Springer-
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2023
- Member Number
- 6204
- Messages
- 36
Back story ... I went and looked at a HMMWV and bought it. The plan was to do a Duramax conversion. On the way home I stopped and looked at a 89K mile 2002 Chevy 3500 Cab Chassis flat bed dump that was used its whole life a commercial plow truck at a golf course. Wouldn't start, had a bunch of work done to the engine, new injectors, new inj pump etc. Bought it for $2300 and had it towed home. Back to the HMMWV, I thought it had a GM 6.2 in it but it had been rebuilt and had a much better GP 6.5 that ran great. Decided not to part out the 2002 so I decided to fix it to replace my 97 F350.
I started by removing the dump bed because it was rusted pretty bad. Turns out the frame was rusted pretty bad also. Having been a plow truck I literally found a pile of salt under the passenger side seat. The cab was shot too. If I was going to do anything with this truck I needed a new frame and cab so I started looking for a parts truck. I found a 2003 GMC 3500 LB7 Cab Chassis dump truck used for landscaping and had never been plowed with. Kept in a fleet garage its whole life, all 300K miles of it. The engine ran, had a few dents but the cab was good and the frame was nearly perfect. Bought it for $3200.
Parted out the 2003 GMC, sold everything but the Cab and Frame for $2500. I also had the idea that I wanted a regular 8' fleet side bed on this build. I figured I could build a bed out of 2 beds. The F350 it would replace was my general purpose truck, it had a plow, lift gate and towed my trailer, etc. For this to replace my F350 I wanted a plow, lift gate etc. Also wanted a fifth wheel hitch that could be removed quickly without leaving anything in the bed.
I started this build in October 2019 and completed the majority of it by July 2020. I say majority because is anything custom build ever really done? I'm still working on it and the current projects is where I will pick up in real time and post progress.
here's the Chevy after I removed the flat bed dump. I set the fleetside bed on to check fitment, wheel protrusion, wheelbase etc. The Cab Chassis is about 5-6" longer wheelbase.
in this picture you can see the gap between the bed and the cab. When it was lined up correctly with the rear wheels, the gap was about 6".
I started by removing the dump bed because it was rusted pretty bad. Turns out the frame was rusted pretty bad also. Having been a plow truck I literally found a pile of salt under the passenger side seat. The cab was shot too. If I was going to do anything with this truck I needed a new frame and cab so I started looking for a parts truck. I found a 2003 GMC 3500 LB7 Cab Chassis dump truck used for landscaping and had never been plowed with. Kept in a fleet garage its whole life, all 300K miles of it. The engine ran, had a few dents but the cab was good and the frame was nearly perfect. Bought it for $3200.
Parted out the 2003 GMC, sold everything but the Cab and Frame for $2500. I also had the idea that I wanted a regular 8' fleet side bed on this build. I figured I could build a bed out of 2 beds. The F350 it would replace was my general purpose truck, it had a plow, lift gate and towed my trailer, etc. For this to replace my F350 I wanted a plow, lift gate etc. Also wanted a fifth wheel hitch that could be removed quickly without leaving anything in the bed.
I started this build in October 2019 and completed the majority of it by July 2020. I say majority because is anything custom build ever really done? I'm still working on it and the current projects is where I will pick up in real time and post progress.
here's the Chevy after I removed the flat bed dump. I set the fleetside bed on to check fitment, wheel protrusion, wheelbase etc. The Cab Chassis is about 5-6" longer wheelbase.
in this picture you can see the gap between the bed and the cab. When it was lined up correctly with the rear wheels, the gap was about 6".
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