[Rocketdog]

Greetings everyone. I have a 1999 Peterbilt 379 with a standard 63 inch unibilt sleeper that
I want to stretch into something larger..like 90 to 100 inches.

I bought another unibilt sleeper for 200.00 to use as a donor for the added length.

My question is this: Can I saw off the back of my existing sleeper and mate the additional
sleeper up...or would be it easier to enclose the rear wings and rebuild the floor and roof with
aluminum sheeting and cross members from the other sleeper???

Anyone who has stretched their sleeper care to share their experiences???

I'd hate make a wrong cut and ruin my sleeper after finding out there was a more simple way...

I could also use ideas about heating water and plumbing options...as of now I'm planning on
using hot coolant to heat a polyethelene water tank and a water pump from an RV.

Thanks in advance....

Robert

[BanditsCousin]

I believe you can do it the way you're thinking. I have seen a Forward Air truck that was a Volvo 770 with a peterbilt 63" sleeper mated behind it.

I do know someone in my fleet selling a really nice Double Eagle with a shower he had the custom build that is 12" larger than the stock one they build, all for 20 grand if ya wanna go the simpler route.

[klleetrucking]

As far as heating the water, did I understand you to say you wanted to heat the water in a polyethelyne tank?
My Double Eagle uses an RV water heater/ 5gal. tank. Plenty of hot water for at least 2 consecutive showers. Plus the coolant from the "big engine" heats the water as I'm running down the road. 180* hot water.
As stated previously a Double Eagle for $20k ain't a bad price if it's in good shape. Unless you're a gifted craftsman and can work super fast I'd think you'd have that at least in materials and down time.
I like you was looking into stretching my Pete sleeper but to me it was better to get an aftermarket sleeper so I could be running my truck while the sleeper was being built.
I'm sure you've considered it but if not, is your operation weight sensitive? Comfort = weight.

[BanditsCousin]

Very good points. The sleeper I'm talking about is a 90" (looks bigger on the inside) rear bed with rooftop air and all the goodies. Weight is an issue where I work, so it puts his W9 at 22K, but that is with a 1000lb genrator (brand?). He's going gangster with a smaller sleeper, hence the great deal. I think it was 46,000 bucks new

[Windwalker]

He's talking about a '99 Pete. I had a '00 Freightliner Classic. Today, if I still had my truck, it would only be worth about 8 to 10 thousand. The way EPA regs are going, it's only good for a few more years. $20,000 for a sleeper for a few years of service? That Pete is a nice truck, but not worth that much more, and won't pass EPA any longer than mine would have.

He's got a $200 sleeper to use to extend his. I don't know what it would take to cut his and add more sleeper to it, but I've heard of guys that would take a good front half of a car, and a back half of another car and put them together. (Also saw one where they put the two front ends together.) I don't know what it would take, but I would guess the fiberglass top would be the biggest problem. No idea how they're made under the skin, but the point where they are seemed together would be the biggest problem. Simply glueing them together might have them cracking apart on a rough road.

The metal sides would be a matter of putting in an interior post, and riveting the metal to it. I don't see the sides as being that big a problem. The top is what I don't know.

[repete]

Unless you've got LOTS of down time to work on it DON"T DO IT. Before I started driving I spent almost 20 years doing body work most of that time was on 4-wheelers but about 5 was on big trucks. The job will be a PIA from the first cut and once you start your committed. Keep in mind that the whole cab has to move as one piece, so air ride and under floor bracing is KEY! I replaced the floor support beams, left side panel and the back of truck once and had at least 80hrs into it .

[GMAN]

I have no idea what it would take to make it work, but I saw a car hauler to had 2 63" sleepers put together on a 379 Pete. It looked pretty cool. He had a rack on top of the sleeper for a car. It was a flat top. I would loved to have spoken to him about it. I used to see him around Zanesville, OH. It would be good if you could actually talk with someone who has done this before.

[Maniac]

Not practical or cost effective, thats why you don't really see a lot of stretched factory sleepers.

Lots of engineering to make it strong enough not to fall apart, especially considering how they flex because of the cab air ride, if you notice most after market sleeper do not ride on air.

Also remember wheelbase, you add 30" to your sleeper and then you have to address trailer/sleeper clearance.

[Heavy Duty]

Originally Posted by Maniac

Not practical or cost effective, thats why you don't really see a lot of stretched factory sleepers.

Lots of engineering to make it strong enough not to fall apart, especially considering how they flex because of the cab air ride, if you notice most after market sleeper do not ride on air.

Also remember wheelbase, you add 30" to your sleeper and then you have to address trailer/sleeper clearance.

Most after market sleepers are air ride. Mine has 1.2 million miles, no problems, ICT,ARI and DE know what they are doing.

These people will stretch a factory sleeper, not cheap though.Welcome to True Custom True Custom Inc. -Where Visions Become Reality

[GMAN]

Those are some beautiful sleepers.:thumbsup: