Need and Education on Chevy COE

I am interested in starting a new project out of one. Plan to make a concession truck out of it. Never seen one in person so here goes it with the questions.

How tall running board to roof are these?
Wide?
Best engine to use for pulling a load, best for gas mileage.
Finding Parts or Fabricate?
With making a concession truck, best to turn the coe into a hauler or just drop a trailer on the frame? Need to get the truck to sit on the ground when parked, air ride will help.

I know some of these questions are pretty general for the most part, any help or advise, pics etc would be great!

Thanks

 

What are you planning on selling? What kind of events will you be attending? You gonna set an old trailer on the flatbed? ....... ouch!

 

Food will be served. Yes events as well as area. Not sure yet on the logistics but I know I want a COE.

 

I think the bed would be too high to do something like you intend. You want to be closer to the customer IMO.

 

I think your best bet would be to do something similar to this fellow, and use a FWD setup and graft it to an actual concession trailer- this would keep the trailer at it's normal height and functionality would not change at all.





http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444676&highlight=car+hauler

quite ingenious, if you ask me.

 

Somewhere (NOT on the COE picture thread) I have seen a green COE using a Toronado FWD setup and an ultra low car hauler bed (read "trailer grafted to frame"). At first, I thought it was too "out-of-the-box", but, for your application, it would be a perfect solution as Eight443 mentioned. Lots of experience-needed fab work, but it would be nuts in the end if done correctly!

 

Eight.. That is pretty much dead on to what I am think. Do you have further pics?

Have a friend with a shop that is well versed in this, need to talk to him about the plans.

Thanks!

 

A Caddy or Toronado FWD setup would probably deliver fairly decent milage, I know guys have replaced 454s with big Caddy or Olds motors in other trucks and the additional torque resulted in better fuel economy.

With a Cad, you might be able to play with parts to put a TBI on it, too (like a '79 425 intake?) which will also help.

I know where there's a '69 Olds complete front stub with the motor on it if you go that route -

 

Getting the COE low is now problem I have A 455 Buick onder the floor, RWD.
I dont know how the layout from A Caddy or Toronado FWD setup looks.
To have the Buick onder the floor I raist the cab floor 3inch.



This Chevy COE haze A toronado front clip.








You can make A low platform like this truck.



Love to see what you make out of it

 

Hello Classicdreamer,

The cab of a 1948 till 54 Chevy COE is about 6feet 6inch from onder step to top roof and 6feet 7inch broad fender to fender.
Only the red COE truck is from me. The otheres I found on internet.
I dont found one from the side.

This is from my truck.


From Internet A Lowdeck Car Hauler.


Lowdeck truck.


Hope it helps with your vision and starts you building

 

i got an international coe for sale just saying figured it wouldnt hurt to give a link to you if not ok

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=537184

 

how short of a wheel base can be fabbed before becoming to nose heavy?

 

The reason I asked the question earlier is I am also contemplating using my Divco as an ice cream truck. My floor is low enough to work from but its too short to completely stand up straight in. I recently bought a '38 Ford COE and plan to build a tow vehicle to pull an ice cream trailer. I'm going follow your build here.

 

2manytoys, I plan on using a 50's coe and getting and old period trailer. Airride both and drop it to the ground.

 

Find one of those 70s GM motorhomes for the chassis

 

How short of a wheel base can be done before it becomes unsafe? Looking to make a tow vehicle from the COE and want to get the back tires as close to the cab as possible. But when not towing I want the truck to be safe to drive.

 

I dont believe it's unsafe because of the short wheelbase unless you built it like those shortened VW busses you may have seen around that do wheelies because the weight is over the rear end. I think a problem would be driving the tractor solo that it would have a real bad ride. With the trailer is attached it would be fine. Another problem would be brake balance, the rears should never work harder than the front. I know my Divco has a 101" wheelbase. Other vintage delivery trucks and tow rig tractors I've seen dont come a whole lot shorter than that, but I would like to hear from someone that has built one. How short a wheelbase were you thinking?

The weight of the tow rig is more important than the wheelbase. It also depends on the size weight of the trailer your going to build. Google the RV sites. They may have the info and formulas your looking for to build a safe unit.

A gooseneck trailer would give you a better weight distribution than a bumper type setup.

I'm not a 'what if' person but if you were involved in a serious accident the vultures (lawyers) would view you as a business man with deep pockets.... so it may be more important to give up a little 'cool' factor and have a safe and/or legal build. May play into your business insurance issues also.

 

2manytoys. Thanks for the suggestions and idea. I appreciate it!
I am planning on 110" WB now after seeing another hambers truck.

Any ideas on where to get parts for these old rigs? used, new? What parts are interchangeable between 3100's and these?

 

It would probably help to join the Yahoo oldcoetrucks group and then Google the heck out of coe trucks to find forums and all the info you can about these. You can go back through the forums and research what parts are interchangeable.

 

A lowdeck Carhauler.

 

Hello friend,
As far as I know, the best engine would be Volvo for this kind of innovative ideas.

All the best