Welcome all and I hope you will all enjoy my thread...I wanted to start off by introducing my truck...a 1979 International Harvester DT 466 model 1854 179"WB dump truck...the truck was used primarily to haul sand and gravel until I purchased it from my boss...it has been sitting for a few yrs as he bought a bigger semi truck...the truck is equipped with a 466ci turbo diesel, HP between 170-190 and 385-455 TQ but not sure...all I know is that they had a couple different powerplants for the same engine...but who cares, it has a turbo diesel a 5spd trans with a 2spd rear end...so I have a lot of gear choices to choose from...my first project is to get some it road worthy again which is some minor stuff...gotta fix a couple marker lites, adjust the brakes and get the tags current...I drove the truck around the yard today and it has a lot of power, a very strong engine for sure...after it's road worthy my first project will be to remove the all metal dump bed and install a flatbed with a headache rack...the bed will be about 14' long and 8' wide...I will build a couple of side options for the bed...one set will be a tapered oak decorative slat style and the other will be for hauling rock, dirt or what ever and still use the dump feature...I will also install in front of the headache rack will be a 12,000lb winch so I can use it to pull cars up on the back...mostly for my own car hauling and a couple of close friends...plus I can also use the winch to move heavy stuff onto the bed...the front bumper will be another project that will be heavy duty and serve a purpose to support yet another winch in the future but do want to give the flat nose a new look...one of the most exciting features about my build is mounting a ton of lites around this truck...I've seen those big semi trucks going down the road lit up like a X-mas tree and they look way cool

The interior will be getting a late 70's cab up to modern luxury...the cab has only 2 bucket seats with a A/C unit mounted on the back wall...a little room for a built in cooler and drink holder will sit next to the passengers seat...I will install some retractable shoulder straps too, redo the dash pad and clean up the installments and do some wood dash inlays...I want to also install some nice euro style truck mirrors with the built in convex mirrors since one of the mirrors are broken anyway.

So you can see I already have a long list of improvements planned and that is most of what I will do in the next yr...I know my truck is different then most here but I still share the same enthusiasm of owning a turbo diesel.

Thanks for reading and please post any comments or questions you might have.

 

 

I will take some before photos of the truck and get them up this week...I'm installing some new batteries tomorrow and will be ordering some new glow plugs and checking the GP electrical system to make sure all is working good...I will need to get a new Pass. side mirror and fix the door handle...like I said, the truck was used hard and when anything broke it was just left that way...I like everything to work like it should work, not mickey moused or jerry rigged so I have a lot of small details to do...I will hope to get the truck on the road by Friday.

One other option my dad suggested was to build a camper that I can install on the back...maybe in a couple of yrs I'll do that but it sounds like another feasible option with the flat bed...my goal is to get it cleaned up good and take care of everything in the first yr...tune-up, tires & rims, interior, sound system, flatbed, seats and get a few lites installed...I want this truck to be seen and turn heads when I drive down the road.

 

sounds good man! Cant wait to see pics

 

yes i agree i cant wait to see pics sounds like a very cool project

 

A buddy of mine did something like that, but he put a sleeper behind the cab and put a table and bench seats in it. It seats 6 now and used to be his DD till diesel got too high. Its more of a "family" truck now, unless its pulling a GN.
Its good to see older trucks like this reused for something. Can't wait for pics.

 

with the right pump, injectors and turbo the DT466 has 275 hp,I have one in my dump truck,I have a spare dt466 that is 245 hp sitting outside my shop from my truck project,I bought a 91 IH 4900 series that burnt and I'm rebuilding it for a 4th truck,pulled the 245hp engine for a DT530 mechanical 300hp but I think I might just tweak it a little,my 275 hp truck is a little tweaked and will out pull a 330hp electronic dt530

 

 

those trucks sound like a monster...I just installed the new batteries and the truck fired right up, only a couple of cranks and I have life!!...I asked the shop manager where I work if the glow plugs were good...he said "what glow plugs, this truck doesn't have 'em"...I thought all diesels had glow plugs!?...anyway, the truck starts the first time, all the time...I fixed the broken turn signal and am cleaning up the gauge cluster so I can see the gauges...I tried to clen them but the plastic is too far gone...so I will cut out the old stuff and redo it to look new...the A/C plows ice cold...I still have a lot of cleaning to do cuz of so much dust and dirt collected on the interior, but I am very happy with the truck...in fact a friend of mine had told me tonight that he was very jealous of my truck...it's way bad **s in my book!

I appreciate all comments and promise pics tomorrow.

 

I finally got some pictures for you to enjoy...this is after I just finished the power washing and replaced the left turn signal...so for I had also fixed the PTO for the dump bed and lubed up all the cables including the parking brake!...then I blew a lot of dirt out from under the dash and blew out the interior...I did get to use the dump yesterday twice, how cool!...just got to finish the dash, R&R the headlight switch and fix the washer nozzles and water tank and she'll be road ready.

Well, it seems my first time posting photos is not as easy as I thought...I will have to figure this out later...gotta go to work!