Peterbilt 387 Motorhome

spooner · 11-25-2005, 10:25 PM

just started another project;
turning this sleek 2002 Pete 387 (C15, Autoshift) into a (36' overall) motorhome

here is a computer generated pic of how it will look like when finished :

for more pics click here

WalliK · 11-25-2005, 11:10 PM

Nice pics... do I see correct there are 2 stories? Whats the overall height and whats the height of the upper deck? Is that really low for sleeping only?

I do like the 36 overall lenght. short and easy.

Camping Dutchman · 11-26-2005, 05:32 AM

goig to look sweet all rounded...

EdMike · 11-26-2005, 07:13 AM

Thats one fine looking truck spooner! Can't wait to see pictures of this one finished...actually I'm still waiting on pictures of the other one!

How about setting a webcam up in your shop, looks like there'd always be something to see on it!

spooner · 11-26-2005, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by WalliK:
Nice pics... do I see correct there are 2 stories? Whats the overall height and whats the height of the upper deck? Is that really low for sleeping only?

I do like the 36 overall lenght. short and easy.

WallyK
yes, 2 stories (actualy 1 1/2

):
the front of the conversion frame is very low profile (5" step down from cab floor) and the rear part with the side entry/mudroom and bathroom/toilette is lowered by another two steps (18") with flat gray (100 gallons) and black (40 gallons) tanks under it (10")
the master (kingsize) bed will be over the 84" high bathroom and will have 40" ceiling height and stairs leading up to it.
the J-sofa in the front can be converted to a bed and there is also a 32"x 80" bunkbed with 36" ceiling height over it. one more bunk bed will be on top of the storage cabinets on the other side of the kitchen.
the roof (~13'2" tall) is completely flat with nothing on it; the truck will have two basement AC units and a basement mounted (and diesel fueled) "Aquahot" heat and hot water unit.
not sure right now but maybe one of the new "ultra flat" self tracking sat dishes (IIRC only 5" tall) will be in a small well in the rear.
fresh water storage is 150 gallon and there will also be another grey tank for the kitchen sink.

here is the rough floorplan:
387 floorplan (click on it for a larger pic)
very unusual

WalliK · 11-26-2005, 11:34 AM

Wow.. had to read your post like 3 times and look at the floorplan to get it all.

Questions:
The master is open to below or enclosed?
As it seems you drop the whole coach, is there still basement storage after all the tanks, A/Cs and Aquahot?
You going all electric or keep small LPG just for cook top?
Seems the inside in the front area where there is no second story for master must be really high. What about A/C and heat and insulation?

Last question - when is it ready so I can order mine?

vapoppa · 11-26-2005, 10:58 PM

spooner, thats real similar in a lot of ways to my kingsley. the c15 with the autoshift is the same as mine, what rear gear will it have? ours is a 3.08 and it's killer, IMHO, our mileage on the trip this past summer was around 9.00 mpg. can't wait to see how it goes. ---- mase

Marc · 11-27-2005, 12:01 PM

WOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I have to stop looking at these type of very HIGH QUALITY conversions and be happy with what I have. VERY VERY NICE !!!!!!!

Marc · 11-27-2005, 12:03 PM

Mr.Spooner, Just wondering is it around 500K

spooner · 11-27-2005, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcdrill:
Mr.Spooner, Just wondering is it around 500K

oh no .... its a lot less

...it depends on things like the truck used as a base, size of diesel genset, style of waterheater (the diesel "Aquahot" water and room heater is $6k+ alone

) size and style of AC,.....this one will be well under $200k

vapoppa · 11-27-2005, 02:58 PM

spooner, the price is one place where yours and mine really differ. mine was a bunch more. but thats a good thing for you and those buying from you. i'm impressed/depressed!--- mase

spooner · 11-28-2005, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by WalliK:
Wow.. had to read your post like 3 times and look at the floorplan to get it all.

Questions:
The master is open to below or enclosed?
As it seems you drop the whole coach, is there still basement storage after all the tanks, A/Cs and Aquahot?
You going all electric or keep small LPG just for cook top?
Seems the inside in the front area where there is no second story for master must be really high. What about A/C and heat and insulation?

Last question - when is it ready so I can order mine?

WalliK
right now the plan for the masterbed is to have it open (SS railing for safety) with only a small wall in the area of the bunk bed. may change when we get closer to building that area.
remember, this is not a truck for full-time camping; it is more like a high mobile (and fast moving

) toy hauling weekend house (will get a matching ~25' enclosed trailer for the toys)
the owner is a good friend and customer of us (he already has a LS1 powered dune buggy from us) so the truck will see a lot of dirt/desert roads and camping next to sand dunes. thats the reason why there is no slideouts; they are too much trouble.
there is not much basement storage left...but there is lots of storage room in the inside and in the trailer for extra stuff.
there will be two LPG tanks for the cooktop (regular home style and not one of the small RV ones) and the doubledoor fridge.
most likely we will run 2-4 solar panels flat on the roof (lots of free solarpower in the desert

), a 2.5kw Xantrex inverter and a 7.5kw diesel generator.
yes, the inside will be very roomy . 9' ceiling height and the finished inside will be 96" wide (100" outside)
the floor and roof have 2" and the walls have 1.5" insulation. the diesel "Aquahot" is not only a continuous/on-demand water heater; it has also 2 heating outputs for up to 6 heat exchangers that can be placed everywhere for multible-zone heating (check it out at
for cooling we will run two basement 14000 btu straight cooling AC units.
we will also reuse the factory sleeper HVAC unit (ducted to the passenger seats in the rear)

you can order yours anytime

... just bring me a used "387"

spooner · 11-28-2005, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vapoppa:
spooner, thats real similar in a lot of ways to my kingsley. the c15 with the autoshift is the same as mine, what rear gear will it have? ours is a 3.08 and it's killer, IMHO, our mileage on the trip this past summer was around 9.00 mpg. can't wait to see how it goes. ---- mase

Vapoppa
this one is not as fast as yours

she has 3.55 and the very plush "Pete low air leaf" rears...will cruise at 1300 rpm/65mph.

we need to have the Autoshift reprogrammed for RV use (starts in 2nd and does not skip gears) but thats no big deal
i love the C15; easy hits 75mph on a average highway on-ramp

(IMHO very important here in AZ where the trucks drive 75+mph)

WalliK · 11-28-2005, 10:12 AM

Quote:

you can order yours anytime ... just bring me a used "387"

Yea, that and another about 140K....

Thanks for detailed info.

As you mentioned the truck will spend most of its time with trailer and in desert, why did you remove the twin? Needed more basement space? Or you do not need the extra traction and rear axle capacity?

spooner · 11-28-2005, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by WalliK:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> you can order yours anytime ... just bring me a used "387"

Yea, that and another about 140K....

Thanks for detailed info.

As you mentioned the truck will spend most of its time with trailer and in desert, why did you remove the twin? Needed more basement space? Or you do not need the extra traction and rear axle capacity? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
WalliK
we can also build you just the bare shell and you build the inside yourself

we dropped the twin for many reasons;
-the truck will be fairly short (35-36') and light (no slideouts) so the 12k front and one 20k rear are fine
-regular CA "class C" DL legal (for a 3 axle RV you need a "non commercial class A" CDL)
-space and weight (a axle is ~2000+lbs and with the lowered rear we need the extra basement space)
-trailer will be a lightweight toybox (reg. CA DL max legal trailer weight is 10000lbs...15000lbs with "non commercial" CDL)

the goal on this truck is to have a safe, fast (outside CA

) and somewhat nimble truck/moho that can tow the toybox up and down (3 stage Jakebrake

) the 6%+ grades here in the west like its flat ground.
we travel a lot together with the owner to places like Corral Pink dunes UT and Little Sahara dunes UT...his MDT (GMC 7500/C7/allison) was just not up to it in speed and ride comfort. (IMHO MDTs are a waste of money...skip them and go straight to a HDT

)

vapoppa · 11-28-2005, 01:33 PM

spooner, ours is 39'- 6" oal. are you going to add skip shifting or have it blocked? i'm crazy 'bout mine. the handling is going to be very good, IMHO, mine drives great and is not awful in town. the tandem would have added 50 to 60 inches of space in the wheel wells wouldn't it? yours is probably the best looking coach i've ever seen. no offense, bill, or anybody else for that matter.---- mase

Gary Atsma · 11-28-2005, 05:43 PM

IMHO MDTs are a waste of money...skip them and go straight to a HDT

AMEN, Bro'!! Especially since HDT's can usually be had for the same or LESS money! It's a no-brainer....

spooner · 11-29-2005, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vapoppa:
spooner, ours is 39'- 6" oal. are you going to add skip shifting or have it blocked? i'm crazy 'bout mine. the handling is going to be very good, IMHO, mine drives great and is not awful in town. the tandem would have added 50 to 60 inches of space in the wheel wells wouldn't it? yours is probably the best looking coach i've ever seen. no offense, bill, or anybody else for that matter.---- mase

Vapoppa
thank you, i realy appreciate it

the whole project would not be possible without the trust of the truck owners; our friends and customers Kim & Roland

.
the truck is a prototype and we have some very unusual ideas for it

.... it takes guts to give your truck to somebody with a cut-off grinder in one hand and a sawzall in the other

spooner · 11-29-2005, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gary Atsma:
IMHO MDTs are a waste of money...skip them and go straight to a HDT

AMEN, Bro'!! Especially since HDT's can usually be had for the same or LESS money! It's a no-brainer....

Gary
why didnt you tell me that 4 years ago when we did the mistake and got that international 4900 MDT

J/K

Gary Atsma · 11-29-2005, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spooner:
why didnt you tell me that 4 years ago when we did the mistake and got that international 4900 MDT

J/K

Sorry, man, but four years ago I would have made the same mistake!?!? We all learn with time... and more time..... and more time.....;-)
I see, though, that you're making a brilliant recovery. That 387 is gonna be NICE! I'm gonna have to see that sucker IN PERSON when it's done! Your pic of the "completed" rig is inspiration for what I am still "dreamwheeling". Keep us updated on all doings in this regard.
Gary

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