My Humble Submission

[rtphillips370]

Here is my "work" in progress. Not to much to add outside of my signature block. She has little over 150K on the clock and still ticking well. Currently I am sorting out some turbo issues as some of you may have seen in my posts. My next modification will be a after market ECM, a new vacuum pump, then off to the body shop to cure some Michigan cancer and restore the showroom luster. Then later on i'm looking at some add on stuff like a stainless Taylor RV Wing with matching headache rack and a pair of stutter air horns with air system from grover air horns for the darn deer! The stock horn sucks!

I got her hooked to my recent acquisition, my new 5'er. Slightly larger than my old coachman so it slows me down at the hills but the truck manages well and hope to do better when I get the ECM and the Turbo going...Well hope you enjoy...

[rtphillips370]

Oops here is the rest of the rig...

[Robyn]

I am seeing something here in these posts what I suspected was out there but to prove it was to take a leap of faith and propose this forum.

There are a whole lot of folks that absolutely love their trucks no matter if they are New, Old or in between, and would love to show them off.

The key here is they are "OUR Trucks" and we are proud of them.
Keep the wonderful pix coming troops.

This is just wonderful

Im gonna give it 5 so far

For you folks that have an odd "MUTT" that you have stuffed a GM diesel in, lets see that little critter

Best to all

Robyn

[metal man]

project diesel ratrod; put together for dragracing,started project in april at this point 1st week of july! runs 15.30@87 mph. vroom vroom!! not to good at computing, so no pictures att.

[rustyk]

I am seeing something here in these posts what I suspected was out there but to prove it was to take a leap of faith and propose this forum.

There are a whole lot of folks that absolutely love their trucks no matter if they are New, Old or in between, and would love to show them off.

The key here is they are "OUR Trucks" and we are proud of them.
Keep the wonderful pix coming troops.

This is just wonderful

Im gonna give it 5 so far

For you folks that have an odd "MUTT" that you have stuffed a GM diesel in, lets see that little critter

Best to all

Robyn

I think mostly, it's "Dance with who brung ya'". While I'd prefer to have a Cummins 5.9C in StaRV II, the body design of my motorhome with the GM 6.5L TD is far superior for my needs - compared to the pre-'94 with the Cummins 5.9L. I don't regret a bit replacing the original (very early) "Rat" with an AMG. Except for hill-climbing, the new engine is every bit as useful and economical as the Cummins, and was substantially cheaper.

[rtphillips370]

After five years of planning and then five weeks of waiting while it was in the body, shop, my ole girl finally got a new paint job along with a new rear bumper, left rear door, tailgate, carpet and then detailed with LED fender lamps, LED cab lights, holographic decals that change between silver and charcoal etc.

I recycled the tool box and main running boards but the box boards were not salvageable as the Michigan cancer destroyed their mounting tracks, anyways enjoy, comments welcome!

image 1:
http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/100_0466.jpg

image 2:
http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/100_0467.jpg

[Robyn]

Looks great.

Love the graphics on the truck.

I always seem to get the running gear projects up and flying but never can get to the body and paint work.

Out here in Oregon, about the worst is the green slime that grows on the north side when ya leave EM parked for more than a week in one place


Missy

[suburbanK-2500HD]

Wery nice truck, and rig..

[rtphillips370]

Thanks,

Friday I took it for a long weekend up north (300mi or so to the U.P.) and about half way their it decided to cause havoc. When I stopped for fuel it coughed a nice black cloud of smoke out of the hood cracks and when I got to the gas station, I found it pumping raw fuel overboard the passenger side of the engine when the engine was running.

Long story short, the small little braded/rubber fuel lines in between the individual injectors had been rubbing on the heat shield and rubbed a whole in it. I didnt have the knowledge or the tools to diagnose and fix it 150MI from home so a local shop in Clare, MI (Quality Truck & Tire Service) fixed it for the cost of labor. it took them approx 4.0 hours to find it and then locate the proper type and size of tubing to fix it but they didnt charge for the tubing lolol. other than starting hard when hot it runs well ever since.

[blackshirts]

im gonna need a pants check after seeing these 2 trucks

[More Power]

After five years of planning and then five weeks of waiting while it was in the body, shop, my ole girl finally got a new paint job along with a new rear bumper, left rear door, tailgate, carpet and then detailed with LED fender lamps, LED cab lights, holographic decals that change between silver and charcoal etc.

I recycled the tool box and main running boards but the box boards were not salvageable as the Michigan cancer destroyed their mounting tracks, anyways enjoy, comments welcome!

image 1:
http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/100_0466.jpg

image 2:
http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/100_0467.jpg

Very nice! I'm always impressed by "new" looking 1990s trucks (my personal favorite body style).

Jim

[Inspector]

Rich:
Remember the very first and great rendezvous at Jim's way back when? I'm not sure what year truck you had then but I rode with you on the trail ride. That truck had horses. Do you still have that one. We sure had a good time that year. We learned alot and a made some good friendships. I am still in contact with a few of them. We do miss the get togethers. Anyway that is one great looking truck. Good work.
Dennis

[rtphillips370]

Hello Robyn and crew...

I havent been here much but thought I would update my pics of my truck and the the R.V. I traded up to in July 2012 and now my newest toy truck

Image of the ole C3500 with the new 5'er:



Unfortunately the 5'er out grew the truck by 3,000 pounds in weight as it weighs in at 12900 empty. So After a year's search, I have joined the growing club of Heavy Duty Truck owners for the specific use to pull my 5'er since the used tractor is much cheaper to purchase (I paid less than $9000) than a younger used or new pickup to pull it:



Here it is at a local company after having it singled but pre-setup for pulling the 5'er:





Its a 1993 International 9400 Eagle with the Detroit 12.7 series 60 with a eaton/fuller 10-speed. The monthly payment is only $220 verses the $500-$700 for a good used and heavier pickup. I have already taken it out on a summer trip and averaged 8.5 MPH with the 5'er at 55 MPH and 6.5 at 70MPH, the pickup gets 9.1 at 55MPH with the same trailer and cries when it hits a hill. The truck is a retired fleet maintained with 1,0660,000 miles but good mechanical condition, had a new clutch and full fluid and filter service just prior to purchase and has good rubber all the way around (80%+).

With a little modification from the truck dealer (added a porta-crapper and microwave) they changed the title from tractor to that of motor home. In doing so the plates went from $450 a year to $48 a year and no CDL or air brake endorsement required (per Michigan and FMCSA).

I have gutted the sleeper and placed benches along the side walls for the kids (teens) to sit, the front has dual air ride seats. Runs good, but body wise it is work in progress. I plan to sand it down to near bare metal, paint it with new primer and color on my own, customize the sleeper with bigger and better windows, and interior with a motor home door in rear with passenger side retracting staircase for family with arthritis to enter and build a steel deck with skirts over the rear end and take off the large roof mounted fairing.

Already got the supply air line set up to run light air tools and fill tires, I find it fun to drive and a learning challenge as I have had to learn how to drive an un-synchronized manual transmission. And unlike my pickup, the trailer only makes it ride smoother and doesn't even know its there...

Here is a link to a whole album of "pre-singled" images of the body I had made for a body shop friend so if anyone is interested in close ups...

http://s731.photobucket.com/user/lpd...ational%209400

Well I hope you enjoy the images and feel free to comment or ask questions!!!

[Robyn]

Hey
Thanks for sharing the way cool pics.

I' curious as to why you dropped the tandem drive ???

We looked into a small Freightliner some years back, and I wanted the tandem drive, which was not offered on the "toy haulers" but could be added as a special order.

Anyway, lookin good.

As for shifting the 10 speed, its all about getting the gears running the same speed.

I have never owned a 10 speed, I always had 18 speeds in my rock haulers, but they all work about the same.

Just wind it up, slack off the throttle just enough to free the gears, slide the thing out let the RPM drop about 200 (depends on the particular gearing) then slide it into the next hole.

Once the rig is rolling (except on steeeeeeeeep grades) leave the clutch alone.
These boxes just work like silk when you get the clutch out of the equation.

Double clutching is just a PITA and makes the job of shifting far more complex.

The 10 has a shift pattern thats slightly different from the 18, but the concept is the same.

Float the gears all the way up and down.

once out of a gear on the way up, you simply let things wind down slightly then the tranny will go right into the next gear with ease, AND IF ITS MAKING NOISE, YA AINT DOING IT RIGHT.

You should be able to shift these all day without any grinding or issues.

Just fool with the RPM and in short order you will have the FEEL down to a science.

The Road ranger boxes are a sweet treat.

I learned on an old 5 and 4 combo

Bought my first Pete with a 13 spd ranger. WOW, how sweet it was


Have fun

Missy

[DmaxMaverick]

Nice combo choice. I've considered the same a few times, but need the tow vehicle for local travel when on the road, and often get into the bush, where a rig like that won't go.

Also a good choice to drop the drivers to a single I think, for a few reasons. The 5'er coach pin weight is too light for tandems, driven or tag. Too little weight is too little traction, and especially for braking and/or control during slippery conditions. Tandems weigh more, and will require more power/fuel. Less axles is less tires, and less maintenance. Some states have axle limitations, which may limit where you can go, including many camp grounds, neighborhoods, roads, and bridges. It may also put you overweight for a non-CDL combination. You'll have less turning radius and less tire-scrubbing, as well as significantly better tire and suspension wear.

You may be able to improve your mileage considerably by just de-rating the power on that 60. You aren't hauling near the 80K it is designed for. Drop the power to no more than you'll need for the heaviest you'll ever be. You won't miss the extra power, and you won't be entering any drag races with it, I don't think.

The 10 speed will be just fine. You shouldn't need more gears with no more load than you'll have. Many freight trucks get along just fine at 80K, if they can stay away from the big grades. You'll have no problem. Even if you had a 13/15/18 speed, you'd still only shift 10 (or 9), unless you really like rowing, and have fuel to spare. The 12+ 60's have a very generous RPM range, which helps with economy when you don't need to keep the power up for very heavy loads or starting on steep grades. Your combination will be comparable to an OTR rig, light an unloaded. It should never break a sweat.

And, as Robyn said, you should only need the clutch for starts/stops. These gear boxes shift like butter without.

[rtphillips370]

Glad you like the pics, ill post more as i get more done to it...

I "singled" it so that the wheel base would be within the length of the average long box dually like mine. Prior to having it shortened, it had a 224" wheel base, now the overall length is the same as my Chevy dually although, the rear axle is still a little farther back in comparison. The idea is be able to take it where a pickup could, from town driving to the average campground. In its previous length it wouldn't fit in most local campgrounds due to the amount of space it needed to turn. Plus since I do not take a second vehicle, Ill have to use it to go sight seeing etc and the shorter wheel base is easier to manage in parking situations. Before singling it, the truck with my 5'er measured 62'2" in length, Michigan limits R.V. combos to 65'.

I plan to drop the roof fairing to lower its height as well, even doing that the truck is still near the same height as the trailer, you can see the the before pics the truck is actually taller than the trailer.

The transmission is a eaton/fuller 10-speed, it has 1 thru 5 in low, then 6 thru 10 in high. Generally on flat ground with the 5'er, i start out in 4th gear and 5 or 6 if empty. 9th gear winds out between 45 and 50 MPH so I do all of my highway driving in 10th. I have made a small chart listing a bracket of speed for each gear so i can remember if I forget (i dont drive it very often as it eats fuel at a healthy rate). I've learned to float the gears and my chart helps me in the event I loose my place, I have plans to use the unit and 5'er as a means to gain my CDL A and the SOS manual requires double clutching so I have been trying to practice it when i do drive the truck but I am not having much luck.

The truck company where I had it worked on is local and I know the owner, he exclusively operates all international truck fleet, he checked up on it and the 1993 12.7 Detroit generates 437 HP on the pedal and 470 HP when the cruise control is engaged. If I recall it generates somewhere around 1450 ft pounds of torque. The company did the work for the cost of parts as he retained all of the parts he took off as payment, I only have to pay for the modified drive shaft as the old one was not long enough, the rear axle has a shorter differential case than the power divider axle has. The truck came with a 3 stage jake brake that still works and is fun to play with here and there but no real reason to use it here in Michigan but nice to know if I want to go through the mountains, it is all set up.

Im also a member in the HDT segment of the IRV2 forum and they suggest that I build a deck as all of the weight now is on the front axle and the truck will be difficult to drive in slippery conditions without the trailer, So I have added plans to build a deck for the back half myself out of sheet steel in addition, I plan to replace all of the windows of the sleeper. I plan to make the window on the driver side much larger, somewhere in the 40" x 60" range that opens, and one that will fit in the escape door on the right side and replace the old window above it.

I plan to teach myself how to paint, I intend to use the lower fairing skirts in a shop environment that way if I screw them up I can sand it down and start over, once I get reasonably good, ill shoot the sleeper and cab.

One other modification will be adding a motor home door the rear wall of the sleeper and a stair case off of the right side. I am surprised at the generally inexpensive the windows will be. So I will be investing mostly my labor rather than material (I hope) I hope it turns out well I have no illusion that it will take a few years before it is done but, overall i think in the end I stil expect to spend way less than the purchase of a comparable HD pickup truck.

This summer, I took the truck and trailer for a trip up north in its unaltered condition and even in a large campground with spaces for large r.v. it was somewhat of a challenge to park, below is a short video of my folks laughing it up while I tried to park it for the first time in a campground, what is not seen is the row of vehicles parked along the right side out of frame that I was trying to dodge, well enjoy:

http://youtu.be/OLG3rNxtvzo

[arveetek]

One thing I would also look into is making sure the rear suspension of the truck is not too "stiff" for the trailer. It probably has air ride suspension, and is probably okay. However, I have personally seen two different 5th wheels have the frame crack and fail near the pin box area when being towed by OTR tractors. The 5th wheels were designed to be towed by pickup trucks with a relatively soft suspension, and the commercial trucks were designed to tow heavy loads, and the two don't necessary mix well.

One of the trucks I saw had spring suspension, and even though several leaves were removed prior to hauling the RV, it still damaged the trailer on its first long trip. I'm not sure about the second truck's suspension. I just happened to be at the campground doing some other service work, and noticed that the trailer looked awfully low when hooked to the commercial truck (and if I recall, it still had tandems), and upon further inspection, discovered that the frame had failed and the owners were about ready to lose their trailer altogether. They hadn't even noticed!

Again, with the air suspension, you should be safe, but it still wouldn't hurt to research the matter further and make sure.

Casey

[rtphillips370]

It has air ride suspension even with that said, I plan to replace the stock pin box with an air ride version for the very reason you just mentioned. At the moment, I dont go much much more than 300 miles from home in any one direction and I have been careful about staying on good roads, but I definitely plan on a cushioned hitch in the near future.