THE VOLVO...Ugly semi truck crawler hauler build thread

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
Update time.

Ive been hard at it for 2 days straight. Took friday off work even tho I shouldnt have. Felt guilty for about 2 minutes.

Ive been pretty nervous on how loud the new stacks will be. So I downloaded a decibal app and fired the truck up with the original exhaust still hooked up. Im sure the app isnt accurate but i figured it would be a good comparison anyway. At idle it averaged 99 decibals and with getting on the throttle it hit 103. I just left the phone on the bed by the exhaust.


So after screwing around with that, I started off with finish welding the reducer on the elbow using my city supplied saw horses again. Threw some flat black on the welds just to keep them from rusting



After that I got the passenger side stack all put together and welded up. So next was time to get it in place which meant the fuel tank had to go. I yanked it out of the way and got right on mounting the stack up. Made me pretty excited to see them both on there for the first time




Next up was the Y pipe I got from Poorboy to connect the 2 stacks together. I had done some pretty decent guestimating on how this was going to work but it honestly couldnt have been any better. I cut off the angles on either side and slid the Y right into both stacks. Fit perfectly



As you can see I had started trimming down the original exhaust to fit. I was thinking I would just drop the stacks down to line up with the exhaust. But IMO it made the stacks look to low to the ground. I liked where they were sitting in that pic so I had to figure a way to raise the original exhaust. This exhaust was obviously hacked together at one point. Probably by whoever hacked together the bed. The drop down from the top of the frame had a few bends that had been welded together. Pretty decent for the most part and some of it may have been original but the bottom piece was bird pooped together pretty good. It didnt have leaks but made my welds look like Leroys. So I figured that was a good place to start. I cut out 4". The only problem was the bottom 90 had already been cut a little short to line up exactly right, and I cut more off it. But with some creative tack tack tack welding, I got it together and doesnt look half bad.

The piece sitting on top was the original I cut off compared to my repair



went right together after spraying some more paint




You can see I put the clamps VIZ sent me to work to.
 

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
more pics








I will end up pulling the stacks one more time. I am going to cut them at 11'10" so hopefully it will fit into a 12' bay door if the needs be. Should be about 8" off the top of where it is in those pics. Then I will paint them and reinstall for the last time for awhile.

I still need to build the brackets for the muffler clamps but with the system all hooked up, it was time for a test. I should have took video but I didnt.

Right off I could tell it was quieter on the ground and walking around the rig. Noticeably quieter. It was also nice to see that smoke go up in the air and not in my face. After it warmed up I threw the phone on the roof and tested decibels again. Average was 90 with a max of 97 gettin on the throttle.

VERY satisfied so far.

After that I sat and scratched my head for awhile on what I was gonna do with the battery box and the air tank that was attached to it. I was pretty spent and I havent got my summer skin yet. Had the lobster face goin and the farmer tan is in full effect now so I called it a night.
 

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
Back at it today.

Started off by trying to talk myself into leaving the battery where it was at but i didnt succeed. Still didnt know what I was gonna do with it but I yanked it all out and figured I would work on getting the fuel tank installed.

This was gonna require moving the back mounting strap to the front. Luckily the 2 straps with the steps on them werent changed so I didnt have to mess with that.



Another luck out was 4 of the mounting holes for the tank mount lined up with the 4 holes from the battery box. So I only had to drill 4 holes and I didnt have to measure anything. With just the 4 bolts in I noticed the AC lines go into the cab right above where the battery used to be. And they looked pretty low. So I figured I better do a test fit.


Just enough room




So after a quick trip to lowes for a new 5/8 drill bit, I got the holes done and everything bolted down.

I spent a little bit of time cleaning up the straps and rubbers and threw some paint on them. The straps are gonna have to be replaced sometime soonish as they are pretty rusty inside. Hopefully the paint will help slow it down a little. About this time I got pretty focused and didnt take many pics but after fighting the rubbers a bit (Ive never been a fan of them...haha) I got the tank on and all secured and both sides of the truck match now.



Here was my biggest stupid moment of the day. As in the pic, the tank had a good 1/2" or more of clearance to the AC lines. Well when I buttoned it up, the tank was hitting them. Not bad but touching. Im like WTF?? After texting Leroy about it, he says whats it gonna do when the cab moves??? DOH!!
The wife wanted to hear it with the stacks this morning so before I yanked the battery I fired it up for her, which aired up the system....including the air ride cab. So 30 minutes later for the test fit its still aired up, hours later shes sitting on the bumps. Felt pretty dumb but made me laugh. I blame to much sun

Now....time to figure out this battery issue.

The old box was pretty busted up and nasty. It was also made to hold 4 batteries. The truck only has the one big battery now so the box was tossed. But the brackets that held it to the frame were in good shape still. So I started messing around with them. I was originally thinking of putting it under the front of the flatbed on the passenger side. But after tracing the cables they both went the the drivers side of the motor. + straight to the starter and the - to the block. Cables are gonna be expensive so I want them as short as possible. So the battery is going on the drivers side under the front of the bed. There were a couple holes from the old dual axle setup on the frame I could have used but there wasnt gonna be enough room to install the battery doing this. So after some head scratching I decided to flip the mounts around and weld them straight to the bedside. Here it is just C clamped in place


After taking a rust and paint shower from cleaning up the metal enough to weld to, I welded them in solid.

The plan is to run a couple supports up to the bed and box it all in. So how do you access it??
Build a door!



This is as far as I got today. I will gather up some hinges and a latch of some sort. I also need to buy some more plate to box it in then measure for cables.

The coolest part of this is the air tank brackets are still attached to the mount. It also looks like I wont have to extend airlines. Probably have to shorten them a bit.

Sometime after the truck is usable, I will build a storage box under the passenger side of the bed to match.

Feels like I got a good amount accomplished but I still have a ways to go.

After I get the battery and the stacks buttoned up I will get back to the dovetail. Get it 100% and painted so I can get the lights wired up. After just a few other minor details I think it will be time to get a plate put on this thing. Then I will start making the interior decent enough for the fam.
 

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
I was just thinking that today.

I bought this truck because I thought all I had to do was extend the bed a couple feet and use it.

I guess in reality thats all I HAD to do.
 

LT.

Well-Known Member
I can promise you will have a hard time finding one just like this..:rofl:

Well, maybe not exactly like it then.

On cutting your stacks shorter. Before you cut them down i would put the scout back on. If you cut the stacks shorter the black soot may end up on your scout and in the scout. After a haul you may find yourself jumping in and covered in the diesel soot. The air will flow around and cover everything behind. That is all i got.

LT.
 

RustEoldtrux

RustEoldtrux
Location
Evanston, WY
I have a round diesel tank stashed out behind the barn, and it looks to be shorter than the ones on your truck. Holler if you end up needing a shorter tank. I'm really liking how you are setting up your truck.
 

bryson

RME Resident Ninja
Supporting Member
Location
West Jordan
If you still need cable for the battery relocation project, I might be able to help you out... I have some 2/0 cable kicking around that I've never found a use for. PM or call me if you're interested.
 

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
Got a couple hours in today. Would have been better off if I wouldnt have tho. More on that in a minute.

Started the day by hitting the metal store. Bought some barrel hinges, some angle, some 1/8" plate and some material to do stake sides. Ive been kickin around the idea of doing stake sides for a couple reasons. They make an excellent tie down point for misc. stuff stacked on the bed, they also would give my front tires a little more to sit on but the biggest reason I decided to do them is Im pretty sure the side of the bed is going to rub the tires with the Scout loaded and a camper hooked up. I plan to build a flare out by the tires and hide it with the stake side.

So when I got home I got busy finishing up the door for the battery relocation.



After that I cut a piece of 1/8" to fit in the bottom. Just used the existing bolts to hold it down. Then I slid the battery in to see how it was gonna look.



I was pretty excited how things were going. I had planned to take the Fam to a Enduro Cross race this after noon. We planned on leaving at 3. Well it was about 2:15 when I slid the battery in. I thought I could hurry and drill the holes in the bottom for the battery hold downs. Took a couple quick measurements and climbed under the truck with the drill.

Got the first hole drilled and when I pulled out the bit I got hit in the face with water. Im thinking thats weird.....why is there water in that tray I just built. BECAUSE YOU JUST DRILLED THRU YOUR NEW $300 BATTERY YOU MORON. It just barely caught the edge but obviously enough to puncture it.

So I set the battery on its side, dried it off and tried to JB weld the hole. Who knew battery acid would melt JB weld?? After about 5 tries I thought I had it sealed so I went to shower. On the way out the door I looked at it and it had melted thru again.

Many swear words were performed. I cant remember the last time Ive done something so dumb. But Ive always said Im not afraid to post up when I screw up.

Needless to say Im pretty disgusted and dont even want to look at the truck right now. Just bought the battery a couple weeks after bringing the truck home. Literally brand new.

:shaking:
 

STAG

Well-Known Member
That sucks.

When I was taking out a set of 5th wheel rails out of a pickup truck bed I got lazy on one of the brackets and decided to use a Oxy/Act torch to cut the bolts. Well I cut the bolt, the shank and nut fell to the ground, but the molten (literally orange hot) head of the bolt fell between the fuel tank (diesel) and the frame of the truck. It immediately started melting a hole in the tank and causing the plastic to catch fire. I ran in my shop and grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the flames but the hot bolt was still melting the plastic tank. I finally got it out from between the tank and the frame before it got too bad. I still ended up going to Vatozone to get a gas tank repair kit, which actually worked really pretty well.
 

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
Ya. Im sure dumb things have happened to most of us. Hopefully we can learn from them. hahaha

I took the battery over to National Battery in Ogden today. Well they aren't super optimistic about their patch but its holding for now. I personally think it will be ok for awhile. They wouldnt tell me what glue they used. It looks like a normal 2 part liquid epoxy. It has that yellowish tint. They also filled the battery back up. Cost me 20 bucks. Hopefully it will last awhile.

No pics again today.

I got the other 3 holes drilled for the mounts without incident. :homer: Then I rerouted the airlines to the new tank location. It worked out pretty slick.

Someone bypassed the air dryer at one point. From the looks of it, it was done many many years ago. Someday I will find out the reason for the bypass. Im sure its junk so when Im bored I will replace it. But for now gettng the the truck on the road is priority. But anyway, a line comes from the compressor, to the air dryer, then to the tank I moved. After doing some head scratching and some measuring I just eliminated the line from the compressor to the dryer, hooked the other line to the compressor and it happened to be the exact length I needed to go to the tank. Couldnt have built it better. Finally a little luck. Then the plastic lines were only about a foot to long. Cut to fit with some new farrells

As for battery cables, I priced them at the place that did the battery repair. The 2/0 cable is 10 bucks a foot. Then fittings and labor.

My + cable appears to have been replaced recently. After stringing it out it was 3' short of where it needed to be. So instead of buying a all new 12' length, I just had them butt connect 3' on and added a new end. I couldnt bring myself to pay 150ish bucks for the negative replacement so I have got to come up with something else for that.

I also got a new fitting for the hose connecting the 2 fuel tanks. With the tank move it was about 16" to long. Got that all put back together. Also bought a ton of bolts today.

It ended up being a pretty productive, non productive day. As least all is well in the battery box for the time being.

My next project is going to be to figure out where I want to mount the power steering reservoir. When I got the truck it was run under the cab and the resi was mounted up high on the fairing that I removed. Ive been just figuring I would mount it on the headache rack I built but Im really going to try to get it under the hood I think. There is a spot high on the firewall that appears to have plenty of room for it. We will see.

Im still waiting for someone to come do all the wiring on the dovetail.......patiently :greg:
 

Chevycrew

Well-Known Member
Location
WVC, UT
Cheston, I have a ton of battery cable crap that came with my frame section. Your welcome to look at it and see if you can use any of it. Or give me an idea what you need and ill check the pile.
 

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
I had to laugh at myself a little. I realized that I have been working on everything on this project but I havent finished anything yet.. :shaking: Time to put a stop to that nonsense.

So Saturday I decided I would try to get the dovetail buttoned up. It was pretty close. Had just a bit more welding to do underneath and then figure out reverse lights and a license plate mount. I couldnt come up with a good way to mount it on the bumper so I decided to try it mounted on the vertical part of the dove. I honestly dont know if this will fly for inspection but Im gonna try it.


I do know I will need a license plate light. So I asked Brandon Williams if he had anything. He found these little guys and they are friggin cool. So I got a couple. Kind of a pain to mount but should only have to ever do it once.


I still dont know what will be hauled on the flat part of the dove but I wanted to give the cool little lights a little protection from being smashed so I just put a piece of flat stock right above the plate. This obviously isnt the plate for the Vulva, its the one of my little Scout II


Next up was reverse lights. I picked up 4 of these 4" LEDs from my buddy Brandon. Figured 2 for reverse lights and 2 for work lights that I will mount on the bang board.


And then I got lazy. If you recall, I made these supports for the dove that would bolt to the bottom of the frame and then they were to bolt to the dove as well. I was just going to drill and tap the dove but I dont have a good set of taps. So then I was just gonna weld on a couple nuts. But with the welder sitting there I just decided to weld them straight to the dovetail and then bolt to the frame. Lazy I know. But chances are I will never pull this bed off. And if I do its going to be to replace it and throw air ride under the truck. So if thats the case I can just cut these off.
 
Last edited:
Top