Electricl

What is everyone doing to convert their gauges from 6 volt to 12 volt

i am leaning towards a voltage reducer

Steve, this is a hot-button topic, here.
Those stock gauges are King-Seeley gauges. Old Fords use them, too. They are PECULIAR, to say the least.
You are not only changing voltage but POLARITY.
A heavy-duty DC 12 to 6 voltage reducer as seen on Ebay looks like a great idea.

This particular style of electric gauge is known as a "heat" type gauge within the industry. It uses a regulated, small amount of heat generated by a tiny electric heater within the gauge to move a bimetallic strip connected to the pointer.
The sender determines the correct amount of electric current flow that will heat the gauge just right.
That's why you can't easily swap senders with Stewart-Warner, etc.
To make matters more confusing, KS used at least two styles of electric "heat" gauges, early and later.
Best of luck.

you can't convert the original gauges themselves to 12v. you can put a volt drop like posted,

I've seen only one example of a guy who took the old gauges apart and put the tin faces on newer 12v. guts, a lot of work,

if you are also transplanting a different motor you can also run into trouble with the temp sender, it is a long one, (that's what she said)

my 1947 Ferd panel had a Chebby 305 stuffed in it by someone prior to me, I wanted the original gauges to function, could not find anywhere in water jacket threaded openings where sender didn't bottom out, had to build up with brass fittings so it could fit, it ran slightly off as the brass seemed to transfer block metal heat,

I got all the gauges working with volt drop,

my KB-6 was converted to 12v. by me 30 yrs. ago, all the gauges still function with a volt drop,

my 49 panel I left 6v. I found that with heavy cables directly to starter and a group 2 battery there are no starting issues, And with 6v. halogen bulbs there is no dismal lighting issue, those were/are main complaints against 6v.

I was a strong believer in 6 to 12, but unless you need to put in a TV or DVD, or a bitchin sound system, 6v. works just fine as long as you also aren't putting in a SBC

If you are converting over to 12 volt, and you do not care about original gauges, then there are some current stuff out there that should fit into the original openings. Just another thought.

Lloyd's inadvertent pun: "there are some current stuff"
I did not know better and I ran 12 volts through the 6 volt gauges in our R120. It took two years and 20,000thousand of miles before the smoke was let out. I changed to Stewart Warner Gauges. The V8 engine swap seemed like a good time to add more modern gauges. I just punched holes in the dash and milled out an adapter ring to hold the speedometer.
If or more likely , when, I do this again for myself, I will mill out an insert to hold the gauges similar to what I did for our non-IHC. My son wants to stay close to the OEM look for his L110, but with modern gauges.
I am including a picture of the milled insert I made for out '40 Ford. I made it to fit the original no-cut opening in the dash and mount with the OEM hidden fasteners.
Just about anything is possible. It just takes time and

Or you could swap in a 12v gauge cluster from an S or C large truck. It would look identical to what you have, except that the center of the cluster has concentric rings. Swap the speedometer at the same time and only the purists would know the difference. Except for the alternator.

I do not know how any person can become a "purist" with old IHC. IHC had many variables that may depend on Canada versus USA factory. Paint covering every exposed panel could not be counted on. Chrome or stainless trim, I have both in the parts cabinet. . I have four different door latch mechanisms, all fit the "L" & "R". There were three different doors between 1950 and 1956. Only the '50 was not interchangeable. While the cab sheetmetal may look the same the COE cab is not the same and the COE doors and not replaced by a pickup door. Well, there is some serious body modification to make the fit.
Does the front box bulkhead have INTENATIONAL pressed into it? Is the box a KNOX built for IHC? The box length could be anywhere from 6 feet to 10 feet. The box deck may be steel of wood. I have both. Where does the spare tire mount? Right side for the longer box, left side for the short box or in any one of the box lengths the spare tire could have mounted under the back of the box. One fuel tank or two. Lloyd has a fairly rare and optional right side second tank in his Binder. Then there is the under dash heater. Who made the heater. I gave about 10 different models the my friend MAGIHC Mike for resale. Is the heater recirculating or fresh air? Vacuum or electric wipers? I have at least four different wiper drive post styles. Factory tinted glass of clear? Are the front marker lens glass or plastic, I have both. Only the stainless bezels for these light survived. Headlight outer rings. Stainless of painted. Chrome plated, stainless steel or painted hubcaps? Did your 4X4 come from the factory with OEM hubcaps or no caps? OEM box side extensions? Brake light, one or two? Turn signal was dealer installed, or not. Emergency flare box? Which one? Did you ever see an IHC pickup with a factory installed generator in the left front of the box? This was supposed to supply enough AC power to a small farm. If you can find one of these, you have probably the rarest option. This Gen-Set was optioned on some IHC tractors.
I talked to an IHC pickup owner who has a factory installed diesel in his pickup.
Automatic or standard? 3 or 4 speed? Parking brake on the floor or under the dash? Transfercase, one lever or two? Power steering? I had an IHC 0-4000 rpm tachometer in my R120??
The dashboard knobs may all be concave and the next year have convex (ball style) on the dash and concave on heater. It was not uncommon for IHC to take a row of completed trucks out of the factory storage compound and repaint then all for a county or big company order. Is my rare IHC crewcab fading to pink or turquoise? I don't know. Some crewcabs had four doors, mine has three doors. That will change to four doors.
The horn buttons come in several finishes, from plain to a stainless IH and I have a triple diamond from a 1952 L. What year and model often dictated the way the cab was mounted to the frame. We have two styles of cab mounting, possibly three, in stock. I have owned 14 IHC pickups from 1951 to 1953. The one thing I could count on was the possibility of mix and match and maybe little being the same. I have probably missed a few quirks and Bedrock Jon may know of more of them.

Thank you guys for all the help

Will post pictures as i continue

Your crewcab is so cool, Nikki.