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W900 Worth Saving?

dieseldog5.9

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
614
Location
New Hampshire
I have had my eye on this W900 for years, and may have the oportunity to purchase, as the owner and I have been circleing wether he wants too sell it and if I want to buy it for a few years and may be getting closer to me having room and him sick of looking at it. The details are 81 W900, has a 6v92TTA with no oil pan on it, and parts taken off, engine painted white interestingly. This truck I am going to guess has been sitting here since the 80's, has 300k on the odometer. Has torsion bar suspension, and Dayton wheels. The cab and frame are super clean. Now I have been shopping for an early peterbilt and went to visit Cortland Truck Works before Covid, However any Peterbilt fan, I am guessing respects a Kenworth, and vice versa. Any old pete is going to be thousands of miles away and get a premium price. This truck is 3 miles away and potentialy cheep money. Thoughts?20201223_121655.jpg 20201223_121933.jpg
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,274
Location
sw missouri
Are you restoring, using, plans for it?

Do you want to keep it Detroit? Keep it dayton's, and stay torsion suspension? If you're wanting to change to pilot hub and air ride and a little quieter and maybe more HP engine, you really are buying a frame and cab/hood. Which is fine- you have to start somewhere.

Do you really want a Peterbilt, or do you just want a old truck?

To me, if you really want a peterbilt, get a peterbilt. You may only rebuild one once, so do what you want. Not whats close. The peterbilts aren't rare in unrestored condition by me. Sure you see rebuilt ones on the internet and they are wanting restored condition prices, but if you just want a base truck, they aren't that hard to find. None of them are in perfect condition, but if you're restoring it all anyways, it doesn't matter if the bones are there.

The old KW looks pretty nice, but like anything, you can pour a lot of $$$ into it if you want all NOS parts and perfect when you get done. I don't know what kind of budget you have in mind, but it usually takes twice the $$ and twice the time of what you think in the beginning.
 

dieseldog5.9

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
614
Location
New Hampshire
All good questions, I would not repair that 6v92 I drove one once in a GMC general, I would entertain an 8V92, but looking into a replacement 2 stroke discovered I could buy a whole series 60 takeout, for the same price.

I would want the truck to pull a low bed or stretch the frame for a dump body, I have a current use for a dump truck and would want to put a 15ft body and a lift axle under it, not sure how fesable it is to replace the 12k front with an 18k, I have swapped axles in other trucks but would the frame be strong enough.

Yes I have been kicking around an Iron nose or needle nose pete for 20 years, Trucks I have found have been high priced or far away.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,535
Location
WWW.
That 81 has no real place for a CAC. The Stainless for that grille---big money-buy two to make one.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,535
Location
WWW.
You can still buy the A model extended hood {Jones} makes it, Move the cab mounts back to accommodate a extended hood. Redo the clutch linkage and steering slip shaft plus shifter.
And you have a extended hood. I even thought about buying the good used 900's that are left and turning them into extended model.

I think Shelby is f@rting a real dry dust by now.
 

dieseldog5.9

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
614
Location
New Hampshire
Crane Operator asked about Budget earlier, and I hadn't given it a ton of thought, was caught up in the saving an old A model. But now I can start honing in on the budget, Less than $135,000, Your B Model is a beautiful truck and I aspire to be as talented, but reality is I do not have that type of money for this project.

But tuning it up and throwing an extended hood on it could make it worth something to someone, and make me a buck on it.

I agree with the value, $1500-$2000, The title may be a sticking point.

Truck Shop mentioned earlier in another post putting the parts and pieces on a modern chassis, and that may be the better plan, then you would have all the mounts and hangers you needed. Do the front frame horns on early trucks match the newer trucks, say mid 90's to 2000's?
 

4x4ford

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2007
Messages
237
Location
Las Vegas Nevada
Occupation
aunts on the strip Currently drive a 1951 chevy pa
Shelby Elliot is still selling big sleeper trucks in sikeston I pass their lot every day
 

petepilot

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2018
Messages
2,167
Location
central shenandoah valley va,
You can still buy the A model extended hood {Jones} makes it, Move the cab mounts back to accommodate a extended hood. Redo the clutch linkage and steering slip shaft plus shifter.
And you have a extended hood. I even thought about buying the good used 900's that are left and turning them into extended model.

I think Shelby is f@rting a real dry dust by now.
:)
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,425
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Am seeing Much more severe corrosion than I am finding on my 2005 on that cab, that equates to removing all the Huck fasteners at every joint to be cleaned resealed and re fastened. Torsion ride when just off new was NOT that great, the expense as noted by TS will be above $100k to perform this little endeavor.

I have close to fifteen in the '05 already, still lack brakes, tires, air ride and a repaint among other items undetermined as Not Running yet. Still need to purchase $4k turbo Kit, set of reman injectors $2300 and engine fluids that will be short life disposable.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,535
Location
WWW.
This one right here---------1981 Last of the Mohicans! Straight as a pin with eight bag air ride. One-------Owner. Has a mechanical N14 he installed, his big problem is no CAC. But it could be done.
It was living 65 miles due north in the middle of no where, didn't see it last summer where I normally would. The owner was up in years and might have past away. And if that happened the
buzzards probably started circling, fairly normal on a rig like that one.

008.JPG 010.JPG
 

92U 3406

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
3,098
Location
Western Canuckistan
Occupation
Wrench Bender
Am seeing Much more severe corrosion than I am finding on my 2005 on that cab, that equates to removing all the Huck fasteners at every joint to be cleaned resealed and re fastened. Torsion ride when just off new was NOT that great, the expense as noted by TS will be above $100k to perform this little endeavor.

I have close to fifteen in the '05 already, still lack brakes, tires, air ride and a repaint among other items undetermined as Not Running yet. Still need to purchase $4k turbo Kit, set of reman injectors $2300 and engine fluids that will be short life disposable.

The cab on my '80 W900 is like that. I've got it gutted to a shell right now. Firewall is rusted really bad in a few spots. I'll hopefully be tearing into rebuilding the entire cab this spring.
 
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