dangood
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I am starting this to show the process(s) for which we have undergone to build the much questioned Crew cab conversion methods. There are many people who want/need a military truck and yet after looking at one they come to the conclusion that it won't fit all the bodies they want to put into the steel contraption to enjoy such prehistoric rudimentary but awesome simpleness.We have done multiple conversions, both for ourselves and others to fit people's needs. We have faces some horrid headaches, and moments of mad Genious. But mostly we have spent a lot of money making a single cab manly truck something the ladies could get on board with. And that my friends...is a life changing event for most men wanting to get a military truck.
So, here is a few pics of different builds, and a little description of the process. Please post your own ideas, challenges and questions regarding Crewcab methods, and or tricks and features. There are many ways to build a crew cab. This is just ours. Every time we build one it gets better and more exciting. We are building a 10 seater version with double converting bunks in back. Yes...We have gone insane. (Will post that one in a separate post soon)
So with that said, Enjoy, ridicule, critic...make suggestions....or just dream a bit/ it took us a few years of dreaming, then a few years of planning and design, and a few more years of saving up money, and then we finally built one. Never looked back since...
We built one last year on a 5 ton tractor (shortest wheelbase) conversion.
Link to video http://youtu.be/oIv0oTkokg0
This we tried the old fashioned tried and tested method of many others by using a donor cab to to the extension. And it turned out fantastic in the end. However, it was a PAIN in the rear using a donor cab and cutting the floor out so we could make a square enclosure out of a trapezoid shape. And dealing with all the crap of used metal, rust, etc.
For those who don't know, the front of the cabs are skinnier than the back. And that requires some careful cutting. A lot of cutting. After the floor is all removed from the donor cab and the sides pulled out to make it a square sided extension, we decided instead of having this one forward facing like we had seen everyone else do, we turned it around so the back of the donor cab was butted against the back of the stock cab. (Fun look for a few days, wish I had taken a pic) the reasoning behind this method, was to create a Suicide opening rear doors, not just for cool looks, but so we could use the same step to get into the front or the rear door. Plus it keeps you from burning yourself or your kids from burning themselves on the exhaust stack! (Just look at most crew cab conversion...inches from the rear door handle when rear doors installed normal. Plus much harder to get in.
With the Crewcab fabbed up, nothing like building a trailer without axles and installing it up top and calling it a safari rack. Decided we would also make it so it could have the troop seating put up top...cause why the freak not? Roof hatch thru two layers of roofing? Of course! Rear bench seat that folds into bed? Sure! (That literally cost over $2600 to build...cause it took 6 times to get it to work properly...sort of) we installed Ac under the back bench and ducted it thru the corners of the cab Cieling so it would hit you in the face instead of from the floor. All in all it was a fabulous 9 MONTHS to build. It left our Utah shop last year and now enjoys Texas. We lost lots of money building that way to cheap.
We decided that using old donor cabs and roofs just required to much body work and headaches, (and money) so now we just build them from scratch, and just get donor doors. (Much easier in my opinion) Here is another made from scratch cab and a few expanding van crew cabs. (Expando van crew cabs are awesome as they allow the passthru option into the rear box making it a SWEET offroad Motorhome. Link to video http://youtu.be/D7Wl5nYYVAI
There are lots of trucks and mods you can choose to do or not do. Overall, I have come to the conclusion of scrapping the whole donor cab idea and going from scratch instead made a WORLD of difference in the finish quality and the overall flexibility in design. I was much more free to alter and make clean lines and mods this way vs being sort of locked in to the donor cabs design limits.
After you sit inside a crew cab, and drive one with the whole family or even 6-7 people inside sitting comfortably...it changes your whole experience of driving a military truck. It just makes it so much more usable. And for the price you save getting a surplus truck, it leaves some people a little wiggle room to spend a chunk of change and to turn a single cab, uncomfortable piece of noisy rattling metal that your old lady hates and you try to find reasons to drive once a month or even own, into a awesome functional rig the whole family, or business can truly enjoy and get better use out of. For me...the crew cab military truck is the best thing the government made halfway right. We just need to finish the other good half.
-dan
planbsupply.com
