Crew Cab 5 Ton Modification Q&A

[dangood]

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

 

[EvylRyde]

Dan,

I've been on your site countless times and have set a picture of one of your converted trucks as my laptops desktop. I've spent the last 10 months looking over 5-tons, both custom and stock, and have compiled a number of photos in a folder of various features that I would like to have on a truck if/when I decide to make a move on one.

One question I have regarding these trucks is, other than fuel costs, is there any reason that these trucks would not make a good daily driver? I've only ever had normal passenger vehicles aside from a '94 E350 I had for a few years when i worked in construction. I'm not afraid of doing oil changes or other basic maintenance jobs, but beyond that is there anything about these vehicles that would make them a notably poor choice for a daily vehicle?

Appreciate any feedback you might offer and absolutely appreciate the attitude of helping those in need that your company embodies.

- EvylRyde

 

[nickpkts]

Dan,

Your trucks are awesome! I bought an expand van and want to make a crew cab motorhome out of it I would love to be able to pass through do you have any pictures that might help me out?

 

[Tornadogt]

I have also looked over every Crew cab conversion I can find. I also have made my mind up that Fabing the extra room would be the best plan, also leaning to sticking with 2 doors with the large extension behind. Another idea I am throwing around is a full replacement cab. Like you said the OEM did half the work you guys do the other half, well you are half way there why not do the complete thing. It would be much dryer and dependent on material "Armored"/"Resistant". Just make the OEM hood fit a new cab of variant lengths depend on customer needs..

ADDED COMMENT
The truck you build are great, keep up the good work..

 

[CrwM35A2]

These are really nice thank you for posting. I will definitely be asking some questions when I start my build.

 

[2StateTrigger]

Tag to follow...

 

[srodocker]

Love your builds.

 

[Wookie254]

View attachment 570112View attachment 570126View attachment 570125View attachment 570123View attachment 570122View attachment 570121View attachment 570120View attachment 570116View attachment 570113I 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

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

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

This probably has been asked, but is the extended portion of the cab connected to body mounts? And if so could you possibly post how the underbody of cab is connected to the frame? I can’t get a straight answer from planB.

 

[serpico760]

View attachment 570112View attachment 570126View attachment 570125View attachment 570123View attachment 570122View attachment 570121View attachment 570120View attachment 570116View attachment 570113I 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

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

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

Dan, I'm mounting that same box to an M1083. How is it mounted to that truck? Any chance you can give you some pictures of the mounting situation and if it uses some sort of springs and spring bolts do you have the specs of those?