T-Bone's New Truck Thread.

admin

It's been long overdue for me to move on from my F-550.  It's done the job for awhile, but working out of a dump body gets old, no matter how you try to rationalize it.  I've got tools on the floorboards, between the seats, behind the seats, under the seats...you get the picture.  Welding and fabrication is a big part of what I do, but I also do a fair amount of ag equipment repair and assembly.  I was thinking about another 550-sized truck, but by the time it was loaded down with a crane, compressor, and tools it'd be real close to, if not over, the 17,500 GVW.  I found a thread on service trucks over on the heavy equipment forum that got the wheels turning (WARNING -- it's currently 21 pages long):http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/...-service-truck!Got to thinking, why not a medium duty truck?  Something fairly short wheelbase but with a longer bed that I can build whatever I want onto.So this past November I plunked down some cash and drove this International home.  It's an ex- Pike truck, which I believe is an electric company down towards NC...  I guess it was a reel carrier or something similar -- the toolboxes on one side and flatbed on the other are perfect for what I want to do.  It's 33k GVW, air brakes, 14' bed, 215hp DT466E, and a 6-speed trans.  Has 77k miles and 4k engine hours on it.  Everything is good and tight.  Geared 5.13 -- top speed is 59 mph.  No A/C or any other doo-dads, but it does have an air locker in the rear end.The previous owner had a fencing company and beat the body up a little with his forklift.  Including punching a hole through the back of the driver's side boxes, from the passenger's side.  Including pushing on the truck with the cutting edge of a loader bucket from not one, but both rear corners.  So some body work is in order, too.  I've been working on the truck as I have time.  Priority for now is to get a torch compartment built so I can transfer everything out of the F-550 and get that truck SOLD!  After that, I've got a crane for the back right corner (which will need reinforcement under the floor) and plans for outriggers and a workbench with vise on the rear.  It will be a work in progress for quite a while -- seems like I get a couple hours here, wait a week, and a couple more hours there.I'll go ahead and post this much so if I do anything wrong with the pictures, I won't lose all of my typing.  Pictures to come.
Reply:Here's the truck the day I got it.  I had already taken off the bent-up stake sides, a section of PVC pipe over the back boxes, and cleared a bunch of junk off the bed.




Reply:Looks like a nice setup for a work truck, you going to paint it after fixing the beat up areas?Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power

) Hobart MIG
Reply:those dt466 last forever and are very dependable. I like the way the boxes are arranged.  looks like you have a good foundation to build fromLincoln 225 ac (my first machine)farmhand 115vac 70amp mig/fc toymiller aead 200le (my main machine)
Reply:tbone550I would have bought it for the color alone.Are you going to pressurize the boxes?Opus
Reply:Pics for awhile now will be in my shop.  It's the quonset-style building on the passenger's side of the truck in the previous post.The truck body was made by Adkins Truck and Equipment.  I contacted them and ordered a couple of doors in the sizes I wanted, along with some new weatherstrip, hinges, etc.  When I'm done, I want the truck to "match" as much as I can make it do so.As I said above, first order of business is the torch compartment.  I hate having the tanks outside on the deck - would much rather have them under lock and key and out of the weather.  So I decided not to switch trucks until I had the torch box built.  I thought about extending the driver's side front compartment, but decided I'd rather keep that one as is, so instead I'm replacing those two long horizontal compartments on the passenger's side with one tall torch box and one shorter door.I designed how I wanted the torch compartment to be, then I had the steel sheared and broke for me at a local machine shop I work with.  Saves a lot of time over working with basic materials.  The truck's boxes are 16 gauge galvanized, so the floor in that compartment is being reinforced with a broke piece of 3/16" you'll see as the pics come along.  I have gussets for that floor that I'll weld in at the very end, once I decide what order I want my cylinders in.  The rest of the compartment is being built out of 11 gauge.  I've saved all of the broke weatherstrip mounting pieces that I cut out, and am reusing them in new locations.  None of our local shops have the type of gooseneck die needed to make those tight bends, and I want to use the same style of weatherstrip as the rest of the truck uses.In this set of pictures I took a section of floor out, about an inch less all around than my final cut, to see what was under there.  Cut out the horizontal divider and shelf between the two boxes and turned them into one big box.  Used a section of the weatherstrip mount to frame out the smaller box.  Right now I'm not planning to separate the two boxes on the inside - that may change.






Reply:Just posted that last one and saw y'all are already asking questions.  I'm going to enter the rest of the pictures and story in up until what I finished today, and then I'm sorry but I've got to get a shower and hit the sack.  Will try to get back with some answers for you tomorrow night...thanks for the comments!  Makes typing it all up worthwhile.
Reply:That is one sweet truck, and I hate to ask.........but what is a truck like that worth?
Reply:First is a shot of the new doors, leaning patiently against / on my lathe.  I knew that machine would do me some good eventually.Next are some shots showing where I made the final cut in the bed floor and blocked off the open area between the crossmembers.  They're 4" x 5.4 channel, so I just coped more of the same and tacked it in.  I cut the bed's crossmembers 1/4" past the back of the box so that I'd have a fillet weld on the coped pieces rather than a flush fitup.  As you can see, Adkins builds the boxes as separate units and then welds them to the underside of the bed crossmembers.When I cut the top out of the box, I left a half-inch border remaining, which I then sliced every 1-1/2" or so and bent up and welded to my coped channel sections.  The first batch of those tabs is bent up in the picture.  When I was finished, I had a good, strong joint.  Maybe some of you body guys know a prettier way to do it, but hey, it worked.  You might be able to see the grinder marks for where the rear of the torch box will be on the bed floor.  I built the box that way so I'd have a little shelf (it's about 8" deep) running behind the cylinders.  I haven't decided what I'm going to keep there yet, but right now I'm thinking welding rods.In the last picture, ignore the clutter and notice the vise sitting on the workbench.  That's a brand spanking new Yost 34C - drove to OH to pick it up last week.  (Ebay deal)  That's the one that'll be going on the back of the truck.  With all four attaching nuts welded onto the bolts...





Reply:OK, on to today's pictures.  Here you can see I've gotten the side sheet and roof tacked in.  I also got the floor reinforcement for the cylinders welded in.I forgot to take pictures of the front of the box, but the roof section bends down and becomes the front.  At the toe, it flares out at a 45 degree angle and comes to the front area of the headboard, which will keep water from building up in that area and rusting the joint out between the box and the headboard.  That's my plan, anyway.  The flare is visible in the next-to-last picture if you know to look for it.  I kept the rest of the box recessed to the rear of the headboard because there's barely room to see and weld in the area between the cab and the bed.






Reply:Nice truck. We just got a new F-550 crane body at work and built a storage box/ladder rack out of square tube and expanded mesh that goes on top of the tool boxes. It works pretty good because you can store stuff that doesn't really need to be out of sight but it keeps things like cribbing and gas cans from sliding around. The back has a roller because they often use 40' extension ladders which get heavy after a while.Looking forward to seeing more progress pics.TOO MANY TOOLS & NO MORE SPACE
Reply:Really nicer truck! Thats a great truck for hauling all your crap! I cant wait to see more updates.
Reply:Awesome truck/Project love builds like this........ I had no idea that vise cost that much...... Holly cow!Q
Reply:Sadly, that truck is worthless here in Cali due to CARB regulations."The regulation requires diesel trucks and buses that operate in California to be upgraded to reduce emissions. Heavier trucks must be retrofitted with PM filters beginning January 1, 2012, and older trucks must be replaced starting January 1, 2015. By January 1, 2023, nearly all trucks and buses will need to have 2010 model year engines or equivalent. The regulation applies to nearly all privately and federally owned diesel fueled trucks and buses and to privately and publicly owned school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds.  Small fleets with 3 or fewer diesel trucks can delay compliance for heavier trucks by reporting and there are a number of extensions for low-mileage construction trucks, early PM filter retrofits, adding cleaner vehicles, and other situations.  Privately and publicly owned school buses have different requirements."Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

Sadly, that truck is worthless here in Cali due to CARB regulations."The regulation requires diesel trucks and buses that operate in California to be upgraded to reduce emissions. Heavier trucks must be retrofitted with PM filters beginning January 1, 2012, and older trucks must be replaced starting January 1, 2015. By January 1, 2023, nearly all trucks and buses will need to have 2010 model year engines or equivalent. The regulation applies to nearly all privately and federally owned diesel fueled trucks and buses and to privately and publicly owned school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds.  Small fleets with 3 or fewer diesel trucks can delay compliance for heavier trucks by reporting and there are a number of extensions for low-mileage construction trucks, early PM filter retrofits, adding cleaner vehicles, and other situations.  Privately and publicly owned school buses have different requirements."
Reply:whats a pm filter?Lincoln 225 ac (my first machine)farmhand 115vac 70amp mig/fc toymiller aead 200le (my main machine)
Reply:

Originally Posted by TSCGG13

Time to leave Commiefornia.
Reply:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_particulate_filterEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Very cool and im sure its gonna look and work sweet when your done.

Whats with the bullet holes in the passenger door tho? You and sticky get into a gunfight when he tried to steal it already. Youre getting smart tbone. Always carry a gun when stickmans around. Ya gotta start protecting whats yours bud.



I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:

Originally Posted by wroughtn_harv

You would probably be welcome in Haiti.  They have no restrictions of any kind.  Of course you can't breathe the air.......
Reply:

Originally Posted by weldermike

Very cool and im sure its gonna look and work sweet when your done.

Whats with the bullet holes in the passenger door tho? You and sticky get into a gunfight when he tried to steal it already. Youre getting smart tbone. Always carry a gun when stickmans around. Ya gotta start protecting whats yours bud.




Reply:Tozzi is gonna be jealous......zap!

I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing

Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I thought the same thing ZapMiller BobcatHarris cutting outfitMiller spectrum 625 plasmaVariety of shopmade tools
Reply:Hi Everybody,Long day of work, and then working again tonight trying to get everything ready for this "big storm" that's supposed to be coming in tomorrow night.  8"-16", they say.  So no work on the truck today and prolly not tomorrow, but looks like starting Thursday I'm going to be cooped up in the shop with it for awhile.Thanks for the comments so far, except for those from that knucklehead of a Stick-Man.  

  Squirmy, yes, I hope to paint the truck one day.  For now, I'm keeping it school bus yellow because I positively HATE painting.  My local auto body supply says they can mix up this color from the paint code in a machinery enamel and put it in spray cans.  So that's how I'll paint the box and any other modifications I make for now.  For awhile I'd been thinking of eventually painting it white, but then I realized practically everybody's work truck is white.  Who knows, this color may grow on me.  I'm getting used to being blinded by it when I walk into the shop.  The whole shop turns yellow when I turn the overhead lights on now.fdude, yes, I passed over a lot of trucks with the 444 in them to get a 466.  Although mine is a 466E, so it ain't all good news.Opus, I don't know anything about pressurizing boxes.  Why would you do that?  Do you use the truck's onboard air, or another compressor?Farmer2, I spent $9500 on it.  Then $2900 to replace the rear tires.  About $180 in fluids and filters .  About $600 in the new doors.  About $300 in the formed steel for the boxes.  $1200 for the crane (not pictured yet, but I think I have it pictured here on WW somewhere).  $499 for the vise, plus another $85 in fuel to get it from OH.  $180 for two Auto Crane manual outriggers. $Iforgethowmuch on a spare cam sensor for when this one bites it.  It adds up after awhile.  But taking a peek at ready-to-go medium duty service truck prices makes me not feel so bad.  $50-$60k will get you on the road in a little newer truck than this.  Chris T, I like the idea of the roller on the back of the ladder rack.Canadian Welding, I just hope it hauls MY crap and not Stick-Man's.  I think I might build a remote-controlled self-destruct into it like the starship Enterprise has.TTnicksocal, yes, the 34C is an expensive little vise.  Glad I didn't pay retail for it.  Heavy, too.  If I tied it around Stick-Man's foot, I could drop him into the river in Chicago and he wouldn't bother me no 'mo.Broccoli, since it would take my entire lifetime at 59 mph just to get to CA, no danger of me ending up there in this truck.  

Weldermike, don't worry, they aren't holes.  Just dents.  Looks like somebody ran into it repeatedly with a bale spear on that door.  It's probably not as simple as gobbing a bunch of bondo into them and painting over them.  Did I mention how much I hate painting?  Anyway, Stick-Man's Red Ryder barely scratches the paint.  I heard he was going to have to get it registered though, because it's magazine holds 600 rounds.TSCGG13, I'm not sure what to do with all the space yet, either.  I imagine it will fill up and start overflowing, though.  That's what always seems to happen.Stick-Man, I don't know if you'd like this truck.  Bench seat, no radio, no A/C, spring suspension....nah -- you should just stay home.  On the bright side though, it has enough floor space that I'm going to be able to run over to your place and load all my stuff back up in one trip!  I'll have the crane, so I shouldn't even need your help to get loaded up.  

Zap and jw3, we'll see.  So far this truck has just been a time and money pit...
Reply:

Originally Posted by tbone550

TSCGG13, I'm not sure what to do with all the space yet, either.  I imagine it will fill up and start overflowing, though.  That's what always seems to happen.That is one heck of a truck.  You gonna have a complete portable shop.  Our family has c-70 1986 railroad truck with IMT 8025 knuckle boom crane for use on the farm.  Those old trucks are hard to beat
Reply:Darn I hit send before I finished.  I rally like the top of your torch compartment. Keep the post coming
Reply:Any progress?
Reply:The CA requirements put a vin stop so can never be registered in CA.  Dealers are buying them up cheap to sell in the other 49 states.   Sent from my SCH-I545 using TapatalkTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:

Originally Posted by vwguy3

Any progress?
Reply:I can see a change in your avatar coming up in the future when you get this truck closer to serviceable. Am I right? Looks like you will end up with more capability with it than you have now. But it looks like a flatbed schoolbus, needs a color change for sure.
Reply:Busy is good....that pays the bills.

Originally Posted by Bistineau

But it looks like a flatbed schoolbus, needs a color change for sure.
Reply:Let the short bus jokes begin...  


Reply:

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

Sadly, that truck is worthless here in Cali due to CARB regulations."The regulation requires diesel trucks and buses that operate in California to be upgraded to reduce emissions. Heavier trucks must be retrofitted with PM filters beginning January 1, 2012, and older trucks must be replaced starting January 1, 2015. By January 1, 2023, nearly all trucks and buses will need to have 2010 model year engines or equivalent. The regulation applies to nearly all privately and federally owned diesel fueled trucks and buses and to privately and publicly owned school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds.  Small fleets with 3 or fewer diesel trucks can delay compliance for heavier trucks by reporting and there are a number of extensions for low-mileage construction trucks, early PM filter retrofits, adding cleaner vehicles, and other situations.  Privately and publicly owned school buses have different requirements."
Reply:So now I finally have a day to work on the truck again.  I'm hoping to get the weatherstrip framework installed today, and maybe the torch door but we'll see about that.  I'm also dealing with a couple of customers' projects, thus a later start than I would've hoped.I've been thinking about using the torch from this compartment.  I hate the idea of the hoses exiting through the door opening, because in the rain I'd have to leave the compartment open.  Plus if I'm not working in sight of the truck, it would leave everything in that compartment open to theft.  I recently bought that Tidweld reel from lastmilewelding on here, so I have that.  I'd prefer for it to be in the compartment with the torches to save bed space and keep the weather off of it.So here I have some pictures of an idea I've been thinking about -- tell me what you think.  I would hang the reel in the same area I have it clamped, only centered inside the compartment.  Then I would have a hole the width of the reel and maybe 1-1/2" high cut in the rear of the compartment, lined with small pipe to keep it from cutting the hose.  Then an angled rain cover with a downward-opening, lockable door to keep weather out when it was shut.  The lips of the rain cover would also be lined with small pipe.  I'd get one of the clamp-on rubber torch hose stops, which would be used to keep the hoses in the rain-cover area.  I'd buy a set of quick-disconnects for the ends of the hoses so I could remove the torch and store it inside.I won't be working on this today, just wanted to get it out there for comments so when the time comes I'm ready.




Reply:That's a cool idea with the hose reel.Just tossing an idea out. What if you used a flat door for security and ran the hose through a rubber sheet with a slit to keep the elements out.
Reply:

Originally Posted by vwguy3

That's a cool idea with the hose reel.Just tossing an idea out. What if you used a flat door for security and ran the hose through a rubber sheet with a slit to keep the elements out.
Reply:Just came in to get a couple of chocolate bars and saw what y'all had written.  I've run a couple versions of this through my head already, including a through-the-door outlet, but I don't like the idea of fighting the main door open and shut with torch hoses hanging through it, or rolling them up through the main door which the weight of the hoses would be trying to pull closed the whole time I'm standing in the opening trying to wind up the reel.My plan is to have the welder mounted about a foot behind this box.  A lot of my welding/cutting will be on things mounted on the workbench at the rear of the truck, so with a rear-exit door I could route the hoses right back along the bed if I wanted, keeping them out of the mud and muck I constantly work in.  There will be a crane support somewhere in this general area that will keep the hoses off of the welder when rolling / unrolling them.I like the idea of a flat door for its compactness, but it would be one more area I'd have to weatherstrip to keep from leaking, where a downward-facing opening and door would keep the weather out by design.  Maybe there's a way to make it work....I'll keep thinking about it.Another idea I'd had was to make a small jib-crane type affair mounted behind the center of the headboard that held covered, lockable torch and welding reels and would extend and rotate in a 120 degree arc to get the reels either facing slightly to the passenger side into the opening between the welder and torch compartment, straight to the back, or over the driver's side.  Seemed a little complicated for what it would offer, so I put that idea on the back burner.Last edited by tbone550; 03-06-2014 at 04:39 PM.
Reply:Don't change the color! Visibility is advertising!  Everyone will know and remember the yellow truck. Get an easily remembered nickname for it, and it will drive business.  It will become a local icon, and as good as a trademark - especially with kids.MillerMatic 252Miller Xtreme 625Miller Digital Elite
Reply:

Originally Posted by Bistineau

Hinge the small door at the top, so it acts like the rain cover you drew on the side, maybe with some way to prop it in the open position.
Reply:Nice truck t-bone! I know how it is to have a project that everything else gets in the way of. I like your idea with the hose!Miller trailblazer301gLincoln sa200Miller251Miller spectrum 625Victor oxy-acc2002 Chevy duramax 3500 dually 4x4
Reply:Today I was able to get the header in the top of the box, brace and cover the hole in the front part where the channel runs, and get the weatherstrip frame sections tacked in.  When I was finished, I had about 3/4" of weatherstrip frame left.  I'll be test-mounting the door before I weld out any of this framing. Today's work doesn't look like much progress, but I'm pleased.


Reply:T-Bone, man, that's awesome.  I'm looking for a truck myself right now....my wheels are turning looking at these pictures.  Nice!
Reply:Swifty,Thanks for the kind words.  Since I've had this truck, I've seen two others for sale -- exact same color / design, except older models from the mid '90's with spoked hubs instead of Budd wheels, and DT466 engines with 5-spd trans /2-spd axles.  They're all ex-Pike trucks.  Those two were several thousand less than what I paid.  I like the 6-spd in mine, but those older 466's with mechanical injection are bulletproof.  Looks like Pike has at least one of these they're selling right now...here's a link to the equipment sales section of their website, then go to "Service Trucks" and you'll see it.  No price on the website, but if somebody calls I'd be interested in knowing how much they want for it, straight from Pike.  (See how much $$$ the seller made off my truck when he sold it to me....)http://www.pike.com/EquipmentSales/Default.aspx#
Reply:Nice truck! A medium duty is a great work platform. The one thing I hate when working out of my 03 C7500 is climbing in, out, on and off it all day.  My knees are killing me when I get home.  If the truck doesn't have already add filters!  Oil bypass, coolant, power steering, etc.....Idealarc 250AC 225SVictor OA-older made in USA stuff.And a crap ton of other stuff.
Reply:Kald, will do on the filters.  466 has a coolant filter -- not sure about the rest of them.Today I was able to squeeze in enough time to mount the big door Adkins made for me (I've already mounted and removed the small door).It went pretty smoothly compared to what I was expecting.  Two hinge holes went through the headboard tubing, so I back-drilled them on the far side to 5/8" to clear my 7/16" socket.  I thought about using self-tappers, but I really prefer bolts.  Got the main latch adjusted, installed the top and bottom rods, cut them to length, shaved a tiny bit off the face of the upper one so it'd go behind the weatherstrip framing, and it was done.Unless something comes up, I should get some more time on Monday.  Before painting, I want to get the cylinders in there and make the holders for 'em, and come up with a method to catch both of these new doors.  I'm debating between those double-sprung openers and gas shocks of some sort.  I also need to weld out the weatherstrip framing, put in the filler piece between the big door and small door, and put in some other doo-dads.

.

.

.

Last edited by tbone550; 03-08-2014 at 09:18 PM.
Reply:Hey TBONE, Whats one of those TIDWELD reels go for? if you don't mind me asking. Im very interested
Reply:That is gonna be awesome!!  Great work so far!!
Reply:

Originally Posted by ttweld05

Hey TBONE, Whats one of those TIDWELD reels go for? if you don't mind me asking. Im very interested
Reply:Here is a place where I bought a lot of stuff for my c7500 over the years. http://www.ryderfleetproducts.com/ryder/Idealarc 250AC 225SVictor OA-older made in USA stuff.And a crap ton of other stuff.