83 359 pete good idea/bad idea-good bad idea

You are fortunate that you can do the work yourself. The alternative is a plastic aero emission expensive electronic piece of junk.

You can have the truck you want and the famous Cummins big cam and ride in style.

That's the name of the game brother.

 

I agree with star Mac. An older truck that's updated with certain newer things like air ride suspension that type of thing is the way to go. It kind of takes something old and you still have something old but it modernizes it. My dad always said that's the way to do it.

I agree about the painting. I enjoy putting a nice coat of paint on, and it isn't even as much the preparation that gets me it's the masking and removing things.

How do you put new rivets in that? Do you rent a rivet gun? Where do you get the rivets?

 

I'd be happy driving it. I think that hood has good proportions.

 

My A model body wise is good, except for the door pull panel on the drivers door. New ones are available, but they are plastic. I have several A model parts trucks, so I can change it out no problem.
I can do body work, at least enough to get by, but I am slow, I would sure hate to try and make a living at it.
I can also shoot a little paint, but not the quality I will want on this A model. lo, If that makes sense. I have a friend that does do some show quality paint jobs on trucks, everything he paints is much better than new and he has access to a paint booth plenty big enough for a 300 inch tractor now too.
I am not sure what process he uses to paint truck frames, but even after 5 or so years of heavy use, they will still look better than factory.

 

That's the nice thing about these old trucks. You can build them however you want. I converted my W900A to air ride. Was debating about dropping a 12.7L Detroit under the hood but I'm old school at heart. Keepin' the original prechamber 3406 in it.

 

If you blew 30k on a 'busa or a bassboat no one would bat an eye, and neither would earn you a cent.

Its only money. You can make more. And you can make more playin with a peterbilt than a playstation.

 

Did you do the measurements to see if an air to air can be squeezed in with the short hood A model. That may very well be the deciding factor. My A already has air ride, but ti is pete air leaf, and ss rears, so it has to go. I have a set of 46's with air lockers from a 99 international I bought just for them(stole) but I know where and have been dealing on a parts truck that has a low mile rebuilt ddec 4 18,spd and 46's with lockers on air track I am not an air trac fan either, but It would bolt up to the existing holes. soooo maybe, and the tranny would have to be rebearinged or just a core.

BUT, BUT I may have found a parts rig with an E model cat and retarder, 18 and 46's on freightliner air that may be affordable, even if that can't be stuffed in with air to air, I think I know where a long A model hood is, just a lot of drilling. lol