Building the sleeper

[Vladislav]

Yes, that's it.

By the original plan this post was called "Rebuilding the sleeper" but things went a different way.

Couple of years back I bought the extra box off one more ex-SGT R-model wich supposed to be the only remains of that truck. I was going to restore it and than just swap the one on my truck.

There were generally two main problems with the bunk. Rotted through holes in the roof and, as followed, rusty substructure wich was repaired many times around the floor. The matter was all the sheet metal was stainless with the exception of the roof wich was galvanized steel. It got rusty and water started coming inside into glass wool insulation killing underneath.

Finally in this past June I got a moment to put my hands on it. So I said to my shop guys to start taking skins off it.

The lining was fixed with rivets and sealed with a liquid seal to the stakes. We needed some labour to get it off.

Then I found out the best way was to fabricate everything new as far as it was simple done. It so looked to me that moment though.

 

Edited June 24, 2017 by Vladislav

[Vladislav]

Both ways I repair it or build a new one I would need a new (shure stainless) roof sheet. Making a new skeleton and linings I can easy build a lager one wich I like better than the actual size. I noted the extra holes in the frame rails wich could be used to remove the bunk brackets and found out I could do it longer for 9 or 14 inches. So I photoshopped two variations and ended up with all the nine yards nine inches. The longer one seemed to me ugly combined with behind the bunk Canadian style exhaust.

[Vladislav]

I started research over the companies who offered SS beams and found out they all weren't 44x22 mm (something like 7/8x1-1/4) but 20x40 or 30x60. And pricy. Finally I was offered to form the beams I needed of 2mm thikness SS sheet. It was much more cheaper and correctly to the original style. I sent the guy to them and a couple of days later we started welding. Just forget to mention, I bought SS welding wire coil and special gas for.

Than got something looked like a hope to get the job done in the future

 

Edited June 24, 2017 by Vladislav

[j hancock]

What will the part number for this item be so it can be ordered?

That will keep you busy for a day or two!

[Freightrain]

Nice work Vlad. Unfortunately that is how they usually go.

After last weeks race, I found the bottom of my side door in my race trailer was rotted off(like 12" worth) inside the door. Only thing that was holding it together was the alum extrusions around the outside. I ended up building a complete new door from scratch.

1" x 1 1/4" dimensional Poplar. All corners dutch lapped.

Screw/glued to 1/4" luan:

I got it installed Sunday after reusing the existing outside alum skin. Looks all the same.. I have a couple more pics I need to download.

If the factory had only primed the inner pieces, it would not have rotted. Sound familiar? Though the door did last 17 yrs.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread.

Before I got the free bunk for my truck, I was really, really wanting to build a bunk for mine. That way I could make it how I wanted and then skin it to resemble a Mercury.

[Vladislav]

...Next I went to SS selling company again to pick up pieces of lining. Orinial sleeper design had sheets locked to each other along the stakes. So sheets had 90 degree flanges along their sides to be riveted to the sides of stakes and don't show any rivet heads outside.

I ordered cuttings of 0.8mm thick 430 stainless steel with 90 degrees bends. There was a kind of adventure because those guys had only the straight cutter and couldn't do "box" parts. It mean they could bend only parallel sides but neither crossed to each other because needed to cut off a corner in between. Although I needed both vertical flanges and bottom ones to cover the lover edges.

After many discussing they agreed to allow me to make cut outs during their work. So we came to the shop with a small van having a grind cutter and 12/220V power converter and spent couple of hours helping to make what we needed.

The most interesting part was the roof sheet. They couldn't bend any radiuses but had done double 90 degree water channels along all 4 sides.

Next couple of weeks (far far longer than a day or two, Jim) we were busy putting new skins onto the skeleton. To the moment with no seal and rivets, just with temporary screws. Soft radiuses were formed just over the steel pipe.

 

 

Edited June 24, 2017 by Vladislav

[Vladislav]

Larry, that's interesting. You noted correctly, we have to pay over twice ten times for original producer's economy.

And it seems to me like a way of living nowadays.

Although back to my bunk.

If you look at the last pic you may note there must be something in the roof corners.

Yes, you're right, there were special corner parts. Of aluminium. I couldn't say they were dead although they were far from to be alive (and holes-free) when in place. After removing they just failed apart. At all I had them 12 in 3 bunks but saw no chances to keep 4 solid from.

Those corners took me scratching my head for a while.

Finally i got an idea when washing the plates and forks.

Next day I made a trip to the kitchen furniture shop and ended up with showed below.

Took two days for two men to have it done but worked out pretty well.

To the moment I have it like on the last shots.

Two general ways to continue.

1st - I need to fabricate plywood walls and bases for the interiour panels.

2nd- remove all the sheet metal off, take out the lower steel frame (wich is not SS but common cornered steel due to its thikness), sand blast and paint it and than (and only than) put the sheets back together finally with liquid seal.

Wish me luck, I start feeling I'm getting upset with that nice little truck...

[mrsmackpaul]

Vlad your are doing a top job there mate I wouldnt even try to do something like that because if I did it it would look I had done it

thanks for sharing keep it you will be asleep in the bunk in no time

Paul

[Freightrain]

I like it!!! Good thinking. Why reinvent the wheel when someone already made it for you.

Great work on the rest of it.

How proper would it be to pleat the back wall?? Or put the old Mercury fantail design in it? That is something I've put thought into with my bunk. It has a two piece rear wall. If I could come up with some stainless, I'd like to either pleat it or fantail it to give it a more "old" look.

I could do this with my bunk.

[Vladislav]

They old Mercuries shure look very nice.

Were they either covered SS and aluminium? Or alu only?

There's the way to think along this kind of technology on my mind.

[Vladislav]

Vlad your are doing a top job there mate I wouldnt even try to do something like that because if I did it it would look I had done it

thanks for sharing keep it you will be asleep in the bunk in no time

Paul

Thank you for the comment Paul.

Recently I thought to myself I maybe will sleep in the bunk much earlier than put it onto the truck

[leversole]

Vlad that is brilliant using the kitchen sink for your corners!

[85snowdog]

What a great job Vlad!!! That stainless will look too good to paint. Love it !

Maybe you could take what is left of the kitchen sink back to the store, tell them it leaks and you want your money back.

[keg1]

Very nice job on the bunk

[farmer52]

Vlad,

EXCELLENT!!!!!

[Green Dash]

You are an excellent craftsman and you also wash dishes! I guess I need to start logging off BMT after each visit. My Wife must not see this.

[JTFormula]

I am always impressed with your work Vlad. That sleeper is going to turn out nice.

[gearhead204]

IMPRESSIVE! but I don't know which is more rare a shop with a tile floor or a shop built sleeper that better than factory

[Vladislav]

What a great job Vlad!!! That stainless will look too good to paint. Love it !

Maybe you could take what is left of the kitchen sink back to the store, tell them it leaks and you want your money back.

The last point was my current thought when i cut off the first corner. I could weld it back if not satisfied with the radiuses.

Not shure the store folks would be too glad. By the word that sunk came three times more expensive than the one I have in my kitchen.

Just needed the one with the closest to the sleeper corneres form.

You are an excellent craftsman and you also wash dishes! I guess I need to start logging off BMT after each visit. My Wife must not see this.

Don't worry about your wife too much. I currently have no dish washing machine and wash it myself. About once during a week. That's why I was figuring out so long about the corners to make of.

[Vladislav]

IMPRESSIVE! but I don't know which is more rare a shop with a tile floor or a shop built sleeper that better than factory

Good note about the tile floor. That's a car shop and it's located in the groung floor of the living house so the higth was limited.

That floor cavit turned out much more expensive to dig off and water insulate than buy a modern car lifter.

By the word I don't live in that living house but filled it up with shop tools and shelves full of parts.

[grayhair]

By the way... If any of you guys need stainless steel panels for your projects, check out Rigidized Metals Corp. They can make just about anything you need, flat, formed, odd shapes, big variety of surface finishes, plain, pleated, stippled, painted, whatever. They are located in Buffalo, NY. Check our their website. Last I knew, no minimum order, all jobs large or small. (Good source for stainless kitchen backsplashes too.) No connection, just know of them.

www.rigidized.com

[Vladislav]

That above is interesting.

Door frames and linings.

[Back In Black Pulling]

Awesome

[Baxter]

That is one hell of a project. I've tackled some really interesting things that it is something else.

[rsb502]

I always heard the expression "good old fashioned american ingenuity" growing up, looks like there's some good old fashioned Russian ingenuity going on now. Awesome work Vlad, I may have to pay for a plane ticket to get you to help me on a couple projects.