My Build

[jenandjon]

20 hours ago, Dan Johnson said:

Good old gen. How many hours? I am not sure thou if the electric signal is good enough for some of the newer appliances. You may want to do some research.

I will look into that. I don't think it will be a problem.

[jenandjon]

We had some bad weather the past couple days so I got a lot done. With the help of my brother and our new hired man. Got the tool boxes and flatbed on. This one has extra bracing because that box is where the generator is going.

 

[jenandjon]

I got a lot done this week. I should say we. If I did not have help from my brother and a friend I wouldn't even have the bed on yet. My nephew didn't have school so he dove in with us. And My boss for letting my charge parts to him. We will figure out the bill later.

The John Deere fuel tank I just bought on an online auction. Holds 80 gallons. Meant to be mounted on the front of a tractor. Has all mounting brackets. Will have to modify some but its going on the bed. front and center.

Got the generator mounted. I put rubber strips between every piece of metal that is bolted together. I have one vent hole to cut yet. I will probably end up taking it to a muffler shop to run the exhaust. Last time I tried to make custom exhaust at home I had to make 10 trips to town.

Gutted out the interior of the sleeper. Insulation is going down on the floor then some 1/4 inch underlay and then peel and stick carpet squares. I was going to put in laminate but changed my mind. I haven't found the right seats yet. I found some that will work but they are not exactly what I want.

We found out real quick that they used steel rivets to hold everything together. Drilling didn't work. We had to grind off the heads of all the rivets. It was a hot messy job. I am glad my nephew showed up. Everything was tied into everything else. I don't thing I took away from the structural integrity at all. It seemed to me it was designed to keep the person in the bed in case of of a rollover accident. There was a net that the passenger should use when team driving.

 

[jenandjon]

[jenandjon]

I don't know how I am going to attach the seats yet. The floor is thin aluminum. I will have to beef it up. but If you look at the middle picture above there are 3 black dots on the back wall. That is where the bunk net was bolted to. What ever I do with seats they will be secured to that also for extra support. Maybe with chain or I will make something and bolt it solid to it. I don't know. That is yet to come. I cant work on it much in the next couple weeks so I have time to ponder.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Most people have thru-bolted the seats with a large backing plate underneath.  Working inside the cab is one of those moments that as long as you don't sacrifice the integrity of the cab, you can drill, weld, attach anywhere and anyhow you please.  The bolts on the back wall are for the bunk netting.  Many folks have used those mounting points for other items including more seating.

[jenandjon]

Been really busy lately and have not had much tome to work on the truck but I got the floor done. A friend of mine laid the carpet squares for me. In the picture they are crooked. I just laid them out to see what it would look like.  I got seats now so I have to get them in next then start building cabinets.

[jenandjon]

Oh yea I emptied a couple rattle cans of flat black on the bed. Pictures don't do it justice. It looks way better.

[jenandjon]

Got my seats prepped and ready to go in the sleeper. They came out of a 2000 Chevy pickup. They sit low on a flat floor so I had to raise them up a little bit. I used 5x5x1/4 square tube. Its over kill but I didn't want to use wood blocks. I just need one more seat.

[jenandjon]

Trying to get everything organized. There will be 3 seats. Granted the far right one will be tight and have part of their view lost. The smallest person will have to sit there. Most of the time we will only have 2 kids along so not an issue. Its not as bad as it looks in the picture. I am 6 ft tall I can sit there pretty comfortably and still see out the windshield.

Where the boxes are stacked is where the cabinet will be. Port-a-pot on bottom. Then fridge and microwave. I don't plan on ever using the Port-a-pot  but I need it in there to meet the requirements of a Motor home. 

[JPL]

jenandjon   Nice looking cab. It pays dividends to take your time and so things right. Really great looking  both out and in!   Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor 

[jenandjon]

Got a lot done this weekend. Did a little wood work in the cab where the bed was. Finished bolting the seats in. Finished up the cabinet for the fridge and microwave. It is stained and clear coated. Ready to go in tomorrow when I have some help. Mounted and wired up 2 new back up lights on the fairings. No pictures yet. The camera on my phone quit working.   Mounted and plumbed the fuel tank for the generator. I still need to come up with a battery box. Then I am just going to take it to a muffler shop to do the exhaust. I don't have a pipe bender. Last time I did exhaust myself I had to make 5 trips to town.  After that off to the electrician to wire up the cab and put some outlets out side on the bed along with a 30amp camper plug. I don't get along with wires all that well. I can handle some small stuff but I want this wired up right.

[jenandjon]

Got a new phone so here are pics of what got done this week.

Generator is all done at far as I will go. I take it in to a muffler shop next week. Then to the electrician. Fuel tank is bolted in through the channel iron under the bed. Made use of the factory mounts and made brackets on the headache rack. This thing is going no where.  I even set the whole thing on a rubber mat so no chance it will rub a hole through the bottom.

Got the lights all wired up. On top of the cab on either side are John Deere tractor head lights. They are really bright. I have to see if I can replace the ones in the tank with LED. That is an 80 gallon fuel tank. That should last a while.
Got the cabinet in for fridge and microwave. Should have that along with the inverter installed today.

The end seat is a little tight but it's not horrible. I am 6 ft and 235 lbs. I feel like I could sit there comfortably for a while. I got my brother and our hired hand all in there. We are all 6 ft or over and they all weigh more than me. We fit in there pretty good. Should be plenty of room for the kids.

[DJohns]

If you are using your gen a lot on gravel roads go to John Deere parts. Get a long filter for a skid steer, get a long piece a reddi rod to extend the bolt thru the filter. Now you have clean air to the motor. I had a gen like yours on the back bumper of a snap on truck for 2000 hours before it needed help. Good gen just keep filter clean and run HD 30 wt oil. Change oil when starting to look burnt.

[lappir]

On 3/5/2018 at 7:18 AM, jenandjon said:

No yu have have to look at the web site they have pretty good pictures. IF there is something you need maybe they can find it for you. They don't let you in the yard.

Depends on the location. I lost a fuel cap on a trip and visited the location in Iowa. Was given the wrong cap on my first trip so I brought the other cap the next time and they sent me out to the lot to find the correct one. It was close to the building so maybe that's why. I did go out with the guy once to get a clearance light off the side once at the same location too. Probably depends on the person you talk to, and maybe location.  

Rod

[jenandjon]

8 hours ago, lappir said:

Depends on the location. I lost a fuel cap on a trip and visited the location in Iowa. Was given the wrong cap on my first trip so I brought the other cap the next time and they sent me out to the lot to find the correct one. It was close to the building so maybe that's why. I did go out with the guy once to get a clearance light off the side once at the same location too. Probably depends on the person you talk to, and maybe location.  

Rod

You are right about that. Since I posted this I went to the location in Council Bluffs. They said I could go in the lot. Sioux Falls had me wait up front.

[jenandjon]

9 hours ago, Dan Johnson said:

If you are using your gen a lot on gravel roads go to John Deere parts. Get a long filter for a skid steer, get a long piece a reddi rod to extend the bolt thru the filter. Now you have clean air to the motor. I had a gen like yours on the back bumper of a snap on truck for 2000 hours before it needed help. Good gen just keep filter clean and run HD 30 wt oil. Change oil when starting to look burnt.

It has a good air filter on it but I see your point. I probably won't be running it going down the road but you never know. I do like to cut cross country some times and I do live on a gravel road. Thanks for the advice.

[jenandjon]

Got everything in. I will not get the Inverter wired up today. I have the wrong size wire and we are having a Blizzard today. I did figure out how and where I will be mounting it.

I used the factory TV hold down strap on the microwave. Then I made brackets to hold the fridge in. Similar to what they use in the out door kitchen on campers.

I bolted the cabinet in using the factory studs that held in the original cabinet. Plus a couple carriage bolts in the floor.

[jenandjon]

I tried real hard to wait until next year to buy new seats but they were just too far gone. Besides that Sioux City Peterbilt gave me $100 off per seat so...I would normally have bought full leather but this truck is for pleasure not work. I hate sticking to a seat when I wear shorts.

 

 

 

[jenandjon]

Got the seats in and managed to get the CB in also.

[beemergary]

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 8:46 AM, dan412 said:

No safety chains needed or required. If the the hitch is latched properly it will not come open. Big trucks don't have safety chains.

But gravel trains do.

[beemergary]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 7:23 AM, jenandjon said:

I tried real hard to wait until next year to buy new seats but they were just too far gone. Besides that Sioux City Peterbilt gave me $100 off per seat so...I would normally have bought full leather but this truck is for pleasure not work. I hate sticking to a seat when I wear shorts.

 

 

 

Bought some Legacy leather seats with arm rest for a xmas present. I know I am going to like those armrests.

[jenandjon]

Got the inverter wired up. Used 1/0 welding cable. Used a 150 amp fuse link. I had the guy at the welding supply store crimp on a couple ends for me. They were junk. Slipped right off. So I used some solder on ends.
I hooked them straight to the batteries. Drilled holes through the floor. Then slid the cables through rubber grommets. Lots of dawn dish soap and they slid right through.

[jenandjon]

On 4/19/2018 at 9:30 PM, beemergary said:

Bought some Legacy leather seats with arm rest for a xmas present. I know I am going to like those armrests.

Arm rests are must.

[Chad Heiser]

FYI, solder can be problematic in high vibration environments (such as a vehicle).  Constant vibration will weeken the solder joint and make it prone to breaking/cracking.  Keep an eye on the connections to prevent any problems.