oladulce
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Posts: 1625
Registered: 5-30-2005
Location: bcs
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Truck utility body companies?
Anybody with a work truck, race truck etc who can recommend a utility body company in So. CA?
It's time for a new truck and we thought we'd have some time while it was being built to shop for a new service bed. But the dealer was able to locate
a truck with everything we need and they are very eager to please truck buyers right now so the price was better than expected and we pick it up
tomorrow.
It's been 11 years since we had the bed made for our current truck and Big Woo had no idea what the prices were running.
Our current bed is a Pacific and we got a quote for $5900 from them for our custom specs. Royal and Harbor have been slow to respond so far. He spoke
with Arrow Truck bodies in Ontario today and for our specs, they quoted $5100.
He also called a place in Bakersfied that does really custom truck bodies for campers and their quote was $7100-7700.
We started getting service bodies on our trucks when we had pop-up campers and needed the storage. We now have a Lance camper but are spoiled having
the compartments and there's always something to put in them (tire inflator and hose, hi-lift jack, toolbox, gas cans and h20 jugs etc.)
Can you think of any other truck bed manufacturers- maybe some of you San Diego guys? Did D&H truck bodys go out of business?
We're still deciding if we can do without a utility bed on this truck and would like a few more estimates.
We'll be selling our '97 Ford F350 diesel 4wd crewcab with a customized utility body made for a camper soon and we'll post more about it later. But
warning! Once you have one on your Baja camping rig it's hard to go back to a "regular" truck.
[Edited on 6-13-2008 by oladulce]
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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
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Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
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Mood: Anxious to get south
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Google D&H Truck bodies San Diego.
They're in Miramar now.
I have a D&H on one truck and a Pacific on another, they have differant types of latches on the doors otherwise close to being the same.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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oladulce
Super Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaWarrior
Google D&H Truck bodies San Diego.
They're in Miramar now.
I have a D&H on one truck and a Pacific on another, they have differant types of latches on the doors otherwise close to being the same.
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BajaWarrior- we tried both numbers on the D&H website and neither worked. We heard that D&H Fontana is no longer there so thought maybe the
whole operation was out of business.
aaha, The D&H website must be old. I found another number for D&H and will try it tomorrow. Thanks.
[Edited on 6-12-2008 by oladulce]
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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
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Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
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Mood: Anxious to get south
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Interesting, I know they moved from Federal Blvd about three years ago, and I knew they had moved to the Miramar area.
Sorry, I don't know of any other Truck Bed Manufacturers.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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If you go to Ontario, let me know. I have a "secret" place for killer breakfasts
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TMW
Select Nomad
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Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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There is one next to where I work in Bakersfield called Douglass Truck Bodies 800-635-7641. 21st and V street
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Frigatebird
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Location: L.A. County
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Here's one in Escondido. They do mucho custom work in steel and aluminum.
3W Truck and Equipment
Avatar courtesy of Herb 
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oladulce
Super Nomad
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TW-
I believe Douglass was the place with the really cool custom bodies for campers, but they started at $7100 which is way more than we want to spend.
But thank you for the idea.
Frigatebird-
I'll have the husb. call 3W tomorrow.
So far Arrow is the least expensive and I'll let you know if we're going to Ontario anytime soon bajaguy.
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Gadget
Senior Nomad
Posts: 851
Registered: 9-10-2006
Location: Point Loma CA
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I have a Royal on my F-250.
Ended up going direct to plant in Santee and knocking on the trailer door of the plant manager to get any service.
Turns out they had a bed just sitting there that someone ordered and stiffed them on. It was on my truck the next day.
The Manager was apoligetic regarding their service as they mostly deal with fullfilling dealer orders, not general public.
My money was just as green as the dealers so they took it. 
"Mankind will not be judged by their faults, but by the direction of their lives." Leo Giovinetti
See you in Baja
http://www.LocosMocos.com
Gadget |
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
If you go to Ontario, let me know. I have a "secret" place for killer breakfasts |
I live in Riverside. Let
me know (U2U?) so that I can be in on the secret.
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Tin=Can
Junior Nomad
Posts: 29
Registered: 4-8-2007
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Why not transfer the old bed to the new truck ? Also do you have a picture of your old truck ? And will an 11'6" lance camper fit on it ?
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oladulce
Super Nomad
Posts: 1625
Registered: 5-30-2005
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Tin=Can
Why not transfer the old bed to the new truck ? Also do you have a picture of your old truck ? And will an 11'6" lance camper fit on it ?
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There's a difference in the gas tanks and cab to axle lengths between the Ford and new Silverado, but that sure would have saved some $$ .
I'll u2u Tin=Can about the camper fit. Ours is an 8ft Lance lite and I'll have the boss contact you.
I resorted to the old fashioned way (duh!) and called information about D&H truck equip and they have no listing for them. Bummer - they were the
1st choice and did good work.
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
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D & H does exist in a different form but they no longer do commercial work and they no longer do service bodies, they only do big dump trucks for
municipal and dealer customers.
They also never technically manufactured their own bodies, just distributed others. I could give you their number but it would do you no good.
Harbor & Royal cater to truck dealers and are not strong on custom work, they like to make lots of the same things, over and over and over. Scelzi
Enterprises in Fresno makes a very nice body but pricey too. They are owned by Gary Scelzi the world champion drag racer and his brothers. In
Bakersfield there is also Data Mfg., they cater to the oilfield guys and make a bullet proof body if $$ is no object and weight is no problem.
Arrow, Pacific and 3W have smaller operations and can give more hands on service. Arrow has new owners in the last year and one of the principles
comes with 25+ years at another So Cal service body builder (CTEC). He has upgraded all their designs and added new and more equipment.
As a side note whatever you decide you should lock in pricing. Steel costs have doubled just since January of this year and it looks like another
increase is coming soon.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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oladulce
Super Nomad
Posts: 1625
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Thanks gato, good info. We won't waste our time on Harbor & Royal since they haven't responded back to our quote request anyway. Still waiting for
3W's quote
So far Arrow has been the most responsive and provided a very quick quote from our drawings and even called back today to see if we had questions.
Plus they are the least expensive.
You sound very knowledable on this subject elgatoloco- any opinion on the quality of Arrows?
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 11-19-2002
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They are good folks making a fine product. They have the elgatoloco/spiderman seal of approval.
check u2u 
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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