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Van Of The Day: June 10, 2017; Classic Metal Works '53 International Harvester Metro
Topic Started: Jun 10 2017, 10:15 PM (308 Views)
Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Today's Car Of The Day is Classic Metal Works' 1953 International Harvester Metro.

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Wikipedia
 
The International Harvester Metro Van is a step van, also known as walk-in or multi-stop delivery truck. This vehicle type was one of the earlier, mass-produced forward control vehicles, once commonly used for milk or bakery delivery, as well as ambulance services, mobile offices, and radio transmitter vans. Typically, they were 1/2-, 3/4-, or 1-ton panel trucks that allowed the driver to stand or sit while driving the vehicle.

Variations included a passenger bus called a Metro Coach, a Metro partial cab-chassis with front-end sections (for end-user customization), and a cab-over truck called a "walk-in cab". The truck (also called a chassis cab) variation could be configured with a separate box or container for cargo transport or left open to be fitted with other equipment such as a compactor for a garbage truck or a stake bed.


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For more information and pictures of the real car, please visit: International Harvester Metro

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This is one I've been eyeing for a while. I see them from time to time at train shows/shops but they always want more money than I'm willing to pay. Today the price was right, and while I'd have preferred a different livery than plain gray, this works. I don't usually do 1/87 as a general rule, but this one is big enough that it's not tiny. What helps is that it's about as wide as a normal 1/64. Considering how many Matchbox, Majorette, etc. trucks are also about 1/87, I don't mind dipping into this scale periodically for commercial vehicles.

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Wikipedia
 
The International Harvester Metro Van was produced in the United States from 1938 until 1975 and sold internationally. The drive train was originally based on the 1937-40 D-Series trucks. One of the first models built was sold to the Czechoslovakian Army and destroyed by the German army during World War II.

Unlike their trucks and other vehicles, the Metro bodies were built by the Metropolitan Body Company on Grand Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a company that International Harvester would later purchase in 1948. Final assembly was then done in one of the IH manufacturing plants. The original design was by Raymond Loewy of Studebaker and Coke bottle fame. The Metro design was one of several with which Loewy was involved or created during his association with International Harvester.

The overall design of the Metro vans remained somewhat unchanged from 1938 until 1964 when it was redesigned by the in-house design team in the Chicago Metro plant to be competitive with the Boyertown and Hackney vans. The corners were squared and an opening hood was added for easier access to coolant and oil dipstick. An eight-cylinder engine was also made available.

In the 1950s, International Harvester began producing variations such as the "Metro-Lite," and "Metro-Multi-Stop" vans. In 1959, the "Metro Mite" was introduced. It was based on the Scout drive train. In 1960 the "Bookmobile" was built by the Metropolitan Body Company on an IHC chassis. By 1972, all IHC Metro Vans were stripped-chassis that other manufacturers could build on. After 1975 they were discontinued along with all other light-duty trucks except for the Scout, which was last made in 1980.

The Metro Van was re-issued by Navistar in 2000, as a medium-sized delivery truck. Other than by model name, it is unrelated to the original Metro line.

In 2005, Navistar purchased the Workhorse Group, a manufacturer of step-van and motor home chassis, to seemingly re-enter the delivery van market. For a short time Workhorse offered an integrated chassis-body product, similar in nature to the original International Harvester van, called the MetroStar. In September 2012, Navistar announced the discontinuation of Workhorse and the closure of the plant in Union City, Indiana.


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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:thumbup: I like this...a lot.
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Pegers
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Pony Car
it has a very European look to it.
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poorvanner
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*In Memory Of*
Gonna make voting difficult for me this week are you...
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microbuss
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SUV
oh I'd love to find a real one
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chris.p
Compact
Pegers
Jun 11 2017, 09:01 AM
it has a very European look to it.
It's not unlike the Mercedes L319 van or the Commer van made by Matchbox in the Nestles livery.

Great model - never seen the model or the original.

Thanks for putting this one up.

Chris
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
When I travel, I see these in junkyards mixed in with old delivery trucks and buses. If you google the Metro, you can find many pix of restored or custom painted liveries,
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

This is one of many International Harvester models missing in 1/64 scale. I thought maybe Greenlight might offer up a Metro at some point. There would be endless number of stock color and company logos.
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