Service Truck Build

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Well, I hauled this P.O.S. home a while ago. I was really looking for a project and a service truck to take my part time business to the next level. It's a '98 3500HD with a 7.4L.5 speed and a Liftmoore 3200 crane. I spent the last few weeks comming up with a plan of attack. Spent a lot of time on the WeldingWeb looking at trucks. I found a PDF of a service bed on the maintainer truck bodies web site. With a few tweeks, I will pretty much copy that. So, here is the start of a pile of work and headaches!?! Attached Images Attached ImagesBody Drawing.pdf (82.3 KB, 262 views)
Reply:Your lucky it has the 454 in it, I have the same truck with the 6.5 in it is not to be trusted. The rest of the truck is great, heavy frame, springs, brakes, and axles.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Nice find...I picked up a crane like that the other day, missing the base. if you tear it apart i would love the diminsions. Thanks.
Reply:Originally Posted by a1998z3Nice find...I picked up a crane like that the other day, missing the base. if you tear it apart i would love the diminsions. Thanks.
Reply:Well, the rain never let up today, so I could only work in the shop. I got the box over the rear wheel and the box behind th rear wheel fab up. The pdf in my opening post called for the tall boxes to be 46" tall. But, I just couldn't see cutting 2" off the boxes. Seemed like a waste of material and storage space. So, I left it at 48" tall.- Picture 1 is the pile of bent sheet. I used 4'x10' sheets of 11 gauge.- Picture 2 is a right angle fixture i fabed up from 3" aluminum angle.- Picture 3 is the rear box tacked up Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingYour lucky it has the 454 in it, I have the same truck with the 6.5 in it is not to be trusted. The rest of the truck is great, heavy frame, springs, brakes, and axles.
Reply:how is this coming along?
Reply:Originally Posted by machavisa1998z3,I looked at the owners manual, and compare the dimensions of my base.There is a 16" square 1/2" thick plate welded to the truck bed.The mast has 2 15" square 1/2" thick plates, the bolt holes are 12" square pattern with a 5 1/2" hole in the center, the mast itself is 8" pipe. The total assembly is 30" tall.I can email photos and whatever other dimensions you need. PM me.
Reply:Well, Guys I spent last Wendsday cutting the old boxes off and preparing the existing bed for my boxes. Thursday, I was able to mount the box over the drivers side rear wheel and behind the rear wheel. Today I added a 3/8" plate to the top of the boxes and 3"x2" angle to mount the welder on top of the boxes. I was also able to mount the doors and hose reel. I played around with some spray-on bed liner and paint, just goofing around. I reinforced the inside of the doors with 1" angle I bend up using scrap 11 gauge and reused some of the box material and doors. Attached Images
Reply:Nice, I need to do something like that for the drivers side of  my truck.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Well, Tuesday was spent taking the crane apart, cutting the boxes and bed apart. Pretty much a mirror image of the drivers side. Today, I mounted the new boxes. I still need to line the inside of the rear box with 3/8" plate and tie it to the frame rails, to support the crane. I'm following instruction given to me by Liftmoore Crane. I didn't see a need to plate the ends of the boxes over the wheel. Seemed like a waste to me. Attached Images
Reply:I finally got back on my truck build. Today, I rebuilt the rear bumper to match the drawing from Maintainer Truck Bodies. I need your opinion on how to go forward with the top. I have everything all tack together. I left the top off to do the wiring for the lights. Then got to thinking about hinging the top instead for welding it out. If I hinge the top, I feel, I would have better acess to the storage space.If I went this route, I would line the edges of the box with 1" angle to stiffen it up and get some truck box latches to secure the lid.Check out the pictures and let me know what you guys and gals think.Thanks. Attached Images
Reply:One thing I liked about the Wilcox bumper that was similar to what you made was that it had a 1" lip extending around the sides that you could clamp to to hold work down, making the bumper more of a work surface.As far  as hinging that, it would depend on what you wanted to use it for storage wise. I was never a big fan of long deep boxes that load from the ends. Too much crud collects out of easy cleaning reach. I'd prefer a foot locker type box like it looks like now, but I'd close in the ends. If the open ends are for telescoping stabilizers like on  some of the crane bodies I looked at, then that would eat up a ton of storage space and make a flip lid some what pointless..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I like the hinge idea, I have a truck with the thru bumper like that. It is nice for 7 foot long pieces, but anything shorter is always just out of reach in the center. Only draw back I can see is that it is also where I have a vice mounted and it wouldn't be as rigid with the hinge. Both of which could be overcome
Reply:The outriggers are usually between the bumper and body not in the bumper
Reply:DSW, my original plan was to make a fixture to hold my line boring bars and a 6' level. But, with a hinged lid, I could also put my tripod stands in there.leightrepairs, you are correct about the outriggers. I thought about making a vice mount that slides into the reciever hitch.
Reply:I think that if I were building it I would hinge the lid and put a receiver in each corner just under the lid. This would give a couple of options for the vice. I have found the hitch is too low for my old back. Nice looking build so far.
Reply:Here is a picture of how my service truck like that turned out, mine also has the 454 in it, been a pretty decent truck overall. Attached ImagesLincoln Precision Tig 225Lincoln Power Mig 255 XTMiller Bobcat 225Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 102