[Highway OPie]

It took ten years of searching for me to find my "perfect" truck; it was worth the effort and wait. Mine had 879,000 miles on it, a rebuilt transmission, "the best ever made" Cat C-15 6NZ engine, although no maintenance records were available. I thank the "mechanical gods" every day that I waited to find this unit. It has not been flawless, but its been pretty darn good! I have added another 10,000 miles during the past year. No major problemsd with engine, trans, or rear end.

Thnigs I did do? New drive tires to get rid of the recaps (lost the left outside rear at 60 mph, not a pleasant experience); new brake chambers all around; complete oil and fluids change; replaced the clutch linkage bar (no adjustment left and the flywheel brake was not engaging). That's about it, mechanically. Of course, this was all done in addition to extending the frame, dropping the front drivers, and adding the 16' box.

I have found working with these big trucks is that things take twice as long and cost twice as much as you expect, whether you do it yourself or have someone do it for you. Conversely, when things are done right, they will last a LONG time.

I would make two suggestions to you:

First, take the unit to an International dealer for an evaluation inspection and them go over it with a fine tooth comb. What's needed immediately, and what needs to be done sometime in the future. Make a list.

Second, regardless of engine or transmission you get, purchase ONLY a "pre-emmissions" vehicle. For my Peterbilt and Cat, this means the newest years are going to be 2003/2004. Stay away from twin-turbos, ACERT, and any emmissions based engines; they are problematic.

With your '99 International, this will not be an issue, regardless of the engine. However, an electronically controlled engine is better than a mechanically controlled one. For Cat, that means stick with a C-15, not a 3406. Talk to your International dealer, find some fellow back in the shop would be best, and listen to what he says.

One last point I have found through my "experience" so far. These class 8 rigs, when converted, are hardly "working" at all going down the road. You are not taxing or straining the drivetrain. They will last a long, long time if given basic maintence once you get all the bugs out. My pyro never goes over 600 degrees; my trans temp seldom over 150. Manifold pressure never over 20 psi and running down the road its like 5! These engines are just not working hard in our type of application.

Get a good one you like, and take care of it!

Sorry this was so windy!