75 Dually build

[Dieselwrencher]

It looks nice! I'm glad it's getting good mileage and wish you well on the rest of the trip!

[Palf70Step]

It looks good!

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

Well said sir! Yeah that rack is going to push it a bit, but at least no one else will have one just like it!!

Chris

Agreed. Now we'll be able to tell your Cummin's powered milled 22" wheeled dually apart from the others....

[808_67C10]

I love it! Even the rack! Dare to be different! #whitetrucksmatter

[jbailly]

The nice thing about it being wrapped if you decide you don't like white it's relatively easy to change (at least easier than paint). Looks like a whole 'nother truck, in fact I would tell people it is a different one. Really get them thinking.

[75Dually]

LST 2019/Mudfest 2019, call it what you want... Anyways it is was one heck of a good show. However this is an update on the truck.

Day one of the show we got an opportunity to do a photo shoot, maybe for a magazine that will remain nameless until it gets confirmed that it will be in there. I'm not worried if it does or does not happen, but the experience of a photo shoot made our whole weekend even that much more special.

This truck had 54 miles on the clock before we left on the new Cummins and trans. We did 1300 miles round trip, and with almost nothing to report. Ok I added 1/2 quart of oil on the way down to Austin where we stayed the night, but other than fueling it up there was nothing else to do. In fact the rings finally seated and used no more oil after that time. It never moved off the full mark the whole rest of the trip. Whew!

I kept track of the mileage and it came to just under 16 mpg the whole trip, and going home we hauled butt because I wanted to get there and not be in the truck all day. It really likes 80 to 85, not that I'm saying that we went any where over the speed limit, no no, but it felt like it would be good at higher speeds... Just sayin'...

Oh there was one issue that really drove the wife and I crazy. The Kenwood would not blue tooth correctly with either of our phones! I mean the injustice of it all!! Had to go back to taking with my spouse in that old fashion way. Trust me when I say I'm a lucky guy and I married way over my station. Maybe that was the best thing that happened the whole trip, hmmm, maybe...

I will be updating the build in the next couple of days, but right now I'm bushed and headed to bed.

Stay tuned!

[aggie91]

Really liked how the truck turned out. Glad y'all made it home and had a good trip. Looks like the park was worse this year than last with all the rain...

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Really liked how the truck turned out. Glad y'all made it home and had a good trip. Looks like the park was worse this year than last with all the rain...

Our best purchase of the whole weekend was 2 pair of $20 muck boots at Wal Mart. The whole weekend I looked like I just walked out of the milking parlor! You farmers and dairyman will know what I'm talking about... LOL!!

It was really good weather considering, but the mud was something else this year.

[808_67C10]

Wow, sounds amazing and stoked the truck didn't give you any probs on the road trip. I am not surprised you got a mag shoot... that thing looks sick! It's different and the chance in style you went with paid off! Love it. As for the stereo... damn... I can see how that could go bad but, it sounds like it worked out.

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by 808_67C10

Wow, sounds amazing and stoked the truck didn't give you any probs on the road trip. I am not surprised you got a mag shoot... that thing looks sick! It's different and the chance in style you went with paid off! Love it. As for the stereo... damn... I can see how that could go bad but, it sounds like it worked out.

Yeah I took all these HEAVY tools along on the trip (well because things do go bad!) and thankfully nothing really came of it. So I'll take that one for the team.

So the stereo was a bummer, because last year when we took it to LST is was working perfectly, and from what I can tell Kenwood just stop doing the updates on this model, and it now would not work with either of our phones. So what to do? I guess find another head unit and go on with life. I do need to finish up the dash and get it all buttoned up. I've been really slow on that and need to finish it. I started looking for new head units tonight, but don't really want to spend the money right now. Either way I will find some solution because the truck has to have tunes!

[75Dually]

Part 1 on the roof rack. First of all why did I do this roof rack. A good question! I really have wanted to do one for quite some time. I looked at a lot of them online, but none of them really caught my eye, and if they did the mounting was horrible to say the least. Secondly I have always like the roof racks on Volkswagen's, they look light and airy, and some even have a lot of style.

This whole process of making the rack took only 3 days. So I grabbed some steel and started to make my own rack. I started out with some 3/8" round bar, and some 1/4" round bar stock. I took 2 of the 3/8" lengths and locked them together and made the outside shape first, that way they would both be symmetrical. Once that job was done and I got the shape I was looking for I got some 1.5" tubing out of the steel rack and cut the 2 cross tubes. I laid out the basic shape of the rack on the fab table, and then bent some flat stock for the legs to hold everything up.

Because I was changing the wrap on the truck anyways I took the tacked assembly to the roof and then tacked the legs on once I was happy with the final placement. Once back on the fab table I added some 1/4" round bar reinforcements on all sides tying the whole assembly together and making it very strong but light for it size.

For the mounting I use the same screw holes that the drip rails use, and the mounting legs simply sit in the trough of the rail. Very simple and easy solution.

Next time I will cover the wood slats and the process I used on them.

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

Part 2 on the rack project.

To start out the wood I used was nice good old pine. I was watching Chip Foose do the bed for his 68 for this years SEMA. He did a wash on the wood using acetone and black paint. He would wipe it on, then sanded it down in between coats, and then repeat several times. Then after that process he wiped in several coats of teak oil.

I followed what Chip did but what I added was a couple poly coats to seal it. In the end I liked the effect and it really matched the carbon fiber well.

I painted all the attachment hardware black to minimize the eye going to that instead of the rest of the rack.

All in all I liked how it came out.

Stay tuned!

[3757chevy]

Nice . Did you use teak oil and poly coats?

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by 3757chevy

Nice . Did you use teak oil and poly coats?

Yes I used both the teak oil (and let it dry between coats) and then the poly coats.

[808_67C10]

How did you do the wheels? vinyl or plastidip?

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by 808_67C10

How did you do the wheels? vinyl or plastidip?

Neither, they are painted 1970 Chevy ochre mustard yellow.

[808_67C10]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

Neither, they are painted 1970 Chevy ochre mustard yellow.

Oh wow, right on... thanks.

[75Dually]

Part 3 of the roof rack build.

When were at LST this year one of the most common questions was where did I get that rack, my friends or I would simply say that it was hand built. Then they would give the truck a deeper examination.

So here it is installed on the truck. I have to say that it looks good, but once I get over my fear of scratching up the wood I will start carrying things on it. It's just that I worked so hard to get the wood as perfect as possible from a DIY perspective that I'm just not ready to have it torn up right away. Trust me I use my vehicles to their fullest, and most of the time I drive them pretty hard. Oh yeah and I drive them to every event I go to. No trailers for this kid...

So there you have it. It was super cheap to build, I would say I spent less than $80 on everything. The wood was by far the most expensive thing on this build. If you bought some cheapo wood you could do this for around $40-$50 total, as long as you have the tools to weld and the like.

So get out there and send me some pics of your roof rack you built!

Stay tuned!

[808_67C10]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

Part 3 of the roof rack build.

When were at LST this year one of the most common questions was where did I get that rack, my friends or I would simply say that it was hand built. Then they would give the truck a deeper examination.

So here it is installed on the truck. I have to say that it looks good, but once I get over my fear of scratching up the wood I will start carrying things on it. It's just that I worked so hard to get the wood as perfect as possible from a DIY perspective that I'm just not ready to have it torn up right away. Trust me I use my vehicles to their fullest, and most of the time I drive them pretty hard. Oh yeah and I drive them to every event I go to. No trailers for this kid...

So there you have it. It was super cheap to build, I would say I spent less than $80 on everything. The wood was by far the most expensive thing on this build. If you bought some cheapo wood you could do this for around $40-$50 total, as long as you have the tools to weld and the like.

So get out there and send me some pics of your roof rack you built!

Stay tuned!

Awesome build documentation... love the rack. If I had more roof real estate, I'd be all over it. Wouldnt look right on a single cab but, is a game changer in your 4dr!

[Palf70Step]

Very nice. Definitely adds a detail you don't normally see on a truck.

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by 808_67C10

Awesome build documentation... love the rack. If I had more roof real estate, I'd be all over it. Wouldnt look right on a single cab but, is a game changer in your 4dr!

Thanks Frank! If it were me I would try one just to carry my boards to the shore. I was born in Honolulu so I'm down with that...

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Very nice. Definitely adds a detail you don't normally see on a truck.

I actually like a lot of the new tuner cars that use racks, and I really dig the way they are suspending those clam shell luggage containers over Lamborghini's and Audi's. Is so different it's cool to me.

Thanks for the comment!

[808_67C10]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

Thanks Frank! If it were me I would try one just to carry my boards to the shore. I was born in Honolulu so I'm down with that...



I actually like a lot of the new tuner cars that use racks, and I really dig the way they are suspending those clam shell luggage containers over Lamborghini's and Audi's. Is so different it's cool to me.

Thanks for the comment!

Yeah but, there is no way you could leave either of our trucks anywhere unattended in Hawaii... they'd be stolen in a heartbeat. I have a camper with some racks on it... maybe I will make a roof rack for it... any excuse I have to build something, I am down. I am looking for an old school king cab, early 90s Mazda b2200 to drive while I bag my c10 so, that would be a perfect candidate for a rack!!!

[75Dually]

I have not posted on this thread in quite a long time period if you reading this I hope your doing well through the Covid 19 pandemic. The only thing I've done new to the truck is add the wing to the sleeper cab. Check out the braces and the supports! Let me know how you guys are doing. I hope this thread has helped you.

[daddyjeep]

Thanks for dropping back in. Did you make all that?

[808_67C10]

S*I*C*K ... as always!