The Unconventional Journey of a ’68 International Loadstar Build

’68 International Loadstar With Heavy-Duty Street Styling

Some truck builders are very brand specific when it comes to choosing their projects. Dyed-in-the-wool Chevy and Ford guys will hardly ever stray from their sides, which is fine and good but it’s interesting to see those one-off builds that come around from a builder who just wants to create something simply because it’s different.

Adam Spragen of Bellefontaine, Ohio definitely falls into the latter category of custom creatives who don’t care about the badging on the truck they choose to build. The ultimate goal of assembling something uncommon to see is the driving force at play instead. Adam stumbled across a ’68 International Loadstar cab for sale at a staggering price of $2,650. The cab was from an old grain truck from Liberty, Indiana, so there was some history there that he was interested in preserving. There was no way he could pass up that low of a startup cost. Knowing that there have really only been a handful of full-custom International builds like the way he wanted to do it, Adam knew he was staring at an absolute golden opportunity. Obviously, there was still a lot of work to do before his project could truly shine.

Adam’s new project was largely fueled by inspiration from other folks and friends who have successfully pulled off complete one-off builds that garnered lots of attention and respect from fellow fabricators. Adam planned on performing as much of the work on his Loadstar as possible himself, and the first order of business was to locate a donor truck that he could pull a frame, engine and transmission from. What he was able to find was a 2004 Dodge 3500 that had been issued a salvaged title due to a tree falling onto the cab, which crushed it beyond repair. This really didn’t concern Adam since he had no need for any portion of that cab, so be purchased the Dodge with hopes that he could drop the International cab atop its chassis and begin tying up all the loose ends to get it drivable. In theory, it shouldn’t have been all that difficult but reality swiftly swatted away any chance of the ordeal being as straightforward as Adam was hoping for.

“I quickly discovered that the International cab and Dodge chassis were not going to fit together well,” Adam admits. “The entire firewall and floor had to be cut out to make room for the engine and transmission, and after getting the body over the frame with the wheel wells centered I noticed yet another issue. The engine and transmission had to be moved back 10 inches from the original location in the frame to allow space for the radiator, intercooler and fans.” Of course, there is a domino effect when it comes to having to relocate parts from their factory positions. Given the wheel placement difference on the International cab to the Dodge, the fame was shortened 10 inches, which made it necessary to fabricate a full custom front core support to securely hold the grille, fenders and front bumper in position. Next came custom cab mounts, then rebuilding the inside floor, firewall and engine/transmission covers to make everything disappear again.

With some help from a few friends and his dad, Adam was starting to pick up steam with his Loadstar project. Even though this was his real first build that was as detailed and intensive as it was becoming, he was able to make sense of what needed to be done in order for everything to fall into place. “After making some custom pedals and steering column mounts, I then moved onto other items of the truck to get the rest of it looking right,” Adam says. “The factory International turquoise paint was still well intact on the cab, so I asked Ohio Auto Kolor out in Sidney, OH to mix up a batch of paint to color match a few accessories in the engine bay along with the fuel tank straps to add more of the classic color throughout more of the truck.”

Next, Adam then leveled the rear frame rails in order to give the truck a small semi look, then cut and installed diamond plate steel panels to create a more attractive and usable surface area. One-off hangers were then fabbed to hang the rear mud flaps just before a scratch-built rear bumper complete with LED taillights was mounted to successfully modernize the rear end. The fuel tank on the driver’s side is a full 60-gallon capacity reserve, which is more than what Adam felt was sufficient enough to hit the road with. Since he really didn’t need 60 more gallons of on-board gas, the tank on the passenger side was still mounted to balance the appearance, but it’s strictly ornamental as it hides the custom battery box below it. “I felt that this was a better use for the space,” Adam comments about the modification. “Most people wouldn’t expect to see this, and it’s kind of cool to have a secret compartment somewhere on this truck.”

With the majority of the truck well put together, Adam could then start focusing on adding the finishing touches that would create that truly custom appearance he was chasing. Dually King Industries in Auburn, IN cut and milled a unique set of 24-inch Alcoa wheels for the front and rear that were soon covered in Lexani LX-Thirty rubber to give them street truck styling.

“I got lucky when it came to the 8-inch exhaust stacks as I ran across a local trucker who was putting on a new set on his truck and was looking to get rid of these,” Adam adds. “I made some custom brackets and piping to hook them up. It was after I mounted these stacks when I finally felt the truck was looking like I really wanted it to before I even started.”

With what began as simply a passion to build a truck that invoked pure excitement through a not often used truck platform, Adam’s ex-grain-hauling Loadstar has finally emerged as one of the coolest builds in the diesel scene.

TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Adam Spragen
1968 International Loadstar
Bellefontaine, OH

ENGINE

• 2004 Cummins 5.9L common-rail
• Dual electric cooling fans
• Factory Dodge radiator
• AFE cold air intake
• HE 351 turbocharger
• AirDog 165G5 lift pump
• Firepunk Diesel programmer custom tuned by Larson Miller
• 4-inch exhaust w/ two 8-inch stacks
• VN5600 transmission
• Valair dual disc clutch w/ 3600 pressure plate
• One-piece 5-inch aluminum driveshaft

CHASSIS

• 2004 Dodge 3500 chassis
• 4-inch angle iron, 5/16-inch deck plates
• Back of frame leveled and shortened 4 inches, front frame rails shortened 10 inches
• Stock Dodge rack and pinion attached to International steering column
• 60-gallon aluminum fuel tank on driver side behind cab
• Passenger side fuel tank lifts up for access to battery box

FRONT SUSPENSION

• Stock independent front suspension
• Dodge 3500 shocks
• Lowering springs
• Factory lines from Dodge master cylinder to frame

REAR SUSPENSION

• AAM 11.5, gear ratio 3.73
• Factory 3500 shocks, springs w/ lower shackles

WHEELS, TIRES & BRAKES

• 24-inch Alcoa wheels custom cut and milled by Dually King
  Industries, Auburn, IN
• 305/35/R24 Lexani LX-Thirty tires
• Factory disc brakes

BODY

• 1968 International Loadstar 1700
• Original 6452 Turquoise International cab paint
• Engine bay parts and fuel tank straps custom color matched by Ohio Auto Kolor, Sidney, OH
• Steel gullwing hood
• Stock grille, front fenders and front bumper, mirrors and door handles
• Custom rear bumper w/ mud flaps and custom hangers
• 5/16-inch diamond plate steel on bed
• Original International headlights relit w/ 7-inch LED Jeep bulbs
• EBY Trailers LED taillights

INTERNATIONAL

• Factory International rubber floor and black carpet cut to fit
• Dodge front seats and gauge cluster
• International dash and steering wheel
• Switch panel for AUX accessories, lights and fans