1973 Dodge D800 549 cid? What should I expect???

[mymtnhauler]

My old man came across a 1973 D800 with a 549 V8 for sale. Does anyone here have any info on this truck, or were I could find a site on this truck?

 

[Bill Stockard]

My old man came across a 1973 D800 with a 549 V8 for sale. Does anyone here have any info on this truck, or were I could find a site on this truck?

The only thing I know about it is the engine. It's an I-H engine, and if it's in good condition and tuned correctly, it will pull like a NTC250 Cummins... if you can afford the gasoline it would take. The other powertrain components are probably still be available; however, the cab parts may be difficult to source.



Bill

 

[mwilson]

Carburetor condition is my first concern, I recall them being very hard to find 20 years ago.



Enough gasoline goes through the bore that it will wear them out, a carb kit will not bring them back. Also due to the governor being part of the carb it makes it a challenge to make a standard Holley work as I recall. Check the web for carb availability if you get a chance.



As Bill says, they will pull but there was a reason back in the day that those trucks were equipped with at least 3 fuel tanks... ... .



These is stuff from back when I was a kid hanging around our dealership so these details could be a little fuzzy... ... .....



Good Luck...

Mike.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Carburetor condition is my first concern, I recall them being very hard to find 20 years ago.



Enough gasoline goes through the bore that it will wear them out, a carb kit will not bring them back. Also due to the governor being part of the carb it makes it a challenge to make a standard Holley work as I recall. Check the web for carb availability if you get a chance.



Mike.

Yep, all of the above is true and that's why I mentioned "tuned correctly" Before I retired 18 years ago, V549 engine parts were getting more difficult to source. Most of those old engines went to scrap years ago. Diesel power rapidly replaced them. I can't imagine anyone actually paying money for a truck like that... I don't think it would bring very much for used parts except "by the pound".



In the late 50s, every grain hauler in TX and Ok owned either an IH R-190 with a RD450 straight 6 or a IH V-220 with a V478V549 or a White Mustang with a straight 8.



Bill

 

[JMetzger]

I remember when I worked for IH in the 60's they were not the most reliable engines around. They would pull like a son of a gun but we had a trucking co in Danville, Il that had a ton of trouble with them. We put two 549's in Danville's fire trucks & they were were not that great. IH Even put in the dual ignition. I always thought the old 450 was a much better engine. I bet like everyone has said parts would be next to impossible to obtain.

 

[mwilson]

In the late 50s, every grain hauler in TX and Ok owned either an IH R-190 with a RD450 straight 6 or a IH V-220 with a V478V549 or a White Mustang with a straight 8.



Bill

Now you are getting back there, we sold a pile of "V" and "R" series trucks. We also sold some of the "M" series if you recall that one and many of those were powered by the V549 as well.



There was something about the powertrain if the truck was equipped with the 5 and 4 transmission with tandem IH rears that made them whine at road speed.



I could tell one coming a couple of miles away due to the singing whine... .



Mike.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Now you are getting back there, we sold a pile of "V" and "R" series trucks. We also sold some of the "M" series if you recall that one and many of those were powered by the V549 as well.



There was something about the powertrain if the truck was equipped with the 5 and 4 transmission with tandem IH rears that made them whine at road speed.



I could tell one coming a couple of miles away due to the singing whine... .



Mike.

You must have been hanging around (working) in an I-H dealership to know that stuff. I hadn't thought about the cranky governor in the big Holley carb in a long time. Do you remember the dual ignition V-549s?



A lot of the "M" series in our part of the country were used in redimix concrete service. There was a cabover model of the V-220 with a V478/V549, but I've got a mental block on the model number. It was a real sweat box in the summer.



Yep, I know what you mean about the 5 and 4 with tandem rear axle. Also, I could tell from a distance when I heard a loaded RD450 6-cylinder pulling a long hill. They had a unique sound pulling at their low RPM.



I think we are giving away our age... :-laf



Bill

 

[mwilson]

Yes, I grew up at a small dealership in Maine. The truck lot was my playground many afternoons.



I used to study that stuff closely, I knew the minute they changed a light switch design, a diffferent turn signal (Rectangular, 1 year only. 1967. ) for example. Weird stuff like that.



We sold the full line, even had the tractors for a while.



My mother ran the Parts Dept. so I learned the card system with the different color flags indicating stock order, back order, unobtainium, etc.



Learned the parts system as well, the dire need for a Line Setting Ticket, BTW the forerunner of Freightliners way of doing things as well.



Also spent many hours with the mechanics learning tricks of the trade, I still remember people *****ing about switching from Hydraulic to Air Brakes.



"I'm not going to have air enough to stop this truck" etc.

Funny when you think back on it.





I watched that ignorant, stupid board of directors in the mid-70's dismember that wonderful company into a million pieces.



Stopped making pick-ups, then Scouts (forerunner of the modern day Suv's) and then let go of the ag and industrial divisions.



What a sad thing.



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

That mixer would be a VC-220 I think.



Or in old nomenclature VCF-220 or VCOF-220 if it was a tandem.



VCOF might have been the Emeryville Series. (I think)



We are showing our age, kinda' scary how much of it I can recall.



I only ever saw one dual ignition V549 and that was in a fire truck.



Mike.

 

[Bill Stockard]

That mixer would be a VC-220 I think.



Or in old nomenclature VCF-220 or VCOF-220 if it was a tandem.



VCOF might have been the Emeryville Series.



I think.....



Mike.

IIRC, the Emeryvilles were DCO and DCOF with tandems. I saved and boxed up some of my old data books and literature when I retired. I may have to look for the box (we moved to northeast TX since then) and check the old brochures... . now you got me to wondering. :-laf



I sold the local county road and bridge department a fleet of F1910s right before the RD450 was discontinued. They wanted a big gasoline engine tandem axle 12-14 yard dump truck. The didn't want diesel and since it was taxpayer money they weren't too concerned about the fuel cost. Those trucks did the job and they ran them pretty much trouble free for many years.



They were sick and tired of the throw away Ford and GM 5-6 yd. dump trucks with automobile engines.



Bill

 

[mwilson]

Now that I have wrecked the OP's origional thread might as well keep going. . :-laf



Grew up in an area with heavy winter snowfall and drifting. We used to sell each town in the area at least one R190 4X4 with either the Coleman or Marmon-Harrington front drive axle powered by the RD450.



Put a V-Plow and dual wings on them to break the roads open, drivers would tell us that you could hear each piston going up and down when they were crawling along busting drifts..... but they kept on going.



Harvey will be traveling the same roads during his Northeast tour next month that the old guys used to haul pulpwood on with these same R and V series trucks, many of them had single axles and a set of tags (called dolly wheels back then), hydraulic brakes with a single section master cylinder and climbing a lot of hills in 1st gear hoping that the truck didn't stall out from lack of power.



Those were not the days... ...



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

Look what I found at lunchtime. .



Dodge Truck Brochure... Not much difference from the regular interior and deluxe interior..... Also question the LCF statement "A mechanics dream with the large removeable doghouse", looks great until you have to pull number 3 or 4 piston and liner... ... :-laf



1971 Dodge Heavy Duty Gas and Diesel Truck Brochure (LCF C and COE L Series)



Engine choice page... . you could order a Cummins NH or a 2 Stroke Detroit Diesel 238 or pull out all the stops and get a 318 if the 478 or 549 gassers weren't big enough.....



#ad




Mike.

 

[mwilson]

A lot of the "M" series in our part of the country were used in redimix concrete service. There was a cabover model of the V-220 with a V478/V549, but I've got a mental block on the model number. It was a real sweat box in the summer.



Bill

Found it, this seems to be the only one with the 549, six cyl trucks were branded CO rather than VCO. The CO series offered the RD-450 and RD-501 engines.



1956 International VCO220 COE Truck Brochure | eBay



Mike.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Found it, this seems to be the only one with the 549, six cyl trucks were branded CO rather than VCO. The CO series offered the RD-450 and RD-501 engines.



1956 International VCO220 COE Truck Brochure | eBay



Mike.

Mike,



Yep, that's it. There were quite a few of the VCOs sold with the V549 dual ignitions sold as fire trucks in our area. They could pump a lot of water for pumper trucks in that era.



Bill

 

[NIsaacs]

Emeryville!! Jeeze, I haven't heard that word in forever:-laf Wasn't that truck super ugly with a hood a foot longer then a well rope? Also wasn't the DC models the first of the tilt-hoods, and kinda short?



I got lotsa miles in a single drive mid sixtys model IHC pulling a single axle 34 foot livestock trailer. It had the 549 with a 5 and 2 spd. The rancher I worked for also had a new 1970 L900 Ford Single drive with an identical trailer, it had the 534 gas and same transmission/2 spd. We had some fun drag races at 65 mph max, also we learned to power shift them so the governor would not kick in and delay the acceleration by ten seconds:-laf



Nick

 

[Mhannink]

ok guys you are old. im fascinated by the converstation i love the truly old school ways, but good lord ya'll that was a long time ago. my parents where still living with their parents at that time.

 

[Bill Stockard]

ok guys you are old. im fascinated by the converstation i love the truly old school ways, but good lord ya'll that was a long time ago. my parents where still living with their parents at that time.

:-laf:-laf:-laf



Hey, those weren't the good ol' days, they were the hard ol' days.



Yep, we got a little off the subject of the original post...



Bill

 

[mwilson]

:-laf:-laf:-laf



Hey, those weren't the good ol' days, they were the hard ol' days.



Yep, we got a little off the subject of the original post...



Bill

My sincerest apologies to the OP for kinda' hijacking his 549 question.



But it was still fun, can't apologize for that.



Mike.

 

[Mhannink]

:-laf:-laf:-laf



Hey, those weren't the good ol' days, they were the hard ol' days.



Yep, we got a little off the subject of the original post...



Bill

from what my uncle tells me (he's your generation) we youngens arent mowing new grass. in essence times where no different then than they are now.



as for being off subject im guessing its probably ok. i think any gear head loves to hear about how things used to work.

 

[Bill Stockard]

from what my uncle tells me (he's your generation) we youngens arent mowing new grass. in essence times where no different then than they are now.

Yep, in another 30-40 years you will sound just like us... :-laf



Bill