Page 30 - Issue 46

old truck in for scrap. Curt couldn’t
stand to see it go to waste, so he
set it aside and started to collect
parts for it. Once he had everything,
he called upon Jeff to put it all
together – and it wasn’t easy. Curt
wanted to use a 3.8 liter Detroit
Diesel 2-stroke motor from an old
UPS truck, along with a Turbo 400
transmission. Since there weren’t
any kits to do this, Jeff had to not
only machine an adapter to fi t the
engine and trans together, but
also get the torque converter and
starter to work. And they work
together just fi ne, sending the
power back to the original rear end.
Curt wasn’t sure of the ratio, but
the truck’s stock top speed was 44
MPH so rest assured – those are
some short gears. The suspension
is stock up front, but there’s a hand-
built four link on bags out back.
It was originally a dump truck,
but it’s now set up as a fi fth wheel,
though Curt hasn’t towed anything
with it yet. They are on the lookout
for an old trailer of similar vintage
to pull behind it. An old Peterbilt
donated its rear fenders and
headlights, while a fi retruck gave up
its jump seats and taillights.
Curt has a never-ending
supply of parts, Jeff’s full of talent,
and there’s enough shop space
between the two of them to make
any car guy jealous. The winters
are long and the crops are dormant
during the long, St. Charles, MN
winters. Who knows what they’re
putting together next?

30 RAT ROD MAGAZINE ISSUE FORTY-SIX

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