...just dreaming here. Someday the kids will be gone, we'll trade our bunkhouse for a Rear LR triple slide and just go driving. At that point my awesome CTD will be 10 years old and fully broken in but, just maybe, my 2500 won't be up to the weight of the ultimate retirement fifth wheel

But at that point, who knows WHAT a new truck will cost and how reliable they will be... So here's the thought:

Buy a 1 ton chassis (4 door any brand) in good shape but with a blown/worn out engine. Then BOMB as the ultimate tow vehicle. What would you put into it? How feasible is this dream? What are the pitfalls?

My off-the-top-of-my-head list...

Able to tow 16K# safely- 1 ton dually with good brakes/springs/shocks should be able to do it

A CTD of course

Re-built trans (automatic, I'll be old/lazy by then)

60-80 gallons fuel capacity

...what else? ...is this just a dream or could it be done?

 

Lots of $$$$$$$$$$ !

If $$$$$$$$$ is not an issue these work great, http://www.sportchassis.com/componen...view,overview/. We have used these to tow our race trailer and had good luck.

 

custom flat bed with extra storage, built in aux fuel tank with 100 gallon capacity, air bags, jake brake, at least 500hp & 800 lb/ft., air ride seat?, in 8 years who knows what kind of auto tranny will be out there, probably 7-8 speed auto for a diesel. And of course, like T398 said $$$$

Good luck,
Nick

 

Honestly for how much people are bashing it...

the 07 chassis cab... regular cab with 84" Cab->axle or quad cab if you please.

Very strong C channel straight frame, 50? +20 gallon fuel tanks I think.

12500 GVWR

2wd has a solid axle in the front instead of IFS.

High idler standard.

7 speed auto if you like that...

Even if you get that thing weighing up to 8000 lbs with all your stuff, that leaves 4500 for pin, which equals about 18,000 lbs trailer weight.


This is going to be a great truck.

 

I'm currently working towards my ultimate tow toy.

I'm starting with a 1997 GMC 3500HD chassis that has the straight front axle, 4 corner disks, and 19.5" rims. I'll eventually upgrade the current 6.5L turbo diesel to a 12 valve Cummins (already have the '92 donor sitting here) and swap out the Hydromatic slushbox for a 5 or 6 spd manual (yet to be determined). Behind that, I'm planning to mount a spicer 3-spd. brownie box (over/under/direct) and I plan to increase the measly 40 gal. fuel capacity to somewhere closer to 100 gal. I'm thinking of pulling a few leaves out of the springs and adding air bags to improve the ride and the capacity. Definitely need to have on-board air and probably even add an under-bed gen. set.

Short term plan is to add a sleeper behind the cab and a western hauler style tow bed. Long term plan is to replace the entire body with a 1965 Chevy C30 panel truck body that I have and build a classis Chevy dually panel truck to tow a 35' tag.

 

keep the ideas coming!

I had thought of on-board air... the on-board genset had crossed my mind, but I thought it would be cheaper/better to put that in the fifthwheel.

I picked 60-80 gallon capacity as ~2X what I've got now... but if I could swing 100 somehow that would be sweet. The difference in fuel prices along the highways is amazing now, a few years out who knows -- no matter, range is always good.

$$$$$ not an issue? well, ahhh no - it's a dream, not a fantasy!!!
Of course $$$$'s are an issue. I was just thinking that if I planned out the donor body and donor engine in advance I could shop the country for them.

My logic is that if I can pick up some of the key parts for a good price I can justify spending more on the aftermarket goodies.

 

These look good for the $$$$ ($30-50K)

http://onezman.tripod.com/

 

I like this guy's work. Buy clean used truck. Remove an axle. Add some fenders and LEDs. Clean it up. Give it new fluids/filters and sell.

 

in 6-8 years, Ill just be going to my spare engine.....so probably alittle more power with the ported head.

Other then that, I already pull 18k minimum, its a 50 ft enclosed trailer.

 

I don't think it's so great . The added emissions rob all the power of the added displacement . You'll pay at least $3,000 more for the additon of emissions equipment which will also add to the cost of maintaining the truck . I'd go with an '06 or earlier International or Freightliner MB

 

go to a junk yard and get a medium duty frame. Then stick a rebuilt 330 (or somewhere around in there) Cummins in it. Then rebuild your favorite old vehicle of choice and put the body on it. I think i would lengthen the cab on another '57 chevy about 2 or 3 inches and then use that with a very nice hauler flat bed. that would be awesome


Then you would have on board air, air seats, air suspension, air horns (of course ) 22.5's wheels and rear duals. two speed rear end, front straight axle, 9 or 10 speed manual stick. REAL jake brake. and one awesome cb radio setup. Thats what i would do, if i had about 30 grand

 

My dad has a older chevy 89 or so, a diesel mechanic buddy of his owned and built it

besides new brakes he dropped a cummins industrial diesel under the hood, it's the same motor you would find in like a 27 foot box truck.

he dropped a hand shaker behind it, originally a muncie 465, my dad recently upgraded the tranny but i am not sure to what. a gear vender overdrive which gives him 10 forward gears and 2 reverse.

the motor is turbo charged and after cooled, this thing is awesome, that motor will flat out pull anything ($15k in the box before the conversion)

remember it was designed for a much larger truck so pulling power is not an issue, the previous owner used it to pull a 30k lb trailer, my da uses it for anything upward of about 15k lbs. he gets 26 mpg around town and about 19 mpg pulling 12k

if it wasn't in a old pos truck i would consider owning it just for the motor

this conversion could be done to most any truck. emmissions issues may be a problem depending what state you are in. i am sure the newer versions of this motor don't get the same kind of mileage

get a gear vender in what ever you are getting, it will improve mileage

 

Yeah, get a 40 foot+ 5er toybox with a mini-Cooper in the garage. Pull it with the class 7 conversion and you have the ideal full timer rig.