Editor's Note: Getting your truck into Readers' Trucks is a snap, of the camera, that is. All it takes is a stack of good-quality photos of your ride that are in focus and well lit. Due to the volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot return photographs. Send photos of your truck (no Polaroids or printouts) to: CCT, Readers' Trucks, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870. It is important that you include a detailed description of the modifications you have made to your truck, including any interesting stories behind it.
Robert Aberle's "Pasture-ized" '36 IHC
It was in Rapid City, South Dakota-resident Robert Aberle's mid teens when he saw the movie White Lightening and was "first introduced to the great lines of the '34-36 International pickup" from then on out he knew he had to have one. The opportunity presented itself when Robert located a '36 for $4,000 and by the time the haggling was done he got it for $3,000. It took Robert around eight years before he was able to tear into the '36, and during that time he was able to build a garage to house the project in. With the garage done, and a few bucks saved up, the first thing Robert did was add tubular A-arms, 2-inch drop spindles with chrome adjustable coilovers, and 11-inch disc brakes from a '78 Impala. The worn-out 350 that came with the International was punched out to 383 and an '85 Cadillac 700-R4 was bolted up with the help of Painless lock-up wiring harness kit to control the Caddy transmission. At the rearend, a Chevy 10-bolt diff was put in place.
Inside the cab Robert fabricated a 3/16-inch steel floor and hung an '85 Cad tilt and telescopic steering column. For upholstery, Robert used two colors of vinyl and stuffed in suede inserts. An 18-circuit Painless wiring harness delivers 12 volts to a battery of Dolphin gauges on a custom-fabbed stainless steel dashboard. Up front, Robert installed a pair of Diamond-T headlights to give it "that Art-Deco look." The chrome IHC emblems Robert used on the tailgate and interior were reappointed from an old IHC thrashing machine Robert's family had resting on their farm's pasture. The only fiberglass body parts Robert used on the '36 were the rear fenders intended for a '35-37 Ford. Robert said thanks to good advice from some great friends and hundreds of hours, and scrimping to save money the little '36 turned out way better than the one that first caught his eye.