if i can find someone to look at it, and/or transport the parts.. which is a tall order really


if this draws a blank I've been looking into finding a firm that could make up new ones for me, have found a couple of possibilities, one being a company that makes parts for Dennis trucks.. whether they are willing to do small jobs for an individual remains to be seen.

[wildrover]

Why not drop The Rascal King a line - he is our resident Tennessean so may know more about the local rules than the rest of us.

[akku]

I presume you are familiar with The Vermont Title Loophole? You will need a mate in the US to operate it on your behalf.

Google it and have a check if it works for you.

Even just getting a title on a titled vehicle can sometimes be a pain. Mine took like 3 months!

[Ratchet]

Aug 14, 2022 10:14:08 GMT akku said:

I presume you are familiar with The Vermont Title Loophole? You will need a mate in the US to operate it on your behalf.

Google it and have a check if it works for you.

Even just getting a title on a titled vehicle can sometimes be a pain. Mine took like 3 months!

Pretty much the route i was intending on using, unless anyone stateside had another option they knew worked.

I looked into it a bunch when i first realized i needed to get a replacement because i heard so much conflicting info and stories along the line of 'couldn't ever get a replacement title for a vehicle if its lost' which i was sure was nonsense, granted its not easy.

there are companies advertising the service, presumably the idea is they do all the legwork for you, but most of them seem impossible to talk to and the one i did get in touch with seemed to be ignoring the fact i told them i wasn't in the USA, which wasnt too helpful (if they had said no sorry i cant help i would have understood more lol)

[wildrover]

I can't provide too much insight into the process in Tennessee or the "Vermont Loophole" sorry. I did find this company while doing some Google searches - cartitles.com/ - they also have a YouTube channel where they cover these topics .

I don't know if they are any good - maybe you have already tried them. The website seems to be pretty comprehensive but, a fancy website is no guarantee.

As akku has said even transferring title on a vehicle with a current title can be a pain so, you really need to get all the help you can. Good luck!

[maf260]

Aug 13, 2022 19:03:20 GMT Ratchet said:

thought things were going too well haha, the guy who my fiend was dealing with to sort out a replacement title has ceased replying to him :I

if anyone knows someone who can sort out that sort of thing state side let me know (i have all the details that are needed.. if i was a US citizen it would be a relatively* straightforward thing to sort.. but as I'm i need an intermediary who is happy with doing this kind of thing...






*its not totally but its do-able



In other news i have found an online source of the IH parts manuals for the loadstar, which shows that the 4x4 and 2wd 1700 have different part numbers for the front reinforcement side members that i need to replace due to a former owners hack job, this makes finding s/h ones more of a chore...

Sadly it doesn't give detailed drawings so not sure what the differences are either, could be a simple as extra holes drilled in them.

However i have found a guy parting out a slightly older 1700 4x4 in iowa ..which may be a source, if the truck is same w/b and isnt rotted out... AND if i can find someone to look at it, and/or transport the parts.. which is a tall order really


if this draws a blank I've been looking into finding a firm that could make up new ones for me, have found a couple of possibilities, one being a company that makes parts for Dennis trucks.. whether they are willing to do small jobs for an individual remains to be seen.

Have a chat with John at Golden Chariots, he may be able to help...

www.goldenchariots.com/

[Ratchet]

While the loadstar is stuck Stateside as i try and work out the title stuff.. going to add a couple of my other projects to this thread, some which i should have had a build thread on long ago but i'm disorganized af



1971 1200 beetle.. which i've had since i was 16 .. really long story which i may go into detail more later but essentially started a resto before i was really capable, got distracted via various things (and lost mojo/due to not having any friends etc nearby who were into cars, got distracted again by buying easier projects and all the rest..)


Anyway the original shell was in a bad way, partly due to a 90s "cal look" restoration by a previous owner with one of those awful moonroofs cut into the top, multiple Mot spec repairs, compounded with average repairs that a workmate did to it while in my ownership before i could weld (which are structurally ok.. but not up to my standard)

last year i sourced a far better shell, that needs some work, but hasn't been messed with, so thats currently in storage, alon with a list of new old stock and second hand panels


Plan is.. fairly stock looking late 1200, with europa type bumpers (the thin blade bumpers don't look quite right with the late panels in my eyes) lowerd, probably with the later IRS rear end setup, with porsche 944 parts, inc the alloy rear arms.


other then that I'm not completely decided.. i have short list of colors, and some other mods i want to do, main thing i'm considering is an engine swap.. on the shortlist at the moment is a Honda D16, likely a vtec one because.. well as well as volkswagens and Internationals i'm a bit of a Honda fan, and ive always loved the look of those engines, they are fairly compact, nicely built and relatively cheap to pick up, plus can make decent power



some pics of the replacement shell, from when i went to collect it, I needs the usual areas repaired, have got a pair of genuine VW heater channels to go in, along with cross members, boot floor looks savable thankfully, have got one brand new VW door which i bought 15+ years ago, and just picked up a rust free original for the other side

[Ratchet]

So not much going on on the international and beetle front.. in between have been rebuilding a hilariously bodged 2001 Renault master engine (farm truck for the farm my workshop is on) some work on my partners landrover and motorcycle things that are a little off topic for here.


Have *almost* got the truck ready for shipping.. got the title issue 80% sorted.. as in threw money at a titling firm, i am now getting somewhat nervous as the title is enroute via mail but guy whose yard it is stored in is moving soon (not by choice it seems) so needs the truck moved asap... and shipping firm seemingly can't move it until i get a photo of the title. the joys of buying stuff that resides in another continent.

in meantime managed to find a massive factiry manual for the truck.. its like 5" thick








Still on the lookout for some parts i will need, if anyone knows of a reliable firm that deals in importing/buying US car/truck panels etc point me in their direction, as not havign luck so far.

[Ratchet]

Finally got the title issues sorted on the truck, so can get it in container/shipped in coming month(s) also making headway in tracking down a few of the panels and parts i need for it, and someone who will ship them.






Also went picked these up for my beetle











A set of revolution RFX in vw 4x130 PCD... I say Revolutions but i suspect they may be replicas, as revolution didnt make any 4x130 rfx's to my knowledge only 5 spokes, plus no real makers markings on these, and the rear of them look quite different from the few pics i have seen of the back side of rfx's.

Either way they seem fairly good quality, and are in pretty good condition though do need refurbed, and i need to find some center caps

Tyres are a random mix dating back to 2002/4 but thats of no big concern right now.

That said, if anyone knows of a set, or even individuals of original 5 spoke Revolutions in beetle stud pattern give me a shout as i'd like to get a set of those too (revo wheels have been a favorite of mine forever, in all their incarnations)