1997 Cummins Towho/Expo

blakeape

Adventurer
Thanks, I have been driving the heck out of the truck and loving it. I had to put a new belt tensioner, water pump and serp belt in it a few weeks ago.
I was also parting out an old Chevy I had kicking around and solved a little dilemma that has bugged me for a couple years. I love my KC Daylighters but couldn't figure out a way to tie them into the factory high beams because Dodge switches high/low between a ground. I had them on a toggle but that was hard to reach if I had 1 hand on the wheel, was shifting and someone came around a corner and I had to fumble for the toggle real quick. So I yanked the old floor mounted high/low switch out of the Chevy wired it up to the KC's and mounted it on the floor, you all remember the ones you switch with you left foot in the old rigs right? I love it no more blinding on-comers and fumbling around. Simple, but effective!
 

NorthernWoodsman

Adventurer/tinkerer
I may seriously steal, err, borrow, this idea.

Thanks, I have been driving the heck out of the truck and loving it. I had to put a new belt tensioner, water pump and serp belt in it a few weeks ago.
I was also parting out an old Chevy I had kicking around and solved a little dilemma that has bugged me for a couple years. I love my KC Daylighters but couldn't figure out a way to tie them into the factory high beams because Dodge switches high/low between a ground. I had them on a toggle but that was hard to reach if I had 1 hand on the wheel, was shifting and someone came around a corner and I had to fumble for the toggle real quick. So I yanked the old floor mounted high/low switch out of the Chevy wired it up to the KC's and mounted it on the floor, you all remember the ones you switch with you left foot in the old rigs right? I love it no more blinding on-comers and fumbling around. Simple, but effective!
 

blakeape

Adventurer
I got my firewood cut for the year and and don't have any serious road trips/heavy hauling for the next few weeks so I slapped the 40" MTR/H2's off my 1 ton Tacoma onto the diesel today for fun and to see how it does. The truck really drove well, a little bit of power loss, but nothing to worry about, tracked great, relatively quite and pretty much just fun. I'm not going to tow heavy for a long distance on this set up it could be great for a little backroad exploring/expo style cruising!
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Rot Box

Explorer
Yahoo! I love hauling a big load of logs. Its fun to give the truck a good workout and being stocked up is such a relief. Nothing beat the radiant heat of a wood burner on a cold day :coffeedrink:
 

blakeape

Adventurer
Yes I too am a big fan of wood heat. I actually own a "Tarm indoor wood fired boiler" that is going in the next residence that I hope to begin building next fall. It will provide both my heat and domestic hot water off wood with a natural gas back up! So I got sucked back into my old line of work (construction) by helping a good friend remodel a house into a commercial office space for his mom with a big timber framed porch/entrance. I enjoy the work and have been using the heck out of my Dodge. I have to say, for daily driver mode the 40's are awesome. I have them at 35psi (max) but they are just under 3200 lbs each capacity, they soak up the bumps, ride smooth, and the truck has great power. With my 4.10's I can really row through the gears and enjoy the power without shifting quite as much. I am going to leave them on for a while and have some fun with the truck!
 

blakeape

Adventurer
Scored some Weatherguard boxes of Craigs list for $180 for the pair. I still have 55 inches between the boxes and it worked out perfect with how I built the swing out! I'll need to redo my bar for carrying long items because the boxes cover the holes it drops into and paint them when it warms up this spring but I'm stoked for the price! IMG_1019_zps75e54fc1.jpg
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blakeape

Adventurer
Boxes look good. Hows your WVO system treat you in the cold(sub zero)?

It's working great. I run 2 tank heated system and have run it well below 0 degrees F. I just got back from a 2700 road trip to the "King of the Hammers" race and didn't buy fuel once. The whole 9 day trip cost me less than $500 and that was towing my 1 ton Tacoma on a trailer the whole way.
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Saiyan66

Adventurer
Did you just stop along the way and pick up veggie oil? Or did you have enough in your tanks to make the full trip?
 

blakeape

Adventurer
Its difficult to filter on the road, I filter and de-water at home and bring extra fuel in the plastic cubies that the oil comes in when new. I think I left with 31 cubies which are about 4.5 gallons each plus my veggie tank was full which is about 30 gallons. So I left with about 170 gallons of veggie, a full tank of #1 diesel and maybe 10 gallons of extra diesel. My friend who came with me filled my diesel tank from his slip tank which his work fills for him. You can see a couple cubies I was recycling yesterday in the bed in the earlier pictures.
 

qmikep

New member
Blackape, your trucks awsome. If you get a minute could you go a little bit more indepth on you veggie oil system? I'm curious, are the diesel/veggie lines switched mechanically or electrically?
 

blakeape

Adventurer
Blackape, your trucks awsome. If you get a minute could you go a little bit more indepth on you veggie oil system? I'm curious, are the diesel/veggie lines switched mechanically or electrically?

Thank you. I have to hit the road, I'm headed off to a 4 day long Avalanche 2 class. When I get back next week I'll try to give a little explanation of the system.
 

Saiyan66

Adventurer
Dang you rolled out with 210 gallons of fuel on board? That's a big load in itself. I guess it beats buying fuel though at $4.50 a gallon right now. I wish the newer motors were a little more accommodating to alternative fuel types and stuff.
 

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