When it comes to building a project that will stand out in a crowd, finding something out of the ordinary is becoming a challenge. Older vehicles are becoming scarce and that forces many vintage enthusiasts to settle. However, that is not the case with Cole Becher, as he has definitely found an outside-the-box ride with this Power-Stroke-swapped 1968 International Harvester 1100 pickup.
The Power-Stroke-swapped project started when Cole found the truck a few years ago. “I chose the International because my family, going back to my great Grandpa, have always had and loved the farm equipment and pickup trucks,” says Cole. “Our family farm is still all International Harvester, heck my dad even has an IH tattoo.”
Keeping the International family theme was paramount to Cole so when he located the binder, it was a no brainer. “It took me about four to five months to complete the build,” Cole affirms.
Cole knew from the start that the old truck’s underpinning would not support his vision, so the first thing he did was to raise the cab and bed and then slide a newer chassis and drivetrain underneath. The 2004 chassis supports a durable 6.0-liter diesel bolted to a 5R110 automatic transmission. “I chose the 6.0-liter diesel is because it’s an International engine and thought that would be cool to have an old school/new school IH combo,” says Cole.
Like many diesel enthusiasts, Cole could not leave the engine stock, so a few upgrade parts were included in the build. “I purchased my upgrade parts from Blessed Performance,” says Cole. I added a KC Turbos stage 2 Turbo, Holders Diesel Performance 205 injectors, an Odawgs Diesel intake, a blue spring kit, and a custom tune from Blessed”.
The suspension does feature a few upgrade items as the 4×4 front bits and pieces were sourced from a 2007 Super Duty. When it comes to the wheels and tires, Cole chose 35×12.50-20 tires mounted to 20×12 rims.
Looks right at home.
Inside, the vintage vibe runs rampant as Cole keeps it simple. “The interior is completely stock with factory gauges,” Cole states. “However, I use a CTS2 monitor for all the gauges. It even has heat and working air conditioning.”
Cole finished by letting me know, “this truck has an old-school feel with the power, ride, and handling of a modern diesel pickup. I use it all the time as a daily and pull trailers with it all the time.”
Do you want to read about more Readers Rigs? All you need to do is click here. I want to see your trucks. If you would like to share yours, I want to hear about it. Since I started this series, I have received more than a few candidates, but I still want to see more — I can never get enough. If you want to see more trucks built by you the readers, send a few pictures of your truck showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and I’ll make you internet famous. You can send your submissions to DieselArmy@powerautomedia.com.
