C5500 TopKick 4x4 Crew Cab Build

[Ford Prefect]

Did you take the trailer with you for any of the test run? Would be nice to know how that went as well!

Looks great, and I am glad to read it is finally close to being on the road!

Regards,
Brian

[Every Miles A Memory]

Glad to see it finally getting out on the road. This has been the longest build thread on EXPO, but probably one of the most elaborate and favorite of mine

[NeverEnough]

Did you take the trailer with you for any of the test run? Would be nice to know how that went as well!

I drove the truck and camper over Parley's Summit on I-80 to Park City on Saturday (101 degrees when I left the valley), then repeated the trip the next day with the trailer in tow. There are more brutal climbs in the West, but Parley's is a pretty good indicator of what to expect on a long uphill.



The camper and the trailer did great. They ride well and nothing's coming loose or falling off. I deployed all the moving parts when I got home to make sure everything is working as it should.



It was the first time I'd tested all of the jacks together, and they're all working fine. Some of the drawer and cabinet catches need to be adjusted, and the inverter configuration isn't quite dialed in, but it's getting close. I've also decided to extend the tongue of the trailer 16" to give me a better turning radius once I swap out the ball coupler for the pintel/lunette.

I really haven't driven the truck since last summer, except for back and forth between the shop and the storage unit a few times. It was running hot over climbs last summer, but I never boiled it over. I just backed off and took my time. I had the same experience on Saturday and Sunday. I couldn't do the two steepest sections of the climb at more than 35mph in order to keep it at the 3/4 (230?) mark or cooler on the gauge. I can't see any coolant leaking, and the cap appears good. I'm taking it in on Thursday to have them check the entire cooling system to see if something's up with the T-stat, clutch fan or maybe just a gunked up radiator. It maintains normal temp on the flats, even at 65-70. If any of you have experience with Topkicks, let me know if you've had similar issues.

[K2ZJ]

Do you know the sadness you feel when you are getting close to the end of a great book? You don't want it to end as the characters stories are wrapping up, that i how I feel about this. I have enjoyed reading this thread a ton. I am sorry, but I am sad to see you finishing and it all coming to end. Although, I am very happy for you and still yearn to see more.

[Overland Hadley]

Do you know the sadness you feel when you are getting close to the end of a great book? You don't want it to end as the characters stories are wrapping up, that i how I feel about this. I have enjoyed reading this thread a ton. I am sorry, but I am sad to see you finishing and it all coming to end. Although, I am very happy for you and still yearn to see more.

Well said.

[shortbus4x4]

Is your fan clutch engaging when its hot? If your fan clutch is an electronic one controlled by the ECM I have seen them have issues with slippage. Also 3/4 on your guage might not be as hot as you think or hot enough to make the fan clutch engage. Nice build on your truck.

[NeverEnough]

Is your fan clutch engaging when its hot? If your fan clutch is an electronic one controlled by the ECM I have seen them have issues with slippage. Also 3/4 on your guage might not be as hot as you think or hot enough to make the fan clutch engage. Nice build on your truck.

It was the fan clutch. Scratching my head as to why it would be toast after 34K, but got it fixed this morning. This afternoon was spent with Jose and Josh at D&A fitting some filler panels and tubing for the rear of the subframe. They will allow me to finally mount the safety latches. They also provided an opportunity to mount some better lights.

Cutting the panel components:


The abilty to quickly lift the body comes in very handy for service and mods:



A shot looking down the center from the back, with the battery "pod". It drops through the hole in the subframe. I can also get at the batteries from underneath if I need to.



Jose preparing to weld the first panel in.



Finishing up the wiring. Nice to have backup lights again, as well as stick to the LED theme.



I also took advantage of the opportunity to have Brad from D&A redo the passenger side fuel tank mounts. It was a little bouncy, so he beefed up the angles and added two more anchor points on the rails. No charge on that one....



Just spent 2 hours on the drill press preparing the latches and catches. I'll mount them up tomorrow, as well as finally tie in the PV panels to their mounting assembly. We're heading out Sunday morning for a three day test trip at Flaming Gorge. Crossing my fingers...........

[GregB_00XJ]

very impressed with this build... nice work on both the design and the execution.
Greg

[shortbus4x4]

Fan clutch was my #1 suspect. I have seen a couple on Dodge cummins go bad with less miles than yours. The common rail Dodges and Duramaxes are very similar in design and components. Nice rig, need to see some more action shots. Fully deployed in camp action in some remote location with sun going down and you sipping a margarita under the awning would be nice.

[NeverEnough]

Nice rig, need to see some more action shots. Fully deployed in camp action in some remote location with sun going down and you sipping a margarita under the awning would be nice.

Not sunset and no margaritas, but snapped a quick photo of the rig deployed lakeside at Flaming Gorge this weekend.



Discovered a few minor issues, like a small crack in one of the vent fitting welds on one of the water tanks. It is a very comfortable setup to be sure. From years of RV camping, one of my biggest gripes is trying to keep the rig clean and uncluttered. Turns out all the planning for easy access to tons of stowage paid off. The rig is very easy to keep clean, which is nothing short of a miracle in a family of boys!



The big dissapointment, however is the Topkick. I know I'll get some "I told you so" crap on this one, but I'm about ready to swap out the platform. On a positive note, it did very well on the 10 miles of dirt roads, including using 4L on a couple of very steep sections. But I'm not liking it on the highway at all. Even with the new fan clutch it's running hot, and something is gumming up my fuel filter. It could be crud from the used tanks, or something else. Even if I get that resolved, however, it doesn't have the punch I'm looking for to handle the ups and downs of the western US. I'll have some pros look at it this week to see if anything can be done to make it work, otherwise, I may be in the market for a different truck. Curious about the Terrastars.