1946 or 1947 KB1


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Post Mon Sep 05, 2016 12:52 pm

1946 or 1947 KB1

IHC KB1 right sideview.jpg
KB1
]I inherited a KB1 pickup from my father and had it restored. Base on his title I thought the vehicle is a 1948. However based on the IHC Motor Truck serial number list the truck is a 1947 (chassis serial number posted on the information plate under the hood is 56961). I have read elsewhere that determining the manufacture date of old IHC trucks from the serial number may not be accurate. My cousin (granddaughter of the original owner) believes the pickup is a 1946. The information plate mounted on the inside of the hood shows the engine as being a GD 214 with a serial number of 154021. Is there a listing for year of manufacture of engines as there is for chassis?
To further confuse the age/serial number issue, on the small kick plate to the left of the clutch inside the cab the following number is posted HF 219143 and stamped on the GD 214 engine is the number 104042H. Does anyone have an idea what these numbers represent and why do they differ from those on the information plate under the hood?
Another thing I am confused about is that both the International Harvester KB1 specifications document and the K and KB1 service manual I have state the KB1 has a 3 speed forward and 1 speed reverse transmission with the gear shift mounted on the steering column. My KB1 has a 4 speed forward and 1 speed reverse transmission with a floor gear shift. Any comments will be appreciated.

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Post Mon Sep 05, 2016 1:43 pm

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Loudak, seventy years have transpired since production of your truck. More than one possibility why a different trans is in it. The four speed non-synchro "truck" box was used by IHC and other manufacturers. Basically, each manufacturer just changed the input shaft and output shaft (many old trucks had closed drivelines, but not IHC) the case and "guts" stayed about the same.
Was your steering column originally column shift? Can you see the remnants of it? Is the floor over the transmission hacked for the floor shifter or does it look stock?
Entirely possible that the engine got swapped out sonewhere along the way, too.
It's also entirely possible that the truck was always like it is now. IHC Serial Numbers are searchable.
University of Wisconsin...IHC Archives.
Someone will post the link.

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Post Tue Sep 06, 2016 9:55 am

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

No evidence that the shift was originally on the steering column and floor where gear shift resides does not look hacked. Wisconsin Historical Society serial number listings (IHC Motor Truck serial number list) for IHC trucks indicates it is a 1947.

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Post Tue Sep 06, 2016 11:14 pm

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Look at the listing for the serial number for that year, where does it fall in the range? How close are you to a "build" factory. If it is early in the serial numbers, it could have been built in 1946(Think late November/December) and delivered to dealer during the year. later in the list would indicate it was probably built sometime in 1947. You can guesstimate approximate built month(s) by taking the entire serial number run and dividing it by the number of months in the build year. that would kind of give you a range of when vehicles were built during the year. This is by no means accurate but gives you an idea. You can look above the glove box cardboard, if it is still there and see if the build sheet is still there, if it is, careful it is fragile. For the older trucks,Wisconsin does not have them.
If the truck was built in 1947(which it probably was) distance, time to ship and all that will affect when it was at a dealers location. It could have sold in 1948 as new and been titled in that year, hence your title. Not an unusual occurrence back then.

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Post Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:36 am

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Thanks for the suggestion. IHC truck serial number listings from the Wisconsin Historical Society for the year 1947 (1st year KB1's were manufactured) were 49309 - 70793. Thus 21,484 KB1's were manufactured in 1947. This equates to about 1800 vehicles each month. My truck serial number is 56961 indicating it would probably have been manufactured in late April or early May of 1947. Truck sat idle and outside on our family farm for over 20 years, nothing in glove box that wasn't chewed up by mice.

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Post Wed Sep 07, 2016 11:56 am

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Not in but on top of the box itself, that or behind a seat on the back wall of the truck has been where folks have found them, but mostly on top of the cardboard glove box. Rare to find, but...

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Post Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:01 am

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Thanks, I will take a look but. Doubt if I will find it, the seat was pulled during the restoration I will take a look behind the glove box.
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Golden Jubilee
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Post Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:13 pm

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Beautiful truck , nice job . like that chrome front bumper !

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Post Mon Sep 12, 2016 11:42 am

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Thanks for the compliment!
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Post Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:34 pm

Re: 1946 or 1947 KB1

Nice Truck, can't be a 46 as those didn't have chrome nose, well it Could be a very late 46, International did changes mid year instead of end of year,

most Internationals are titled on sale date rather than manufacture date, the cab tag HF 219143 has nothing to do with year, that is just the cabs serial number, KB-1s came with either 3 speed column shift OR 4 on the floor, don't think the serial number will tell which it was,

I've owned a few KB-1 with either transmission,

Most Internationals were titled off the engine serial number, it is stamped on the block, the number 104042H is a part number,
parts book lists 104042H as the head itself, your serial number for the engine is located upper front corner of the block above generator, it will start with GRD,

I have never seen or heard of anyone finding build sheets from K, KB era, I know they did it later in 1950s, I'm not saying there wasn't one ever, the the archives don't list build sheets for K, KB as available, I myself don't think they started putting build sheets in K, KB because there really weren't many/any options available like in the later trucks, you had a lot more choices later one, thus the build sheet to list the different part choice,
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