PAToyota
Well-Known User
Yep. At least I have down right for the GM, Toyota, and Saab. Just have to remember up left for the semis.
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Last Call Guest on these Group Buy Deal Items from Baja Designs
"Tiny" - A Semi Project
- Thread starter snivilous
- Start date
ridered3
Low Talent Wheelin
Awesome looking setup!Not much to say, but the first trip configured as the original plan went awesome!
snivilous
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #95
Yesterday I had cruise control set at 78mph and it was at 1800rpm, with the tach showing a green zone of 1000-1500rpm, and redline being 2200rpm. It'll go over 80 no sweat, but there starts to be some weird harmonics over 78 that some people have said are most likely due to bad shocks which I haven't replaced yet. Gears 1-5 are good for 5mph, then each gear after that is good for 10mph or so, and then 10th is good from about 50mph and up. And it got 9.5mpg on that 900mi trip I did a few weeks ago doing 75 (speed limit) everywhere we went. Since there's no appreciable load on it it'll maintain that up any grade too, so it'll go as fast as you want.
Talon2006
Yellow Skull
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Messages
- 531
This is starting to make me wanna sell the 450 :p
BillyBronco
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 22, 2020
- Messages
- 115
I think you should extend the dovetail 2-4’ and make it less of an angle. That should still leave you with enough room to mount the gooseneck at the back of your truck frame and be able to turn. And as long as you build an appropriate strength bumper pull hitch at the back of the dove tail I doubt that truck will care about the hitch placement vs tongue weight whenever you hook trailers to it.
snivilous
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #101
Couple improvements to the truck in the past couple weeks, though no real pictures.
First was my neighbor fixed the AC, he had all the **** to check the system and vacuum it so that's a major improvement! Went to Sand Hollow this weekend and turned it on, took it a minute to get going but I was even turning it down pretty quickly so that's great! I might see if someone can tint the windows, I can only imagine how hot this thing will get in the summer.
We also went ahead and cut the exhaust off, there was lots of talk of getting sexy with it which turned into, **** it just cut the muffler off, rotate the exhaust 180deg so it dumps in front of the passenger tool box. With how ancient the muffler is, doubtful it was doing much. Inside the cab I didn't notice any increase in noise, except maybe with the exhaust brake on so I'm thinking it'll stay that way. I made a bracket to hold the exhaust down turn/tip which you can see below.
I also added a winch mount! Though still need to bolt the winch on and wire it in.
Annnnd that's about it. I got new gas struts for the side cargo doors? Old stuff is so cool, like a gas strut seems so dumb but it's so cheap and makes such a noticeable difference. Just one of those little improvements that goes a long way.
With the exhaust stack moved I can now pull the buggy all the way forward on the deck so it's not precariously close to the dovetail. I also have a 2.5" hitch receiver tube sitting here to build into a receiver below the dovetail. That's about it for updates though. I rotate through which vehicle I'm modifying, probably get back to the semi soon so I can put the winch on and hitch receiver since I'm going to a race in a couple weeks, and need to be prepared for towing a trailer or winching the buggy on if it breaks. Otherwise, it runs like a champ and despite not driving it very often I think I was noticeably improved shifting which is a win too!
First was my neighbor fixed the AC, he had all the **** to check the system and vacuum it so that's a major improvement! Went to Sand Hollow this weekend and turned it on, took it a minute to get going but I was even turning it down pretty quickly so that's great! I might see if someone can tint the windows, I can only imagine how hot this thing will get in the summer.
We also went ahead and cut the exhaust off, there was lots of talk of getting sexy with it which turned into, **** it just cut the muffler off, rotate the exhaust 180deg so it dumps in front of the passenger tool box. With how ancient the muffler is, doubtful it was doing much. Inside the cab I didn't notice any increase in noise, except maybe with the exhaust brake on so I'm thinking it'll stay that way. I made a bracket to hold the exhaust down turn/tip which you can see below.
I also added a winch mount! Though still need to bolt the winch on and wire it in.
Annnnd that's about it. I got new gas struts for the side cargo doors? Old stuff is so cool, like a gas strut seems so dumb but it's so cheap and makes such a noticeable difference. Just one of those little improvements that goes a long way.
With the exhaust stack moved I can now pull the buggy all the way forward on the deck so it's not precariously close to the dovetail. I also have a 2.5" hitch receiver tube sitting here to build into a receiver below the dovetail. That's about it for updates though. I rotate through which vehicle I'm modifying, probably get back to the semi soon so I can put the winch on and hitch receiver since I'm going to a race in a couple weeks, and need to be prepared for towing a trailer or winching the buggy on if it breaks. Otherwise, it runs like a champ and despite not driving it very often I think I was noticeably improved shifting which is a win too!
ridered3
Low Talent Wheelin
snivilous
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #103
Some big improvements the last couple days!
First, a $20 radio from Amazon!
And it has Bluetooth, and sounds way better than the 20+ year old stock unit.
I also got the winch mounted and wired, and made a bracket for the winch controller so it's out of the way and the plug is easy to reach.
I've had this old HF winch laying around for years and this is the perfect application for it. I need to buy a new steel line since I always throw those out so don't have any laying around. This is a case where I think steel is better since it'll sit outside most of its life and rub on a lot of stuff when it does get used. With that said I need to figure out some kind of fairlead solution, that might be as simple as just a single flat roller at deck level to keep it low profile and not trip on it as much. Or maybe just add a rub pad and say **** it since how often will this get used? I don't know, but at least it's functional if the buggy breaks down now!
And the last big upgrade was finally getting a hitch receiver!
2.5" receiver tube off Amazon, and welded to the bottom of the rear frame cross member worked out great! The back side has a U shaped plate, front side is essentially the same U plate but extended upward to fill in the hole where the pintel hitch used to be. Then two triangle gussets, and a plate with some holes for chains to go to. Poor little welder i just maxed out and went to town. I don't think this bad boy is going anywhere!
And while I was there, I had to remove the reverse light and there wasn't a nice place to add it back in, so I swapped it out for two ****ty 6" LED lights I had bought 10 years ago, and I threw a weld on the side of the brake lights and wired them in. Wasn't planning to do that, but should be a nice little upgrade and I can angle them out to the sides. And if they're super ultra ****ty I'll just swap them out now that there's wiring and plugs in place.
That wraps up this round of upgrades! These felt like a big step since now Tiny is converted (back) into a tow rig, and able to load vehicles on it if they're broken down.
First, a $20 radio from Amazon!
And it has Bluetooth, and sounds way better than the 20+ year old stock unit.
I also got the winch mounted and wired, and made a bracket for the winch controller so it's out of the way and the plug is easy to reach.
I've had this old HF winch laying around for years and this is the perfect application for it. I need to buy a new steel line since I always throw those out so don't have any laying around. This is a case where I think steel is better since it'll sit outside most of its life and rub on a lot of stuff when it does get used. With that said I need to figure out some kind of fairlead solution, that might be as simple as just a single flat roller at deck level to keep it low profile and not trip on it as much. Or maybe just add a rub pad and say **** it since how often will this get used? I don't know, but at least it's functional if the buggy breaks down now!
And the last big upgrade was finally getting a hitch receiver!
2.5" receiver tube off Amazon, and welded to the bottom of the rear frame cross member worked out great! The back side has a U shaped plate, front side is essentially the same U plate but extended upward to fill in the hole where the pintel hitch used to be. Then two triangle gussets, and a plate with some holes for chains to go to. Poor little welder i just maxed out and went to town. I don't think this bad boy is going anywhere!
And while I was there, I had to remove the reverse light and there wasn't a nice place to add it back in, so I swapped it out for two ****ty 6" LED lights I had bought 10 years ago, and I threw a weld on the side of the brake lights and wired them in. Wasn't planning to do that, but should be a nice little upgrade and I can angle them out to the sides. And if they're super ultra ****ty I'll just swap them out now that there's wiring and plugs in place.
That wraps up this round of upgrades! These felt like a big step since now Tiny is converted (back) into a tow rig, and able to load vehicles on it if they're broken down.
ridered3
Low Talent Wheelin
Good looking updates! Angled backup lights are where it’s at on all vehicles! I’ve had great luck over the years with some cheapo Nilight 4” cube lights. Added them to every truck and even trailers too. So I can light up the night while backing up.
Mr. Mindless
Well-known member
Just found this thread, looking good. I think you went about as far by now as I did after I picked up my class8. I haven't touched it for almost 4 years now. I changed some rotten steel fuel lines and fixed an ECU issue when I got it, and changed some ugly cooling system and charge pipe lines. It probably needs most of that over again after sitting another 4 years. I hope it doesn't mind, will be another year or three before it sees frequent use. I set up pallet racking in the back as a poor man's stacker, and can fit my Bro Lite and my 4800 in it at the same time. No real quarters in it beyond the sleeper. It needs a sink in the sleeper and a kitchenette and shower in the box to actually be nice, but it is pretty awesome. It gave me 2 years of race hauling, replacing a 24' bumper pull enclosed, and then it played moving truck to move house for me in 2020...
keep the updates flowing! someday I'll have some again. I made a thread for it here, but only a placeholder. There's a little bit more on the old site IIRC.
1994 N14 Cummins and a 10 speed Eaton, dash says 643k but there's a note in service records of a discrepancy. 7.8 MPG in the 8,000 miles I put on it.
Not to finish on TOO sour of a note but it did strand me once, ECU failure (yes, same ECU that was repaired to drive it home when I bought it). Ran roadside assistance through my State Farm policy and it was towed home about 140 miles for $250. Somebody lost their ass on that and it thankfully wasn't me. A breakdown far away from home is the thing that leaves me nervous. A normal truck and trailer is 1,000x easier to self-recover. This thing is more of a fix on site or... ??
keep the updates flowing! someday I'll have some again. I made a thread for it here, but only a placeholder. There's a little bit more on the old site IIRC.
1994 N14 Cummins and a 10 speed Eaton, dash says 643k but there's a note in service records of a discrepancy. 7.8 MPG in the 8,000 miles I put on it.
Not to finish on TOO sour of a note but it did strand me once, ECU failure (yes, same ECU that was repaired to drive it home when I bought it). Ran roadside assistance through my State Farm policy and it was towed home about 140 miles for $250. Somebody lost their ass on that and it thankfully wasn't me. A breakdown far away from home is the thing that leaves me nervous. A normal truck and trailer is 1,000x easier to self-recover. This thing is more of a fix on site or... ??
Attachments
ridered3
Low Talent Wheelin
Don’t blame you there one bit.
Always thought that was such a cool truck.
Mr. Mindless
Well-known member
It was a too-good-to-be-true rate, and this was an out-of-pocket deal - I don't have roadside in my policy on anything. $250 should have been roughly the hook cost, plus probably $3-5/mile is what I was guestimating at at the time. I never did call the outfit back and see what their cash price would have been but that's what I figured.
I have done a LOT of stupid **** and 3 mildly crazy fly & drives, but the cost of rescue is the one down side. Unlike driving an AMC Eagle or XJ on 35s or a notoriously unreliable Audi across the country, I can't just Uber to a uhaul and throw the big box truck on a trailer behind a rental van, or call a friend to rescue around the region. It just means more attention to PM and a more intentional stock of spare parts. Your Volvo and 12.1 are probably better known to most shops than my 30 year old N14 so that's a big up side.
I have done a LOT of stupid **** and 3 mildly crazy fly & drives, but the cost of rescue is the one down side. Unlike driving an AMC Eagle or XJ on 35s or a notoriously unreliable Audi across the country, I can't just Uber to a uhaul and throw the big box truck on a trailer behind a rental van, or call a friend to rescue around the region. It just means more attention to PM and a more intentional stock of spare parts. Your Volvo and 12.1 are probably better known to most shops than my 30 year old N14 so that's a big up side.
maveric
Squirrel Spotter
Looking good.
Just looking at the winch plate, is it welded to the frame?
Just looking at the winch plate, is it welded to the frame?
maveric
Squirrel Spotter
Be very careful welding to heavy truck frames....especially in the top and bottom web's. Same with drilling holes. The sides are ok, but top/bottom is a no/no (or so I am told)
maveric
Squirrel Spotter
Meh, 50% is better odds than 100%. Just keep an eye on it. If the frame twists much, that’s where it’s probably going to crack.I was figuring that's what you were going to sayAfter research I had concluded it's a 50/50 split of people saying it's totally fine or that you'll die the next time out by welding to a truck frame. So I said **** it let's do it
Dethmachinefab
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Messages
- 1,757
It would be a no go if you were using this as a tractor, but your not loading much on this so it's probably ok. It is in one of the worst spots for twist though.
I used to do framerails, and if I wasn't replacing from rust jacking it's was usually cracked at a flange hole.
I used to do framerails, and if I wasn't replacing from rust jacking it's was usually cracked at a flange hole.
PAToyota
Well-Known User
Drilled or welded frames can be an issue with inspections: Federal Register :: Request Access
GLTHFJ60
Stupid is as stupid does
Some states are worse than others with those regs. NC is technically a "frame state" but they don't tend to check the frame vins, at least in my experience.
Forget about states with no inspections, lol.
350TacoZilla
Well-known member
Wouldn't it be the crossmember that was welded to not the frame? Or do they consider the frame rails and crossmembers to be the "frame"? To me the crossmember is riveted to frame and he welded to it so might be in the clear?
snivilous
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #120
It's welded straight to the top of the frame, not the cross member.
Tiny is getting loaded to the brim, leave tomorrow early to go racing! This will be an awesome trip, going to sleep in it for the first time, bought a projector to setup a movie on the back of the cab, and throwing some other cool toys on it to play with. Short trip but will be packed with fun!
