OFFICIAL NC FOOD TRUCK BUILD W/PICS

BackAlleyBurger
ok, heres the test area after using the tips and tricks i learned yesterday 


i think shes going to be a right pretty ol' girl i have one from the opposite angle but its too bright to see anything, lol, the sun was blinding the camera you can just about count the dead ass grass blades in that grill from 6 foot away.

 
Awesome is the only thought that comes to mind just awesome. but post more pictures as soon as you can. I want to see an area that is done next to the original before your hard work.
 
Good Job
Jack

ok, heres a small update......
gears are finally in !! they are doing the wheel bearings and test drives first thing in the morning, its about time !!
thats the last time i listen to someones BS about drop it off tue pick it up wed afternoon..... my day and a half project turned into a 14 day ordeal.....
 
this delay has in all honesty changed the whole dynamic of the build, the polishing has been put on hold for the time being, i may end up just painting it now because the 97+ temps have set in for the summer, and i have had no luck so far finding a decent place inside to work on her like i need to......
she is going strait to the welder when i get her out of the shop tomorrow to have the holes welded up in the walls, so thats going to be another week or so before i get her back home.......
i hate being at the mercy of others to get stuff done  
 
i think i am actually going through withdrawals, lol... i want my damn truck back !!!

You know or at least I know the frustration from working with so called skilled craftsmen can cause burn out. They want the big bucks and then take their sweet time doing the job.
 
My attitude is "Hey I'm paying so here is when I need it done." "Can you meet my timeline?" But it never seems to work out that way and it pisses me off.
 
If I had spent all my youth doing sheet metal work  I could do it myself, but I spent my youth chasing girls and drinking. So I'm good at that. LMAO
 
Hang in there and don't let them get you down. And yes I know it's eaiser said than done.
Jack

are they frt wheel bearings?? there pretty easy to do ..why the pro to work on those?? rear gears?? are pretty basic to with a small plasti gauge to set the pinion right... pro here too ?? in that year model van frt bearings shouldnt take more than 3-4 hrs. thats inners, outters, and races...J.M.H.O.  and not sure if thats a 3/4 ton or 1 ton or what but they are all basicly the same any way. we used to run the 3/4 tons in race cars and could change hears in about 1 hr.

yea, its was only about three and a half hours actual work.....
rear gears-new ring and pinion
wheel bearings on rear (full floater 1 ton, 4 total wheel bearings just for rear)
 
the actual work wasnt the problem, it was the idiot ordering the parts.... he wasnt familiar with that size rear end, so he ordered all the parts singularly instead of a master rebuild kit just to be sure of the exact parts.....
 
which was ok, but he is a busy man in his mind, and every step was complete before he went to the next step..... first gears were wrong, so it was a 4 day wait for the new new ones to come in.....the mechanic that did my build works for Lockheed martin also, so he was sent off to Colorado for three days of the build.... and instead of knocking out the wheel bearings while waiting for the new gears, the idiot(that orders parts) waited till the rear end was finished to even start looking for parts for the wheel bearings..... long and drawn out, serious lack of time management, and some vague answers to questions when i asked them, but all in all she is done now, and to be honest, as bitchy and pissy as i wanted to be today when i picked the ol' girl up, as soon as i did the test drive all that just melted away and i was tickled as a fat kid in a candy store !!

doing the bearings(wheels) is well within my scope of ability, but i figured since it was in the shop for the gears(i never tore into one, and just wanted to make sure it was 100% perfect), that i might as well let them do the rear bearings while they were at it.....
i will be replacing the front bearings and springs myself sometime next week when i get it back from the welders(another of my low skill level areas) and as soon as thats finished, im going to get her home and make the final decision about paint or polish, or a combination of the two...

on much better notes!!!........
i think i have a good line on a 10k genset out of a 32' RV, and a roof mount air out of the same!!... everyone cross your fingers !!!
 
i assuming 10k... the guy told me the RV has two roof units, and on the genny he can run both units, the fridge, any and all lights, a big tv, and a game system with no problems.... he wasnt sure of the size but is checking it tonight.... i will know for sure tomorrow
he is a little reluctant to part it out, but had decided to sell it for 800 bucks... when i explained what he could get by parting it out, i could see the gears turning.... hell worst case i will buy the whole thing, strip what i need and scrap the rest..... i think i could get 800 out of the motor alone, then all my stuff is free except for a little elbow grease

ok, got some specs on the genset and a/c units...
its only a 5.5k unit, the reason it works both a/c's with power to spare is because they are 11k btu units with only a 1500w base rating (pretty much all 13.5 and 15k units have a 3000w base rating, thats why everyone says 3500w just to run one....)
this means that with both units running, even if they both cycle at the same time, i have 2500 watts of power to spare... one unit should be more then enough in my 10x6 kitchen area except on the hottest days......
 
this gives me 2500-4000 watts of juice left over to power the fridge and freezer, lights, etc.... i think i can make that work without any problems.....
 
the 240 volt fryer i have will have to go
 
i am also going to get the saddle tank(propane), transfer switches/batt charger, inverter, pretty much everything i will need to get power and propane into the truck....

the genset is a  Cummings onan marquis gold 5.5hgjab-901a unit.... a 2005 model
enclosed quiet running design

the a/c units are duotherm brisk airs 11k btu units, one with heat

ok, lost out on the rv genset and air units :(
oohh well, i am usually a day late and a dollar short for crazy deals like that anyway, so not too much skin off my back.....
 
i have been a sanding fool for the past few days.... i still have not decided whether to paint or polish or do a combination of the two....but she will be ready for whatever when the time comes....
 
had a fiberglass patch decide to start dissolving last week on the gas tank, she sat for so long before i bought her that she never knew the joys of modern gasoline formulas..... so a few tank fulls of the current stuff and all kinds of crud is breaking loose!!
i have the new tank sitting on the porch waiting for the sending unit to arrive so i can get it in...... sometimes i think a more modern truck would have been a lot less headaches..... but wheres the fun in that !, lol
 
after i get the new tank in and re-plumb the fuel system i will FINALLY be ready to weld up the bolt holes in the walls and start getting some inside walls up...
 
that may take a back seat if i find a suitable AC unit between now and then....
 
lol, one thing at a time, but there sure isnt a list with anything in order right now!!!
 
i will pull her out from under the pecan trees (my official sanding area) this afternoon and get a few pics of the progress

I cannot wait to see your progress with the polishing. Will I need sunglasses while looking at my screen?

lol, not yet, but shes getting close...... i messed around and didnt get her out in the sun before it went down, so first thing in the morning i will get a couple of shots as soon as the sun tops the trees.....
 
it looks sort of crazy right now...... some sanding marks up and down, some side to side...... some at angles....
i have the right side all sanded, and around the back to the doors, also wrapped around the front to the "test polishing" area i did last month... i used a few different grades of sandpaper, and tried a couple of new fangled  sanding balls trying to find something that works easy....
LOL, NONE OF IT IS EASY !!!!!.....
this is the hard part though..... a lot of elbow grease and not a lot of "uummpphhh" .......but the next stage will be a little less grease and a lot more bang !....then the next will be even less grease and a tremendous jump in the shine!!
once i get the holes welded up and see how they are going to blend in with the rest i will make final decision on polishing or painting......
in the least, getting her all "one color" and somewhat "smoothed out" has helped a lot with the "creepy ice cream truck" syndrome, lol...... and my friends are starting to take a more serious look at the project :)

couple things i learned from the test polishing area......
 
with a painted vehicle, you can wash it once a week, and wash and wax monthly, or every six weeks or so to keep her looking her best.....
 
with my polished test area..... spray her off once a week and towel dry to prevent the dreaded water spots..... and once a month or so "wax" with some aluminum wheel polish, and she shines like a champ....
 
seems like about the same amount of work all in all..... so no big issues with a polish job vs paint
 
GETTING it polished is the hard part.....KEEPING it polished is pretty simple....
 
if i cant get the welds to blend in im pretty sure i am going to go "black cherry" with polished trim and accents....... lol, i will have to have good AC before that though, lol 

BackAlleyBurger
couple things i learned from the test polishing area......

with a painted vehicle, you can wash it once a week, and wash and wax monthly, or every six weeks or so to keep her looking her best.....
with my polished test area..... spray her off once a week and towel dry to prevent the dreaded water spots..... and once a month or so "wax" with some aluminum wheel polish, and she shines like a champ....
seems like about the same amount of work all in all..... so no big issues with a polish job vs paint
GETTING it polished is the hard part.....KEEPING it polished is pretty simple....
if i cant get the welds to blend in im pretty sure i am going to go "black cherry" with polished trim and accents....... lol, i will have to have good AC before that though, lol 

 
As I have been watching your project I kept thinking (my step van is painted) I'm not going to strip the paint off but I may find a spot that is very noticeable and strip and polish an area that I can make into a menu board. It would because of the polished area be a big attention getter and I think a great frame for my logo, menu, or what ever. I haven't even looked at the truck to try and pick a spot, I think it'll just pop into my mind when I get closer to that part of the project.
 
But what I have been working on in all this heat is a new sign project. We have a local scrap yard that I visit on Saturday mornings for about an hour and they let pickers buy anything that has come in for about double what they pay. Our city police department brought in a bunch of aluminum crime stoppers signs  6 x 24 inches with the standard CS logo and phone number in a reflective paint. I bought 8 of them for $8.00 and stripped them and I'm getting ready to polish them. Then I'll have someone letter them with vinyl letters one item per sign (no price). I think then I'll buy a big aluminum sign (highway type) and do the same with it to mount the smaller signs on. If I mount them correctly they can be removed and items added or left off as need be. Anyone got an idea how this could work better, I'd appreciate the help.
 
Jack

that actually sounds like a neat idea !
i too thought about painting, and just sanding out and polishing a big oval on the side to act as a back drop for my lettering.... i may still do that depending on how the welds come out next week...
 
one reason i have had such a time sanding is that on these older models anyway, the aluminum was anodized on the exterior side so when the truck was built it could be rolled right into the paint booth....
that was something i wasnt expecting....

ok heres pick 1 of the sanding phase....
lol, i think it looks like a train wreck, but you have to squint a little and see the diamond in the rough, lol....

 
theres 3 different sanding grades shown here..... the bottom section just aft of the door has been hit with 600grit just to see what it would look like, its smooth as glass, but still needs hit with 1000grit and some polishing compound.....
 
the really "sparkly" sections is just 80grit areas, and the "in between" areas are a sanding ball thing (coarse) i found at harbor freight..... im not sure what the grit is on the ball, but its the best 9 bucks i ever spent!! i can actually get around and over the rivets without flattening them, like what happens when i bump them with the sander 
 

heres the front corner... i wrapped it around far enough to meet up with the test area.....
i worked on the top corner of the fender for a little while, it still needs probably an hour or so of attention to start looking right..... 
and the front corner corner section is cast, i have worked on it for a half hour or so, and she is starting to shine up, but i have a long way to go there to get it smoothed out!!

i really need to go ahead and get those lights and markers off....lol, i dont want to because i enjoy driving the ol' ugly duck around too much, lol

and heres the back corner so far.... not much to look at.... its been hot the last couple of days, lol... so im moving sloooooow.....

 
lol, again with the lights needing to be out of the way, lol
 
if i polish her out, those hinges will be powder coated glossy black, and if i paint, they will be polished out

the sending unit finally got here.....
i was a little miffed when i pulled out a three tube unit...
but then got to thinking, i can use the "return" tube to feed the gen set, i will just need to solder an extension on it so it reaches down to about the 1/4 tank level, this keeps me from having a "T" fitting in the fuel line, so that all worked out :)
 

 
the center tube is for a pressure relief line, but im going to block that one off and go with a vented gas cap instead....

i'm dying to see that shiny truck. I know it's hard work, it's gotta be. Even the rough stuff looks impressive. Great job bud... I'm in the middle of a build  too. it's crazy fun, my second one. This one is a truck though. :-D

thanks for the words of encouragement :) 
if this heat would break i could get a lot more done, but she is coming along, lol 
this is one of those labor of love things that i will look back on with much pride, but all the while saying in the back of my mind, never again !! lol
i really am enjoying this though, it feels nice to stand back and see something you have done that most others cant, or aren't willing to try... 

So if you go with paint in the end i would deff. mask off some accent area's of the high polish. Like ovals in places to put your business name or logo and the molding along the side. They would make awesome accents. Maybe even if you could polish the running light bezels and stuff too would be cool.

yea, if i go with paint, im going to polish the rub rails, the rear door hinges, and the grill..... that with chromed out mirrors, and mirror bars, chromed side pipes, and some nice polished rims should have her looking about right....
 
in fact the more i think of that paint scheme the more i hope i have to paint, lol
if i do that, the only thing i can picture is a shiny black paint job.......
a rich cobalt blue would look good also...... maybe a dark burgundy

Seeems like a lot of work but a labor of love.
 
Keep up the great work and don't leave focus on the big picture, selling great road food...

Lost Nation

 Seeems like a lot of work but a labor of love.
 Keep up the great work and don't leave focus on the big picture, selling great road food...

oohh i hear ya !!
lol, i think to be honest i jumped into this without realizing just what it was going to take to turn a 34 y/o truck into something acceptable to use....
i could have taken a lot of shortcuts up until now, like not replacing all the expendables, or rebuilding the rear end....i could probably have gotten by on the current gas tank, but thats just not me.... usable, and what i consider usable, are two totally different things most of the time.....
and the last thing i want to do is get out there and start rocking and rolling just to break down because a 34 y/o part i thought was ok wasnt up to par.....
 
lol, as far as all the polishing and outside prep..... well, i could have shot a coat of fresh paint on the ol' girl and called it a day, but once again, i just couldnt do it...maybe thats a flaw of mine, i dunno....
 
my general feeling is, that the better she sounds, and runs, and looks, in the eyes of the "man" and the general public, the better she will be accepted, and the more i will be looked at as someone who is serious about what they are wanting to accomplish, and the better all around it will be for everyone involved...
 
im taking my lumps right now with what i have undertaken, way behind where i wanted to be at this time, but still within somewhat reason when the total scope is taken into account....
once i get past this outside hurdle, i can concentrate on the inside, and hopefully things will be a lot faster to come to fruition ....... i have been collecting pieces parts here and there, so outside of the griddle and fountain set up, by the time i get to that point i should have most everything ready to install....

Chicnscoop
So if you go with paint in the end i would deff. mask off some accent area's of the high polish. Like ovals in places to put your business name or logo and the molding along the side. They would make awesome accents.

 
Gee where have I heard that before?

ive been giving a little more though to a wrap of sorts.....
since the ol' girl is basically a big square box, if i polish all the corners, i can wrap her on all the large flat areas for pretty cheap and easy.....
 
didnt someone have a link or a number for a good vinyl guy from ebay maybe??
i will have to do some research on it and see what the deal is....
other then that, getting a couple more parts ordered tomorrow, and hopefully sitting down with the welder and making some plans on that...
 

Hello All, I am new to the food truck business but not to the food industry. I just got my 1997 Utilimaster step van ( 18Lx7.5Wx7.5T diesel) . Hubby and I drove 280 miles to get it and turned around and put it right on the road for the return trip. I had a few questions I cleaned it up real good today and started to put a plan together. This is probably posted in a thread somewhere but I thought I would try to get a quick response, I have read many, many posts and have gotten a plethora of information here.  My first question is where should I start? The Floors or walls?
     I plan to use FRP smooth for the cold walls, and aluminum diamond pattern for the hot side. So do I first frame out the box with 2x2 then the insulation (pink fuzzy) then particle board to adhere the frp and alum. to? then glue the particale board to the floor to lay the diamond alum. there? so should I do it in reverse ( floor then walls?)
 
     BackAlley you had a drawing of what you planed to do, what is the pink board you refer to? and did you not frame ( 2x2 or other size).
 
 
    I don't want to put any more holes in the box.
I also plan to instal 30g fresh water, 42g waste both inside on top of each other under the 3 comp sink, with a shurflo water pump 3.5GPM, and tankless propane water heater
I was hoping to have the walls and flooring done buy next friday so I can start on the plumbing
 
I need to buy a generator, circuit box, and all the wiring for the truck as well as the propane tank hoses, t and piping. My tanks will be mounted on the back bumper.
 
   Any advise would be great