My new tow rig

87manche · Apr 3, 2011

actually it's my first. Previously it's been on a borrowed trailer towed by a borrowed truck, which was always a PITA.

Enter International S 1600.

The ad on the website:

Cab is in good shape, doors seal well, windows work, some scrapes, but no major fiberglass damage.

Ugly bumper that needs some straightening/paint

Clean underbody/exhaust. Obviously it wasn't from OH.

Excellent Steer tires:

Marginal drives:

Newer interstates:

My 7.3:

notice the big Diesel Dealer sticker. I'm going to try and call them and find out exactly what was done.

My Air Compressor

It shows some work, newer oil/coolant lines. Maybe it was swapped with a junkyard unit?

This is the only problem spot on the box:

I hope it's just bubbled up under the vinyl. If not I'm going to have to figure out a way to repair it without replacing the whole panel.

Project MDT Toterhome has just began.

Fore Wheeler · Apr 3, 2011

What year? Guessing 90/91?

Non turbo?

Had a non t 7.3 in a tow truck I used to drive. Respectable fuel mileage. Hated hills.

Pat · Apr 3, 2011

That is fawesome for sure. You keeping that beast at your house?

What are your general functional/appearance plans?

97XJ2 · Apr 3, 2011

Fawesome indeed. I want to come up with a tow rig that meets the MWC standards of bus/chassis/motorhome, forget the 3/4 or 1 tons.

87manche · Apr 3, 2011

Fore Wheeler said:
What year? Guessing 90/91?

Non turbo?

Had a non t 7.3 in a tow truck I used to drive. Respectable fuel mileage. Hated hills.

89, 250K miles. 80K on heads, 35K on a rebuilt block, 100K on a rebuilt trans
7.3 navistar IDI no turbo.

Pat said:
That is fawesome for sure. You keeping that beast at your house?

What are your general functional/appearance plans?

I came to an agreement with a farmer friend to store it with his combine stuff. He's only in the barn twice a year.

97XJ2 said:
Fawesome indeed. I want to come up with a tow rig that meets the MWC standards of bus/chassis/motorhome, forget the 3/4 or 1 tons.

http://www.uhaul.com/Locations/Trucks-for-sale-near-Milwaukee-WI-53223/JH/750039

start shopping. they will take way less than what they're listed for. I'd start at 1500 if you make an offer.

I wish I could have a big uhaul center near me like the milwaukee one. You could have pick of the litter. There's 11 listed, about 8 are "running" Be wary of that. Take some diesel, and know how to make it ru if the fuel system is dry. It took me 3 or 4 hours, a few mouthfuls of diesel and a very bad day.

This one in particular has had a lot of motor work done just before it was retired.
http://www.uhaul.com/TruckSales/equipment/750039/JH8376U

87manche · Apr 5, 2011

87manche said:
89, 250K miles. 80K on heads, 35K on a rebuilt block, 100K on a rebuilt trans
7.3 navistar IDI no turbo.

SO I got the proper maintenance records today, and I stopped at the barn and picked up the logbook.

The motor is actually an entire drop in reman from Dealers Diesel, 35K miles on it.
The radiator is new, as are all of the hoses and belts.

Then I found something interesting that isn't listed in the electronic records, but is noted in the trucks logbook
It had an alignment 3K miles ago, but it shows a constant eating of batteries. I noticed after the alternator got warm that the voltage was creeping up. I suspect that I'm gong to need a new alternator. Must be the year for those. This one looks to be internally regulated, I'm going to try and find a local rebuilder before I order one. Even if I order it I can pick it up at the local uhaul place and it's $175.
Not bad considering how much other stuff has been done and I crossed off the prevantiive maintenance list.

Ghost · Apr 9, 2011

Nice. Will this beast be at the Crawl?

Super mud · Apr 9, 2011

So is this the same 7.3 they used to put in the fords except without a turbo? 35k on the reman sounds great. Should go another 250k right? lol

ctxjlimited · Apr 9, 2011

Super mud said:
So is this the same 7.3 they used to put in the fords except without a turbo? 35k on the reman sounds great. Should go another 250k right? lol

they put 7.3 non turbos in until 93 with indirect injection. In 93 they had an IDI turbo model, before they came out with the Powerstroke 7.3 direct injected turbo in mid 94

87manche · Apr 9, 2011

ctxjlimited said:
they put 7.3 non turbos in until 93 with indirect injection. In 93 they had an IDI turbo model, before they came out with the Powerstroke 7.3 direct injected turbo in mid 94

yep, it's old school IDI.
The international version is governed to 27-2800 RPM though. So we'll get there, just at 62.

Plans are to run it 50/50 diesel and waste motor oil. So it should give me a net 20 MPG of diesel. Hopefully that eases it's 10 MPG fuel economy.

I think the alternator killed the new batterries on the way home. It had juice on tues when I went to look at it, went out last night to check some numbers and I went to turn it over and there was nothing, not even a warning buzzer. So I'm just going to do new batteries and a new alt and call the electrical good. Thankfully there's an industrial battery rebuilder about 3 miles from my house, so $50x2= "new" batteries.

RedHeep · Apr 10, 2011

Looks like ass. It fits you

Ghost · Apr 10, 2011

RedHeep said:
Looks like ass. It fits you

Spoken like a true Bro! :wierd:

pajeepman · Apr 10, 2011

87manche said:
yep, it's old school IDI.
The international version is governed to 27-2800 RPM though. So we'll get there, just at 62.

Any way to change the governor to have a max speed the posted speed limit. I towed a CJ-10a from SC to PA on with a Ryder truck/trailer. It sucked not being able to do the speed limit.

macgyvr · Apr 10, 2011

This was ten years ago...who would've thought that it would still be popular...

mac 'i think it would do 65 downhill' gyvr

87manche · Apr 11, 2011

So, put the battery charger on it and it fired on the first bump of the key. Looks good for my injection system if it didn't leak down after a week. I pulled the batteries and they seem to be taking a charge. I'll load test them after they're fully charged and see what's up. "New" batteries are $30 at the local battery place.

The alternator is hosed. I need to take it to the local rebuilder to have it looked at.

RedHeep said:
Looks like ass. It fits you

I'm considering relabeling it J-Haul and keeping the orange, it's growing on me.

pajeepman said:
Any way to change the governor to have a max speed the posted speed limit. I towed a CJ-10a from SC to PA on with a Ryder truck/trailer. It sucked not being able to do the speed limit.

It's in the injection pump, and it runs so well I'm not messing with it. The speedo actually reads 75, so I suspect that the "rebuilt" third member was actually a salvage yard pick up from a dump truck or something and has 5.xx gears. No big deal, but if I can find a 4.33 rear end I'll be flying.

macgyvr said:
This was ten years ago...who would've thought that it would still be popular...

mac 'i think it would do 65 downhill' gyvr

That one was newer, they redesigned the nose in 91 and gave it the updated motor.

97XJ2 · Apr 12, 2011

The school buses I've driven usually had a 75 or 85 mph speedometer, they wouldn't get there despite trying (Various International's of your vintage and newer, manual trans'). I think that's like saying the speedo on the Corvette says 220, but it won't do it.

Or am I missing something.

87manche · Apr 12, 2011

97XJ2 said:
The school buses I've driven usually had a 75 or 85 mph speedometer, they wouldn't get there despite trying (Various International's of your vintage and newer, manual trans'). I think that's like saying the speedo on the Corvette says 220, but it won't do it.

Or am I missing something.

going down the road at 60, the speedo needle reads 75. So there's a very big discrepancy between the speedo gear and the speed the tires are tuning. The maintenance records show a "rebuilt" third member installed. I suspect the old one was trashed, and 4.33 thirds for these axles are hard to come by, so it probably got a 5.57 rear end or something similar from a dumptruck chassis.

If I can find a 4.33 third this pig will do 70 no sweat, but it's not high on the priority list. The deeper gears and lower speeds may actually help my mileage. I checked the fuel tank the other day and I bet I didn't use much more than 6 gallons worth to drive 75 miles home. I could definitly live with 12 MPG empty and 10 loaded @ 62 MPH.

I need to get the tiny tach ordered so I know what RPM's I'm turning at those speeds. It doesn't sound like it's governed at 2700, it really sings when you've got your foot in it. The records also show a new IP, so I guess it's possible it got a new IP that was rebuilt/governed for the Ford version of the motor. That would explain how I have deeper gears, but it will go faster than 55.

Right now my priorities are just to fix the electrical issues, do all of the fluids/filters and get the box built out so I'm a "legal" RV.

Ghost · Apr 12, 2011

So will the box be converted into a camper and you trailer tow the mj?

97XJ2 · Apr 12, 2011

87manche said:
going down the road at 60, the speedo needle reads 75. So there's a very big discrepancy between the speedo gear and the speed the tires are tuning.

Now that does make sense, I must have missed something.

shortxjdoug · Apr 12, 2011

Ghost said:
So will the box be converted into a camper and you trailer tow the mj?

From what I understand the box will serve as both.... very toyhauleresque if I may

My new tow rig

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