Truckdobes' post on another board kind of inspired this topic, and has got me thinking (which usually gets me in trouble) about the older trucks. So, I went lookin for trouble. :lol:

Take these two examples:
http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/d...73C9C3347C757D
http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/d...73C9C3347C757D

I know there are some here who have experience with buying and fixing up older trucks so what are some of the things to look for before buying?

Also, what kind of fuel mileage do the older engines get and what kind of power do they have? (ex. Big cam 3 or 4 cummins,3406B Cat)

I see most are in the 400 hp range but what kind of torque do they have? is it comparable to the newer trucks?

Some trucks have air leaf, others have air ride what's the difference? Can you convert a spring ride to an air ride? What's a ballpark figure for a job like that?

What's an average cost for stretching a frame?

Just curious of coarse. 8)

 

The older trucks, I think are the best looking. The thing to worry about is the fuel mileage, you cant beat the trucks of today for mpg. Back then, the price of fuel and mpg was not the 1st concern, but it has to be these days.
I think 4 to 4.5 mpg if you are lucky. I remember when 4 mpg was just the greatest thing I had ever seen.

 

My first truck was a 88 T 600 with a 425hp 3406b CATwith an 8LL O/D and 4.11 's running 11R22.5 tires. I bought it when it was 10 years old and ran 1000 mile radius flatbed with it. I would look at the wiring, check for corrosion in the cab and rust between layers of steel on the frame itself. My truck was well maintained and I had to repair all of the above in the 3 years I had it. I good fuel mileage wih it. 7mpg(Can) if I was running Ohio and other flat states and 6.5 if I was running Baltimore way. For doing tandem work they have plenty of power. A 425 horsepower 3406b has about 1450 ft/lbs of torque as compared to 475 and 1850 on the new trucks. The old trucks can run more rpm without losing their fuel economy. Mine turned 1700 @65.
Air leaf is just a type of air ride suspension. If you wanted to switch a spring ride truck to an air ride I would recommend exchanging the whole rear clip with one from a newer truck complete with axles. The spindles on drive axles can wear over years of use and air ride suspension has come a long way. Where I live a rear clip with axles is around 4 grand and to cut your's off and weld the new one on properly will be close to that also. That way you can make the wheelbase what you want it .

 

My 3406B in my 1990 KW W900L never got better than 5.2.NEVER, had a 15 speed and 3.70 rears.

The thing about the old trucks is you BETTER be mechanically inclined and have the tools nessesary to keep it going.

Stretching a frame is mostly labor, so it depends on where and who does it.

The newer engines put out way more tourque than the old ones, so if you uprgrade the tourque the old drivetrain needs to be updated too.

Don't get me wrong I LOVE the old trucks, really would like to have one too, BUT in all practicality I'll keep my 99 KW., with its electronics and all that.

Another thing to consider is will you be able to insure it for what it is worth, or what you have in it?.

Usually the insurance company wants documents and pictures, and STILL they might not take the chance. Lots of guys lost BIG when their old truck was crashed or stolen.

 

My buddy had his T2000 frame stretched to accomodate a drom box, and it cost around $3000 w/ driveshaft extension.

HTH

 

which begs the question, what is the oldest truck most brokers want these days?

 

Brokers don't care how old a truck is or what brand. All they want to know is do you have enough insurance and motor carrier authority that is current. Some carriers do care about the age of your truck. The better paying carriers don't usually care about the age as long as it looks decent and will pass a DOT inspection.

 

Ooohhh, you picked 2 of my favs (out of about 20 favs on that day) :wink: I almost couldn't make up my mind! I missed the one I wanted, but got my second or third choice. I passed by both of those b/c I'm doing a frame off restoration, well, new frame too, before putting the house on and putting her to work. I passed by the ones that were really nice already or had a lot of recent upgrades b/c I'm going to be redoing all of that the way I want it.

My old 400b (15spd 3.55s) averaged 5.2-5.5. That was back when we did A&E and actually hauled some weight, it was also before I slowed down and discovered generators. I'm not worried about he mpg much, but would like to see 6 quite a bit... It's also not as big of a concern since we got the '07 and saw a 1 mpg DEcrease in mpg from our '96 e model.

My 425c got about the same before it was built to 600+ hp, then it went to 6.2-6.4; a full mpg increase and THROTTLE RESPONSE too!! $$$ well spent, I wish I'd done it sooner.

HP & torque... that's changes as you build the engine. The new one is a 400b and should be around 1450 ft lbs of torque BEFORE building. I'm deciding now if we're going to 600 or 750hp. With my old 600 the torque was around 2k.

Air leaf is air ride in its early phase. Air leaf or Pete leaf isn't as comfy as Pete low air (or whatever people call it) but it is air. Ball park depends on what else you happen to be doing. I'm doing the new rails, and a set of cut-off rears from a newer wreck. New rails w/labor to move everything is around 12-16k as long as I'm going, cut-offs around 3-5k and rebuilding those with a ratio exchange is 3-4k. I haven't decided if I'm rebuilding or replacing chunks b/c I haven't nailed down my new suspension. Might leave it Pete leaf for a while if I don't nail down something I like better before it's time.

Frame stretching depends on who/how it's done. An "axle back" stretch is the cheapest and quickest, around 3-5k, I won't do that b/c it does not include lining or doubling of the rails (not far anyway). Last year I got quotes for a 60" stretch that ranged from 5.5k w/ no liners to 13.5k w/liners to the front spring hangers, new paint, new holes (they fill the old ones)... the FULL job done right and almost 16k for new rails.

The stretch also depends on how far you're going, you can go from 250" to 280" without as much aggravation & $$. I'm going from 250" to 350" on a 20 year old truck... NEW makes sense to me, I wouldn't have much of the old rails left anyway. :wink:


I've never had a broker ask how old my truck was! Also would not pull for or lease to anyone that presumed it was their business. No matter the age, the truck should be safe, sound and IMHO looking good. :wink: I did get around to mentioning to our safety dept that I bought it, after the fact, oops. Like I told him, I'm not used to anyone else being involved in my decisions... His response... "cool, send pix and let me know when your ready to do the paperwork".

It's going to be a long year riding around in the new space module waiting for the real truck to get ready. :? 8)

 

A 3406B JWAC 400 hp engine has a torque rating of around 1350lb-ft.

 

Pardon, it's been years since we've had one. Remember having a 14615 tranny... that's what pointed me to that #...