When I was a little kid my great uncles had Internationals,
My brother is a vintage International addict. He's got a 1942 K-7 stake body (about 5 ton capacity), and a 1948KB7 Gin pole truck. Both have the stock 90 (gross) hp 269 stroker straight sixes and 5-and-deuce crash boxes. They're pretty winded by 55 mph, but they've got enough torque to change the rotation of the earth. He's hauled 5 tons of gravel with his, and towed a rolling twin-screw semi cab unit several hundred miles. I towed a Ford Explorer with it myself. Never knew it was there. Felt like driving an NA diesel, except for the 9 mpg.
At some point I'd like to have both a Scout and a big pickup with diesels. I specify diesel because I'd like to be able to afford to drive somewhere...
You might be able to get both vehicles in one package. VW made a turbodiesel, 4-wheel-drive doublecab pickup on its vanagon chassis, which many are unaware has a one-ton-capacity. The "syncro" version, as the 4WD were called, had a 5-speed with a rock-crawler first, and could be ordered with locking diffs and a locking transfer case. They are serious offroad vehicles, and get 28 mpg. I've got a 2wd turbodiesel vanagon westfalia, drive it all over the country on assignment as a freelance writer and photographer, and love it.
-- Dan Weeks 82 VW Westfalia 1.6 TD conversion 185k 82 Mercedes 300SD, 275k
