Sleeper cab on a deuce?

OK, This is just one of my ideas to help simplify my life. I want to sell my 2 year old motorhome to save about $7000 a year in bills and buy a nice used camping trailer. I no longer have a family vehicle that is capable of towing a large trailer and I dont want to buy another truck so my idea that I'm kicking around is shortening the duece bed and throwing on a sleeper cab, (painted to match ofcourse), so that I can fit the wife and kids and go camping. I am really not concerned with being a purist and have another duece that I can keep original. Anybody ever considered doing this? Am I crazy for even thinking it? I would love to have a crew cab but I dont have the time or will for that much modification. I figure a 36-48" sleeper cab would be the perfect size and would still allow me to throw in my dirt bike, etc in the bed. Anybody know how much used sleeper cabs cost and where to get them? Your opinions please. Thanks, Devin

RE: Sleeper cab on a duece?

Just hunt down a shop van box and split the inside... Make the rear a vehicle storage area for your bike or what not and have the front built as a camper.

That is a great idea Devin. There are a lot of truck dismantlers located in the Fontana and Rialto areas. Also a lot of them located in the Fresno area. I have seen the sleeper cabs sitting in the truck yards in Fresno along with hoods, cabs, axles, you name it.
There are also some in Sacramento that Leonard (Jones) may have a fix on. By the way Leonard, have you ever been to Blue Collar in Southeast Sac? There's a fun place for an afternoon.

Look for a construction company. They pull the sleepers to be able to haul more weight. Some might even give them to you to get them out of the way.

Devin, I've got a 1 ton crewcab Chevy 4X4 i'm lookin' to sell I've had it 10 years and pulled everything from my toy hauler, a 28' Prowler travel trailer, 24' Hallett, flatbeds filled with wood etc. 4:10s, TH400, Dana 60s, 370hp 454. Make you a sweet deal!

Take a look at putting a S250 or other electronics shelter in the bed. It would take about half the bed, leaving the rest for toys. Somebody had one like that at the Great Lakes Swap Meet in Clare in 2005, didn't see it this year.

I think the shop van box is a great idea! If you mount a sleeper, gotta paint it to match!! I would be too worried about my wife wanting to travel with me then!!

I'd second the idea for an S250 box in the bed at the front. You could potentially hack the shelter and cab so you could get between the two with out having to get out and go around.

I thought about the shelter and it would be the easiest but I have car seats and baby seats that need to be easily accessed while traveling or in an emergency so I need a walk through type of design. Will, I had an 84 crew crab 4x4 chevy and loved it until I blew up the turbo'd 6.2 and stuffed a 454 that only got 8 mpg. I love driving the duece too much to buy another truck but I will keep it in mind if this turns out to be a bad idea.

8 loaded, unloded, fwd, bkwd, but it will pull your house!!!

Thats how my 86' GMC K-3500 is.....loaded or not, 8 mpg!!

Oooh with a 480 on the back? Too cool. Love to have that! Love the 480s

The shelter idea is sounding better the more I think of it. I could make the back of the canvas cab zip up and have part of the shelter cut out matching up with the back of the open cab and have a canvas "boot" made up to connect the cab and shelter. Who has the 280 shelters and how much is a fair price? I could set it up like a mini RV for comfortable family traveling. What is a 480? I have very little shelter knowledge.

Oh yeah, does anybody have any pics available? Thanks

Sorry, got off target. The 480 is the wrecker unit on towmans GMC

I will list a pic if I can get it up.... The 480 is great for the dual winches and dual booms that split....i've never not pulled out anything I didn't go to get, and if I can't get to a vehicle with the 480, I use the 5-ton with the winch!!

Djfreema, I saw a truck boneyard that had a 60" sleeper on a mack without the front clip and asked if they would sell the sleeper unit, and they said "Sure, we'll take $250 for it". I looked it over, and it was very nice, just needed a few odd and end pieces of interior. As I drove around, I saw two others, and they would also sell them, so i'm sure with just a little looking, you can find a sleeper in your area very reasonably priced. Good luck on whatever route you decide to take, and keep us posted!

How about a m109?

One idea I had for my M109 so I could go back and forth from the cab and turn the back into a better camp unit was cutting out the back of the cab and reinforcing it and do the same to the front of the box. Then connect with a rubber boot like some campers do or have a canvas one made like you said.That would look much better.
You could then put bench seats in the back near the opening. Just my thought and you can get those shop van trucks for a good price..

I think a sleeper would look cool...if you decide to go that way i would get one that fit a pete,or kenworth or older frieghtliner.....i would get a flattop sleeper but then again a nice doublebunk would be cool just not sure about how high it would be....

I don't want to throw cold water on what seems to be a good idea but you might want to consider the suspension on a duece.

I have driven many a road tractor with spring suspension and they will beat your teeth out on a good road. The longer the wheelbase the better the ride.

Anybody riding in a sleeper behind the cab is going to bounce around like a ping pong ball. Anything not nailed down is going to fly around when you hit a bump and you will constantly be tightening screws and bolts if you drive a lot. Kids will not enjoy a long ride.

Some of the newer road tractors have shocks between the cab and frame to help with the rough ride but the whole cab has to be one unit. There are hinges on the front that allow the whole cab to go up and down.

I would consider a bumper pull travel trailer before I put a sleeper on a tactical truck.

Just my 2 cents worth.