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More on the L-10 Dick: Well, Dragonslayer is obviously the expert here, and we are fortunate to have someone of his experience to tell us "how it really is." His comment about mountain passes with the L-10 is exactly what I found other driver's comments to be. Dick, for your application as a...

More on Mike's find . . . First of all, thanks #90 for your nice comments! My daughters are all grown, so whe someone asks me for a picture of my family, I pull out a shot of my wife sitting in my 379. Ha! Here's what I learned about Cummins L-10 engines that Mike asked about...

Mike: I am flattered you want my opinion; its worth exactly what you are paying for it! I am not real familiar with Cummins engines of that vintage. Is that a mechanical engine; probably is. Do the normal stuff; check maintenance records, rebuilts, etc. EF ten speed is a nice trans. Just check...

Thanks to Blizz Blizz: Thanks for the report from the rally! My conversion just wasn't "done enough" to bring it this year, but I'll be attending the next one, wherever it is. I appreciate the time you took to let us all know you are having a great time.

Hi Mike: Hey, the "searching" is part of the fun. I started with how much I wanted to spend, and went from there. My wife started from what looks cool. In the end, we spent just a bit more than I had planned, but got a great looking rig with which to start our conversion; at much newer tractor...

Lots of miles! 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...

No so fast! In Micigan the speed limit for vehicles weighing over 8 tons is 60 mph on the Interstates. I love it! Nice, slow pace, stay in the right lane, enjoy the scenery, and let all those drivers who "think their time is more important than mine" drive in the left lane as fast as they want...

Walk Around Nice chat regardng steps. Regarding automatic fold-up feature, that's a good idea, but I am of the school that says keep things simple. Automatically retracting steps would just add more electrical and air stuff to fail. But, I too am concerned about "pulling away with the steps...

Stairs on the outside Hello fellow HDT'ers: Here are the stairs I have installed . . .

Fuel Mileage Silvero8: I am regularly getting 10.6 mpg average; 60 mph on the highway and some around town driving. I run at 1200 rpm, and thinking somwday of changing the rear from 3.56 to 3.36 to improve the fuel mileage just a bit more. We'll see . . .

Go for it! Toterwannabe: I was in the "thinking stage" of my conversion for over ten years! I knew the general approach I wanted to take, but it took me that long to make the comittment in my heart, and then finally to find the tractor I wanted. So far, everything is going according to plan...

C Channel Hello andyg: C Channel would probably work effectively if a nice snug fit with lots of overlap; sounds like a good approach. I am sure this would be another method of frame modification for a toter. Everyone brings good knowledge to this site!

Well, just using long side plates and through bolting them wouldn't provide the strength and rigidity on the frame I would trust. In the commercial market, frames are always welded when extended or shortened, with additional welded side plates at least on one side of each frame rail. That's my...

You're not crazy; you're creative! Hello Gphillips: I don't kow much about stacking the cars, but I can tell you a bit about an "extended sleeper." Depending upon the HDT you buy, get one with a factory installed sleeper (bunk). From a local scrap yard, or from E-Bay if you have to, purchase...

Picking it up! Dodger: Here is a pic of the company I bought my dry box. They have a very large overhead crane inside the building, but outside slao have a smaller lift for medium size loads. For small stuff, like the box I bought from them, they just use a forklift.

Welding Toterwannabe: First, good luck with your project. Regarding your welding question . . . If you mean cutting and extending the frame, then welding is the only way. If you are in a large city, there are certainly frame shops that can do that for you. The price here in Grand rapids, MI...

Best Friends Most of my very best friends throughout the years have been dogs! They pay constant attention, do whatever they can to please you, and never ask much in return. Hope your new friends fills the void, and becomes everything your "old friend" was. Congrats!

Welds! Kenn: Great welds; you are quite the craftsman! Please keep the pictures coming so we can see your progress. Thanks

Picture I should have included this in my previous post . . .

Welcome aboard! Glad to have you here, Harold! I am also new, but have found this site to be friendly and worth my time. Keep everyone posted as to the progress of your flatbed project, and show us some pictures so we all can enjoy your hard work!

The "heavy lift!" I am an unpaid "helper" at a local HDT fabrication shop. In exchange for my floor sweeping ability, coffee making, and general "gophering around" I get to learn all about the construction of class 8 trucks and how to modify cabs and sleepers. My first assigned project was to...

Practice and Experience Voloman and others: The "gallery" takes a bit of getting used to but once you have mastered the craft, it is really convenience and versitle. Thanks for all the help . . .

Here are the two tanks on the driver's side of the vehicle; one for fuel (front), and one for fresh/gray water. (Fall, 2010)

A fresh/gray water tank was fabricated from a used Peterbilt fuel tank; a "split" was welded in the middle of the tank to provide about 55 gallons storage on each side. The proper fittings were also installed at the same time. Stock Peterbilt fuel tank straps were used to hang the...

A nice sunny day; hey, lets install the tail lights! (Fall, 2010)