ATWATER -- For more than two decades, Walter Kingen of Atwater has been collecting mid-1960s International Harvester pickup trucks. He has six of them now, four in excellent shape and two rougher ones needing the restorer's touch.
Kingen, 70, has been smitten by International trucks since he was a child. When he was in his 20s, he would arrange test drives in them from local auto dealers. A semi-retired Modesto gas station owner who now has rental properties, he has lived in rural Atwater for 18 years.
"They (Internationals) were far more unique than any other pickups," Kingen said. "The option list was incredible. The 1966-67 models were my favorites."
While he set out to collect the trucks, he also acquired a 1951 Chrysler Imperial four-door sedan "totally by accident," he says. That mint-green sedan is one of his favorite vehicles and looks as if it has logged an easy 116,000 miles during its charmed lifetime.
International Harvester made light-duty pickups between 1907 and 1975; Kingen said V-8 engines were made available in the early 1960s and potential buyers could specify engine sizes, axle ratios -- even the number of springs for the chassis.
"I'm proud of the collection," Kingen said. "The nice thing is they are pretty simple. They had a reputation for durability. I was lucky to find them."
Kingen has a 1968 1100C half-ton pickup with a smooth-sided bed, lustrous dark green paint job and shiny chromed front bumper. It has a 392 cubic-inch V-8 engine and has been reupholstered in black Naugahyde.
Nearby is a 1967 1200B pickup, a three-quarter-ton model that once belonged to a Sacramento trucking company. This truck, painted yellow with a black hood, is only two-wheel-drive and had black front and rear bumpers. It has a stepside-type bed with rounded rear fenders.
Kingen also has a 1967 International pickup painted a gold color. It has power steering and power brakes along with a 304-cubic-inch, V-8 engine. Another of Kingen's Internationals is a 1966 Travelall suburban four-door, also adorned in gold paint with a white top.
That's not all. In another garage is a white 1966 Travelall three-quarter-ton he characterizes as a fixer-upper or a parts car. Another fixer-upper in an adjoining garage is a pastel green 1967 International pickup which is missing its running gear and needs the left front fender reattached.
About 20 years ago, Kingen sold three International Scouts; he didn't like the way they drove, so they went to new owners. Over the years he also has owned a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 hardtop he wishes he still had, along with a 1933 Studebaker 1½-ton flatbed truck.
Kingen admits he tends to keep things for a long time. His daily driver is a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder four-door sport utility vehicle with more than 350,000 miles on the odometer.
Kingen comes by his love of cars naturally. His mother had a 1950 Cadillac Fleetwood four-door sedan optioned with just about every luxury imaginable; his father once had a 1938 Buick convertible and a 1931 Ford Model A cabriolet.
Kingen's longtime friend, Ron Unruh of Modesto, has worked on several of these trucks and remembers them as dependable and durable, featuring a drivetrain package ahead of its time. Unruh is just about finished restoring a 1951 Chevrolet pickup truck.
"All of them are in nice shape," Kingen said. "They all have original emblems and doorknobs. I like things that not everybody else has. They had a laundry list of accessories."
While Kingen is an International aficionado, the Chrysler Imperial also is special.
"It's a wonderful old car," Kingen said. "I bought it in 1970 in Modesto as a replacement for a 1956 Buick Century two-door hardtop that was wrecked in a head-on accident. It's a real cruiser and it's amazing it is in such good condition."
Emblematic of its luxury, the Imperial has power windows and an original-style interior. It has super-wide center armrests along with a tissue dispenser under the passenger side of the dashboard.
Miniature crown emblems can be found just belong the V-shaped emblem on the hood and trunk, along with the hubcaps. It has an electric push-button release for the gas cap.
Reporter Doane Yawger can be reached at (209) 385-2407 or dyawger@mercedsunstar.com.
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