I am building a 1947 International KB-1 pickup and using a 1996 Dodge Dakota chassis less the engine. (I am installing a 69 sbc 327ci engine to it.) It has an AX15 5 speed manual trans and the 8.25 rear end. Right now it has the pickup in the rearend for an electronic speedo and I want to use the cable driven speedo that was stock in the 47 International since I am keeping the dash gauges original. I am sure there is a way to do this and would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks Bob
First off, welcome to the Hamb. Second, go back and do an intro before the 'cops ' bust ya. As to the speedo... http://www.qualityengineeredcomponents.com/?page_id=740 scroll down about half way and you see that you can interchange a common Mopar speedo housing. Maybe a 7.3 tdi would be a better swap... .
. And why o why a shiverlay??? why not use the 3.9/5.2 sitting in front of you?????????? Why must everything be bastardized... .[/QUOTE] an international on a dakota frame and your worried it being bastardized by a motor swop?
Thanks for that link, 73RR, it was just what I needed! I already found the gear housing and purchased it. Until I can compute or find the speedo's tpm, I can't get a gear. I have all the other info to compute except that. I also was so encouraged that I went ahead and bought a completely restored gauge cluster for the 47 IH. Only shows 80mph but might help with the cops if I'm stopped.
I say swapping a few axles and the drive train will be FAR less work then the chassis swap. Unless you are the luckiest person on the planet, you will have to probably move the rear axle anyway. Ford axles that would fit the front of the IH would be easy to find and cheaper for brake parts. That trucks looks clean. If you want an old vehicle, use the stock chassis. People won't give you any love around here. You will end up doing WAY more work in the end. I love the Hauler BTW. Is that an old ambulance chassis?
Hi Beau, I have done my research and the Dakota frame is a great match. The wheelbase is within 1" and the width is perfect. The Dakota frame is more flat than the S-10 and the cab and bed will mount without too much effort. I also get rack and pinion steering, front discs, fuel tank and modern suspension. Heck, being able to simply use an adapter to install my 327 engine to the Dakota's drive train which consists of the AX15 trans and 8.25 rear end is more than simple. I was going to use the original frame and do the Mustang front end, but after pulling the bed I discovered that the frame was trash and could not be saved without a lot of work and a patched up chassis. Cost wise, this is a budget project since I only have $600 in the Dakota (engine threw a rod) and got the IH reasonably. As far as luck goes, I have never counted on luck when doing mechanical work. Study, learn and proceed with the proper tools and you will succeed. As far as the love I get here...not an issue. Some will like it and some will hate it...who cares, this is for me, not for anyone else. In the end, I will have done less work, spent less money, and have a vehicle that I can drive anywhere, get parts for, ride comfortably, and be proud of. Everyone has an opinion and I respect yours and everyone else's. Brands and fans of brands are ok but I have no brand love and enjoy working on my projects much more than using and showing them when they are finished. The toy hauler is an ex-ambulance/police command center vehicle. I found it in Alabama and the guy the bought it at auction, had removed the box on the rear and scrapped it. He also found the fiberglass rear cab section at a U-Haul junk yard and it was loose when I bought it all for $800. The engine only had 39k on it and the trans had just been rebuilt. I was fortunate to find it and be the first there. I built it to pull a 10k pound trawler/boat. I enjoy driving it and it gets a lot of looks. Still have to install the custom diamond plate, under bed boxes and build full length running boards. It has the International 7.3 IDI and will pull a house off it's foundation. Thanks for your reply, and think positive! Encouragement will make you feel better than disparaging comments.
Yeah, I said all those things when I put a '56 IH on a full size Chevy chassis. It was not less work. I wish I would have listened to people on here. I had fun. You will too.
If you want to simplify the project even more why not use a Mopar small block? Direct bolt-up, No adapter needed for the trans and no fab work to mount the engine. All stock parts...put that excess money into the rest of the truck. .
I had the 327 engine, so I didn't spend any money. Besides, I like the parts availability and cost..also my knowledge of it is better than Mopar. If I didn't have the Chevy engine, I would have done just that. My daily driver is a 2000 Dakota Quad cab with the 4.7 V8 and I love that truck. The adapter between the engine and trans.. I found on Eb and got a good price for an non used item. I have been collecting parts for a while now and weather is all that is keeping me from completing the disassembly of both trucks. The IH had a 305 Chevy with AT in it but the engine was locked up and the frame was bad. I have most of the old IH engine to sell as well as all the parts from the IH truck that I won't use, the 96 Dakota has a great body and I have those parts to sell...I plan to recover some money from all of those. I'll probably do all the work on the project including paint, upholstery, mechanics etc. Parts is all I plan to spend money on...unless I get lazy or in a hurry. I'm retired so time is not an issue as long as my health holds up. Just having fun.
Speaking as someone who owns an International, a Chevrolet and a Dakota, I don't have a problem with what you're doing. I think red power under the hood would be best but that sure isn't the cheapest way to go. I'd run what I had. I just wish someone would answer the basic speedometer question, I'd be interested to know. Can you get by with just knowing the ratio of the speedometer itself? Maybe someone at binderplanet knows.
Could you post a picture of the vehicle speed sensor. I'd like to see if it is like the 4x4 setup. If it is, it can be retrofit with a mechanical one.
From what I found out is that the common Mopar gear housing that runs a cable will interchange with the one that has the sensor. That is what the link in 73RR s post above is about. The gear tooth number will be the next thing to find out. I also got this info from the man that restores the gauges I bought. " I have neve seen a marking showing the revs per mile. Your IHC cluster uses a Stewart-Warner 97050 speedometer head, the same head Ford used in the 1940 to 1947 for trucks. Ford had a chart for determining the proper tooth number drive-gears in the transmission based on the axle ratio and tire size. For a two-speed rear axle there was a gear-ratio converter mounted on the rear of the speedometer." There are several sites online that show you how to compute the gear needed for the speedo cable. Everything I have found is saying that the speedo I have turns 1000 revs per mile, same as the old Fords he noted above. I believe I have enough information to now get the proper gear for the trans. I already have my wheels and tires to get the height, I know the rear end ratio, and the number of transmission drive gear teeth. With all of that I will go to this site. http://www.gtsparkplugs.com/SpeedoCalc.html Hope that helps. I have not verified any of this yet, so your mileage may vary.
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