I think you could pretty much use any type of underlay to do it. I haven't decided what I am going to use yet. I may even get myself some thinner carpet pad to put underneath it. Gotta get that damn carpet out first. It isn't easy. I may end up having to pull part of the dash out to get at the last 3 screws holding the shifter plate on.

I tore my passenger seat apart yesterday to see how difficult it was to remove the air bag base from the seat itself. It wasn't as hard as I figured it would be - 4 bolts hold the seat on. I've got my eyes on a set of 64 Impala SS bucket seats that I'd like to replace the stock seats with, but I want to use the existing bases.

I would extend it on the outer edges, simply because I would need to find a place to put the vents (and I wouldn't want to mess up that aweseome chrome in the center by cutting it in two). That particular one would have worked nicely for retrofitting a 7" touch screen GPS monitor into it. Here's a quick and dirty mockup I had created for it:

http://www.worthless1000.com/dashmockup.jpg

I know I'll find another dash that will look even better. I have time.

I dropped my templates off at the machine shop this morning to get the pieces cut for the lower extensions below the cab and sleeper. The pieces will look similar to the panel below the cab on this Pete:

http://www.worthless1000.com/lowerpanel.jpg

To buy something similar to this from 4 State Truck for the truck and sleeper would run me a little over $650 plus shipping (for aluminum). I am having them cut and bent for around $150 (out of 16 ga. steel). It should take about a week to get them.

I also dropped my graphics template off the other day. To keep with the theme of the truck, I took an old Texaco logo from the 50's:

http://www.worthless1000.com/texaco.jpg

And converted it to this:

http://www.worthless1000.com/logo.jpg

It will run me about $60 to get all the graphics done on the truck (including DOT number, VIN, and truck number). The guy at the graphics shop was kind of surprised I had designed this all by my little old lonesome. He asked me who taught me Photoshop. I told him I did. 8)

Looks really nice. I did My own logo also. I "borrowed" from two old railroad companies. I have never liked the name in block letters look 99% of O/O go with.

RostyC, I think you still need more practice cleaning up a truck, why don't you swing out my way and do mine this weekend :lol:

http://www.worthless1000.com/cabfloor.jpg

Contemplating no flooring at all - just black paint (or truck bed spray on liner)..........

I think you will get a lot more road noise/vibrations coming thru not to mention loss of insulation in the winter. What is below that layer of metal in the pic?

The carpet was only about 1/8" thick (including the padding), so I have my doubts that it will be all that terrible. The insulation loss isn't much of a concern, as the transmission will keep it warm while driving, and my bunk heater will keep cooking me out of the truck. :wink:

I dug underneath, and there isn't anything there.....yet. I will get myself some foil backed insulation, which I will be putting underneath. The floor is all sanded, and the first layer of black has gone down. I am using a thick paint that is designed for concrete floors.

You could go with thin cork underlayment then put the wood down over it. Are you using pergo or are you using the real wood?

As far as the dash goes I'd do a custom metal frame with laquer paint and birdseye maple inlay. I'd also go minimal gauges, rectangle, of the sweep design if you can find them. I'd put the speedo dead center and eliminate the tach

No floor. In the process of painting the metal black. It looks cooler.

My new love:

http://www.worthless1000.com/51ford.jpg

Make me an offer :wink: There certainly not in perfect condition, if you want close up pics I'll take some. I would like a set of SS ones, perhaps a swap of some kind?

I supply: Elbow Grease

You supply:
All compounds and cleaners
Rags
One giant cooler
7 bags ice
Two thirty packs Bud Light (I'm watching my figure 8))
Separate cooler for whatever your drinking. :wink:
Food for a week. Good food, no cheap $hit.
Someone to cook the food
:lol: :lol:

I'd swap my SS cleaners for yours, plus about $500. :wink: There is a set on eBay right now for $389, and I've seen SS sets sell for just over $1000.

Time to get up, get my morning shower, and head back outside. Gotta put the second coat on the floor, then go get the foil backed insulation while that dries. I also have to remove the box from behind my sleeper today, as well as install the new shutoff valves for my seats. Then it's just a matter of reinstalling the seats, and I will be ready to drop the truck off at the body shop.

And my KW dealer quoted me over $2300 for ONE!

Ramen with hot dogs?

:shock:

I see them on eBay ranging anywhere from about $1050 for a pair of used OEM ones, to $1500 for a pair of new aftermarket ones. Gotta love the PACCAR markup. :wink:

I just finished painting the floor. I added some sand to the paint for the second coat, to make it somewhat slip resistant. It looks pretty nice. I'll get pics first thing tomorrow, once it is dry.

I got my box off the back of the sleeper, and I'm kinda shocked at how difficult it was. I don't remember it being that tough to install when I first built the thing.

The truck is about 75% ready to head to the body shop tomorrow afternoon. I'll finish the other 25% later today and tomorrow morning. I am beat.

That photo brings back memories of day and days of work when I stripped the interior out of my truck. I pulled it all out,...dash,headliner,door panels, and the floor. My 9400 has an AC unit where the pass seat is, which made it a royal pain :x
I'm home for a few weeks, I'm putting on my rear full fenders,dual weed burner exhaust, a couple of electric cooling fans (radiator), and my mountain bike :wink:

Floor is done. The sand worked nicely for giving it some grip.

http://www.worthless1000.com/floor.jpg

I added some shutoff valves for the seats.

http://www.worthless1000.com/airline.jpg

There were metal kickplates holding the carpeting down by the doors. Since the floor is quite a bit lower now than it was before, I reinstalled the door kickplates upside down, after drilling the holes out larger.

http://www.worthless1000.com/kickplate.jpg

The back of the sleeper looks so empty without the toolbox there. I'm contemplating keeping it off permanently. I was happy with how it looked, and I think I did a darn good job of building it, but it was full of crap I never used, and it was just wasted weight.

http://www.worthless1000.com/sleeperback.jpg

I am now the proud owner of a pair of 1964 Chevy Impala SS bucket seats. I will hopefully be picking them up tomorrow when I drop off the truck, and I will start the process of making them fit the existing air ride bases. I got a killer deal on them too: $280 for the pair. If I wanted to, I could probably resell them for about $500.

http://www.worthless1000.com/seats.jpg

I would hope you plan on putting those seats on swivels!!


Just fer convenience!!!

Please explain? :?

Swivels...on the base...so you'sah can turn yerselfs' around and face da sleeper?? Makes fer convenient easy chairs !! 8) 8)

LOL :lol:

I'm picking my seats up tomorrow down in Milwaukee. The guy I bought them from had his 64 Impala SS stolen a few years ago, and these seats are all he has left of it. He couldn't believe I was putting them into a semi truck, lol.

Neither can I. If you get rear ended by another semi you'll end up in the sleeper :lol: :shock:

Hey Rev, maybe you should just find yourself an old Chevy truck cab and put it on your frame. It could save you a ton of money. If you keep putting in all these Chevy parts you will eventually have a Peterolet or Chevybilt truck. :wink:

ROFLMAO :lol: :lol: :lol:

I didn't win the auction for the Ford dash that I posted the pic of earlier, so the hunt is still on for that perfect dash.

That's tempting, however I'm right at my budget for this truck and I'm hesitant to spend anything till it starts to generate money. I'll sleep on it.
Nice job on the floor.

How bout we get us a big a$$ piece of pork and I'll bring Big Baby I just got done refurbishing the old girl, new paint and new shelves. :wink:

Hey Rev I am not trying to put a damper on your seat project. But about 8 weeks ago I was cruising along minding my own business going to my next load when a car pulled right out in front of me and turned on her blinker. I was able to get stopped but the loaded truck behind me didn't get stopped.

He pile drove me pretty hard in the back of my trailer. He hit so hard my glasses wound up over in the far corner of the pass side dash and my neck and back of my head hit very very hard on the front top of the seat. I really don't know what would of happened to my neck if the seat didn't stop it.

He was loaded, the load shifted and broke his head board off. His Pete went away on a hook. I was able to use my winch bar and bend stuff away from my tires. $4,400 damage to my trailer, but it's all new now.

I think my high back Bostrom really saved my neck from some bad damage. I hit the seat hard enough that it was laying back quite away from where I have it when driving.

I had a head ache for about 4 days and I felt like I went a few rounds with Ali for a while.

Rev like I said, I am not trying to mess up your ideas because it will look great but I thought I would give you a first hand knowledge at what happened top me.

Mike

I wouldn't worry too much. If you see an accident coming just duck and cover like I was taught in the 6th grade. If that could protect me from a nuclear bomb then I'm sure you would survive a rear end collision.

Something like you are describing isn't a common thing. The fact that you happened to hit your seat just right also isn't a guarantee. But it is duly noted.

I spent several hours today at the junkyard trying to find seat sliders that would work on my seats. I finally found one pair that only required minor modification. Rather than spend hours upon hours looking for another set, I am going to make the passenger seat stationary.

The body shop started tearing the truck apart today. I'll be picking up the body panels I am having made on Wed. morning, then I'm heading down to see the truck and take pics. I'd like to have one seat finished by then so I can test fit it. Tomorrow is going to be yet another busy day. Yay.

Hey Rev...are those seats you want to sit in all day long? They look classic but might be as comfortable as a bus seat after a few hours. Hate to have you do all that work then wish for "ye old captains chair" back :wink:

They are extremely comfortable. I used to have a 64 Chevelle SS, and the seats are almost identical. If the time comes that I don't like them anymore, switching back to my old seats would be easy, as I am not modifying the bases at all.

Driver's seat is done. I had my 84 year old grandmother test it out, and even she said it was really comfortable. :lol:

The nice thing about the way I built these is that there are no modifications done to the 64 Impala SS seats or to my truck seat base, so if I decide I don't like them, swapping out the original seats and reassembling the 64 Impala SS seats will be easy.

http://www.worthless1000.com/seat1.jpg
http://www.worthless1000.com/seat2.jpg
http://www.worthless1000.com/seat3.jpg
http://www.worthless1000.com/seat4.jpg
http://www.worthless1000.com/seat5.jpg
http://www.worthless1000.com/seat6.jpg

All safety concerns aside, I do not see those being comfortable for hours on end. I like the ideas of everything, but practicality seems to be lacking. You are being very nieve if you think your chances of being rear ended are very slim. With all the coolie rookies on the road these days I would want a full roll cage and five point safety harness! Seriously, good work you got going.

What fun is being practical? :lol: After all, there isn't much in this entire build that is practical.

Over 11 years on the road so far and I have yet to be rear ended. I'll take those odds. :wink:

like my friend the used car salesman says" there's an a$$ for every seat" Rev you just did it bass ackwards :lol: if the a$$ fits wear it or in this case sit on it.

i was talkin to a cow-hauler one time about the wood floor he'd just put in his pete, and then we got to talkin about the low back chairs, and he told me with a straight face "aint no point havin seats you caint wear a cowboy hat with." old hep-steppers crack me up. you got a cowboy hat rev?

I wear my baseball cap backwards. Does that count? :P

Just got back from the body shop.

Here's the body panels I had made:

http://www.overdesaturated.com/shop5.jpg

My partially disassembled truck:


http://www.overdesaturated.com/shop1.jpg

http://www.overdesaturated.com/shop2.jpg

http://www.overdesaturated.com/shop3.jpg

http://www.overdesaturated.com/shop4.jpg

http://www.overdesaturated.com/shop6.jpg

where are those panels going? between that gap between the doors and the steps?

Saw those panels on truck a few weeks ago. They really look good.

The air filter holes are between filter and engine right? Might want to cover them up.

The large one goes below the cab, and covers all the open space. The long narrow one goes below the sleeper and squares off the bottom of the sleeper. They will be black, and will have amber lights behind them (which will glow but not be seen directly).

Here's kind of what they will look like once installed:

http://www.worthless1000.com/lowerpanel.jpg

The air cleaners will be going back on the outside, and will be mostly black when they do. :wink:

Black filter sounds nice...I was actually referring to taping over the holes to avoid dust and other crap getting inside while the air filters are off.