I found this truck listed on Craigslist in June 2020 and purchased it for $12,000. It’s a former Snap-on tool truck. A Freighliner MT45, Cummings 5.9 litre turbo diesel automatic, the odometer reading 134’000klm. The overall length is 25 feet.
The timing was good since things were slow at work at the time. I found a broken lift pump bracket on the engine and had it repaired.
The interior was finished with display shelving. The walls and ceiling were finished with panels modified to display heavy merchandise. The floor was linoleum over 3/4 plywood.
As it was a mobile merchandising vehicle, there was extensive LED lighting, an AC to DC power inverter, two deep cycle supply batteries, security systems and a propane furnace. It had a 15amp shore power inlet to charge the batteries and also to power the underbelly mounted air conditioner. The air conditioner could also run of the engine that has a high idle feature for that purpose.
GUTTING THE INTERIOR
The interior finish was a wood studded wall and ceiling construction fastened with screws to the shells aluminum studs. It took a couple of weeks of effort to remove it all and avoid causing any damage. I removed all components not involved with the stock bare body shell produced by the factory.
This exposed all of the wiring harness that serviced the merchandising and security systems. I meticulously striped the wires back to the original stock Freightliner harness.
The completed task’s resulted in a bare, exposed stock body shell.
BUILD BACK BETTER.
I did allot of measuring and planing. I have a floor plan concept, making the concept a reality is the challenging part. Certain systems and components must go were they go, the floor plan has to work around it.
By the end of summer I had figured out the doors and windows schedule and laid out the approximate floor plan.
The areas not affected by the planed modifications were insulated.
SIDETRACKED FOR WORK
Just about the time I got those task’s accomplished, life happened. A few days notice that an eight month long camp job was starting.
I found a local commercial truck and trailer body shop to help with the modifications. This would keep the project moving forward while I was away. They claimed to have done such conversions in the past so I was comfortable leaving it with them.