Yep, the leaves are finally down, the air has taken a turn for the crisper and colder, and it’s time to give up in the concept of fall and to start settling in for the winter months. While yours truly isn’t a fan of cold weather, that doesn’t mean that work stops. In fact, winter is the perfect time to get some things done, since the fun distractions of summer are out of the way. Whether it was cutting up and hauling firewood in the Northwest, pulling cars out of ditches on a snowy day in Colorado, or roaming around the fields here in the midwest checking on things, no matter how cold of a day it is outside, nothing beats hopping up into the warm cab of a work truck at the end of the day. Nothing against the Ram Heavy Duty, Ford Super Duty and the GM heavy-duty twins…they’re good trucks in their own right…but there is something about a classic truck that just does it for us, and we know that there are plenty of your out there that appreciate a good old rig as well. Which makes today’s Would You Rather? a good one. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to not just say “both” and be done with it, but take a look for yourself and see if you can make a call:
1. 1973 Ford F-100
Let’s call this one “the safe choice”. It’s hard to not like a 1970s Ford truck: they’re stout, they hold up and if this F-100 is a genuine Highboy (you Ford guys can tell us for sure) then you’re looking at a beefed-up frame to boot. The 460 under the hood of this one-owner machine is a pretty solid addition, and there’s plenty more where that came from, including the 4-inch lift. But you’ll have to sort out the rest: the original owner has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t remember a lot of what was done to the truck over the years. Bonus: it’s an Arizona rig…no rust!
2. 1974 International Harvester Light Line 100
Don’t be fooled by that “100” designation…you’re looking at a straight-up 3/4 ton truck. International’s Light Line series was never a big player in the marketplace, and by 1974 the program was in it’s death throes. 1975 would be the last year for the pickup and five years later the entire light truck program would be done for good. That’s the bad. Here’s the good: 392ci V8, a recent repaint, working air conditioning (!) and a new HVAC control, fresh wheels and tires and an electronic trailer brake control system (!!). Owned by the seller for 20 years, this Binder is just getting started and looks fresh as a daisy compared to the way we usually see these trucks.
Make your call, folks: which one would you be happier to see as the sun’s going down on a cold day?
The old binder is really cool, but give me the Ford all day every day!
Ford baby!!! But the IH is pretty cool.
My love for odd-ball, off-the-wall vehicles says International (and it has A/C!) But you just can’t go wrong with Ford trucks. 460, 4 wheel drive, A/C, and best of all it’s not that god-awful, Carolina blue color that the Binder unfortunately had applied to it.(at least it has a little white on it to break it up some…) I’d take either but would definitely have to paint the IH.
Owned them all. I`ll take the binder. Han a 1975 in 1980 and can`t hurt that thing 6 mpg. empty or full. Miss the old girl. Now it`s GM all the way.
I can hear the IH rusting from here, and you want to put it on winter roads…?
both are to nice for winter, unless you live in a place that almost never see’s snow/ice like the author.. mountain tops don’t count..
I’ll take the Ford. Had a 73 with a 360 and a 77 with a 460. Both rusted badly in the Buffalo area, but still the best looking body style. The “high boy” designation I believe was for F-250/350 four by fours. You could run 35’s without even a body lift.