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Xm818a2w/w

Monty

Monty

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SO you stretched the frame? A stock 820has a wheel base of 215, so how long did you stretch the frame to fit the sleeper and spare tire holder?
 
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M1075

M1075

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Monty said:
SO you stretched the frame? A stock 820has a wheel base of 215, so how long did you stretch the frame to fit the sleeper and spare tire holder?
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I don't think there is any stretch to it. It just looks way long because the tandems are moved all the way back. M820 should have about 20' of frame behind the cab.
 
DaveP

DaveP

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M1075 said:
I don't think there is any stretch to it. It just looks way long because the tandems are moved all the way back. M820 should have about 20' of frame behind the cab.
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James is correct. I moved the tandems as far back as possible then added to the reenforcement frame to bring it back to the original position ahead of the tandems. added a 2nd midship bearing and shaft to the tune of about 48 inches.
had to completely remove the tandem assy to change out a few crossmembers as they didnt have the the proper clearance for the drive shaft.

the rivet removal was not a fun project!
where they went thru 2 pieces i was able to grind of the head and drive them out with a 16 pound hammer and punch. where they passed thru 3 layers, they had to be ground off, drilled, blown out some with the torch and then drove out.

turn radius is what you would expect for the length. not real bad but with the front axle being a driven axle I dont dare risk takeing out the stops.
with a little planning and proper positioning i dont have any trouble getting around with it.

when I get to the next phase of this project as it will be repowered with out the front axle center section. this will allow better turn angle at the spindles. t case will be removed and i will be using a 13 over main box. the rears will also be swapped out for a little better road gear and air brakes.
It would have made more sense to do the repower at the same time of the build but i didnt have the time to do the whole thing at once. wont be to bad to do when $ and time are availible.


350-400 horse with the option of running a little higher speeds is needed for what i do.

and the fact that i will be losing the all wheel drive ability wont matter to me as this truck lost the off roading ability when the wheelbase got lengthened and the tanks and bunk went on. I have plenty of other trucks to take when offroading is in order.
still looking for the correct rear crossmember, rear pintle and related brackets. these items are tractor specific.

hopefully i havent upset to many folks by changing this truck but it does and will better suit my needs. i try real hard to keep the Military look.
 

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fuzzytoaster

fuzzytoaster

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Wow.. I'm not a fan of modded trucks often but this is definitely the exception. I want to see some more inside cab pics if you have any.
 
DaveP

DaveP

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Welder Sam said:
I'm not easily "awe'd" but I am definitely in awe here. Any specific reason u didn't use the taller unibilt? What would u consider to be the shortest truck that could bu used for this type of mod? For those that don't need that much wb..
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the unibuilt didn't fit the finished product I had in my mind. to tall. far as needed wheelbase that all depends on bunk size and whatever else you need to put behind the cab.
 
DaveP

DaveP

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Welder Sam said:
Was the unibilt to deep or? Please explain your trane of thought on this, if you wouldnt mind
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I think the unibuilt would be to tall compared to the roof height of the cab. this seems to blend in pretty good. I made the mounts as low as possible and even thought about tubbing the bottom to get it lower yet. but after the test fit I liked it and went for it.
the mid and high roof bunks are cool but just not the look I was after. also the 63inch bunk seems to fit the scale when viewed from the side. besides I was raised with the ole flat tops.
 
Welder Sam

Welder Sam

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DaveP said:
I think the unibuilt would be to tall compared to the roof height of the cab. this seems to blend in pretty good. I made the mounts as low as possible and even thought about tubbing the bottom to get it lower yet. but after the test fit I liked it and went for it.
the mid and high roof bunks are cool but just not the look I was after. also the 63inch bunk seems to fit the scale when viewed from the side. besides I was raised with the ole flat tops.
Click to expand...
Yes it does flow well. Very well indeed.
 
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