I've been toying around with the idea of selling my flat deck trailer and building a car hauler. My idea is not a new one by any strech of the imagination, I am looking at a 1938 Ford COE on a newer truck ch***is with a 6cly Dodge, ***mings equiped with a six speed trans in a one ton frame lengthened to accept the tilt and load deck. Anyone thats done this or is doing this got some advise. Do's or don'ts?? I like my trailer, it hauls great and it's strong enough. I just like the idea of the truck.... What do you guys think?? Any decent 38 cabs out there at a resonable price?? Is a one ton big enough? Should it be a roll off instead of a tilt and load?
I'll allow you this one time; but please don't ever put a 'g' on the end of ***mins ever again or Chuck Norris will cry. I have no experience with the COE or any of the truck side of the stuff you're talking about but I'm very very familiar with all the different models/generations of ***mins engines and transmission years...as long as you don't put a g in the name I'm willing to help out! do you have a donor engine or know what you're looking for?
Hahaha Officer Spell Check. What engine are you gunna run? Something used? Something new like a B or C? Or maybe something blue? You can use a one ton. I've had my 58 Chevy on the back of a one ton Ford before.....it DID start to bring the nose of that truck up tho, then it settled back down before it got too hairy.
I really don't know anything about the ***mins (sp) engines, or car hauler size, so I though this would be a great place to start asking. I do know of a "low" milage older six, complete, but I don't know much more about it. He did say it has a new injector pump on it though, and I understand these are really pricey... So, a 58 Chevy will lift the nose on a one ton enough to make it scary to drive... Maybe I should look for a 2 ton ch***is??? Thanks for the link to the coe site, I'll brows that today for more info.
I'd be looking for a heavier Ch***is. My One ton Dodge is a Cab and Ch***is. Kind of Dodges way around building a medium duty truck. I can put the weight of a car on the back without any problems. The Sticker in the door says "In excess of 10,000 lbs". Most one tons aren't rated that high. If you go to the evil auction website, Austin, TX usually has a totalled ambulance ch***is for sale. FL-60 or FL-70 ch***is'. They have the ***mins and a six speed Allison ****** in them. That'd be a good start for you. Motor homes and school busses would be a good place to start as well.
Definately go ***mins. The older ones have a mechanical injection pump. it will be easier to hook up. Electronic ones can be hopped up with a chip. The ones out of a truck bigger than a one ton have better trans.I bought a '95 F-700 with a 5.9 and 6 speed.........what a horse. Motor home ch***is make good running gear............Go Luck!
Don't wish to rain on your parade but, I had an 85 F-350 Hauler I used to carry my 55 circle track car to different races. A lot easier than pulling a trailer, run the car up on back and take off. Never have to worry about fishtailing or backing up. Although, here in South Carolina, if your vehicle carries another vehicle than it must have commercial insurance and plates (About 3-4 times the cost of regular insurance and Tags). I couldn't justify the added tow cost and went back to open trailers. You'll also find you have a lot more freinds when you have a ramp truck or roll-back. I have learned from some of the tour racers how to use a grey area. My tow vehicle is now an E-350 16' box van. The cargo area is cut in half with the back half converted into a small workshop. The front half has a foldout couch, table, and extra seats and allow the vehicle to be regestered as a Motor Home (Cheaper tags and insurance), actually the insurance is less that half the price of my daily driver. I've thought of resurrecting the old ramp truck by putting a 55 Ford body on it and closing in the back to appear to be a large camper, as long as there is a place to sleep it can be considered a camper/motor home.
my brother did the exact same thing only he added one of those kneel down squeeze in showers but it worked insurance wise also and is considered a motor home as well.. speech is spelled with an "E" but you dont have to agree with that im not a spell check cop
The ***mins idea is great. In my opinion, leave the six speeds alone. I see and hear of burnt NV5600 transmissions on a regular basis. Why? The engine has more torque capability than the transmission has gear torque capability and oil reservoir cooling capacity. I'd suggest finding a 5.9 ***mins powered school bus, wth an Allison AT545 transmission, then a one ton dually rearend with 3.55 gear ratio. Downside, won't accelerate like today's diesel pickups. With a manual, FS5**x or FS6**x series Fuller transmission, no overdrive, big gears inside, and generally uses a common 13" or 14" clutch.
Think about adding some kind of sleeper to the cab. You don't realize how cozy older stuff is til you try a weekend roadtrip, especially if the cargo has loose items too. Would **** to go to all that work and realize you've built a short distance hauler with long distance parts. Good luck with the project.
Ociffer Spellcheck here...haha, hoping it came across as not offensive, it's just a pet peeve of the ***mins gearheads. for what you're doing, if you can find one of the fleet/commercial ch***is or bus drivetrains that would be ideal. the Allison 5 and 6 speed autos are so overbuilt in those things it's ridiculous! If you want to row gears, the NV5600 6 speed they used in the 98-05 dodge trucks is AWESOME, they're very smooth and easy to drive and virtually indestructible. if you turn the engine up much, you'll need a good clutch and a few other goodies that'll run you about $1,500 total. -the 47re and 48re 4 speed autos(94-03/03-06 dodge respectively) leave a lot to be desired in stock form and cost between $2-3k in converter, valve body and other internals...then you can actually tow a mountain and/or run 12 second 1/4's with them. but it's still a 4 speed instead of a 5 or 6... -the 89-93 Getrag 5 speed is about as useful to a truck as Boyd is to the HAMB, if you enjoy notchy, rough shifts on a manual you have to rebuild often, this is the one for you! the NV4500 is a 5 speed that started being used in 94 and I think ended either '00 or '02. it's a great transmission but if you're building up a truck there's no reason to pick this over the NV5600(unless you get a 4500 for free...then sell it and buy the 5600). Engines: most of the engines in the fleet/medium duty trucks were the 'P-pumped' or inline manual injection pump. this was also used in the 94-98.5 dodge trucks and is the most desirable for turning up(hot rodding), VERY durable, easy and cheap to turn up a little. the early 89-93 Rotary pump engines get the best mileage and are still easy and cheap to turn up, once you get to a certain point the power mods get a little expensive but for setting up for hauling you won't be anywhere near that. being that the 89-98.5 engines are mechanical pumps, they're the easiest to -avoid the 98.5-02 engines like the plague, it's a half electric/half mechanical injection pump that basically ****s nuts and is probably the least reliable pump ***mins has ever put on an engine. think of it as a half *******. ***mins-conversion ***mins forum these are excellent info and parts resources. if you're going the auto route and want one of the newer common rail computer controlled engines, you might want to consider the duramax/allison1000. that's a very good setup. I prefer the powerband of the I6 over the V8 but aside from that, the duramax and 03-newer CR ***mins are very comparable.
No matter what you use, calculate your payload and curb weight and make sure you stay within the ch***is' GVWR. You don't waana dump a bunch of loot and not be legal.
I'd look real hard for a 2ton ch***is, my personal experience says so. Just because right now you've got a small car ala hotrod or 55 Chevy or WHATEVER, doesn't mean that down the road you won't be trying to load some huge tuna boat on the *******. Like someone else already said.....aim for something with a mechanical fuel pump. You wouldn't believe how devestatingly expensive to rebuild or replace an injection pump is!
my uncle has a 90s dodge dually with the ***mins, something like 300 hp and 600 ft lbs of torque,stock, though hes got the gale banks upgraded turbos and 3 in exhaust now so its a bit more. practically can pull a semi if it wasnt pulling back. good luck with this project and keep us posted on it!
why dont you buy a school bus and make doors in the back then it can be an enclosed car hauling motorhome. My buddy bill tried to talk me into doing it with my school bus but i didnt want to cut it up for my dune buggy, its also a little high up to put a car on without a rollback or fork lift
It's a cool and workable idea. The sleeper Shifty mentioned is also a good idea if you do any long hauls. I have a 40" sleeper on the front of my 24" trailer and it's nice not racking up motel bills while on the road. The question is. Would the truck last as long as a trailer and would you keep it for a long time? I have had my trailer since 91, but it has had two redos. I haven't had any truck that long.
As a COE owner and it is my (mostly) daily driver, I can seriously recommend to put the engine and trans behind the cab. I have my 49 Ford on a 74 GM dually ch***is and to make it easy I kept the engine in stock ch***is location. Lowered my cab over the engine, along with some suspension lowering by flippijng the rear axle and cutting springs up front. Although now i put air bags up front because i was tearing it up being too low for my driveway or speed bumps. I am sitting great stance and rides nice. But inside cab room is real tight. I have a big engine cover like a van has, but in the smaller size pickup cab. I would have tons of room if I put the engine behind the cab, mid-engine. Just my recommendation if you want to have real low. You could always mount the body up high, but that kind of defeats the purpose in my opinion.
...yet. I pitty the fool that makes him shed his first tear. mechanical pump ***mins and NO GALE BANKS ****, either; there's a lot better aftermarket stuff for way less expensive that wasn't stolen ('borrowed', 'copied', whatever) from other companies.
Thanks for the links to the ***mins sites. I have no real intention to up the power in this engine unless I need to. As far as the spell check officer, I wish I had one more often, so no, no offence taken. I have thought of the school bus ch***is, and my thoughts are the same, this ch***is is to high to be an easy load and unload with out a rollback deck, which might be the way to go in the end. I was thinking more along the lines of the style seen used by early race teams, roll off deck, but I'm not sure yet. Truth be told, I am just realy in the early stages of this project, I have a line on a few truck ch***is, and an early I6 ***mins, it has a mech pump, but no body to speak of. I guess the ideal senario would be a working driving two or three ton with a ***mins power plant and a replacement body, LOL. As if that would happen to me!!!! As far as the camper/motor home idea goes, could one extend the cab into a four door size? add a drop down bunk in the back and call it a day? Maybe like a mini highway tractor??? Cab and sleeper with the deck out back? Anyone done this before?
Huge Tuna boat?? Must be some interesting rides on the west coast!!! LOL (just teasing you) Saw your post about making santas list. Nice looking ride by the way. Definetly not a huge tuna boat!!
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