Attn Walter [Waltese Falcon] - RHD IHC Scout 800?

[Sherlock]

Or anyone else who might know...

Someone in Los Angeles has just recently spotted a 1960's International Scout (in excellent condition) that is right-hand-drive.

Did they ever make post office trucks? Ever heard of this before?

Picture at this link... https://www.flickr.com/photos/dsnet/1274807/

 

[mailbox]

A friend of mine had a 70's model IH that was a righty. As far as I know they were not built for the post office, but I'm sure several rural carriers had one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[waltesefalcon]

James,

The RHD scouts were built for the post office in the 60s and early 70s. They were rural route carriers, and I believe they were all two wheel drive. There was a time that they were very common, much more so than the jeep postal carriers.

 

[mailbox]

I think most rural carrier vechicles were and are owned by the carrier and not the post office. The post office would not have purchased these for the carrier, but IH would have built them for the carriers. Jeep currently builds a right hand Liberty and Subaru built a right hand car for the US market. I know for a fact the postal service does not purchase vechicles for rural carriers now, but they may have in the past. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
P.S. You may file all this under "Useless Trivia" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif

 

[Sherlock]

Mailbox...

I gather you are one of the rural mail carriers then?

Thanks for the useless facts Walter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif I'm just way too curious for my own good sometimes... even when it is basically a useless fact /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Graham]

They sold heaps of 60s scouts out here in RHD, may be one of them found its way home! The 60s ones were mostly 4 cyl. International built trucks here for decades using some imported parts, (engines tranys ect) but something is nagging at me saying the scout may have come over fully assembled from the states. (I am just not sure) If they were building RHD for the US post it may explain why the scout came out here, as at the same time International were building a line of utes (pickups to you blokes) in both 2 and 4WD, based on their lighter duty range of trucks, and as our market is very small by world standards normaly they wouldn't make a model that would compete directly with one of their localy made ones.
My uncle had one of the 70s versions with the 345 petrol V8(also RHD) and loved it. It worked hard for years and was only replaced because of body rust, something they do realy realy well.
I see Walter loves it, and as an owner of 2 Inter trucks (5&8 ton) myself its nice to see a few are still getting around the US.
Graham /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[Sherlock]

Graham,

Speaking of RHD... I know that they made full-size Pontiac's here in Canada for the Australian/New Zealand market, built as RHD of course...

I talked to one person a couple of years ago and he seemed to remember that one person in southern Ontario had at one point brought a RHD Pontiac into Canada from Australia

Anyway, this Scout that was spotted in Los Angeles seems to be in very good condition... I e-mailed the guy who took the picture, he said if he was able to he'd try to get another picture of it just simply showing it.

 

[Graham]

Yes James,

As a member of the jolly old British commonwealth we imported just about all our "American" cars from Canada and until recently just about all RHD. As a commonwealth country our import duty was a lot less from Canada than from the states, so that's where they came from. Pontiac, Chev, Ford even a lot of Studebakers. Just about all the Ford model T engines out here are Canadian so its been going on a long time.
I hope someone picks that old scout up though. They were a good old bus.
Graham /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[mailbox]

[ QUOTE ]
Mailbox...

I gather you are one of the rural mail carriers then?[ QUOTE ]


City letter carrier. I get to drive a Grumman built vechicle called an LLV(long life vechicle). It's based on a S 10 frame and an all aluminum body. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[waltesefalcon]

Graham,

The four cylinder you speak of would have been 152 Cu In. Comanche, which was one half of the 304 V8 which was IH's mainstay in the medium duty truck lines. Personally I have never been a big fan of the 345, they were more cold natured than IHs other engines, they used more gas than the 304, and the increase in power was modest. Their one saving grace was like all IH engines they were virtually bullet proof. And yes I do love binders, I grew up around them, my great uncle owned the IH dealership here in town, and my grandfather was the shop foreman.

 

[philman]

I had one of those RHD scouts a 1969 model year. It was previously a carrier vehicle in Alaska. It had a 198 ci 4 cylinder engine and automatic. It was two wheel drive. It was painted red and I sold it in about 1982. It was great around town. the dog really enjoyed sitting in the left hand seat and staring at the other drivers, she thought she was driving.

 

[Graham]

Yes Walter, that's the 4 cylinder, as for the 345, a friend had one in an Aaco (Australian army cab over) model he used to call the gutless wonder. It never broke down and managed to do its work quite well, if slowly. My 345 in my aaco wore out about 9 years ago, and I fitted a second hand 392 into it. The 392 "has" given a bit of grief over the years, but is still licenced and used occasionaly, but with fuel at well over $1.00 a litre here, you don't use petrol trucks much. I am not sure of the MPG it gives but I recon its between about 5 & 10 MPG (its very hungry). Never the less, my Inters have been some of the most reliable trucks in the district, and even with their shortcomings I like em. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
Uncle Lews scout though was a lot better. He claimed about 17 MPG out of that most of the time and used to do some real hard work at times towing all sorts of things. He kept the scout for about 15 years (the longest he ever owned any ute) and mechanicaly almost no trouble except front drive universal joints and 1 clutch. Engine and drive train were never touched. The toyota landcruiser he replaced it with lasted 3 years.

Its good to see there are still a few diehard Inter entusiasts in the US, because our ranks out here are starting to thin out a bit now, although there is still a few.
See ya
Graham. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[waltesefalcon]

Graham,

Yeah you could pretty much call me die hard. I have alot of great momeries linked to binders, the first carb I rebuilt was on our 66 travelall, as were many of my first basic repairs. Over the years I remeber my father owning about 12 different IHs which he would buy and then later sell when he saw one he liked better. Currently we own a 64 1100 travelall amulance, and a 72 1010 pick up in addition to my 52 L110 pick up.