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“She is home brewed. I wish I could take credit for the build, but that would go to the man I bought her from in 2010, he was 71 years old at the time. She started off life as a single axle day cab with a fifth wheel.

“A 1988 model 376 Peterbilt, with a 8.3L Cummins 6cyl and a 7 speed fuller transmission.

“The fifth wheel was removed, chassis extended. A refrigerator box was ordered without a rear door from Kidron (boy, they must have been scratching their heads) The stainless steel was all custom fabricated. She was built between 1998-2002. Off season camping or extreme climates are no problem due to the insulation of the refrigerator box. She has a fifty gallon saddle tank on the passenger side, and on the driver’s side hidden behind the stainless is a 150 gallon tank giving a total fuel capacity of 200 gallons.

“All I did was to update the interior and replace the side exhaust to a stack.”

I have to agree with you Gary, it’s great to see “home-brewed stuff.” We post a lot of write ups of professional level custom semis and luxury motorhomes or other luxury RVs, but we’ll try to feature more home grown vehicles moving forward. And yes, you’re right again, I think, there are just so many creative ideas out there!

“One of the photos is a scratch built model my elderly neighbor made for me as a gift.”

    

Easy Crochet Pillow

If you like crochet quilts — like granny quilts — you will probably like this crochet quilt-inspired pillow, and it’s an easy one to make. Why? Because you’re crocheting several small squares, which are each manageable, and then you’re stitching them together. However, the actual crochet skill level is intermediate, plus a couple more tricky parts to making it.

This crochet idea and pattern is the handiwork of Tara over at the Mamachee blog, who came up with the idea herself and then crocheted it.

Each square is 3 1/2 inches square, so if you space them out. You can also see how you could adapt this pattern quite easily to make larger (or smaller) crochet pillows). I mean 4 by 4 square, 5 by 5, 5 by 4.

Crochet supplies needed for this project:
– I hook
– Worsted weight yarn in two colors
(The picture at the top is made with MC: White and CC: Any other color(s))
-Yarn Needle
-Scissors

Crochet skill level for this project: Intermediate mostly, but there are many color changes and one unusual stitch, so maybe “Advanced” for that.

When you change colors, just drop the previous color and start the new color, and drag all the colors you are using but not working with at the moment around to the back, that’s Tara’s advice. For the free pattern, visit Tara over at Mamachee blog (click here).

Pinwheel Pillow (free pattern)

There has been much talk recently about pinwheel crochet patterns, so this post will be about crochet pillows that use the pinwheel pattern. Kind of retro crochet? They say everything comes back into fashion again, and they also say good things are always good. Well, I guess they say a lot of things.

This crochet pattern is the handiwork of Morgan Forrester. There’s a lot of variety you can add on your own to these pillows, what with different colors, different center buttons or pompoms or balls, you can add frills or dangling pompoms to the outside as well.

This crochet pattern requires:

Yarn weight:
Worsted / 10 ply (9 wpi) ?
Hook size:
4.0 mm (G)

Skill level: Advanced beginner

Techniques you’ll use in crocheting this pinwheel pillow:

crocheting in the round, changing colors, simple increases

Also note: this pattern makes things a bit simpler than they could be — the shapes are simplified. Another thing about this pattern: you don’t end up with a hard center like you might be familiar with from pillows crocheted in decades past with similar patterns. With this pattern, you don’t have to cover the center join. For the free pattern by Morgan Forrester, visit Ravelry (click here).

Classic Cabover

Everyone really liked that last older-style International cabover we posted, and everyone wanted more pictures of the truck, it was a used truck for sale type truck, but there was only the one photo and the sale had closed before we got a chance to get to it. So after some more looking on the used semi tractor buy and sells, we found this one (and a couple more).

Not sure if you’ll like this used International 4070B as much as the last 4070B, since that last one was a double bunk and it had the interesting set of handles on the side and all, but this one has a classic 70s – 80s style paintjob going for it.

It’s a 1981 International Transtar Eagle 4070B Cabover Brougham Edition, Rare Truck, IH, and the owner’s in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. I won’t post my email on this one in case you guys want to find it, because this one is “no longer available” — sold, I take it, but I have a set of photos for this one.

Used semi truck specs:

Year: 1981
Make: International
Model: 4070B
Type: Semi – Sleeper Cabover
Class: Class 8 (33,001 lbs. or more)
Mileage: 646,199
Vehicle Title: Clear
Number of Axles: Tandem
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): 1HTE23271BGA13304
Engine Make: Cummins
Engine Horsepower: 400
Fuel Type: Diesel
For Sale By: Private Seller
Transmission Type: Manual
Transmission Speeds: 13 Speed
Tire Size: 22.5″
Suspension Type: Air

And here’s the set of photos for this classic-style used semi tractor:

 

Purple COE

Here’s another used COE we found for sale on the used semi trucks for sale pages of the internet. Its an 88. A Peterbilt 362 cabover double bunk that’s been restored, which is why its in the condition its in.

This COE is located in Winchester, Kentucky, if anyone wants to know.

It’s got a 400 Cummins 9 speed, 3:73 rears. The wheelbase is 261 inches.

Not only that, the owner says the truck has sat inside for the last 12 years, so there couldn’t be too much wear on it compared to other 89s. He didn’t mention how may miles are on the frame or the engine, though, unfortunately.

Some vehicle specs on this used semi tractor:

Year: 1988
Make: Peterbilt
Model: 362
Type: Semi – Sleeper Cabover
Class: Class 8 (33,001 lbs. or more)
Vehicle Title: Clear
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): 1XP6D29X9JD600387
Engine Make: Cummins
Engine Horsepower: 400
For Sale By: Private Seller
Transmission Type: Manual
Transmission Speeds: 9
Tire Size: 24.5

 

89 Cabover

This 89 Freightliner cabover out of Mandan, North Dakota is another one I noticed on the used semi tractors for sale list. This one’s a little more expensive than the white and striped cabover with the big sleeper I posted about last time though. But it’s a bit newer and looks to be in pretty nice shape.

It’s powered by a Cummins 444 horsepower diesel and a 13 speed over drive.

The story behind this deep red late-80s cabover: It’s been completely restored. It now has custom stainless steel grill, double hump fenders, and fresh paint. And a new exhaust.

It also has a custom deck plate, it’s been stretched. It’s now got a 24 inch wheelbase.

After the overhaul, it has under 200,000 miles. Brakes are currently at 75 percent and tires at 65 percent.

Some specs on this 89 cabover

Fuel Type: Diesel
For Sale By: Private Seller
Transmission Type: Manual
Transmission Speeds: 13 Speed Over Drive
Tire Size: 24
Suspension Type: Air
Year: 1989
Make: Freightliner
Class: Class 8 (33,001 lbs. or more)
Vehicle Title: Clear
Number of Axles: Tandem
Engine Make: Cummins
Engine Horsepower: 444

This cabover was listed on used semi trucks for sale page for just under $42,000 US. If anybody needs to track down the owner of it, you can email me: [email protected] and I can get the information. UPDATE: scratch that, unfortunately. Since I wrote this all contact info for this truck has disappeared from the internet.

 

Big Kenworth Drome Box

Every factory option was included on this 1989 Kenworth K100E when they bought it new 25 years ago, and it looks like its been kept in pretty good shape. This truck came up for sale a while ago, although the sale ended without anyone offering enough, it looks like (if anyone really needs to find out about the truck, you can email me – bottom of page).

It’s powered by a 425 horsepower diesel 3406B Caterpillar with a 13-speed transmission. It’s got 3:55 rears and 11R22.5 tires on it. And look at that sleeper, or storage space. The vehicle has nearly 900,000 miles on the frame, and about half that — 371,000– on the motor. However, the owner’s using this big sleeper cabover, so the miles will go up as long as he owns it.

It also has dual air ride seats, dual air operated windows, air door locks, dual spot lights, fridge. The hubs were converted to hub pilot. 

Recently, the owner replaced a few things: shocks, cab airbags, clutch, cam, 6 new nozzles. He also rebuilt the fuel injection pump and got it 4 new batteries.

A few things it needs, though: a/c compressor and the spotlights need to be rebuilt.

Rig specs:

Engine Horsepower: 425
Fuel Type: Diesel
For Sale By: Private Seller
Transmission Type: Manual
Transmission Speeds: 13 Speed Over Drive
Tire Size: 22.5″
Suspension Type: Air
Year: 1989
Make: Kenworth
Model: K100
Class: Class 8 (33,001 lbs. or more)
Mileage: 871,000
Vehicle Title: Clear
Number of Axles: Tandem
Engine Make: Caterpillar

If anybody wants to buy this truck, he’s asking around $15,000 US ($20,000 Canadian). The owner is based out of Walpole, Mass., but he runs coast to coast in this truck. Also, $12,000 was offered on this truck but it wasn’t enough. You can email me at [email protected] if you really need to get a hold of this truck.

Classic Cabover

This 1976 International 4070B just sold online for under $18,000. Would you drive something like this? The ad said that it was a rare truck, the Transtar 4070B cabover double bunk. I’m not sure myself about its rarity. Anyone know how many were made and how common they were? When you’re buying a used semi tractor, however, I doubt many people look for a classic like this one. And I don’t see them in the semi truck buyers guide much, I doubt.

Look at the handles on the side of this thing — the three sets of bars mounted to the side to hold onto, over the tiny windows. I guess there must be a small bunk still in there if they’re using it for daily.

Like I wrote, I’m not sure if these Internationals are rare particularly, but I have read a bit about cabovers from that era being rare in general. Apparently, because they became unpopular (because of the “first at the scene of an accident” danger of them), a lot of them were cannibalized for their powerful engines and quality parts in the 80s and beyond.

$18,000 though. What do you think of the deal? What do you look for in a used semi truck deal yourselves?

Here’s a bigger photo — the photo for the sale — it in case you want to see the details:

UPDATE: Kenneth Becker wrote that they stopped building them when de-regulation came out. The length law no longer mattered, so people bought Conventional. “I believe International sent all the tools to Brazil where they still make the CO,” according to Kenneth.