Repowering a 1940 Farmall B with a V-8 pickup engine produced what Kermit and Stuart Heckenlaible call their "International Super B".

The Freeman, S. Dak., father and son used a 266 cu. in. V-8 out of a late 1960's International pickup to repower the tractor. To make room for the pickup engine, they had to lengthen the hood by 5 in.

"We also had to modify the sides of the hood to clear the engine's valve covers," says Stuart. "The exhaust system also had to be reworked so the muffler would come out the original hole in the hood."

Key to success, however, was finding a way to adapt the V-8 to the bolt pattern in the bell housing of the tractor's transmission.

"I took the center line of where the 4-cyl. engine had been and positioned the V-8 off the same line," Stuart says. "Everything is in correct proportion from the transmission all the way to the front hand crank-shaft."

To match the engine to the bell housing, the men fabricated a 30-in. long, oval-shaped center housing out of 1/4-in. thick steel. It runs from the rear of the motor to the transmission and accommodates the tractor's original clutch linkage.