Good stuff.

 

Well thank you (had to reply, broke the 800 post mark, and getting closer to the 1000)

 

As far as the air ride goes, I'm sure there are several out there that would work. What would really make things ride smoother would be to mount the cab on an air ride suspension too, and a really good air ride seat, or seats, if you want your passenger to appeciate the ride too. Don't know how I would actually do it, I just know most of the road trucks have them.

 

I can picture the truck finished in my mind, and I think it will look good. i personally think it'll look better than any pete or kw tricked out. Good luck JOE

 

Well thanks for the vote of confidence Joe. I too am hoping that it will look really good. I am still trying to figure out what sized electric fan to use. I am going to be using the stock style radiator, and still trying to figure oiut how much cfm the fan will need to push in order to keep the diesel cool. Got a million ideas running through my head, and am trying to picture it with or with out certain items. The idea in my head right now is kinda like jet black frome end to the other, with chrome bumper, stacks, stainless trim around the cab and sleeper, and aluminum full tandem fenders, with a stainless rear bumper of some kind with lights built in. I want to get bolt covers for all the exposed frame bolts, since the frame will be black, I think the chrome covers will look just right. I'm going to pass on the stainless turbo wing, so that the whole truck will look low and sleek all the way back. I am going to get one of the front windshield visors for the cab, and might change out the air horn for a single on each side of the roof. I don't want a chrome grille, but I don't know if black will be too much, but white would look tacky. Maybe chrome would be the way to go. Aluminum wheels, and I am thinking on using the super singles on the rear, so that they'll give it kind of a fat tired look in the rear.

 

My opinion I would chrome the grill, like you said bolt covers on the frame, put led lights on her, chrome bumper, aluminum wheels. Sounds like to me you have it already figured out, or at least a very good starting point. It'll be a real head turner. Good Luck JOE

 

Unless the Cat motor gets worked hard it won`t take fan is much of a fan as the engine doesn`t produce much heat without any type of a load.
At least that`s what I`ve found with my 3208 in the 86 Louisville 8000 tandem. It`s always had the factory fan but the fan clutch hardly ever cuts in and the shutters stay closed alot even on a fairly warm day.

 

Very cool truck!!! I love it! That 55 is gonna be the cats *** runnin down the road!! Can't wait to see more pics

 

thanks for the input guys. Stopped by a truck company today, and looked around at some of the semi's with air ride rears. Came up with an idea to run a modified or 4 link with the air bags instead of coilovers. I think that since it won't see commercial sized loads, that I will be able to make frame brackets using 1/4" steel plate, and some 2" O.D. steel tubing for link arms. Gonna check on wall thicknesses later in the week, and do some engineering on paper.

 

Not much work done to it. Been bad wheather. Did finally get one of the driver door hinge buckets replaced (only took a month or so to do it). We may finally have a buyer for the CNC plasma table taking up my garage, and hopefully he goes for it. If so, then I can turn my truck around, and start back on getting it up and going. Gonna try to build it up until it's complete, and then tear it back down to start the resto part. I figure, with all the fab work I will be needing to do, no sense in making it look real good, until I have it all laid out and put together. Working on a list of resto parts though. Buying a couple pieces at a time. Next on the list is a rubber kit. Holding off on the rear fenders and pipes for now. I think I will either need to stretch the frame a foot or two (depending on how I want it to look) if I want to run the sleeper. The tanks look like crap on the side, so I want to either shorten them or replace them with shorter ones. Not sure if I want to run 5" stacks, or larger. I think 6"ers would look good if I go day cab, and 5's would probably be fine with the sleeper. No new pics yet.

 

I think it would look good stretched out, 60 inch sleeper, definetly 6 inch stacks though. Your probably like me just ready to drive it around. Good Luck

 

Yeah, too ready. I drove it a few times around the property before we moved, then tore it down, and redid some things, and am now rebuilding it again. It's going well, just slow. The dang thing won't fit in my garage, so I can only do stuff when it's warm (I hate the cold).

 

Good job Joe, we must think alike because I am doing the same thing. The truck is
a 1953 F900 and I am to slide a L9000 under it having a Cat 3406 with 7 speed
spicer This was the truck last summer, I had 17ton on it and when the body was
3/4 the way up the piston blew out and the 17ton came down on me and smashed
the cab I had to climb out the right side window so I guess I have used up all of
my "nine lives" sam

 

Good luck to you to big job, I was thinking of taking my F-6 and mounting it on a lo-profile international frame with the 7.3 diesel but haven't checked into it any further. Good luck JOE

 

The frame on your L should be 34" wide. I used the cab mounts from the effie, and mounted them to the L's frame. I had to build a "dog house hump" in the firewall, but it wasn't very big. You could use the 4" firewall from mid fifty, and it should fit right on. I had to reverse the front sprongs in order to set the front wheels better in the fenders. easy to do though, they're just real heavy. The trans sticks up a bit, and you'll need to make a florr plate with a new shifter hole. You will also need to build a steering column, or get some aftermarket stuff. I use the flex joint out of a bmw in mine, and used 3/4" bolts welded to the steering shafts, and threaded the beemer swivel to each end, and mounted mine that way. I didn't use a heim joint for mine, but just cut a large enough hole in the toe board to hold the column steady there. It has been a lot of work, but I think I have most of the engineering work figured out for an L frame swap. If you need some help, ask me. You have to set the cab at normal effies height, or it won't llok right, unless you want to rework the cowl and front metal to be taller. Hey Joe, that should be a pretty easy swap for a 53-56, but might be very challenging for the 48-52. What I have noticed int hos, is you really are limited to a 6 cyl diesel (or straight 5) if you want to use the earlier body. The 53-56 are much wider, and will fit almost any of the larger diesels in them. The number of commercial engines that will fit into a 53-56 is amazing. You can fit almost any of them in there with a simple fire wall rebuild. Let me know if you need any help guys, I think I have the only running 53-56 diesel right now. I think most of the other ones are still in the design phase, except for Mechmgcn, I think his is pretty well planned out, and well under way. he's using the mercedes motor. Sam, I am glad to hear you came out ok with that. You and C-700 (Carl) are my only serious Big Job buddies, so don't leave me here with less minds to plan with. Hey, hook me up with some parts. I need some.....I dunno, send me a truck or two...lol