Project Bud

I decided to make my progress on the Isuzu build-up its own topic.  It was raining all week (over 4 inches worth) and today was only in the mid-50's, so progress has been hampered.  Still, I spent a few hours on it today and learned a few things along the way.

First off, I spent the day taking rubbing compound to the cab to cut through all the stains and faded paint.  Surprisingly, it came out looking really great...almost new in fact.  These trucks have pretty thick paint and tomorrow I will do the same to the box...that will not be as much fun.  The neat part was that while I was doing this, I was able to see a faded logo on the top of the cargo box left after removal.....BUDWEISER.     It was a Budweiser truck when it was in Phoenix from 2005-2010 which is great as they maintain their trucks well.

I removed the badly rusted steel steps that mount in front of the rear tires and that gawd awful hand truck mount in the back.  I expected to torch them off due to the rust, but found out that the builders at Hackney were very smart and installed things with welded studs and key pins.  Despite looking like artifacts from the Titanic, they came right out.

The rest of the day was spent on the cargo box.  Here, things got interesting.  First, the stand-up height was not 5'6" like it was reported.  That was the height of the cargo dividers and thus the height of stackable cargo allowed, it was not the actual height.  The actual height is at least 7 feet which thrilled me!  No more hunching over for me.

I also got a good look at the way the dividers were installed in the box.  Again, these Hackney builders were very smart.  The panels are notched and then seam welded together making a very solid set-up.  It should also be pretty easy to take the plasma cutter to it as I planned.  



Then I spent some time lubing all the rollers and door slats to keep everything from kinking up.  It didn't look like it had been done in years and there were a couple of slats that were binding a little at first.  After a can of dry lubricant in every slat and roller, it operated real smoothly.  It also came with bad news!

With the doors closed while standing inside, the bad news was very apparent.  There was no way in heck to keep this box warm in the winter...none.  The roller doors do not fit up tight and actually leave an open gap along the rails on every door, so it will be like heating a room with the window open...I don't see it working.  It will need to be stored inside a heated building at night and then a diesel powered Espar heater running on high to and from the job.  It will be okay once the machine and heater was active, but that is about it.  It will be an above freezing only truck.



This weekend will be spent taking the rubbing compound to the box and power washing the cargo area.  Then it will be changing fluids and treating some of the surface rust along with ordering parts.  With luck, it should be ready for the plasma cutter and wheel simulators starting next week.

Love this truck....just not sure about its winter usage in my region of the world.  Heck, it is going to be down to near freezing tonight already!!  Way to early for all this cold, just threw a heater in the van to make sure there isn't a freeze.

Maybe you cana custom track or door made for it.

Maybe you can see if they make a black rubber strip the can attach to the outside side of the roll up door. is it flush or does it have a little return back in towards the roll up door. Something like a garage door gasket they sell them at home Depot, Pretty thick rubber gasket that can conform to uneven concrete slabs.
It would only work if you have a little return that you could push it up tight to door and attach it. Then door when pulled down would slightly push it out as you pull door down.

Good idea SC

Needs to attach to body not door to clear that up

Cool deal, I look forward to following the build process.

I just can't see in the pic you posted clear enough but the track for the rollers has to be inside the box. Is this one big door but you say it was a bud truck so that says multiple doors like on the sides of box.

SCCC wrote:I just can't see in the pic you posted clear enough but the track for the rollers has to be inside the box. Is this one big door but you say it was a bud truck so that says multiple doors like on the sides of box.

Sorry about that, bad protocol assuming everyone knew about this build plan already.  I should have included the pictures.



Thanks for the suggestions, maybe I am giving up on too easily on heating this box.  The rollers do operate just like a garage door, so maybe I can mod something to seal those gaps from the outside.

Dude that is a sick truck. Oh my vw tm would LOVE IT I mean LOVE IT
Cross ventilation ALL DAY long. Do you know how much cooler your TM will run,belts last longer. Door for hose reels, door for tools and chems pretty sweet.
I would put a soft vinyl roll up skin like a awning that would have my logo get to job give a pull rolls up so I would have access to my doors.
kinda like the soft sided semi trailers.
It would kinda move a little but it would catch attention, make the side of your truck look more like solid sided box truck, you could even have it made to fold like a awning to protect you from the rain

From the pic the first thing that come my mind is this. if the metal supports between the door has a space where the wheel would not be affected in movement. Have a piece of stainless steel cut so it extends past each door side by 1-2". secure with screws (nice finish type button head) right down the center of the posts. Then the little lip that extends past each side of door you could secure your rubber gasket, it would tuck up under and you wouldn't even see the rubber.
When the door is in the all the way up position you might be able to secure a rubber gasket to the inside and the top slat would turn down and make seal when fully closed.

Excellent suggestions....will take a look at it.

Any updates on project Bud? She looking pretty now?

I've been killing myself over apartment cleanings this week....haven't had much time.

I did contact a company nearby that builds custom Fire Trucks after seeing they had one with roll-up doors on the side. They told me that they use a custom rubber channel to seal the gaps along the door's rollers, so I am having them take a look at mine next week.

As long as they can create that seal, I can push forward with this build-up.
The next steps will be removing the dividers, installing a shore power connection, cargo lights, and the diesel cargo heater.

I just hope winter stays away long enough for me to get this done.....

nice,   trucks looks nice and clean Mil.  

cant wait to see what you do for a chem shelf.     jealous of your step up bar that runs the length,   I have a little step stool I carry around   

Im thinking about making a mount for my rc99 under the body so I dont have to pull it out each job...  

also going to run an elbow for dump valve with a cool cuff under the body so I can just connect some hose and dump


I use a radiant heater on the lowest setting, doesnt keep the van hot just keeps it from freezing and its the safest kind in case of tip over

For those interested, the fire truck builders sent me some information on those door seals.  Well, tip number one is never ask them about the roll-up "doors"....they call them "screens".  It took about 10 minutes trying to get over that name hurdle.

In the end, it looks like a great deal.  They basically attach an aluminum channel frame around the "screens" with a rubber seal beneath them that provides over-lap seals to the rollers.



According to the builders, they seal really well and that often they are just applied with double-sided tape so they can be removed for painting....I think I want to be more permanant.

I hope to talk them out of the same marine grade aluminum that makes up the cargo box, so they will share the same attributes.

I will tell you more when I see them the early part of next week.

I spent the day getting rid of the "ugly" on this truck and taking care of some fuel issues (had to replace the fuel filter housing), but the end results were good.

The "ugly" on this truck were the wheels....those Northern Michigan winters were hard on them.  I didn't want to dismount the new tires to have them blasted, so I went with the second choice...hiding them beneath wheel simulators.

I bought a set of stainless steel simulators from the guys at "RVWheel.com" and spent some time installing them.  Simple design and went on in less than 20 minutes.  Pretty thick metal and they even cleared the wheel weights.  The only negative is that it makes getting to the valve stems a little difficult, but it is only 2 nuts to remove them again.



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Looks good!

Thanks, not sure how much I'll get done tomorrow. The forecast calls for rain all day and upper 50's. I also have 3 apartments to clean in the morning.

Everything mechanical is done now, so I can start working on that cargo box next. The clock is ticking.....

Great work on the wheel Rob, the only thing I can think of is be careful with the rusts spreading out without you being able to see them, wouldn't want the wheel to crack on the highway.

Also if you're in a hurry, check craigslist for mechanics that are willing to work for around $ 20 / hr to help you get the project done faster to beat winter.

Wow looks good man. I really am looking forward to your project, My wife and I went and looked at a box truck today with a PC Everest Hp in it. Man they are very big, very nice but very big.
It would for sure take some getting used to that is for sure.
Some one made a comment about parking and car ports and I had never thought about that before and I have 6-7 accounts that have them. It would be next to impossible to service them with a box, it would put me so far away.
I would so much love to have one of these trucks just because you can take everything with you, but the more I think about it no matter how hard I try and say it would work the truth is my situation probably is not the best for it.....
Dang it dang it dang it.

Both excellent advice Dp....glad to have you on my team.

SCCC wrote:Wow looks good man. I really am looking forward to your project, My wife and I went and looked at a box truck today with a PC Everest Hp in it. Man they are very big, very nice but very big.
It would for sure take some getting used to that is for sure.
Some one made a comment about parking and car ports and I had never thought about that before and I have 6-7 accounts that have them. It would be next to impossible to service them with a box, it would put me so far away.
I would so much love to have one of these trucks just because you can take everything with you, but the more I think about it no matter how hard I try and say it would work the truth is my situation probably is not the best for it.....
Dang it dang it dang it.

That's also the reason why I don't get box trucks, the other reason is the drivers around here have so much hate towards large vehicles, I like my V8 cargo van so that I can play around with some cars that are trying to be a jerk and cut me off.
Tom, you should get the pc everest 650 if it's in a clean condition, I have 2 and can't be happier with them.

SCCC wrote:Wow looks good man. I really am looking forward to your project, My wife and I went and looked at a box truck today with a PC Everest Hp in it. Man they are very big, very nice but very big.
It would for sure take some getting used to that is for sure.
Some one made a comment about parking and car ports and I had never thought about that before and I have 6-7 accounts that have them. It would be next to impossible to service them with a box, it would put me so far away.
I would so much love to have one of these trucks just because you can take everything with you, but the more I think about it no matter how hard I try and say it would work the truth is my situation probably is not the best for it.....
Dang it dang it dang it.

If you go with the NPR trucks, they maneuver better than my cargo van...turns sharper and easy to back up. They are big, I went with a 12 footer, but it still does take up some real estate.

I was slow to embrace the box for the same reasons that you voiced here, doesn't fit in some situations, but I still have my cargo van for those areas and the box truck will open up new markets where I couldn't pack enough tools / equipment into the van to make that work.

If that truck and Everest are in good shape, it might be worth reconsidering. It really is a nice change going to a roomier platform and if you are like me, you probably miss out on jobs simply because you didn't have the tools on the van at the time. It happens to me a lot, I have to schedule a return for that other service only to have them change their mind later and spend the money on something else. Having all the tools available will allow me to increase my tickets....at least I hope that is the case.

eventually we will be going to another box truck and then a really small service vehicle like the ford transit connect for pulling in garages, small townhome driveways etc

even our express doesnt fit in the new construction townhome driveways, the over hang is too low.. passenger cars only

Wow, that does sound limiting....who is building these places?