Old school International Loadstar trucks make for great visual starting points for projects. The cabs have a great shape, the fenders are bulged and rounded in the right spots, and there is a big square grill right in the middle of the nose that screams, “big truck”. The Loadstar line was used for lots of medium duty applications like flatbeds and wreckers. The guy selling this one claims that his truck began life as a flatbed and he went from there. By the photos below, it appears that the owner did an awesome job turning this truck into a larger than life pickup. For obvious reasons, I have a soft spot for trucks like this!

One of the things I really like is the fact that he didn’t whack the frame and shorted the truck. By lengthening the bed to match the existing dimensions of the truck, I think it looks better. Often times, I find that large trucks with shortened frames look weird. The paint looks great, the exhaust stacks fit the bill and the fact that the original 345ci International Harvester gas V8, manual trans, and two speed rear are still part of the program makes my truck lovin’ heart flutter with joy. Oh, and I am smiling at the 60mph top speed too because of my exploits with Brutus and wrecker and Goliath my former green truck.

I’d rock the hell out of this truck at cruises, car shows, the ice cream stand, and where ever else I wanted to take it!

What do you think? Is this truck cool or not?

Thanks for the tip Jared!

CL Link: 1971 International Loadstar