Restoration process included modern updates like air conditioning, power windows and a towing package
Eight years ago, Hunter Wight retired and figured he’d enjoy tinkering with an old truck. He went out and bought a tired 1947 International KB3. “I thought I could make something run, and use it to run chores,” the Calgarian says, and laughs, “I’m sure this is a familiar story, but after I got the International project truck and took a good look at it, my aspirations collided with my mechanical skills.”
Wight grew up in Richvale, now a Toronto community, but back then Richvale was in the middle of nowhere, however his dad had no interest in owning a car. “He’d walk a mile to catch a bus downtown, and he did that every day of the week,” says Wight, who unlike his father loved cars and trucks. He surrounded himself with friends who had vehicles, and he’d help them perform many mechanical chores.
His own first car was a 1952 DeSoto, owned before he had a driver’s permit. Once he got his licence, he bought a Morris Minor and then his first new car, a 1965 Plymouth Satellite two-door hardtop.
“My tinkering was limited to adjusting carbs and setting points, and after moving to Calgary in 1974, all of my vehicles were strictly daily drivers and I never got a hobby car,” Wight explains, adding he still yearned for an old truck with plenty of character that he could drive. In 2016, Wight started watching eBay Motors.
“I wasn’t looking for a particular make or model, and certainly not an International,” he says. “I actually didn’t really know what they were.”
But when an eBay seller located just north of Edmonton listed a ’47 International KB3, Wight took a good look at the pictures and bid. He won. “The KB3 captured my imagination, and I bought it sight unseen,” he says. “I had it trucked down to Calgary and landed it at home in my garage.”
Last plated in 1971, the International offered a solid starting point. It was mostly complete with bumpers, grille and trim and there wasn’t any major rust damage. However, the bed was in rough shape and the tailgate was missing. “The more I looked, the more I realized I didn’t really know where to start and it was beyond the scope of my ability,” Wight says.
Fortunately, through a mutual friend, Wight met full-time engineer and part-time builder George Kutay. Kutay looked at the KB3 and saw potential. He agreed to take it on, and working in a borrowed shop, he began the task of building an International hot rod.
Introduced in 1940, the International K-series of trucks was offered in a variety of wheelbase dimensions, bed lengths and carrying capacities. Early K trucks were powered by one of two available inline six-cylinder L-head engines of 214 or 175 cubic-inch capacity. Gearbox was a three-speed or optional four-speed. The KBs were launched in 1947 and featured only the larger engine. The KB3 was a one-ton truck sold with the 8.5-foot-long box.
“When we first started working on the truck, we talked about putting the cab and box on a Chevy S10 or Jimmy chassis, but the box length wouldn’t allow us to do that,” Wight explains. “I knew I had to do something with the frame to get a better front end, but I liked the stretched look of the truck with that long box.”
Enter Art Morrison Enterprises, or AME, in Fife, Washington. Kutay sent specifications to the custom chassis builder and was told a frame could be built to underpin the International with a much lower ride height. When the frame arrived Kutay began mocking up the truck using top-grade suspension components with Wilwood spindles and disc brakes behind wheels from Detroit Steel Wheel Co. Kutay got a GM Ram Jet 350, new from the crate bolted up to a brand-new Tremec T56 six-speed transmission, to fit under the stylish hood. The gas tank was moved from the cab to behind the rear axle and under the box.
During the build process, Kutay creatively solved many different problems. For instance, Wight wanted a trailer towing package, power windows and air conditioning – features the KB3 never had. Kutay installed a Vintage Air unit with all its ductwork and vents. Then, with no room left in the dash for a sound system, Kutay sourced a marine radio which he mounted in a console above the windshield. “George really is a problem solver,” Wight says.
After the truck was mocked up it was disassembled and body pieces were shipped to Ontario for acid dipping where all signs of original red paint and surface rust were stripped. Wight hired a young lad to weld up some holes, fit a universal-style tailgate and perform all bodywork before laying down a two-tone red and black paint scheme. The red is based on Wight’s 2012 Subaru.
“From day one I simply wanted an old beater I could tinker with,” Wight says. “After all the time and effort that’s the one thing that never changed. I admire the show and shine guys, but I wanted a vehicle I can drive on a regular basis, one I could drive to Kelowna or Home Depot to pick up a load of lumber.”
Objective achieved now with some 7,000 kilometres on the International’s odometer, Wight concludes, “The truck’s quick and corners like a Camaro.”
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or [email protected]
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