Help ID this old IH truck

[Mike Soriano]

Here is a pic of the 10 lug wheels.


Here is some of the progress I have made cleaning up the engine. Once I get the carb unstuck I will try to start it.

[shenian496]

judging by that bypass hose, it appears to be a 304. its hard to tell from the picture but im almost positive

[wheelerdealer]

My 2 cents worth(about 9 pesos), is that the door is the wrong door or if just the front axle has 10-hole wheels is that it has the wrong front axle. To my knowledge 1600's didn't have 10-hole wheels, 1700's would be the first series to have 10 hole wheels and most likely is a 1700 being a straight truck and not a tractor. Also it appears to have air boosted hydraulic brakes. It being a western truck, it makes sense that it has Budd's and most likely the 345 not the 304. The truck like Mike M. said is most likely a '68 or older. My guess is that it is older due the fact that the vent window frames are chrome plated and not painted black. The tell tale sign is to see if it has cluster gauges and not Stewart W. types. I believe '66 was the last year for cluster gauges.

Good luck, make every attempt to not rev the engine trying to get it started, if you have a slighty sticky valve it will stick, drop the push rod, trow out the lifter and then chew the push rod into tiny pieces. I always like to pull the valve covers and spray penetrating oil on the valve stems and then take a soft hammer and tap on the rocker just over the valve and keep tapping and oiling until they all snap.

[mike m.]

Hi, I agree with Wheelerdealer, That IS NOT a 1600. I in fact would estmate it to be at Least a 1700 and could be an 1800. The 1750 was listed with a diesel engine. So I would, according to spec sheets, say it is a 1700-1800 Loadstar. That being said, the specs I sent you were for a 1600, so I will send you a set for the bigger ones. The wiring diagram would be the same for 1600 thur 1890 so it should work fine for you. I will get those out to as soon as I can. I also agree it looks like a 345. I am thinking its an 1800 because it has the fuel tank mounted under the cab, and that tank mounting looks factory. The 1800 came standard with a 345 and 5-speed trany. 392's were an option as were duel fuel tanks, being that is a step tank it is probably a 50gal, much like the ones on my Fleetstar. Not a bad looking truck, I will also send you some basic info on the engine, specs, timing, adjustments,etc. Keep us posted on how its going. Take care, Mike

PS, I am almost positive the door has been changed, the body parts ,99%, interchange from 1600 - 1890.

[Mike Soriano]

Here are the guages


The rear axle is 10 lug also. So this is a 1700-1800?

[wheelerdealer]

This is a neat old Loadstar. The dash gauge panel insert is not original. The faces on the gauges are standard SW aftermarket and not IH, also the placemant of the gauges is not IH. I say a previous owner got tired of the ****ty cluster gauges and did a damn nice job making a new insert. I also like the way the trolly handle and probably an air application pressure gauge is mounted next to it on the dash. My 1890 has the trolly handle mounted on the side of the steering column.

[Jim Grammer]

Originally Posted by Mike Soriano

Here are the guages


The rear axle is 10 lug also. So this is a 1700-1800?

Mike, there are 2 things you can tell for sure right now about this truck from observation. One is the engine displacement, the other is the unit serial #. Since it's *very* unlikely that the frame has been changed, I think it's safe to assume that the serial # stamped on the frame is correct for the unit as originally built. That stamping is on the outside face of the drivers side forward frame rail, normally in the vicinity of the steering gear.

At this point your project would be well served by having a copy of the original line setting ticket. You *should* be able to get one based on the unit serial # alone even though you don't have a firm production year. It might help to let them know this is a museum project

[navastar]

i have microfiche on nearly all ih trucks from1973 back to about 1949 also lots of line tickets some are still avail from navistar my e mail is dboesem@shaw.ca feel free to contact me

[Bushnell]

this is my 1966 ih with a 345 I believe its the same truck. model # 1890. Im in Boulder Creek, CA, (santa cruz mountains) if you are interested in selling please let me know