Sterling Acterra Fire Rescue Truck Xpediation Conversion
- Thread starter AccteraWander
- Start date
AccteraWander
Member
Six hours to go. Joined the big boys for a 6 hour regulated nspp before hittonyhr road st 7 a.m. So far not a worry about the coach performance, reliability, or durability. Jesus said I got this for about 20k cheaper than what they were asking. Now that is a bargain considering there is an identical red one with more miles for $38k.
Montgomery. Near Huntingdon College. I found it through several auction sites search but the BLESSINGS are pouring in. Jesus and Armando were so helpful in Florida. They said they do this twice a year and will contact me when the next public auction is taking place.
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AccteraWander
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Back on the road. Had a rough sleep. Thought Mello Yello would be hot after a few hours so I opened up a lot of small windows. Well I would up freezing. Temp in North Florida was 63 outside and 60 in my ice box. Lesson learned.. Aluminum retains heat but it expells it fast.
So here is the scarey part. I got back on the road and after about 29 minutes I thought about the fuel. Well I looked down and guess what? See the picture for the answer. I won't let that happen again. But the good part is I have true miles calculated from full to almost totally empty. 12.6 miles per gallon per Gas Buddy since last fill up. That is as good as my Dodge Ram 2500HD with the Cummins 6.7.
While I waited for my next drive time Mello Yello's big brother showed up. We had a Coke and a Smile and we both were on our way. Just over 400 miles to go.
So here is the scarey part. I got back on the road and after about 29 minutes I thought about the fuel. Well I looked down and guess what? See the picture for the answer. I won't let that happen again. But the good part is I have true miles calculated from full to almost totally empty. 12.6 miles per gallon per Gas Buddy since last fill up. That is as good as my Dodge Ram 2500HD with the Cummins 6.7.
While I waited for my next drive time Mello Yello's big brother showed up. We had a Coke and a Smile and we both were on our way. Just over 400 miles to go.
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AccteraWander
Member
Six hours to go. Joined the big boys for a 6 hour regulated nspp before hittonyhr road st 7 a.m. So far not a worry about the coach performance, reliability, or durability. Jesus said I got this for about 20k cheaper than what they were asking. Now that is a bargain considering there is an identical red one with more miles for $38k.
AccteraWander
Member
OK. Just made my last stop. Fueled up and ready for the last 2 hours. I had two issues or shall I say lesson learned. I did not out the gas cap on tight and lost a lot of fuel. I also did not get the security code for the doors and locked myself out. Call back to Jesus and he gave me the code to get back inside. What would we do without cell phones. We'll to do top off my transit to the final gas station I once again missed judged the fuel gauge and was hunting for a gas station at the last minute. Made it to Shell, added my rewards points and top off just shy of a full tank. Gas mileage is averaging in at 13.6 and that's with the lost fuel. Off we go...
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AccteraWander
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All done. Made it home. 689.00 mile trip. Not a worry in the world with Mello Yello. Will head to Mardi Gracis Saturday so no work for at least a week. Spent just $171.00 in Fuel Cost. 680.20 miles 64.68 gallons averaged 10.51MPG. Made it just in time to lick my kids up from school. Yes..!!!!
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AccteraWander
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RiderBloke
Observer
You said earlier in the trip you were getting 13.6mpg but the overall you worked out to be 10.something. Is there a reason the mpg dropped presumably in the last section?
It looks like you got a great truck. Keep your eye on Ozrockrat as he has one with that motor.
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It looks like you got a great truck. Keep your eye on Ozrockrat as he has one with that motor.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
AccteraWander
Member
Yes the reason was the gas cap being loose and I lost a lot of fuel before I realized the problem. Stopped and this dripping on the ground.
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AccteraWander
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So hesriI wnet to get the water tanks cad drawn up to fit in this empty void between the cab and box. It will sit just over the frame rail and give about 27 gallons to go with the 10 gallon hot water heater setup. In order to make this space fully jseab, I have to remove the electrical connection tube and wires. So after returning home I began taking the center console out so I can make a step box to host the mandatory wires but alps to allow me to move up the electrical tube by 6 inches. This will make a clean install of the water tanks in the same aluminum panels as the other parts of the truck and give a step box that's low profile for easy access to the rear box. No work today since we have the Jubilee Parade to attend in Salem.
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patoz
Expedition Leader
It looks like you've got a very nice vehicle to start your build from. What Bob said about saving all the pieces and parts you remove, is good advice.
Also, take as many pictures as you can of the vehicle before you start any work on it, including the inside of the cab and the back. And don't forget the compartments also. You'll need these to document your build, and you will be surprised at how many times you'll refer back to them while sitting in front of your computer chasing down parts for it.
Have fun and I'll be following to see how it turns out!