1993 Chevrolet P30 Food Truck Build

Dr of BBQ


Reese your a good man and a hard worker your going to make it and because of your hard work we can all learn. And thank you for that.  I doubt that I'll go battery type system but from day one I have been rooting for your success.

 
Thank you.

I cut the second opening for the second vent door and I cut the bottom support in an attempt to get the battery bay under the truck. After several failed attempts, I found a good spot under the truck to use my floor jack and I lifted it just enough to slide the battery bay underneath. By this time is was late so I did not get around to mounting it but I should be able to do that tomorrow.

 

I sent an email to the owner of the "Genie Truck" (Mac & Cheese food truck) as they use a battery bank instead of generator. I thought I would post their reply to my question regarding their power needs.
 
"hey maurice,

we have 3 3000watt peak inverters that can steadily run 2000 watts. we have 3 deep cycle marine batteries set in series all of which is connected to the vehicles alternator. we normally run the truck for events as it is much quieter than most generators, so, it is constantly charging the batterys. with out the vehicle on, the battery life can vary wildly depending on how hot it is outside and in, due to the refridgerator kicking on and off. we have a second refridgeration unit as well and when we use that also the engines alternator doesnt quite have enough output for both fridges and lights ect. something to consider depending on your power usage/ layout. you can buy higher performance alternators or set several in line in the engine compartment though obviously all of this adds cost to your build. hope this helps! 
Adam  - master genie"

Reese I have some questions for you on your plumbing set up. Please let me know the best way to contact you?

ForksFoodTruck


Reese I have some questions for you on your plumbing set up. Please let me know the best way to contact you?

 
Post here, IM me or email eat@sammichlab.com

Ansul installed. Cost a bit more than expected due to other needed equipment.
 

 

 

I had to run the pull station all the way to my door, geez. By the way if the little glass rod that holds in the trigger on your pull station breaks, don't panic it takes about 6 or 8 inches of pull to get the system to fire. My glass broke on a rough ride and I panicked, called my guy and he said put some tape on it no big deal. LOL
 
Your system looks great.

 

Dr of BBQ


I had to run the pull station all the way to my door, geez. By the way if the little glass rod that holds in the trigger on your pull station breaks, don't panic it takes about 6 or 8 inches of pull to get the system to fire. My glass broke on a rough ride and I panicked, called my guy and he said put some tape on it no big deal. LOL

Your system looks great.

 
Thanks for the tip. The guy wanted to install it on a different wall but it would have been in the way of my refrigerator so he said it is fine where it is and will pass inspection.

ForksFoodTruck


Reese I have some questions for you on your plumbing set up. Please let me know the best way to contact you?

 
Please post all your questions here, I want to learn too. Thank you!

King 3 your right it's a forum not a love note. LMAO We are all wanting to learn from each other not trade secrete messages back and forth. Besides who has the time during the day to answer every question that comes from 30 or 40 different people?
Come on it is a forum for everyone.
 

reese77
we have 3 3000watt peak inverters that can steadily run 2000 watts. we have 3 deep cycle marine batteries set in series all of which is connected to the vehicles alternator. we normally run the truck for events as it is much quieter than most generators, so, it is constantly charging the batterys. with out the vehicle on, the battery life can vary wildly depending on how hot it is outside and in, due to the refridgerator kicking on and off. we have a second refridgeration unit as well and when we use that also the engines alternator doesnt quite have enough output for both fridges and lights ect. something to consider depending on your power usage/ layout. you can buy higher performance alternators or set several in line in the engine compartment though obviously all of this adds cost to your build. hope this helps! 
Adam  - master genie"

 
That was pretty interesting. And I hate to ask but is he saying this is an unproven science?
Jack

Dr of BBQ

That was pretty interesting. And I hate to ask but is he saying this is an unproven science?
Jack

 
I guess he was trying to relay that his setup does not meet all of his electrical needs w/o the engine running but it works for him. He chose this method as to not deal with the generator noise. My system is a bit more robust but I will definitely be hooking my bank up to the alternator now.

you better be prepared to get a REALLY BIG Alternator. I had a 220amp alt and when it blew, they wanted 800 to rebuild it. I just bought a new regular one an saved myself 400. That alt was almost as big as my head.  

Dr of BBQ


I had to run the pull station all the way to my door, geez. By the way if the little glass rod that holds in the trigger on your pull station breaks, don't panic it takes about 6 or 8 inches of pull to get the system to fire. My glass broke on a rough ride and I panicked, called my guy and he said put some tape on it no big deal. LOL

Your system looks great.

 .. mine has a red line runs thru the thing to hold it on sorta looks like weed eater string..well i noticed it getting weaker and weaker finally i see it was pulled out but your right its about 6- 8 " before it pulls anything, i put a small skewer thru it. big enough to go thru but still small enough to be able to pull the handle if need be.
thats right

THE WILD DOG


you better be prepared to get a REALLY BIG Alternator. I had a 220amp alt and when it blew, they wanted 800 to rebuild it. I just bought a new regular one an saved myself 400. That alt was almost as big as my head.  

 
Good to know. Thanks.

reese77 I just purchased a 92' P30...I've really enjoyed reading your posts

Farjoe


reese77 I just purchased a 92' P30...I've really enjoyed reading your posts

 
Glad you are enjoying my thread. Can't wait to see pictures of your build.

Reese Merry Christmas to you and everyone else here from Colombia. Hope you soon contiunes with your project and keep sharing us your photos that have been very useful. Happy holidays to all!

King3


Reese Merry Christmas to you and everyone else here from Colombia. Hope you soon contiunes with your project and keep sharing us your photos that have been very useful. Happy holidays to all!

 
Thanks and Merry XMas to you. I will take new pics of what I completed tomorrow morning and post. It has been raining here a lot and I have been in and out of town but I did get all of my interior taken care of except customizing the cabin area. However I have an issue with my 12V power supply. I have it mounted on a aluminum wall and I think it is not properly grounded or something because I was under the truck drilling and I felt a pinch when my skin touched the metal, I thought it was just a splinter of aluminum sticking in my skin but as soon as I held the screw to guide it and drilled it into the aluminum frame, I got a nice shock. I unplugged the power supply and no more shock.

Reese -have you already ordered your wrap? I own a graphics company and may be able to help with printing..

post a link for your company so we can see ya stuff Chasendad

Really don't have pictures on my website. You can check out-
 PCD Wraps & Graphics on facebook
 My son does the graphics and install and I print them..

chasendad


Reese -have you already ordered your wrap? I own a graphics company and may be able to help with printing..

 
I have one quote from a local company for 3K. I already have the finished graphics. I had a new artist work up a new wrap as I did not like my old one and it was a big waste of money. I am waiting on quotes from two other companies. I just need the printing and install.

chasendad
Really don't have pictures on my website. You can check out-
PCD Wraps & Graphics on facebook  My son does the graphics and install and I print them..

 
Looked at the race car pretty cool. And please don't take this the wrong way but before I'd do a wrap which I think is so very very important I'd ask?
 
Can you take a picture of my truck and then superimpose the design so I can see it on the truck before the order is placed?
 
How do I know what colors are attractive to hungry customers or might make likely customers hungry?
 
Has anyone done a study or studies looking at what colors the major chains are using since they have the big money to make sure their buildings both inside and out are attractive to possible customers?
 
Are there colors that I should avoid? May be a complete turn off to a large percentage of possible customers?
 
Is it possible thru the use of design and colors to appeal to a certain age/demographic group?
 
How long will a wrap look like it dose the day I pick up my truck? I'm thinking brightness in general
 
Do some colors fade or change faster than others?

I know what my food is worth, and I charge accordingly,  (and I'm higher price wise than my competition)  what is the difference between  top of the line and the fast food level of wrap companies? I guess what I'm asking is: why is it important to not just take the lowest bid?

Just some things that I'd want to know before I spent my money
 
thanks 
jack

PS I have noticed (no study or research) that magazines, spend a lot of time designing their covers in fact I'd bet Chile (the magazine) spends more time designing the cover than anything else in the issue. LOL I'm serious. I have subscribed to the magazine off and on for years and the covers are killer good looking. Always bright, terrific color, great contrast, and to me they look exciting (food wise). I have laid out three years of their rag and instantly picked out one that I thought would make a great design for a food truck. Is that maybe a good way to go?   

Looked at the race car pretty cool. And please don't take this the wrong way but before I'd do a wrap which I think is so very very important I'd ask?
Jack I'll try to answer your questions..

 
Can you take a picture of my truck and then superimpose the design so I can see it on the truck before the order is placed?

yes we normally take a photo and do an outline on it and clip the art into is so the design can be layed out as to miss obstructions.
 
How do I know what colors are attractive to hungry customers or might make likely customers hungry?
this I don't have an answer for but a google search should find some good answers


 
Has anyone done a study or studies looking at what colors the major chains are using since they have the big money to make sure their buildings both inside and out are attractive to possible customers?
see above answer 

Are there colors that I should avoid? May be a complete turn off to a large percentage of possible customers?

 
Is it possible thru the use of design and colors to appeal to a certain age/demographic group?
 
How long will a wrap look like it dose the day I pick up my truck? I'm thinking brightness in general
  4-7 years, the thing about a wrap which we tell everyone up front and have them sign that we told them. It's not paint and it will shrink some and edges may come loose, it will have seams in it. Most wraps look good frome15 ft away but when you get close to them you can see all the imperfections. Personally I paint all my trucks and place large decals on them. That way if I want to sell it(which I've done twice) I can sell on the quality of the paint job.

Do some colors fade or change faster than others?

Color fade shouldn't happen if allowed to out gas and if it has a good lamination on it.

I know what my food is worth, and I charge accordingly,  (and I'm higher price wise than my competition)  what is the difference between  top of the line and the fast food level of wrap companies? I guess what I'm asking is: why is it important to not just take the lowest bid?
Just like the food business you can always find someone that is willing to sell it cheaper. When I started printing and went to school on wrap installation the going price was $12-15 per sq foot. They've whored the market up so bad that guys are doing it for $6-7 a sq ft now and I refuse to do it at those prices. If you have a probmlem with installing a piece or 2 you could lose money in a hurry.

Had to remove one cabinet door to rebuild, it did no open smoothly.

Ice bin fro drinks.

 

Exterior speaker and camera installed.

 
HDPE cover for sink.

12V dist block with fuses and 12V power supply that I have to remount as it is somehow causing voltage to go through the frame of the truck.

Looks very professional. Good job.
jack

Hey reese, where did you get the s/s shelves that are over the sink?

Thanks Dr.
 
BTM, I purchased on Ebay. These shelves are supposed to be mounted with the support on the bottom but I mounted upside down so I could have a lip to keep items on the shelf.

reese77


12V dist block with fuses and 12V power supply that I have to remount as it is somehow causing voltage to go through the frame of the truck.

You have a grounding problem,before your remove the system,check first what did you ground too?what size wire?is what you attached to?Did you clean down to bare metal the contact point?Have to checked the battery ground?It very well could have to do with the auto 12V it's self and not the 12V you installed,you are  just now noticing it becuase you are working around it.If all of that is good,then you can always mount rubber washers to the back of the panel to insulate the contact point.

What size is the box area on your truck?I have been looking at a few trucks with 14' boxes and wondering if that's big enough.I'm thinking a 2-3 butt kitchen.
What all is involed in installing the hood and vent?where did you get the fans,etc.what was the labor cost for the setup?time or money wise.

if you are getting voltage to the truck, your ground is grounded to metal of the truck somewhere. Do not ground the box to the truck. I ran into this problem with my panel only I didn't have 12v's  i had 220v. I'll look at my box this week. We shut down the truck for the winter so i have to go in and winterize it and get it ready to sit for a few months anyways.   been a PIA getting that thing making money, lost alot this summer, trying to find one stationary spot instead of 5 weekly spots.

daddywoofdawg

You have a grounding problem,before your remove the system,check first what did you ground too?what size wire?is what you attached to?Did you clean down to bare metal the contact point?Have to checked the battery ground?It very well could have to do with the auto 12V it's self and not the 12V you installed,you are  just now noticing it becuase you are working around it.If all of that is good,then you can always mount rubber washers to the back of the panel to insulate the contact point.

 
I will check into it, I think I just need to remove the 12V power supply inside a plastic box like the dist block, versus screwed to the aluminum wall. I tried this initially but they both would not fit. Either that or one of my 12V wires routed through my truck ceiling is touching the frame but the shock I felt was more than 12 volts. I will get my meter out and check the frame, power supply and all lines for the issue. It has been raining non stop here so I haven't been out in the truck recently.

daddywoofdawg


What size is the box area on your truck?I have been looking at a few trucks with 14' boxes and wondering if that's big enough.I'm thinking a 2-3 butt kitchen.
What all is involed in installing the hood and vent?where did you get the fans,etc.what was the labor cost for the setup?time or money wise.

 
The box area is 11'. I wish I would have held out and purchased a bigger truck but the price was right at the time. I think 14' is perfect, if I had the extra feet I could put in a deep fryer and range top, etc.
 
I do not like the way I have my hood vent mounted but it was my only option. I bolted through the truck roof and put a long iron bar across the roof top to bolt into and distribute the weight across the truck ceiling beams. The fans are Fantec fans and are 12". Go back in this thread and there are links, ect. for this.
 
Labor cost? I've done all the work except gas lines and Ansul system.

THE WILD DOG


if you are getting voltage to the truck, your ground is grounded to metal of the truck somewhere. Do not ground the box to the truck. I ran into this problem with my panel only I didn't have 12v's  i had 220v. I'll look at my box this week. We shut down the truck for the winter so i have to go in and winterize it and get it ready to sit for a few months anyways.   been a PIA getting that thing making money, lost alot this summer, trying to find one stationary spot instead of 5 weekly spots.

 
Your lucky that your area allows 5 different spots. I am only allowed 2 stationary spots in my County.

Once again I am thinking of changing equipment. I do not have enough space to fit all the equipment that I would like but I really wanted a deep fryer on board. I currently have a 12" char grill and a 24" griddle. I just found a 12" 15lb LP deep fryer that would fit perfectly in place of the char grill.

I have a few sandwiches that call for the marinated chicken and lamb to be char grilled but I am thinking that overall the char grill will be under utilized and I could just cook these meats on the griddle even though I would not achieve that char grilled taste.
 
The fryer would allow me to add fries and other fried items to my menu. Plus living in the south, people want deep fried everything.
 
What do you folks think?
 

 

I would have the fryer,and use the flat top

I think Char broilers are highly overrated. They put off twice the grease and smoke as any other piece of equipment and burn a ton of propane. Sell yours and go with the deep fryer.

Thanks for the input guys. Ordering this unit right now. Will put the char grill in the garage and save for my next bigger truck down the line.

We bought a 24" Broiler for ours and later decided it was not worth the space.  Griddle, fryer and a couple burners will be it.  Now its for sale like a few other bad purchases.

BelCibo


We bought a 24" Broiler for ours and later decided it was not worth the space.  Griddle, fryer and a couple burners will be it.  Now its for sale like a few other bad purchases.

 
I've made many bad purchases and re-sold many items during this build so you are not alone.

Rese,
We all have done that...... over the years my garage has turned into a massive new and used restaurant storage depot. I have several 3 or 4 year old items that are still in the box. They all were a great deal or a must have at the time and now I keep thinking I should have an auction but never have done it. LOL

The truck is complete and I am in the process of finding a commissary on my side of town and submitting the proper paperwork to the various departments. The truck is in the shop having some new tires, radiator, master brake cylinder and rotors put on.
 
Once I am approved, I will have the truck wrapped. I will likely have Chasendad print my wrap and install myself as this will save me money
 
I had a moment of pride today when the auto shop called me and said that one of their customers wanted to buy my truck and they were ready to pay cash on the spot. I put too much into this truck to sell right now, maybe later this year when ready for a bigger truck.
Once my truck is home and the new fryer arrives and I remove the char broiler, I will take more pictures and make a video and then also after the truck is wrapped.

Congrats, hope mine will be do this weekend..
for grins I put mine on CL last weekend for a silly amount
but no calls..
 

"maybe later this year when ready for a bigger truck."
 
No it'll be later when you decide gee I wish I had done this or I'd like to change that. LOL And you should write a book on "How To"  I'm anxious to see your finished pictures I hope you take a bunch.

chasendad


Congrats, hope mine will be do this weekend..
for grins I put mine on CL last weekend for a silly amount
but no calls..

 
Thanks. Post some more pics of your build.

Dr of BBQ


"maybe later this year when ready for a bigger truck."

No it'll be later when you decide gee I wish I had done this or I'd like to change that. LOL And you should write a book on "How To"  I'm anxious to see your finished pictures I hope you take a bunch.

 
I won't be writing any books on this topic anytime soon but your right, I am sure I will have some regrets down the line about some of the build decisions. Will post pics soon.

I feel ya, I've turned down $30k for my truck, I posted a CL ad to sell it while it sits for the winter for $45k  and if I get an offer for it, it's gone.  & I'll build another . Waiting on Street Eats to finish the paperwork so I can park it at  LOwes in my area.  Rent is not bad either... Pretty reasonable

I was wondering, how do food truck operators go from the commissary to the working location after they load the food on-board the truck. For the trucks w/o cold plate refrigerators, how does the food in the refrigerator stay cold during the trip? Are you depending on residual cold in the refrigerator from being plugged up at the commissary or is the on-board generator running during the ride?

Gen or converter

Hello, first time to visit this forum. I am building a truck in Florida, and a little stuck on plumbing. I have both water tanks and a 6 gallon hot water heater, hand sink and 3 bin sink. Not sure what kind of pump to use to maintain water pressure and where to get one. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheffyfisher


Hello, first time to visit this forum. I am building a truck in Florida, and a little stuck on plumbing. I have both water tanks and a 6 gallon hot water heater, hand sink and 3 bin sink. Not sure what kind of pump to use to maintain water pressure and where to get one. Any help would be appreciated.

 
Go back to page 1-5 of this topic.
 
Use this pump and this pressurized accumulator tank.
 

 

I had some back and forth with the health department today and I need to change my hot water heater. If I go with a Bosh Arista GL6+ it will suite their needs but it will be too large to fit under the sink and use too much electricity.
 
I have no choice but to go with a propane water heater but my issues are that my sink is on the serving side and I do not want to vent out the serving side. As a customer could get burned, etc.
 
Options:

1. I could have a new regulator, small propane tank and new lines run on the serving side rear of the truck, run the lines inside and have the LP water heater mounted on the inside rear wall (same wall that the LP tank is on the outside of) and vented outside above the LP tank. Then run the water lines to an from the heater from underneath the sink which will be 4' away.
2. Install the water heater on the non-serving side and tap into the existing LP line and vent out of the side wall but then it will be a pain to run the water lines to and from the other side of the truck.
3. ???

All the electric units use too much power and I do not want to buy a huge Honda EU6500 generator for 4K. I had to abandon my inverter and battery bank as this will not work in the long run. So they are for sale if anyone is interested.
 
This is my only construction issue that the county pointed out. Any ideas? This is a pain in the a**.
 
I was thinking of just buying 2 Powerhouse PH2700PRi Inverter Generators as these can be chained in parallel and will fit nicely on the rear bumper or in my battery bay compartment. And this will give me 5400W to work with. All my other equipment, including the 13000 BTU AC uint use only 2,978W, leaving me with 2422W for the water heater. The problem is that all the electric unit that I see pull at least 3KW.
 
I know I will not have the heater on all the time, only when needed and the AC will not be on all the time but still....

Reese,
You may have considered this and it's been talked about 12 or 15 times but my EZ Tankless 101 works very well and it's not very big. 17.5 tall X 12 wide. And vent it out the side towards your customers but put a sign on that side that tells them
Danger Extremely Hot Vent Stay Clear
No one is going to get burnt just walking by even if it is running. People know to stay away from a grill when they see it and no sign needed. If you have a sign I don't foresee a problem unless it's right below your service window.
Sorry to hear your battery/inverter system didn't work out I was rooting for your success.

Dr of BBQ


Reese,
You may have considered this and it's been talked about 12 or 15 times but my EZ Tankless 101 works very well and it's not very big. 17.5 tall X 12 wide. And vent it out the side towards your customers but put a sign on that side that tells them
Danger Extremely Hot Vent Stay Clear
No one is going to get burnt just walking by even if it is running. People know to stay away from a grill when they see it and no sign needed. If you have a sign I don't for see a problem unless it's right below your service window.
Sorry to hear your battery/inverter system didn't work out I was routing for your success.

 
Thanks.
The vent will end up being about 2 feet over from the serving counter/window toward the front of the truck. So this should be good I guess. But this means that I have to have new LP lines installed on the serving side rear.

Why not vent it though the floor?Or make a pocket for the vent and cover it with a louver.Then you would have to try to get burnt.

daddywoofdawg


Why not vent it though the floor?Or make a pocket for the vent and cover it with a louver.Then you would have to try to get burnt.

 
With the LP units you have to have a certain amount horizontal pipe before a downward pipe, you can't make an instant down turn and pipe the exhaust downward. Piping out the side should be fine with a protective cover and a sign.
 
I am not going to buy anything else until I run this by the HD. Tired of replacing equipment. If they are OK with the serving side exhaust then I will go that route.

What do you have in the now?
This is what I put in my truck and most of the other trucks around here have.

Ariston
 Gal. 6-Year 1500W 120 Volt Point-of-Use Mini Electric Water Heater
 
I had a problem with the HD tuesday because it wasnt hot enough but I turned it up form "Ideal " setting  and it hot now..
I ran everything in my truck the other day on my Honda eu3000

What was the HD issue with the tankless heater??
I just ordered a LP tankless pretty much the same size as your electric one.