Rough Start: This International Flatbed Is A Work-Truck Dream!


Rough Start: This International Flatbed Is A Work-Truck Dream!

As Angry Grandpa got his bath at the local car wash, I walked over to the Toyota dealership that is butted up right next door to walk through the used car sections to see what was available. Most of the offerings were gray “meh-mobiles” of various forms with automatic transmissions and zero souls. There were a handful of Jeeps, with one six-speed two-door JK holding my attention for a minute, and there was a recent-model Challenger R/T in full rental specification. Then there was a monster, a Ford F-550 Super Duty, with a flatbed, crew cab, the 6.7L PowerStroke, and the amber light bar for…well, whatever reason was necessary, I have no idea really. Looking the Super Duty over gave me that one fever back, the work truck. Old or new, I want a flatbed truck with a manual transmission and preferably a diesel mill for the no-BS work machine. Blame it on all of the farm trucks that roam around the country roads near BangShift Mid-West. It’s soybean harvest time and the tractors and trucks are out in full force.

The target for this Rough Start is a $2,500 1969 International flatbed truck, with a 345ci V8, four-speed with a granny low first, dual sidesaddle tanks, and is prepared for gooseneck and standard hitch hauling. From it’s faded red/orange paint to the aged planks that make up the flatbed’s floor, everything about this IH screams “work” to me. With it being a regular cab and a relatively short wheelbase truck, you could even call it compact for a work rig, You can certainly say that if you park it near a brand-new Ram Heavy Duty, that’s for sure.

On the surface, not much needs to be done aside from a good cleaning and brightening. The truck has been sitting a little over a year, but we wouldn’t worry too much about that. The question becomes, “what would we do with it?” My answer is simple: Cummins 6BT, NV4500 five-speed, and the most comfortable bench seat you can make fit inside of the cab. How would you put it together?

Craigslist Link: 1969 International 1310 flatbed


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One thought on “Rough Start: This International Flatbed Is A Work-Truck Dream!

  1. phitter67

    I bought the GMC version of that this summer. 350, 4-speed w/granny gear, 9 foot flatbed, and reese hitch. Have fixed a few things on it, but my wife keeps taking off in it. I don’t even get to drive it!

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