CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) I haven't really posted up anything on here about the truck or any pics of what we have been doing to it since acquiring it last month. Figured I would start this thread and update as we go along since it will be a long tem project. Picked our already started motorhome project, a 1999 Pete 385 48" sleeper from another member in So Cal early June and brought it 700 miles home without incident. It came with low mileage for it's age 681K, C12 13spd, singled with 3.90 ratio, and Lopro 24.5's. It also came with 24x60" underbed boxes and most of the steel to finish the 16' deck. We had no 5th wheel hitch on the Pete so had to do something about that! I have been towing with the B&W platform about 4 years and figured I would stick with it and use an air hitch for the trailer. This way the trailer would have air ride with either vehicle pulling it. Got a B&W flatbed weld in gooseneck and fabbed up a plate to put between the frame rails. Joe had left plenty of room when building the bed to put the hitch right at the rear of the bed.....7' behind the axle. This will hopefully leave room for putting my Jeep on the deck as well as pulling the 5er. Had to bend the locking lever a bit to allow clearance for the rocking of the plate. Edited September 13, 2015 by CrazyCooter Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Nice work. I do love me some build pics. Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 All hooked up! Had to wait till the next day for a road test when I get the Hayes Air controller and wiring installed.....The waiting was killing me! We were running a shorter 0719 Morryde pinbox since we were towing with a longbed and no need for the extended. Well, I thought we might need that extra 9" for Jeep clearance so I got the original length1621 FlexAir replacement. I'm still playing with it becuase it didn't line up in the holes perfectly and it's going to raise the front 2" minimum.....not what I had in mind. It also has a little clearance issue with the body....Like I said, working on that. Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) Fast forward to this week where I decided to get the plate permanently mounted to it wont look like a work truck with the straps holding the load on...... Figured with 14" centers on the xmembers, there was a possibility of the Jeep bending the deck when strapped and bouncing around, so I welded in 1x2" .180 tube in between and 1" flat in the center where the sheets of .125 steel diamond plate will come together. I'll probably fire up the plasma cutter and start fitting those sheets tomorrow. Edited July 19, 2015 by CrazyCooter Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Looks nice. Will we see in in October at the rally? Quote Ron C. 2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3 2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) In the quest for better fuel economy, more usable gears, and lower rpm's when traveling in states who have a more reasonable speed limit than our lovely CA......I knew I wanted taller gears as I was taking off in 3rd loaded and that left 2 more gears on the table down low that were toatally wasted and needed at least one more OD gear, so I selected 3.36's since we do still travel in CA and the math worked out where 3.08's would have either put us lugging or revving at 60 mph in either 11th or 12th gear. I also knew I would be needing a locker since 95% of out camping is off the road 10 miles or more..... I did some shopping for the obvious choice.....The air locking RD404 cousin to our RS404 rear axle...... They were WAY proud of those and not like I had a like core to give back, so I went for the more affordable Detroit Locker instead. Figured while I was there might as well get bearings and make the job complete! Found the Ring/Pinion set and bearing kit on Ebay as new old stock for a much discounted rate....SCORE! I also had a good supplier for the Detroit since I'm kind of in the business although my supplier only does light duty stuff, they were able to order me the big guy. This was today's project: Made a little stand to hold it since this stuff is heavy Spiders swapped, new bearings, and ring gear bolted on. Ready to drop back in! Also visited a local engine builder/tuner this morning..... My ecm was loaded with the 430/1650 tune, so I left well enough alone there. She (Yes SHE Lol) made some changes to low end fueling that made a real difference in tip in and set the Jakes to work with the cruise on and to come on 1mph over the set point. I could now spin the rear tires while entering the freeway......Later on in the day, the Detroit fixed that! Between the taller gears allowing longer between shifts and the snappier throttle, she's a real joy to drive now! The Gearmaster was showing 11.6mpg at 70 mph on my 15 mile road test. It has been accurate up to this point, but will have to double check with the new tune.....It's user adjustable thank goodness! Edited July 19, 2015 by CrazyCooter Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) Looks nice. Will we see in in October at the rally? I wish! We're still working and I don't think I could get enough time off to make the round trip drive..... I'll post up some more later! Have to BBQ now...... You would think the wench would find something else for dinner the way I have been working this week..... Edited July 19, 2015 by CrazyCooter Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 That ring and pinion looks a little heavier than the last 9" swap I did! Nice work! Quote Jim's Adventures Old Spacecraft.... Who knows whats next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 That ring and pinion looks a little heavier than the last 9" swap I did! Nice work! LOL! A little bit.... My wife helps me around the shop and knows what a 9", Dana 80, Toyota 8", etc look like. I sent her a pic of this Eaton gear vs. Dana 80 and she about flipped! She was wondering how I was going to manage working on the big stuff alone....Work smart, not hard! Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Even managed to get Tracie behind the wheel. She did much better than I expected first trip out with the grabby clutch, weird air brake pedal feel, and floating the gears. Told her to hurry up and get this down so I can be in the back surfing the web and drinking margaritas! It will be nice to have someone to maybe drive a couple hundred miles on the long days so I don't have to do it all. Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncohauler Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) Looks great keep posting pictures. Nice to see another peterbilt. We are a little out numbered here. Did you buy the truck in Temacula or Menifee California? Edited July 19, 2015 by broncohauler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 I'll keep putting stuff up here. I always enjoy the pics everyone else has put up. Lots of good ideas and improvements come from sharing. This is probably the one you are thinking of. We picked it up in that area. Too many Volvo people around here, you know the kind.... Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest THE TRAILERKING Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Nice..................I'm a Pete' fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Nice work. We'll be in Redding Labor Day weekend. We will have to get together so I can check everything out in person. Quote 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 The 385 is looking good. Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncohauler Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 If you do a search you might find some of the build and singling pictures for your new sweet ride. I know there where a few. Been a while so the could have dropped out. The former owner had a couple different screen names as I recall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdonlybob Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Very nice... will be a real pleasure for you when done I am sure Cheers, Bob Quote 1989 Safari Serengeti 34'Towing a 1952 M38A1 Military Willys Past HDT owner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldRush Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 That's the one BroncoHauler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldRush Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 All great additions to the project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Thanks guys! Spent the afternoon getting the decking on the bed. I was really worried about warping 10' long sheets while plasma cutting, but didn't feel like loading it up for someone to sheer the plates. The fit came out pretty good overall and almost every box in the bed was perfectly square??!! Joe (Goldrush) did a good job when putting this together! I decided to do it that hard way and screw the sheets down in case I ever want to modify something or need easy access to something underneath. I used semi self tapping 1/4" T30 torx deck screws and countersunk them. I have to pull the sheets one more time to paint the framework and the undersides of the plates plus a lot more screws to drill, but at least they are fastened down for the time being! Pretty impressed that I was able to do all of this without assistance...thank goodness for the forklift! Ordered up a quad band ham radio for it today and thinking about some solar up on the sleeper to keep things topped off while running the refer. Next on the agenda are mounting the tool boxes under the bed. This truck came with weedburner exhaust already but will have to extend the tailpipe at least 5' to the rear. Not that it's loud anyway, but hoping that will make the cab quieter..... Have some Atlas II Leather seats coming next week! Edited July 20, 2015 by CrazyCooter Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyates007 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Excellent. Nice to see the progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCooter Posted July 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Nice work. We'll be in Redding Labor Day weekend. We will have to get together so I can check everything out in person.Absolutely! May have something to look at by then..... Edited July 20, 2015 by CrazyCooter Quote 1999 Peterbilt 385 C12 430/1650 13spd 2006 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 2010 Hitchhiker Champagne 36 LKRSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldRush Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 I'll be in Calistoga and Petaluma over Labor Day weekend for the USAC Sprint Car races. I'll try to swing by afterwards to checkout the progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncohauler Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Keep an eye on the screws. My deck is welded 3/16 but the center section between frame rails is screwed and the screws keep coming loose from frame flex. Your correct the former owner did a great job. And did most of the hard work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Looking good. Is it correct that you went from a taller ratio of 3:08 to 3:36? It must have been lugging it with the 3:08 so when you went to the 3:36 it must have gotten it into the power band more to help improve the fuel mileage. Most people would have tried gong the other way to improve mileage. Dave Quote 2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch 2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you! Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/ for much more info on HDT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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