Ok ..... after years of building conventional hot rods, muscle cars, etc. I got involved in COE trucks a few years back and then this year stumbled onto one of the rarest of the COE rigs around. Long story short, the D300 COE 1 ton IHC is now in my shop ... well parts of it are anyway. The plan is to mount the cab on a C30 2wd ch***is (Chev 1 ton), mid mount the motor, and build an old timey stake bed to finish it. So far I have gathered up most of the parts to make this all work. Most COE folk know the P30 parcel van and motorhome ch***is setups have the steering that can be made to work with most COE builds when a Chev 1 ton ch***is is used As I found the P30 parts and hauled them home, I began to look for sources to replace a few worn items ... idler arm mount bushings, idler arms, and so on. What I am encountering however surprised me. Other than a couple of motorhome parts sources, there seems to be no replacement parts around now for the mid 80's steering components unique to the P30 rigs. So .... if any of you know of new parts at some decent sources, I'd be very appreciative. Any source that has original parts would hopefully be better for prices than the infernal motorhome outfits. One idler arm was listed by the motorhome outlets at $300 each!!! I understand that bigger rig parts are more expensive, but dang that was a shock. Also ... if there are any of you out there doing a D300 build, I'd sure like to get in contact as this goes along. As rare as the D300 COE trucks are, I'm not expecting many, but one or two would sure help. Thanks in advance .... COEbuilder .... Spokane, WA
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