Life on the farm circa 1956

BASIC DONKEY
I was riding through Red Hook a while ago when I stumbled upon this hardy beast. It was parked in a delicious cloud of barbecue smoke behind Hometown. I asked some folks who were unloading firewood for Hometown if I could snap some pics and got something like a muttered "go ahead":

This is a 1956-1957 International Harvester S-120 in Chesapeake Grey. The S-Series was introduced in '56 and only lasted for 2 years before being replaced by the A-Series. This is not to be confused with the IH S-Series that came out in 1978 and continued on for a decade. The newer S trucks were much larger and have nothing to do with the truck here. They simply elected to reuse a name.

I realize this pic is inscrutable with the glare but rest assured there isn't much to miss. The grill consists of a simple loop with turn signals for molars. The grill actually looks like a mini truck front end jammed in a larger opening of the same shape.

This iH logo is known as the Man on the Tractor. The lower case i is the farmer and his square head while the H makes up the large tires of a tractor that he's piloting. This is a decidedly Jet-Age version.

On the lower rear edge of the hood you can see that piece of chrome about 3 inches tall by 1 inch wide. That is a handle and there is another just like it on the other side. Uniquely, the IH S-Series hood is hinged on each side and as a result can be swung open to the right or the left, or even lifted off completely. That basic school bus style turn signal is function over form to a T.

The two holes above would have had the INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER emblem originally.

This beast sports locking front hubs which means it is equipped with four wheel drive from the factory. IH started offering 4x4 as an option across its entire line in 1953 due to the popularity of aftermarket conversions. I have no doubt that in first gear with 4-wheel Low engaged this truck could pull stumps out of the ground or move a small building. Top speed in 1st Low is probably around 10mph.
I love how unforgiving these tires are. They look old as hell and meant for mud & snow.

The running boards under the doors are making their last appearance with the S-Series. The A-Series which debuted in 1957 stood for Anniversary to celebrate their 50th birthday as a company. The newer trucks were much more modernized and really some of the glitziest vehicles ever produced by IH. That cab was more of a cohesive unit, sitting lower on the frame with doors going down to where these running boards are. They also had heavily chromed front ends and stacked quad lights.

I don't know what is in this wooden box but I love it. This primitive beast is all utility so I'm assuming there are tools or jumper cables or something within.

This stake side bed may indeed be a dump truck. Some of the S-Series trucks of this vintage had dumping capabilities even in the normal pickup style bed.

This thing is ready to work!

The gas tank is ridiculously basic; a tank under the cab with a filler tube attached. Zero frills.
Well that's where I left this brute while it awaits instructions from its master. If you can keep the rust at bay and provide the most basic of lubrication and maintenance you can drive one of these trucks forever. I had a '79 IH Scout and even though they look very different the basic running gear of this and that rig were more similar than dissimilar. The engine blocks are massive, heavily cast lumps that are meant to stay in the lower RPMs. Measured, deliberate power is the name of the game for IH who made their name providing lifeblood machinery for farms. The original owner of a truck like this might come to town every other week and spend the rest of the time on their land repairing things themselves. To see a stalwart old rig like this in Brooklyn was a treat.

Big Peet from Providence submits a hearty pre-SUV (low on the S, heavy on the UV)

BARELY TAMED UTILITY VEHICLE
One day recently my phone started blowing up with massive green images. It seems that someone in Rhode Island has pulled off an impossible trick in keeping a rust prone classic truck alive!

This is a 1961 International Travelall in Metallic Green. International stands for International Harvester; a company established in 1901 to make farm machinery, construction equipment, and work-oriented trucks. The beast you see before you here represents IH dipping their toes into the passenger vehicle business for the first time.

The front of the Travelall only looked like this for 2 years. The year previous had stacked quad headlights while the year after had a single headlight on each side.

The Travelall is a massive Suburban-like vehicle that could seat 5 well fed adults and most of the furnishings of a home. Seriously these are YUGE up close. The Travelall was introduced back in 1953 to acknowledge that farmers had families they might want to drive to town occasionally. The first edition looked like their standard pickup in the front with a mini-schoolbus looking rear. This tall cabin look with some aerodynamic styling cues is vastly modern in comparison.

This interior shot shows a large "radio delete" plate on the dash meaning that this truck was never ordered with one. That speedometer pod is the only indicator that I know of to show that this is not a '62 model. Both years are 99% identical but the '62 had a more modern dashboard that was twice as wide as this little opening.

The transmission is a bit of a mystery to me but I'm guessing it's a 3-on-the-tree manual. The automatics tend to have a small window on top of the steering column showing which gear you're in. I've also seen floor mounted manual transmissions in Travelalls so who knows?

You've got to love the early '60s script!

Another shot of the super basic interior.

This truck looks right at home in its handsome green hue with autumn leaves scattered about.

1961 was the year that IH released the very first Scout (model 80). Between the Travelall and the Scout the passenger car portion of the IH business was bigger than ever. Eventually it would be its undoing as labor costs and a debilitating 6 month strike around '79-'80 halted all passenger vehicle production for good.

I had a '79 IH Scout II that had a 304 V8 and 4 speed manual trans. It was the quintessential IH vehicle; the engine would start every time (including 12 degrees below in the middle of a Western Mass night!) but the body was eviscerated with rot. These beasts will run forever, working as hard as you want them to. To see one not rusted completely is a treat.

Twofer Tuesday returns with Two Twos

THE TRAVELER AND THE TOMATO

These Twofer Tuesday posts usually happen after I encounter a vehicle and remember that I took pics of a similar one months before. However this time I passed these 2 rides within days of each other. Without further ado;

High up on the hill in tony Park Slope I ran across the least expected vehicle ever for its surroundings. This is a 1977 International Scout II in Fire Orange. 

International got its start back in 1902 making agricultural equipment such as tractors and threshers. Soon after it began manufacturing trucks for farm and commercial use. Finally in the '60s it came out with the original Scout, meant to compete directly with Jeep. This is the larger, second evolution.

I owned a '79 that looked identical to this, save the color and condition. They are fantastic trucks!

These trucks want to rust so bad that it's almost impossible to hold it off. This one is pretty cherry and obviously well loved by someone.

No "shift on the fly" 4-wheel-drive here! To engage the 4x4 you need to get out of the truck and manually lock each front hub before jumping back in and using the separate transfer case shifter to select either 4 High or 4 Low. I only engaged 4 Low once in my old Scout to make sure it worked but it was basically undriveable with a top speed of something like 20 mph. Good for pulling stumps maybe.

This entire roof comes off making for a hilarious summer vehicle. The roof is metal and weighs plenty I can tell you from experience.

These beasts are super basic. From this angle you can see the front door glass is just a flat square.

The drivetrain on the Scouts is bulletproof, befitting a company that made its reputation building tractors. The engine blocks are some of the heaviest ever produced at 800lbs! They never bothered with any technology to lighten the motor so it never wears out. Scouts are known to go 300,000 miles as long as their body holds up.

Looking bizarre in a neighborhood of brownstones and mansions.

Inside we can see that this is a manual 4 speed like mine was. This one also has air conditioning as shown by the vents under the dash.

The ride height is only a touch higher than factory. Combined with the larger tires you can see how this towers over the Honda behind it.

The "Town of East Hampton" sticker on the bumper goes a long way in explaining why some colossal beach cruiser is parked in Brooklyn.

I had to get a close up of the winch, not because I know anything about winches, but because you never see one in NYC.

Now on to a more laid back version . . .

Sweet! This beast is dressed down and ready for action. What we have here is a 1976 Scout Traveler in Winter White.

You just saw how East Hampton rolls, but this is what an honest Scout is supposed to look like; rusty as hell, topless, and parked just anywhere without a single thought to security.

The Traveler is a full 18 inches longer than the Scout II. You can see the extra space between the door and the rear wheel well. The top for the Traveler is fiberglass with a slanted hatchback but who needs that on a hot week like this?

My Scout came with a full roll cage built into it and it's rare to see one without even a roll bar. They are so capable off-road but if you manage to flip it over only the puniest of windshield frames will be there to try and save your head.

There is a backseat in this ride but it's basically a flat bench with zero headrests. 

I'm confused by something on this rig which maybe somebody can help me with. From this angle it looks to have 2 gas tanks; not uncommon on a truck from the age of very low mpg. However, the front gas cap is mimicked on the passenger side as well. While there were a few trucks built in the '70s with a 3 gas tank option I couldn't find any reference to it in Scout literature. This is the sort of thing you want if you're going on some mammoth off road adventure and you need a 500+ mile range. Were the fronts actually antennae mounts or something? Who knows!

Straight-up basic Scout interior with no radio and an automatic trans. This, too, has the air conditioner though. The passenger is lucky as they get the only visor.

"Better than the floor" is how you'd describe this seat if you were in it. 

This proud donkey was flouting the law out in Red Hook where parking is such a non-issue that only sheer absent-mindedness gets you a ticket. Then again, whoever owns a convertible with no roof in sight must be pretty relaxed.

That about does it for the Scout roundup today. It is almost impossible to discern the vintage of Scouts except for the grills, which changed almost every year. the Traveler was introduced in '76 so this is the first. In 1979 International went through a debilitating strike lasting over a year which brought the company to its knees. By the time it was over they basically assembled the 1980 Scouts with parts they'd already made and closed their light truck division for good. If you see a Scout with square headlights you're looking at a rarity as it is the fabled 1980 model.

Greenwich Village Scout

SCOUTING IN THE WILDS OF GREENWICH VILLAGE

On this, the coldest day of the year by far (it's currently 13 degrees with gusty winds at 10:30am) I figured I'd post a vehicle that exemplifies summer fun! In the midst of Greenwich Village I encountered this hearty beast:

This is a 1973-1974 International Harvester Scout II. The Scout II was produced from '71-'80 with very few changes (until the redesigned but short lived 1980 model year). The best way to identify a Scout is by the grill. 1975 also had the 14 vertical slot grill but the headlight trim was black and square.

These things are absolutely unstoppable in any condition or terrain. I had a '79 when I was living in the snowfall-heavy zone of North Western Massachusetts and even after 2 feet of fresh snow lay on the ground I was able to drive around the steep unplowed hills near my house. In fact these are equipped with both a high and low setting on the four-wheel-drive, and I only engaged low once to see if it worked. Indeed it worked well but top speed in low was something like 15mph!

This color is very close to the original factory Red (as opposed to Flame Red which is more of a standard firetruck red), but I doubt it's original. Scouts just can't remain this shiny for so many years. The only thing that can stop a Scout is rust.

This example has the metal roof removed and a bikini top installed. The bikini is enough to keep you relatively dry when driving through rain but obviously this owner's not taking any chances.

I couldn't see if this was a stick shift or not but I'm hoping it is. Mine had a 4-speed manual powered by the 304 V8. A larger 345 was available but the 304 served me well. Those round gauges next to the radio are aftermarket add-ons.

It's surprising to see that the Land Rover in front of the Scout is about the same height. The Scout looks to have a minor lift kit to go with the larger off-road tires. From the factory these prodigious beasts were much lower with car size wheels.

This one has hookups for a trailer and an anchor for a hitch. It's crying out for someone to hook up the boat or camper and head out into the sunset!

With the mounted spare and extra gas can this certainly looks ready to head into the wild.

You can see how the bikini top doesn't quite seal up the compartment.

I love seeing this beast in this tony setting.

As I said these things will rust in the desert! The owner's on top of it though and with good reason as they're starting to gain in value with their growing scarcity.

This little IH logo stands for International Harvester, but it is also representing a red man on a tractor. This company made its reputation building all sorts of farm equipment before getting into the truck business. The Scout always sold well and would've continued into the next decade had it not been for a debilitating 172 day strike at their plant in '79. The financial loss IH incurred was so substantial that the company tried to sell the Scout line along with all its tooling to cover costs. The sale fell through and the Scout line went quietly into the night. All 1980 models were cobbled together from already produced parts and are recognizable by their square headlights.

The Scouts you see today usually represent somebody battling rust constantly, or living in a very dry climate. The drivetrains on these rides are legendary for being some of the most durable ever built. Stories of Scouts going 400,000 miles and more without needing a rebuild are common. Basically they would rot away to the point of being dangerous, but you could still reach into a rusty wreck, turn the key, and fire it right up. I'd love to have another!