OldIHC

The Old pistons in my 1950 SD 220 engine were flat tops. The new ones the engine shop ordered to replace them
are domed, which would increase the compression some. It seemed International went to dome top pistons in later models or the replacement pistons are now domed....is this correct? It appears the same head will work...I just want to make sure. Does anyone have knowledge about this? Thanks.

I am not sure on the usage of the domed piston for the IH trucks, but the 40's Buick's had a "High Altitude" option for some of their engines. These were domed pistons in lieu of the standard flat tops.

I wasn't sure if they offered higher compression build options for the larger trucks.

The pistons were different between the SD220 and the later tilt valve 220. the can not replace one with the other. The tilt valve pistons and head are different from the early engine Some one here mix and matched parts and ended up with something close to 13:1 cr and I think had interferance problems. It was a long time ago, and I don't think the member in question is still here so don't know if he ever got it sorted out. Be very careful if you are going forward with these pistons to check everything to be sure there will not be a problem.

where are u getting your new pistons

also,im in the process of putting tilt valve pistons [ its all i could find ] in an old 220 sd block . i temporarily put in a couple pistons along with the crank and head and there was no interferance . i was told that would work .just FWI. i hope they work,

Engine shop ordered what was listed as the replacement piston from Liberty Engine Parts. Denny at engine shop said the pistons had notches for valve clearance. He was asking me if I knew or heard of any issues with clearances. Reason I was posting about it.

I'd build the engine with little cigars of modeling clay ontop of the pistons and crank it by hand and see what happens. Pull the head and measure the resultant depth of the putty. That'll tell you if you need to relief cut the pistons. As for CR, CC the combustion chamber, figure the the bore volume at TDC and BDC. Don't forget your gasket thickness to get a truely accurate number. The pistons may be thick enough that you can fly cut them to reduce the CR if needed. That could create enough gap for your valves too if needed.

You really want to know what came with what engine???
Then USE the IH parts manual! Eliminate the conjecture,get the facts!

Link to MT-63 L-series
http://nwaringa.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/mt-63-manual/

MT-97 R-series
http://www.hansenwebdesign.com/truck/facts_manuals.html

Scotty, I've been preaching the same thing for years...and always getting the same answer:

"Manuals? We don't need no steenkeen' manuals! And besides...didn't International put just about anything in their trucks that someone requested?" [The implication being, even with the engine number and chassis number breaks, the information in the parts books is wrong anyway.]

Difference is, I've stopped beating my head on THAT wall. Let 'em believe what they wanna believe.

The only good thing about beating your head against the wall? It feels SO much better when you stop.