Radiator and front end work

The radiator was getting to be a problem.  I took my Dakota radiator to a local shop that did a great job.  He narrowed the radiator by about 5 inches, took out the built in transmission cooler and overall did a great job.  It takes a good eye to see where he cut the upper and lower tank and welded them back together.  I have not put the sheet metal on for test fit but the upper and lower fitting look good and it is much more narrow than the one I ordered from Jegs so I think it should fit with minimal difficulty.  I will need to fabricate a radiator brace with this should be fairly simple.

The work was done by Radiator King , 4103 West Overland Road, Boise, ID 83705 , (208) 336-6504

Initial Radiator fit

 Here are some other pics of the front end showing how the front bumper should fit on the extended support. You can also see the basics of how I intend to create the front tilt. I will use a longer section of C-channel which will fit over the 2x3 tubing which is welded to the frame. The C-channel with hold the bumper, go through the slots in the sheet metal and will be welded to a bracket I will fabricate on the inside of the front sheet metal. I will use 5/8" steel rod pivot point that will be removable so the entire front can be easily removed.

Basic ides of the front pivot mechanism

Basic front bumper fit

The next thing on the list is fabrication of the brackets to attach the front sheet metal to the pivot mechanism and fabrication of the radiator bracket.

Fabrication work

How to create a tilt-front.  That has been bugging me for a while.  This weekend I started in what I hope will be a good option.  I am fabricating a set of posts of 2x3 tubing that will be welded to the front frame crossmember.  The posts will be spaced to exit the front of the grill where the original bumper mounts were located.  The end of the post will have a set of holes drilled.  I have a C-channel that fits nicely over the tubing that will also fit through the gap (after a little surgery ) which will extend all the way to the front bumper then back through the grill and will be mounted to whatever frame I fab for the inside of the front grill/fender/hood sheet metal.

You can also see from the pics that I have notched the Dakota fender and I will cut some off of the ends.  I think the Dakota bumper is going to work fairly well.  On and original IHC there was a sheet metal piece that filled the gap between bumper and grill.  I will enentually have to create one.

Notched Bumper from the Dakota

Sizing up the front bumper to check fit

Basic framework for future tilt-front mechanism

The posts coming through the grill slots

As for the radiator.  I sent back the new one that would not fit and took my Dakota radiator down to a local shop and they are going to try and cut about 4" out of it and then I will see if I can get it to fit.    Cross your fingers and toes for me.

Grrrrrrr......radiator blues

Mrs. Claus was awesome and bought me a radiator for Christmas.  It came a week ago but it won't work.  First I messed up and ordered the inlet/outlet fittings on the wrong sides but if they were correct the newer rad would have been much too thick.  I am fighting with very minimal space from the pulley system to the nose cone of the front sheet metal.  I have 3-4 inches.  I sent back the new rad and took the Dakota rad to a local shop for surgery.  He is going to cut about 4 inches off of the rad and I will see if we can get this to work.  I am hoping with a shroud and electric fan I can keep the motor cool enough.

Next big project will be the front tilt clip.

I have also noticed I will probably have to get a smaller brake booster.  The current one is much too large and likely will not fit with the smaller firewall area I am working with.

Road trip

I have been looking for some rear fenders for my project.  I found Vintage Automotive in Mountain Home (45 min drive).  Jim said he had a couple of the IHCs that had some good parts.  I hooked up the trailer and took off.  What a place!  Acres of old cars and trucks.  Stacks of hoods, fenders, radiators, bumpers, axles, brake drums and anything else you might ever look for.  I don't know how he would identify most of it but it is a scavengers dream.

He drove me up to the IHCs in his International pickup (1970's model I think) that nearly had 500,000 miles on it.  He showed my 3 separate IHCs.  The green one in the pic had the best parts.  We pulled out his tools and went to work.  And work it was.  It took 3 of us over 3 hours to remove 2 rear fenders, a front right fender, and drivers side running board.  I also picked up unbroken front turn signal markers, a windshiled frame crank and two headlight assemblies minus the headlight ring trim.

I thought about taking the whole bed but it had enough cancer in it that it would have been hard to work with.  It was also the 8 1/2' bed which would have require major modification for what I want.   Also the local CraigsList has a couple of later model IHC bed trailers listed.  I hope to pick one up and use it.

Eventually I will probably go back for some other odds and ends.  Especially when I try to fit a bumper.  He does not have an IHC bumper but there are so many other cool bumpers I think I can find one that will work.

Wanna buy a hood

Chrome baby.  They don't make it like this anymore

Not sure what it is but it looked cool

This is the KB-2 I cannabalized

Oh, the sadness



My cab up with help of the lift to get at the new body mounts



Back to perspiration

Perspiration might not actually be the best wording since the shop is about 35 degrees!  Sometimes it makes me want to stay inside but tonight I went out and did most of the welding of the new frame/body mount brackets.  This weekend I want to get the body mounts welded.  Those are going to be messy with all of the rust and contamination.  I hope they weld clean enough to hold tight.  I did test fit the body mounts and it looks good. 

My fantastic wife is letting getting me truck parts for Christmas.  A couple of years ago it was the new gauge kit or wiring harness for the Dodge, this year it will be a new radiator and fan for the IHC.  She is awesome.  You should all be jealous of me....because of my wife, not that fact that I get a radiator. 

After I mock up the radiator hopefully I will get some better inspiration for the tilt front mechanism.

More Inspiration

I just ordered some parts for my truck.  My wife surely loves me.  Thanks Mrs. Claus.  She let me order truck parts for Christmas.  I ordered a custom radiator, electric fan, and fan wiring setup.  In the mean time it takes a lot of inspiration to keep going on a project like this. Here are some photos I have found when browsing.

Cut to fit.....

Time start the cab fitting process.  The first pic shows the front passenger body mount that was cut from the frame.  This will be re-used in a slightly different location.

Original front body mount removed

This pic is under the rear driver section of the cab.  You can see the hole for the original fuel filler which will eventually be smoothed and welded over. The interesting part for me today is further to the right where you can see the elevated areas that were pressed into the steel for stiffness.  This is where my new body mount was going to be welded in.  Since I am using 1.5"x 2.5" tubing this presented a challenge since the rectangular tubing would not be able to lay flat.  I took out my trusty grinder and went at it.  I cut out jut the elevated bead section which will allow the new body mount to be welded flat.

Don't give me grief about my welding.  This is a quick tack weld so I can check position and location.  I also needed to identify where the holes need to be drilled.

Driver rear cab mount tack welded in place for fit.

 This is the front passenger side with the old frame mount cut off, trimmed to be more narrow by about 1" and tack welded further to the rear for the new mount location.  You can see the rectangular tubing of the new mount and for now I am reusing the old body mount rubber.  I will likely order a new set. ($90 ouch)

Passenger rear with tack welded body mount and relacated frame mount.

Next in line for my to do list:
1) modify the threaded inserts from the Dakota that will go in the rectangular tubing.  Then need to have some minor adjustability to get the cab fit correct.
2) recheck front sheet metal fit with the body mounts in place
3) design a tilt front mechanism......this one is currently kicking my butt since I have very little room up front and also need to get a custom radiator to fit in as well........

Dropping it lower

The Dakota I bought is a 4x4.  This was not a deal breaker for me but I also don't want a truck like this sitting too high.  After some research and looking at my options I got rid of the huge tires (265/75/R16) which stand about 31" high.  I found a great guy on Craigslist that sold me some innexpensive used low profile tires which he even mounted for cheap.  The new tires are 215/50/R16 which puts them at about 27" tall.  This drops my frame 2" and give me more fender clearance.  Wanting a bit more I found that the Dakota has a torsion bar that can be adjusted.  Changing this will soften the ride and likely create more camber with the tires but that doesn't worry me for now.  There is a company that sells an aftermarket lowering key if I need to swap it out later. 

Last night I was working on adjusting the keys when I found out the Dakota must have had a run in with a large rock.  The adjustment bolts sit recessed in a crossmember brace.  The passenger side was collapsed blocking access to the bolt.  You can see in the photo the collapsed section with the bolt up behind it.  An hour or so of a crowbar, hammer, and a lot of leverage finally opened up access to the bolt.  Tonight I plan to finish adjusting the level up front.  After this is done I will get working on the permanent cab/frame mounts  followed by the front flip clip.

Hey, it's looking like a truck

It's finally looking like a truck!  This weekend I have been working on the rough fit to see if this project can actually work.

I have read many web sites describing a body transplant on different rigs, mostly using an S-10 chassis.  I felt the best first step was to set the front fenders and get the front tires centered in the wheel wells.  Some set the cab then end up with uncentered front wheels or having to move your steering mechanism forward.

As I worked on setting it up I had to perform surgery on the sheet metal.   (Apologies to the purists)  The first metal to go was the inner fender wells.  Since I am going to do a front tilt clip I knew I would have to lose these anyway so out come the grinder.

Fender with inner fender well removed

This allowed me to slide the fenders on but then I found my next problem.....length....or I should say, lack of length in the front.  I removed the hydraulic fan clutch and will eventually use an electric fan mechanism with my radiator.  The width of the Magnum V8 causes a problem up front.  I could solve it by moving the engine back but that would require new motor mounts and since this is a 4x4 I would have to move the transfer case, etc so more surgery is needed up front.   So, the width of the belt/pulley system was going to run into the IHC original "U" shaped radiator support.  More surgery!!!   With my trusty grinder I cut out the radiator support bracket.  This bracket is part of the support for the front but since I plan on bolting the hood to the fenders I am not worried  about the loss of the support.

Wheel too far back in wheel well before surgery

With the support gone I pulled out some milk crates, a jack and some scrap wood and slid it on.  I was able to get the 4" in needed.  This will mean that I will likely need a narrow, custom radiatior since the DAkota radiator is 28" wide and I wll need one about 21" wide.

After seeing the front clip on I got excited and slid the cab down and forward.  The original front body mounts on the IHC are the exact width of the Dakota frame.  I can't use the mount but I was amazed at the dimension.  I will likely have to cut off the frame body mount bracket, narrow it, and move it toward the rear about 8".  The rear frame mounts will work but I will have to fabricate new body brackets.  I will see if I can cut the Dakota mounts out and use them.

Starting to look like a truck!!

 Overall, I am excited about how it is starting to come together. So what't next?

1. Fabricte a front tilt mount mechanism.......anyone have any ideas....
2. Fabricate the body mounts.
3. Firewall modifications for steering wheel, brake booster, and heat/ac unit.
4. Floor pan fabrication
5. Radiator and radiator bracket
6. Mount brake pedal

After destruction comes the rebuilding

So I lifted the remaining cab up and slid it back onto the bed of the Dakota to get it out of the way until I can chop it up and take it to the metal salvage yard.  I may still scavenge the cab mounts from it so I will hold onto it for a while.

This first shot is of the IHC cab being moved from it's little rolling cradle to sit now just about the Dakota frame as I start rough measure and fitting.  Behind it you can see the Dakota "convertible cab" sitting in the bed.

In and earlier post I mentioned wiring......this is the wiring harness from the cab to headlights.  If I undid the electric tape and zip ties it would truly show how large it is.

I am working on rough fit on the fenders and cab.  The front fenders are going to require some surgery as is the Dakota front frame ears. Due to the narrowness of the IHC front I am going to lose the Dakota radiator and have to buy a custom radiator.  I will need and electric fan setup and I have to remove the hydraulic fan clutch to save some room.

It's a convertible.....

I cut the top off last night.  Hopefully I can remove the remainder of the cab tonight.

I sure hope I can remember how it all goes back together!!!

Another day....more destruction

This weekend the tear down mode continues.  Tonight the steering column, brake pedal and mount, gas pedal, and seats came out.  I peeled back the carpet and removed the remaining in-cab wiring.  I am still amazed at the wiring harness.  I will have to stretch it out and take a photo.  It has to weigh nearly 20#.

My Inspiration...The SilverNational

This truck is one I ran across a few years ago and serves as some of the basis for my current project.

Here is a link to the full story

http://www.customclassictrucks.com/featuredvehicles/0602cct_1946_international_pickup/index.html

The Carnage

The poor Dakota.  It seems to be a smooth running machine.  So I am sure it was a bit shocked to be parked and then slowly dismantled.  The pictures tell the story.

Taking the dashboard apart in the Dakota was a pain in the rear!!  Then then heat/AC control plenum was probably worse.  I would have hated to have a leaking heater core in that truck.  I would almost rather buy a new truck than take that one out and fix it.

As you can see from the above ground shot I have an IHC waiting for its new home..  My biggest challenges are going to be radiator size issues, AC coil issues, and limited firewall space.  I was originally going to keep the Dakota firewall but I am going to do some more measuring before I commit to that line. 

Currenly I have most of the wiring harness disconnected and tagged.  It is amazing how many wires it takes on a modern rig compared to the 50 Dodge that I worked on.  I have removed door and tonight I cut out the windshield......it did not cooperate so I have a lot of glass flakes everywhere....time to use the shopvac.

I need to remove the radiator and front grill, remove the cab or cut it narrow so I can make a test fit of the front fender section of the IHC.  After measurements I think it will fit fairly well.

It is time to begin

I sold my 50 Dodge Pilothouse truck.  It is now time to turn the attention to this basket case.  I found a good deal (I think so.....my wife is dubious) on a Dodge Dakota with v8, power steering, power windows and locks, power mirrors,  AC, disc brakes and 4x4.  Windows are cracked, idled rough,  doors mismatched and tires too big.....perfect for my project!!

I bought it and drove it home.  Did a little tinkering and now the idle is great.  It seems to run strong and was supposedly revuilt some time in the past.  Currently it has 237k miles on it so the supsension is a bit soft but that just makes for a plush ride. 

Some of you may be asking why a Dakota.  Based on all that I have read on the internet....and there is a lot out there the Chevy S-10 is the most popular frame swap but is a bit too narrow for these trucks without having to deal with new rear axles and front wheel spacers.  Also you can adapt a the S-10 for a V8 but the Dakota comes stock with a Dodge Magnum V8 without having to mess with anything.

Where to from here.

1) Working on the basic cab/fender body work.  The cab has some cancer at the base.  I may have a tough time with some of it but I think I can manage.  The front fenders are OK but need some work.  I may need a professional for some of it but that can wait for later.
2) The IHC has a front windshilef frame that has a bit of cancer to deal with.  I want to save it though becuase it has an opening mechanism that when turned (like a window rolling mechanism) the lower lip of the windshield opens outward.  I have to figure out how to keep that.
3) I have 2 good doors.  The window mechanisms work but I want to make them power units and suicide doors.  ( that may be above my pay grade.....but I can dream)
4) I have to rip the sheet metal off of the Dakota.  Some transplants take the entire cab off then go from there.  I am going to try and save the Dakoat firewall and floor and graft the IHC cab onto the Dakota floor pan and firewall.  I am not sure about grafting in the dashboard.  I would like to keep the heat/AC and guages but I am not sure how much room I will have in the older IHC cab as it is much narrower at the firewalk than the Dakota.  The Dakota dash is 53", the IHC is 43".  
5)  I wanted a 2wd but the 4wd is what I found for the right price.  That will be better in the long run if I can drop the stance a little and keep it low and not look like a jacked up redneck ride.  (Here is probalby where you are laughing anyway thinking 47 IHC + Dodge Dakota = RedNeck ride no matter what I do!!!)
6) Dual exhaust......
7) Find a stepside bed......I know you are asking how I start a project like this without a bed.....yes I did!  I can acutally probably use one from a Chevy or Ford of the same era.

I will have to update some pictures........