International Harvester A-Series

The International A-Series (or A-line) replaced the S-Series in April 1957.[1] The name stood for "Anniversary", as 1957 marked the fiftieth (or Golden) anniversary of truck production by International Harvester.[2] It was largely a rebodied version of the light and medium S-Series truck, incorporating a wide cab and more integrated fenders. A modified version of this truck range was also built in Australia until 1979, where it was marketed both as an International and as a Dodge.

1957 A-100 pickup, Golden Jubilee special package

Design

The new lower design necessitated a slight hump in the cabin floor. The stylish new front end, deleted running boards, and panoramic windshield brought the design more up to date for the later half of the fifties on this, the first all-new design to appear since Ted Ornas was put in charge of design in 1953.[1] The hood was now hinged in the rear, rather than being a lift-off unit. The parking lights were mounted above the headlights. As with the R- and S-Series trucks, there was a Travelall station wagon version developed from the new range. There were A-100 to A-180 series models available, with Gross Vehicle Weight ratings ranging from 4,200 to 33,000 lb (1,900 to 15,000 kg).[2] A step-side bed remained standard, but a new flush-sided "Bonus Load" bed was an option for the first time.[1] There was also a gold and white two-tone Golden Jubilee Custom Pickup package available, featuring some special equipment.

B-Series

IH B-120 4x4 flatbed truck

For 1959, the B-Series replaced the A-Series.[2] This was the first of the series to feature V8 engines as an option, of either 304 ci or 345 ci.[3] The usual engines were International's 'Diamond' series of inline-sixes. The B-series had twin headlights, mounted above each other. The B-120 was also available with four-wheel drive. The B-Series was available with the same weight ratings as its predecessor, and was built until 1961 when more thorough changes took place.

C-Series

1963-1964 IH C-900
1961-1962 IHC C-120 Travelette

In 1961, the C-Series Trucks appeared as well as the 4-door (crew-cab) Travelette. At first this would have seem to have been another facelift, featuring a modernized front end, but it also meant a whole new chassis with all new independent front torsion bar suspension.[4] The new chassis and suspension allowed for the cab to be mounted four inches lower,[5] meaning an even bigger transmission tunnel hump but also a more car-like ride. The standard pickup bed was joined by a straight-sided "Bonus-Load" bed. There was also a utility "workshop" version.

The most obvious visual differences were that the twin headlights were now mounted side-by-side, and a new grille of a concave egg-crate design. This front end was produced from 1961 to 1962 before going to one headlight on each side of a re-designed grill starting in 1963. The wheelbase was longer, as the front wheels were mounted further forward. This increased the front clearance angle in spite of the lower body.[6] The range was C-100 to C-130, the heavier duty versions were not replaced as the C-Series' Gross Vehicle Weight rating now only went from 4,200 to 8,800 lb (1,900 to 4,000 kg).[2]

The Travelall range underwent the same changes as did the light trucks, in April 1961. The C-100/C-110 Travelall now rode on a 119 inch chassis.[7] Similar to the Travelall was a four-door panel van, with glazing for the front doors only.

1965 IH D1100 pickup
1966 International Travelette (crew cab) 1100/1200/1300A

The pickups continued to undergo a continuous stream of minor modifications to the grilles and headlight fitment. For model year 1964, the renamed range (C-900 to C-1500) received single headlights. For 1965 the name became the D-Series, followed by the 900A-1500A in 1966, 900B-1500B for the next year, and the last year (1968) which was unsurprisingly called 900C-1500C, depending on weight rating. New for 1968 was the option of AMC's 232 cubic inch inline-six engine, rather than International's own BG-series six.[8] The Travelall was considered a version of the light-duty pickup range, rather than a separate model, until major changes to the bodywork took place in 1969 for the 1970 model year. While completely different in appearance, now looking very similar to the Scout, the resulting D-series continued this naming convention until the 1971 Light Line pickups were introduced.


See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to International Harvester A/B/C/D-series.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mueller, Mike (2003), Pickup Trucks, St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks International, p. 101
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "International Harvester History: Trucks". International Harvester. 1961.
  3. ↑ "C-100 Series: 1961-1962". Rimbey, Alberta, Canada: Pas-ka-poo Historical Park. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  4. ↑ Sales Engineering Bulletin: C-line Travelall, International Harvester Company, April 1961, p. 10, CT-477
  5. ↑ "Smithson International Truck Museum: Truck Collection". Rimbey, Alberta, Canada: Pas-ka-poo Historical Park. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  6. ↑ Sales Engineering Bulletin: C-line Travelall, p. 8
  7. ↑ Sales Engineering Bulletin: C-line Travelall, p. 3
  8. ↑ Pletcher, Howard (2009-12-18). "AMC/Nash engines in IH trucks". Old IHC.

External links