Building your own Truck Conversion

[jt3411]

Just getting started on this project anyone is welcome to learn with this experience or put there 2 cents in.

[jt3411]

i'm building a 28 ft conversion with an overhead bunk. i still haven't found a truck yet. i'm trying to find a class 8 truck around 15.000 or less , min 375 horse, air ride, ac, alum rims, non itegral cab but not necessary tandeem axles NO SINGLE AXLE !!! i'm going to be pulling a 32 foot tag with 2 race cars and i know 2 people who have simular rigs with only 1 car and they CAN'T GET ON THE TURNPIKE BECAUSE THE REAR AXLE EXCEEDS 21000 LBS this could be a inconvience in your traveling tring to find alternate routes.plus another person i talked to who has 1 of each said that the tandeem rides and handles much better
i like the freightliners but don't ask a trucker theyed tell ya you gotta have a peterbuilt or kenworth
i'm going to get started on the box first
here is the list of tubing i ordered to start
the box the main rails are 5x3x1/4wall square tubing, the cross flooring is 3 inch I beam (5.7#) every 2 foot on center with 3x2x1/4wall
square tubing running down each side of that
the total floor width is 97 inches so that after the wood interior walls are applied it will be 8 ft wide the walls will be 2x2x.083 square tubing that will run outside of that which will make the outside 100". the walls will be 16"oc and run from the roof to the bottom of storage doors the roof will be 2x2
2'oc it might overkill but the truck will probally get the same mpg for the couple of extra pounds and i'll feel safe with my family onboard i think of it as cheap insurance.the steel ran me $1100 shop around the first place i called was $400 more I'll cut my windows and door in when i confirm my layout
i'll be glad to share my sources of materials as i go i'm also going to put a slide out in also i like the new glide room check out liftco.net the opening and floor with electric opener is available in different sizes for $100-1500 out of elkart, indiana also in elkart the rv capital of the world big savings on every thing you can imagine http://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/
watch for photos and updates

[James]

JT,
Sorry I missed this when you first postsed. Hope you're still looking for answers.
The first sentence in the description of the truck says "I'm trying to find a class 8 truck around 15.000 or less". This sentence reads "I want a brand new truck". This is because a class 8 truck is designed to turn in excess of 5,000 miles a week and, in a team operation, does just that. Singles can average close to 4,000. This means, single or team, sometime within the first 6 weeks of a trucks life, it's going to hit your magic 15,000 mile cut-off. A truck isn't evern starting to reach break-in until it reaches 25,000 miles or more.
The truck you want is out there if you drop the 15,000 mile requirement.
Select Trucks in both Orlano and Tampa have factory reconfigured 1999 Freightliner Century Class trucks. They have less than 500,000 miles each which means they have around 500,000 miles left before any major work should be necessary (eg. in-frame rebuild). They also are covered by Freightliners Select Warantee for 1 year or 100,000 miles, which ever comes first.
You can also go to your local Freightliner Select Trucks dealer and spec the truck you want to reconfigure.
Understand, when purchasing a used tractor for your conversion, you will never find the perfect truck to fulfill your needs "as is". Wou will need to either adapt the truck to fit your needs or adapt your needs to fit the truck. In your situation, the former is the prescribed course of action. Freightliners reconfiguration program is, by far, the easiest way to to get what you need from the existing used truck glut.
Of course, you could also go new. Cost is the disadvantage here. A new Freightliner configured for your needs(daycab, tandem axle rated for 40,000lbs. 300+ inch wheelbase etc.) would run in the neighborhood of $100K. Pete and KW would be even more.
Meanwhile, a used Freightliner, reconfigured to meet your needs, would cost less than half that.

[Patrick]

Ditto what James said. I paid $26,500 for my 98' Century.

[Warpath]

James -

I think he meant he was looking for a truck for $15,000.

jt3411 -

Keep us posted as you move along, you have alot of work a head of you. Are you going with aluminum skin or FRP ? If aluminum how will you be securing (solid sheet or sections?) Be sure to post pictures!! I originally considered building myself, but after the cab refurb, I knew I never would have enough hours in a day to get it done. Also my down fall was seeing a Show Hauler and again I realized there was no way I could come close to building it as well and as perfect as they do.

Good luck

Bill

2003 28' Show Hauler Motorhome on a 1995 FL 120 www.showhauler.com

[James]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by warpath:
James -

I think he meant he was looking for a truck for $15,000.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<Wiping the egg off my face>

You know Warpath? I think you may be right.
Well. It made sense while I was writing it.
If it was $15,000 instead of 15K miles, I can only say I wouldn't go that way. The saying holds true here. You get what you pay for. If you spend $15K on a rig, you'll end up spending another $15K+/- to get it right. Might as well spend the $30K up front and be done with it.

[Warpath]

jt3411 -

James is correct in saying you get what you pay for. If you go in the photo gallery and look under my username "warpath" you will see the tranformation of my 1995 FLD120 which I paid just under what you are looking at. I will say at this point I probably have the most tricked out 1995 FLD120 on the planet, but I kinda wish I would have gone with a newer style FL or Volvo. You will end up paying quite a bit in updating & getting all the systems 100%.

As you will see in the photo's I completely gutted my truck, even the dash came out to be cleaned. I just could not see having a old cab with a new conversion. I have done a ton of stuff since then, all kinds of chrome bezels, toggle levers, switches, added led lights outside. I'll post some new pic's Monday. Here is pic from a couple of weeks ago.



2003 28' Show Hauler Motorhome on a 1995 FL 120 www.showhauler.com

[This message was edited by warpath on June 13, 2003 at 10:03 AM.]