NO STONE WAS LEFT UNTURNED ON THIS MASSIVE BUILD

Eric Miller is a farmer and the owner of Miller Valley Equipment Inc. in Cascade, Indiana, who had a very specific goal in mind for his build. He wanted a rugged, dependable, easy-to-work-on, no-ECU truck both to work out of as daily grinder, and to be a fun weekend warrior. Blending his favorite parts indiscriminately from American-made manufacturers to fit his taste, Miller would take years of hard work and determination to create the machine of his dreams, leaving no stone unturned as he customized almost every piece of the truck. Miller also set out to build the rig himself, in his barn with help from his friends, Mike Corbin and Matt McLees.

WORKING ON A DREAM

Miller’s chase of the dream started with the engine, which was a 2001 5.9-liter Cummins. In his line of work, Miller buys a fair share of salvaged tractors and other agricultural equipment. When a Case IH sprayer came in that had been hit by a train crossing the railroad tracks, he knew he’d found the heart of his future truck. Knowing the tractor’s engine would need some upgrades to supply the power he was after, he dove deep into the engine tearing it down for a complete performance rebuild. While Miller did a lot of the work on the engine himself, he trusted the crew at Y-Diesel Performance in Spraigville, Indiana, to handle the critical internal assembly.

He chose to retain the factory rods and crankshaft, but they now swing a set of low compression 0.040-over Cummins marine pistons. To keep the rotating assembly firmly in place Miller and the Y-Diesel Performance team opted to secure the crankshaft with a girdle, and used ARP main studs and rod bolts to lock everything down. A stock cam actuates the valves that are secured in the head with a set of 60-pound springs and titanium clips and retainers while ARP head studs keep the head firmly in place on the block.

To get plenty of fuel into the engine, Miller went with a FASS 220 fuel pump and filter system with a custom dual feed setup to work with the saddle tanks in the truck. The lift pump feeds a built 12mm P-7100 injection pump driven by an adjustable timing gear. High-pressure fuel is delivered to a set of Cummins marine SAC nozzle 7X14 injectors through 0.093 stainless lines. Keeping with his computer free design, but still wanting the on-the-fly adjustability that electronic tuning can provide, Miller fabricated a mechanical solution. He can manually turn up or down the injection pump fuel delivery on the fly from inside the cab with a small crank lever in the dash, taking the machine from a smoke-free, 20-plus MPG sleeper all the way to a roaring blackout with a few cranks of the control lever.

Getting to the airflow, Miller went with a compound turbo set up to get the Cummins plenty of boost to make big power yet maintain drivability. Using a Borg Warner S474 over an Industrial Injection Phatshaft 62, the compound set up peaks at around 75 lbs. of boost. To expel the burned gasses, Miller used a PDI manifold and fabricated heat wrapped 4-inch exhaust tubing that terminates at a set of Silverline 5-inch straight cut stacks. Tied in to keep air flowing and temperatures down was a Pusher intake manifold and a 2nd generation Dodge intercooler. Unsatisfied with the looks of the former tractor motor, Miller hand polished the valve covers and then had them chrome dipped. The brightwork is offset by bright red paint slathered on the long block and accessories to really make the engine pop in the bright white engine bay.

This package combines to deliver an estimated 750 to 800 horsepower of reliable power able to haul heavy loads, daily drive, and speed around on its days off. To get that power moving, Y-Diesel Performance helped Miller put together a Dodge NV4500 transmission with a 1-3/8-inch billet input shaft with a South Bend dual disc clutch and a custom bent Dodge shifter for the transmission. To further bolster the drivetrain, Miller opted for a 4-inch custom driveshaft. Again, sticking to reliability and durability as his guide, Miller used a rebuilt 1st gen Dodge NP205 transfer case that he bored out for extreme duty bearings.

With a built engine he predominantly customized in his barn, he turned his attention to the chassis. Miller found a clean 1989 Chevy K30 dually that had once been a SWAT vehicle that he was able to sell the flatbed and engine out of for the same price he paid to buy the truck. He also purchased a parts truck to augment the existing K30, and sold its engine for nearly the price he paid for the truck, giving him a chassis, cab, bed and a lot of extra parts for a very small investment.

Miller not only converted the 2WD dually into a 4X4 single wheel truck, but he also chopped 14-inches out of the frame, reinforcing it to be stronger than it originally was. Custom motor mounts and cross member were fabricated into the frame as well. But that wasn’t the end of the list of modifications for the undercarriage: he also grafted in an ‘84 GM 14 bolt disc brake conversion in the rear paired with a spool and 4:10 gears. For the front end, Miller opted for a GM King Pin Dana 60 with an open diff. Once he had the frame dialed into the 150-inch wheelbase he desired, Miller sandblasted, smoothed, filled, primed then coated the chassis gloss black.

Getting the rear riding high and sailing smooth, Miller used 6-inch lift aftermarket leaf springs with Sulastic shackles, 2-inch blocks, and Fox Racing Shox. The front suspension was built similarly, this time with dual Fox Racing Shox, and a 6-inch lift with Sulastic shackles and an Addco sway bar kit all the way around. To further fine-tune the ride of the K30 for heavy towing, Miller fabricated custom chromoly ladder bars front and rear that lift the rear and lower the front under load and a tow assist air bag kit. Adding further utility and strength is an I-beam reinforced front frame and receiver mounts for an off-road light bar, winch, tow hooks, and weight bracket capable of handling 4,000 lbs. before bottoming out the suspension. His towing needs range from a large gooseneck trailer to a weighted sled, so Miller outfitted his massive machine with a custom adjustable/removable pulling hitch and a B&W gooseneck receiver.

To get this behemoth twisting and turning through rough country, Miller bolstered the steering with a PSC high output pump, frame brace, cross over steering, HD connecting link, tie rod ends and a hydraulic cylinder and reservoir with custom power steering lines. With his aggressive utility truck still firmly in mind, Miller went with Mickey Thompson Classic Lock 16X12-inch wheels and Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ LT375/65R16 tires, providing a rugged look with outstanding grip across a mix of sufaces.

With the drivetrain and chassis dialed in, Miller was ready to shift gears into crafting the body into his perfect truck with help from his friend, Mike Corbin. Miller gutted and reinforced the core support to make room for the intercooler and a pair of electric fans. He also grafted on 2012 Chevy tow mirrors in place of the vent windows for style and utility. Adding further character and utility to the K30, Miller installed a pair of hardy Go Rhino tubular steps painted to match.

Corbin provided the slick bodywork that makes the truck stand out and fit Millers goal by shaving and filling holes in the tail-gate, inner fenders, firewall, fender marker lights and antenna before paint. He also shortened the bushwhacker flares by 2 inches. To further refine the look of the beast, Miller installed an LMC truck C/K bumper with fog lights up front and a universal HD bumper in the rear. He then went with an ‘84 bed and taillights for the rear and fitted the front with a ‘91 Suburban front grille and lights. Miller was searching to get the whitest white he could possibly find, which turned out to be DuPont’s beaming water-based custom mixed pearl white which Corbin applied.

GREAT WHITE TRUCK

The great white truck is an eye-catching colossus ready to tackle anything with personal touches of style in every corner, but now Miller needed to put together an interior exactly the way he imagined. First off, he fabricated and installed a 2-1/2-inch roll cage just in case the big truck ever ends up shiny side down. To create a one of a kind interior he installed heated and powered King Ranch brown leather seats and center console from an F-150. He customized the dash as well with several unique components, such as the lever to control his manual ‘tune’ and installed Auto Meter gauges to monitor EGT, boost and oil pressure in a pod mounted to the dash along with the factory gauges in the color-matched white factory cluster. He upgraded the mirrors, locks, and windows to powered options and even installed a Vintage Air A/C unit. His personal touches abound in the interior from the line-lock and brake adjustment controls, injection pump tuning crank and even white bandanas as shifter boots. He also fit in a painted Suburban tilt column. But one personal touch stands out, showing his wife Jamie’s whole-hearted support of the project with the gift of a beautiful mahogany steering wheel.

Whether cruising down the road or working on the farm in your dream truck, you need your tunes to sound right. To improve the acoustics and to deaden road noise inside the cab, Miller filled the roof with foam and layered everything else with Dynamat, even doubling up against the firewall. A JVC head unit—another gift from his wife—controls a sound system with four Pioneer 6X9-inch 5-way door mounted speakers, a JL Audio XD500 5-channel amplifier, and a JL Audio 10-inch subwoofer to fill the cab with their favorite songs. With enough toys wrapped up into the one truck to make any man jealous, Miller thought it wise to protect his great white beast with a Viper security system and a hidden GPS tracker with its own independent backup power.

Standing back and admiring his heavily customized ’89 K30, Miller is able to say, “Nailed it!” a thought mirrored by the Shied Diesel Extravaganza judges that named him the first place custom truck in their 2014 Show-N-Shine contest. He touched and remodeled almost every single piece on his truck, grafting together pieces from the Big Three American manufacturers to blend together his perfect truck. Doing most of the work out of his barn between working on his farm and running an equipment company didn’t deter him over the years. Instead, he fully accomplished his goal by creating a new “old-truck” with every modern amenity he wanted, without the computer control issues, creating a machine that is reliable, fun, and turns heads with the power he needs and the economy he wants…or maybe vice-versa. This Great White was a dream come true after years of work for Eric Miller. UDBG

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