Transtar Large Car

[Chuck Most]

Started this two years ago. Here's how it looked until about three days ago.



Skip ahead to earlier this week, when I added some etched brass screen to make a new grille insert.



And then came some serious body work...

I had wanted to stretch the hood, and I ultimately decided to go with a so-not-subtle two feet. Trouble was, this made the hood look way out of proportion to the cab. So I decided to chop and graft a second Transtar cab onto the first cab, creating a 4-door crew cab.

Front wheels are the Transtar units, I cut the center out of an AMT Rides Magazine kit to make them a bit larger in diameter and fit the RM tires. The truck will feature a fully adjustable air suspension- this will be 'show height'.

This truck will represent a no-holes-barred, no-expense-spared show rig- something built simply to turn heads at a truck show. It'll obviously be a long-wheelbase rig, and I'm toying with adding a sleeper box but I'm not 100% sold on that yet.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Michigan Madman

[lapazleo]

Extreme!

[BigBad]

Now install a 24V71 under that hood! Stick 3 8V71 together instead of 2 V12s!! Might as well get real crazy. Why not?

[trick my mixer]

That gives a whole new meaning to extended hood. Pretty radical but some one has to step forward!!!!!

[Chuck Most]

Well, I'm afraid the engine in this will be rather dull by comparison. It will run a CAT 3400- though I might install more than one turbo if I get ambitious.

I thought about sticking in the engine from a Payhauler 350, but since Detroit diesels like to wear their oil on the outside rather than keep it in the crankcase, it would be a poor choice for a clean, polished show truck, no matter how audacious an engine choice it would be.

[Chuck Most]

That's how low it will sit. That's the plan anyway. I want to depict it as it would look with the airbags fully deflated, kind of like a modern custom pickup on display at a show.

[Fat Brian]

You could run both of the IH 800 motors from the two kits it took to get you where you are now. I love the wheels, I would like some for a Titan 90 I'm planning

[cowboysevens]

Wow , wow , wow !!!!! That is one super extreme custom

[Gluhead]

Deep end!

[The Modeling Hermit]

This could be deemed a "stretch of the imagination". It looks cool.

[tooltas]

go nuts and use a allson v12 with a four turbo set up

[BigBad]

Well, I'm afraid the engine in this will be rather dull by comparison. It will run a CAT 3400- though I might install more than one turbo if I get ambitious.

I thought about sticking in the engine from a Payhauler 350, but since Detroit diesels like to wear their oil on the outside rather than keep it in the crankcase, it would be a poor choice for a clean, polished show truck, no matter how audacious an engine choice it would be.

Wellllll... I know of a famous hotrod Peterbilt with a12V71... So that excuse just went out the proverbial window!! Haha! Hey do what pleases your soul man, but go as crazy on that engine as the remainder of that concept! Like tooltas said, an Allison V12 would be pretty awesome too, I can already hear the sound of that! Edited August 28, 2012 by BigBad

[Chuck Most]

Well, I do have an Allison-powered IH in the works, just not this one. It might even be a TWIN Allison-powered IH if I get really nuts with it. I'm not sure if that one will be more of a show truck or a race truck (think of a Bonneville Big Rig), but I am pretty sure I wanna get to it eventually.

[cowboysevens]

Well, I do have an Allison-powered IH in the works, just not this one. It might even be a TWIN Allison-powered IH if I get really nuts with it. I'm not sure if that one will be more of a show truck or a race truck (think of a Bonneville Big Rig), but I am pretty sure I wanna get to it eventually.

Yeah I could see the big allison or dua allison's as a boneville flats truck or even somethin you would see at a truck pull event.

[Truck parts]

That's going to be wild!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BigBad]

SO Chuck... When are you going to give some news about this or the custom screamin' yeller Lonestar, huh? Come on man, can't leave hangin' so long! Maybe you started another project!

[ewaskew]

I like building custom rigs myself and I'll be watching for this to get finished,its looking very nice

[Chuck Most]

Don't worry... just today I bought the 9/32" aluminum tube which I'll use for the smokestacks on both this and the LoneStar, and I've started work on the frame for this one. Should be some updates shortly. I can't guarantee how shortly, but shortly.

[Chuck Most]

Alright... time for a mockup, no?

All but the last eight scale feet or so of the frame is roughed in- I'll start on that once I figure out what suspension/axles I'll be using.

Still may or may not use the Mercury sleeper box, but right now I'm leaning toward using it.

[cargostar]

Thats LOW.....

[mackinac359]

Holy lonnngggg hoods !!

Tim

[BigBad]

I could almost see gangsters coming out of this with machineguns!

[Chuck Most]

Well- test fit the CAT into the chassis today- there's actually suprisingly little room in front of the engine considering how long the hood is! And as you'd expect there might be a few ground clearance issues with the oil pan. I'm thinking of rectifying that with a remote sump.

[Cool Hand]

Wow!,looking killa so far.

[Chuck Most]

I could almost see gangsters coming out of this with machineguns!

The REAL Chrome Stack Mafia?