new toter....build thread to follow soon

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I called 4 State Trucks today and they have the sleeper, 2 seats and the side air foils for the sleeper conversion. They even have some of the late model interiors that I can get door panels and a new dash top that has the late model cup holers in it. I am going to make the trip down there after WF and get the stuff to get this project started..and the great thing is that my folks just live down the road a few miles so I can see them.

Nate, if you see this, go to their site and look at the sleepers and if you find one you want, I can pick it up on the same trailer when I go to get mine and we can get a parts convoy lined up sometime. :thumbup:
 
OK, so with my WF trip being cut short, I am back home and had a chance to mess with this yesterday for a few minutes. I had to run up to central Iowa for some parts for the hog barns (long story, some of you already know) and on my way back home I stopped by a junk yard that is rumored to have a few IH trucks and cheap parts. Well, rumors were right. I scored this complete chrome stack, heat shield, grab handle, muffler (not pictured), all the stainless clamps and all fo the factory mounts for the cab for $100!!! For anyone in the know..that is a STEAL! So here are a couple pics of yetserdays progress..as minimal as it may have been.

the stack....

stack.jpg


I also took the time and the heat gun and peeled off the prior owners business stickers etc. and cleaned up the outside a little.

The stack mocked into place.....

passenger.jpg


front shot and cleaned up.......

front.jpg


and a shot of the drivers side......

driver.jpg


It will be receiving the 60" sleeper in the coming weeks, so progress until then will be pretty much limited to cleaing up the interior and getting the old seat ect out and ready to swap in the new stuff. I am in search of a tilt steering column as well. I have everything to hook up the AC, so i may get to putting in the condenser and belt assembly on it to have that out of the way.
 
Man.. that thing is gonna end up Smexy....


I am kinda ignorant on the rules for those trucks... is it gonna titled as an RV?? or is it equipped some way you wouldn'
t be able to??
 
Howey, it will be registered/titled as a truck. I could possibly do it as an RV, but I really dont have a use to do that for. It will be mainly a truck I use around the farms as a toter, so the RV aspect would honestly be abusing that option. Some people will register their rigs as an RV to get around the CDL stuff I believe, but this truck luckily has the big motor (466) and still has hydro brakes, not air brakes. This is also a good thing b/c my wife does not have her CDL yet...not that she could not obtain one, hell she has been running trucks/equipment well before she was "legal" to drive them. She is actually my #1 driver during harvest! LOL
 
Spent a few hours today getting the stack plumbed in., I had to order a 3.5-4" coupler to get it done right, but I was able to shim it to get by today. Running it open stack until I find a new muffler that will fit under the sleeper area, but until the sleeper is on it I wont know exactly what space I am working with. It does sound mean right now, but I do want it to be a bit more toned down for the long road trips. I ran about 10 miles today and it is tolerable, but on a 400 mile trip I would be sick of hearing it!
 
I located a steel flat bed that is 8" wide by 11" long. It is actually a name brand bed (Scott) that is not a home made jobbie and it is really good shape minus some surface rust. The guy wants rid of it so I am hoping to have it picked up by Sunday. I will need to cut the headache rack off it it and build a custom one to fit with the sleeper. A quick shot with the power washer and a thick coat of Rustoleum and it will be good to go for all practical purposes. I will eventually install some under body boxes etc.

fb.jpg


The sleeper I decided to go with was a few $ more then the cheapest ones, but it has a decent interior and has all the cab-to-sleeper fairings and the rear sleeper fairings. I will have to paint it since it is red (as seen in the pics) but that wont take too much time or effort to scuff it and shoot it white with some implement paint.

sleeper.jpg
 
haha, I want too, trust me! I have to make arrangemenst to get the bed and the guy told me at lunch that they are only open and able to help load the bed monday-friday...which screws me b/c it is 3 hours away and I have to be at work at the day job. I may send one of the hired hands down w/ the GN to pick the bed up next week. The sleeper will be about 2-3 weeks out due to being in Joplin and I have to take time off from work to go down there. I am hoping to get that done in 2 weeks but we will see. I have a buddy down there that I can probably talk in to picking it all up and possibly holding it for me or hauling it up to me for $, but I really want to see it in person before I spend any $.
 
I found a custom hauler bed that came off a twin screw Freightliner that was used to haul an RV. It is at the local farm machinery auction lot and it was there last fall too and it was a no-sale item. I called the auctioneer today and he said it will be an absolute sale item. I think I can get it bought for under a grand and with very minimal work to be done to it. I will just get a few sheets of polished aluminum diamond tread to skirt the sides with and it will be sweet. I am going to go out there this evening to take some more measurements and photos. I hate waiting and it will be the end of the month before the auction :(
 
well I barely made it out there this evening to get pics and measuremenst before dark, but I did snap these 2 pics. It is about 2 ft longer then I really need, so it will be easier to take the length off the front and shorten it up that way. Sorry for the craptastic photo quality....

back of bed w/ recessed GN alley and nicely bobbed/quartered rear angles

bed1.jpg


Here is a side profile that shows it will need some side trim work to cover the extra wheel opening and it will have to be painted either black or white to match the truck. It does have new Rhino liner on the deck and the lower step. It actually belongs to the owner of the auction company and he said it was a $5000 bed a few years back.....:rolleyes:

bed2.jpg
 
worked on running the 7 wire tail light cable to the back of the frame plus left an extra 3 feet on it and started wiring up the tail lights this evening. I have the standard yellow, brown, green and blue, but the other 3 wires that are on the truck side of the loom are not matching the standard colors. I believe they are yellow, white and orange. I want to trace them back to see where they come from, but I ran out of light tonight. I found an old set of mud flaps and a cross bar to throw on there so I can go get it inspected this week. It does not have to look pretty, it just has to pass. The bed will auction on the last saturday of this month, so I am in a holding pattern until then. I may run to Joplin next week and get the sleeper picked up and at least get that going. So far total investment:

truck-$2000
chrome stack and assembly-$100
flex pipe, clamps and adapter-$140
tail lights, wire-$60
air freshners-$2 :D

grand total=$2302

sleeper is going to be @ $400 or less and hoping to get the bed for less then $1000.
 
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believe it or not, I have not consumed any nachos during this process. I ran out of Cheese after WF and have not restocked yet. Now beer....that is another subject :cheers:
 
Got the bed bought today. I met with the owner and we settled upon a price of $800. It will take 2-400$ to get it where I need it to be to work on my truck, but still that is way ahead of a new bed. I will go and get it this weekend I hope. It is a heavy thing and I am wondering if I will have enough loader power to lift it. May have to go get Camilles dads bigger tractor and loader. I am going to Joplin a week from next Monday to get the sleeper and do a little other business while down there...so my end goal is to have this thing ready for the SMORR trip in late April.

Cheese "getting closer" Man
 
well, the build thread may be coming to a quick close...the welding shop that is putting the bed on just offered me 3 TIMES WHAT I PAID!! I think I am going to sell it to them and not look pack....to be continued!!
 
Do it!!! that's a lot of mula and you still got the ferd and gooseneck to tow with
 
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