While looking for a picture of my current garage with the boats, i came across the folder of photos when i built the deck i have on my current welding truck, and realized i never did a post on it (although i wasn't a member at the time)
Times were slow and i had to get rid of the high high payment on my '12 ram that i had bought new, traded that sucker in on a 1/2t pickup and bought an old welding truck to fix up and use as needed. Hopes were high it apparently only needed a fuel pump, and it already had a deck, took a quick look, handed over 1000 bucks (or maybe it was 1500, i dont remember), towed home what would be know to my wife as "Hank the tank"
Well my hopes were dashed after a good look over, the deck was shot (well not all of it, i saved the doors!), got it running with a few bits more than a fuel pump, but it was timed out and had low compression (low miles, but probably thousands of hours worth of idling up north). Crappy, but it was cheap, it was a cab/chassis, i could swap the motor, and build a new deck, my options were limited at that point so onward i forged.
Ripped the deck up into 4 pieces, called up a scrapper and they took it away, clean slate. (no photos)
sketched up a design, and away i went, but first things first, the truck was a little long, the original deck was 10ft, a foot more than i wanted. The last guy had already bobbed the frame behind the spring perches, so the only option was to move the axle and all associated hardware forward the foot i wanted, relatively easy job on a cab/chassis with the straight frame rails, torch rivets, layout new holes, drill and bolt up.
the main frame of the deck is 3" channel (tubing always rots out), the cabinet bodys and drawers are 18g, the deck and cabinet floor is all 10g, ladder racks are 1/8 tube. Cabinet doors are aluminum checker re-used from the original deck. i quickly blasted it, red oxide primer and top coated with black (tremclad)
Its 7ish years old at this point, being steel i give it a good scuff (and down to bare where its rusting through) and paint it every year, still holding up, probably outlast the truck how things are going
Since these original build photos it has had 4 motors, the 7.4 it came with, swapped to a 6.5 diesel (ran that for a couple years), swapped to a 6.0ls (dropped a cam bearing), rebuilt and installed another 6l (going strong 50,000km), a rebuilt transfer case, true trac differential carrier, new junkyard doors, raptor lined the cab, powder coated the cabinet doors, and aluminum wheels that i also powder coated (never again)
Its a constant battle of repairs, but its paid for, and people seem to love seeing a 26 year old truck still making money
Oh man, if only it were this clean and organized still
My first crack at powder coating wheels, turned out pretty good, but i dont think i will ever do it again
And the current look :
Times were slow and i had to get rid of the high high payment on my '12 ram that i had bought new, traded that sucker in on a 1/2t pickup and bought an old welding truck to fix up and use as needed. Hopes were high it apparently only needed a fuel pump, and it already had a deck, took a quick look, handed over 1000 bucks (or maybe it was 1500, i dont remember), towed home what would be know to my wife as "Hank the tank"
Well my hopes were dashed after a good look over, the deck was shot (well not all of it, i saved the doors!), got it running with a few bits more than a fuel pump, but it was timed out and had low compression (low miles, but probably thousands of hours worth of idling up north). Crappy, but it was cheap, it was a cab/chassis, i could swap the motor, and build a new deck, my options were limited at that point so onward i forged.
Ripped the deck up into 4 pieces, called up a scrapper and they took it away, clean slate. (no photos)
sketched up a design, and away i went, but first things first, the truck was a little long, the original deck was 10ft, a foot more than i wanted. The last guy had already bobbed the frame behind the spring perches, so the only option was to move the axle and all associated hardware forward the foot i wanted, relatively easy job on a cab/chassis with the straight frame rails, torch rivets, layout new holes, drill and bolt up.
the main frame of the deck is 3" channel (tubing always rots out), the cabinet bodys and drawers are 18g, the deck and cabinet floor is all 10g, ladder racks are 1/8 tube. Cabinet doors are aluminum checker re-used from the original deck. i quickly blasted it, red oxide primer and top coated with black (tremclad)
Its 7ish years old at this point, being steel i give it a good scuff (and down to bare where its rusting through) and paint it every year, still holding up, probably outlast the truck how things are going
Since these original build photos it has had 4 motors, the 7.4 it came with, swapped to a 6.5 diesel (ran that for a couple years), swapped to a 6.0ls (dropped a cam bearing), rebuilt and installed another 6l (going strong 50,000km), a rebuilt transfer case, true trac differential carrier, new junkyard doors, raptor lined the cab, powder coated the cabinet doors, and aluminum wheels that i also powder coated (never again)
Its a constant battle of repairs, but its paid for, and people seem to love seeing a 26 year old truck still making money
Oh man, if only it were this clean and organized still
My first crack at powder coating wheels, turned out pretty good, but i dont think i will ever do it again
And the current look :
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