Already having racked up several thousand miles on the finished product, Chris has held true to his original plans for the truck: to drive it and put it to work. During the farm’s busy season (primarily spring and fall), you can find his old Chevrolet out in the field, loaded up with a massive air compressor, welder generator, and 200-gallon fuel cell. Moving trailers and other equipment around is all in a day’s work, too. Chris tells us the truck pulls the farm’s 12,000-pound, bumper-tow seed tender with ease and, thanks to the Kelderman air spring system, rides like a newer service truck while doing it. Whether it’s off the beaten path and parked in a field or cruising down the highway, this reborn family heirloom will be turning heads for a long time to come.
The Dana 60 from the ’94 Ram donor was swapped under the old Chevy, but not before it was treated to a host of upgrades. Chromoly, 35-spline axleshafts were installed, along with an ARB air locker and a Mag-hytec diff cover. Dynatrac heavy-duty ball joints, a heavyduty tie-rod and drag link kit, and a Red Head steering box also made their way into the mix, as well as a big brake kit with stainless brake lines, and the obvious 10-lug conversion.
After sourcing all the components himself, Chris built the beefy control arm arrangement up front. The linkages are fully adjustable and make use of greasable Johnny Joints from Currie Enterprises.
Like the Dana 60, the Dana 80 makes use of an ARB air locker, as well as a Mag-hytec diff cover and a 4.10 ring and pinion—in addition to being converted to disc brakes. In between the rear frame rails, Chris mounted the air tank and air dryer that are part of the Kelderman air-ride system (which provides 6-inches of available height). A Fox 2.0 series shock exists at each corner, too.
When Chris ran out of room for the intercooler, he also made plans to relocate the radiator. Mounted behind the cab within the service bed, you’ll find the largest radiator Ron Davis makes, complete with dual 16-inch diameter Spal fans. The fans, and virtually everything else that’s electronic on the truck, is controlled by an 8-circuit SPOD Bantam system. Also notice the 5-inch stacks. No service truck is complete without them, right?