Howdy, I have the body for a 1949 International KB2 that I am attempting to restore. However, I am a Welder by trade and have sparse knowledge in vintage truck restoration. My current goal is to get the cab, fenders, hood, grill, etc off the ground and properly installed onto a frame. I have done some research and have come to the conclusion that a S10 frame would be my best bet as far as a frame swap is concerned. As for the engine/transmission problem, I haven't decided yet. Any and all advice is welcome. Thank you for your time.
Okay, but as far as this place is concerned, that is not the right conclusion. Frame swaps are a no-no and an S-10 is the poster child of that. Required reading: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-h-a-m-b-rules-guidelines.44274/
While a modern frame might be your most cost effective solution . not might not be the best bet. check the size of your truck and do some math as a larger truck might be a better donor frame. I ended up with a 50 ford truck a bunch of years ago I bought at a farm auction for almost next to nothing so I simply had to buy it. it was sitting in a hacked s10 frame with fibreglass flip front hood and fibreglass running boards. i ultimately purchased an s10 that was running and driving with a v8 5 speed and lowered suspension , swapped all the “cough cough” 50 ford stuff over and painted it got it running and driving well. The truck had no ownership so I titled it as a s10 “hot rod” fun truck but not my cup of whiskey with all the fibreglass etc. took me a while to sell it , I made money on it , like I said I got it for next to nothing and the labour was all me. but frame swaps are not always the best bet in the long run if not thought out properly . Cool truck . Keep us posted .
you could swap the body onto a running driving 4 door 60S chassis ..frame swaps are ok as long as you use a swap with i belive no later than a 1966 vehicle...be cool to find a early 60s buick 4 door and run that ....good luck'''
Frame swaps are allowed on the forum as long as they are HAMB friendly ones. i.e 29 body on 32 frame, Model T body on Model A frame, etc.
I didn't think it was necessary to point that out. But then again... Okay, frame swaps - other than what would have been done with traditional pre 1965 built hot rods - are a no-no.
A good welder could build a frame from scratch to go under it if a hot rod is the intention. Now, if only we knew a 'welder by trade'? I have heard that exact thing only recently..... By the way, the phrases "attempting to restore" and "S10 frame" don't play well together.
This is going to be really interesting to see just exactly what frame you finally decide to use. My 46 IHC KB-5 has all of the original frame. You have a major engineering and fabrication adventure ahead of you indeed!
UPDATE I was able to find a 1949 IHC KB2 frame which is awesome, but I found out that the body I already have is a 1948, not a 1949. Will this cause any issues as far as fit up or are they compatible? Thank you for your time.
1941-49 K1/K2, KB1/KB2 all use same frame. That fender looks to be a K5/KB5 larger wheel opening and 2 1/2" longer at rear then K/KB1-K/KB2.
Get it titled before you stick a bunch of money in it. If you wait until it's finished, and it comes up as stolen, the law can confiscate it and you are out of luck.
You might find it useful to drop in on any of the Binder forums that still exist. Can help you out, in addition to the hamb. Last I heard, BinderBulletin was alive, don't know if Just Internationals is alive anymore. There are a few more, but I can't remember off the top of my head, & I'm too lazy right now to search. Good project, there are some out there, both nice & the "rusty-shock-crap". Marcus...
@_megahead_ This will give you a bit of a comparison between the KB5 wheel well size and the KB2, good luck on your build.
One of the best frames to use is the GM #1942, 1968 to 1972 Chevrolet el Camino. They are very thick with a full box all the way between both front and rear wheels. I've found the best drive train for most old cars a seventies, low compression, Chevrolet 454 with 781 heads, Quadrajet intake and carb, Iron single points distributor from a 1960 to 65 Chevy 283 327 Corvette with a CD ignition, Turbo 400 with a shift kit (use the softest shift setting), Hurst Autostick I shifter, followed up with a 2:73 to 3:08 1959 to 1964 Oldsmobile / Pontiac 9.3 rear end. This drivetrain will run best on 87 octane. Whatever drive train you use, make sure the compression is at 9:1 and runs on 87 octane. I've found newer low compression engines run real strong so long as you don't try to use parts or specs designed for high compression engines.
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