Totaled Deuce Gets Rebuilt

[m726]

Looks Good...You did a great job rebuilding the truck!

 

[caliber1]

Camo looks awesome Wildchild!!

 

[Wildchild467]

The truck looks excellent. What a great job you did bringing the truck back.
On the positive side, despite the mishap you were in a condition that allowed you to do all the work. You went over the truck with a fine tooth comb, undoubtedly fixing and replacing some things that you came across on the way, perhaps not related to the accident. The truck is now in pristine shape!

Thanks! Yea, there is not one thing i did not touch on the truck it seems. I know exactly what condition everything is in and now it looks as good on the outside as it does on the inside. I still have some little odds and ends to do that i want to get done, but they are small projects. Still need to wire up my wipers, put the door glass in, maybe put new windshield seals in (have to look into how hard that is to do because mine do not seal well), etc. I changed the oil in it last night, changed the water in the radiator to antifreeze and topped it off with fuel.

Bottom line i am very happy to hear that multifuel roaring down the highway at 2200rpm. Nothing like having a cargo deuce with a winch. i love it.

 

[Jeff Nelson]

Wow!

I've been following this build from the start. Two things impress me about it. First, the overall quality, and second, the speed with which it was done. I'm well aware of the scope of your project and the headaches involved, as I'm getting things ready so I can restore my soon-to-be purchased Deuce. Again, what a nice looking truck. I'm glad you decided to keep it.

 

[Wildchild467]

I've been following this build from the start. Two things impress me about it. First, the overall quality, and second, the speed with which it was done. I'm well aware of the scope of your project and the headaches involved, as I'm getting things ready so I can restore my soon-to-be purchased Deuce. Again, what a nice looking truck. I'm glad you decided to keep it.

Thank you Jeff. I looked at it as it is a wounded steel soldier. yes i could have bought another truck and scrapped this one or parts it out, but it still had a good frame and running gear. I couldn’t just let it die. I tried to post as many pictures as i could to show everything i went through and did (and am still doing), and little things i found interesting along the way. I still have more work to do on mine like hook up the heater (not sure if i am using the A3 heater due to plumbing issues where the lines enter the engine bay real close to the exhaust), and other small odds and ends. I could still post more pictures if everybody would like, but i would say the major nuts and bolts of the project is complete. I would like to compose a list of "things i have learned rebuilding a deuce" and just share interesting differences i found in parts, tips and tricks and other things i have learned along the way. I knew i would not be happy just getting parts and throwing it back together without paying attention to detail. I wanted a truck just like the one I had before the crash, one I was proud of. I went into great detail painting things and repairing things so I know it is 100%. If somebody else looks at the truck and sees how everything was masked off and painted, neatness of wires, straight fenders without dents, a pristine looking cargo box with fresh paint, nice clear turn signal lenses etc, I think it shows something about the truck and the owner. Working with my Dad a lot the past couple weeks (he had helped a lot throughout the project doing a bunch of things also) is the reason it is done this early. He is a great guy and I could not have done it without him. There were some days too where he spent the whole day working on it or chasing parts and when I got home from work, I got changed, and headed right down to the shop to work. I have spent a lot of time working on the truck in the rain, under tarps, in the mud in the 90 degree heat all to pay the truck back the served me well. It never once let me down, so I shouldn’t let it down.

Looking at the cost prospective of the rebuild, it was still a little cheaper than buying another truck. Another truck I did not know the story of. At least this way, i have a bunch of new or reconditioned parts, like the radiator, radiator hoses, belts, new glass, new brake hoses (have but still need to put them on), new knuckle boots (have but still need to install), etc. Personally I like doing all my own work, yes there are government rebuilt trucks, but you don’t know who did all the work and to what quality. New parts are good, but craftsmanship is another thing. I knew if I did all this work, I wanted to take a lot of pictures and post my findings and things I have learned. I know some of my posts are long and wordy, but I am just trying to explain everything I find and learn so hopefully somebody can learn something also.

 

[caliber1]

Tom, just a word of advice. When you go to do your brake lines, get a set of good line wrenches. I used some from the neighbor, pfffft. Made in taiwan, china, somewhere...just rounded them off. Bought a set of MAC the next day, because he stops by every thursday, and they came right off. Not sure what the Craftsman look like, but the Mac impressed me.

You have done an awesome job sir!! Hats off to you.

 

[Warthog]

How about a before and after shot?

Great work. Very impressive.

I have a 1987 Air Force truck that has a bent frame. Swapping out the frame will be a chore. Your thread/work will be an insperation to get done right.

 

[Wildchild467]

I edited post 189 to show how we straightened the box. there were a couple other spots we beat on and straightened out as much as we could before putting a skim coat of duraglass over the dents. I know it’s an army truck and you can still see some sand scratches, but it looks very very nice. it didn’t take much work to do the extra effort and it is definitely worth it to me.

Caliber1,

I definitely know where you are coming from with the flare nut wrenches. my dad and i ran into that situation with other projects. we now own a snap-on set and are very happy with them. thank you for the thoughts there. good thing you got me thinking about that, i will spray down all the fittings again tonight and let them soak a bit. I’m sure they won’t be a problem, but it’s nice letting them soak a little too.

Warthog,

Here are some before and after shots.

 

[Wildchild467]

Camo looks awesome Wildchild!!

I forgot to mention, that camo pattern came right from the TM. I am not artistic at all so i needed some guidelines to go by when i was painting it. its not exactly to the specs due to human error, but it still looks good. i was being real picky when i painted it and screwed up in a couple spots, but went back and fixed it later. i say screwed up as in i would spray the outline and then be filling it in and i would paint right along an edge and forget to stop. so it was not a big deal, just re painted it. i like the sprayed on camo with the gun, how it fades and does not have a distinct ending point is nice and is more true to the camo than brushed on.

One tip i would have for the picky person painting the 3 color camo, Paint per the TM. after it is all done, leave it alone. if you think you painted too much brown (i thought i had too much brown even though it was per the TM) or green, or black dont worry about it. leave it alone and see what you think 3 days or a week later. it will grow on you and it might look better. plus after the paint dries real good, you have a chance to see what it really looks like.

As you can see in all of my pictures, i took everything apart and painted indivisual pieces. there are some hard to get places to spray and when everything is apart, i got great paint coverage. That way i dont have a small hard to get spot somewhere lacking paint and taking away from the look i wanted. Im happy with it.

 

[04mustang]

In your new pics of straightening out the bed in post 189 it looks like you used the block of a green diamond IHC motor to help. Is it one?
And by the way, the truck looks amazing!

Thanks,
Corey

 

[clinto]

You did a hel......... heck of a job. Amazing.

If you ever make it to the Ga Rally, I will have a spare frosty beverage in the cooler for you.


To bring that truck back and do all the stuff you did, is a lot of work.

 

[Wildchild467]

In your new pics of straightening out the bed in post 189 it looks like you used the block of a green diamond IHC motor to help. Is it one?
And by the way, the truck looks amazing!

Thanks,
Corey

Thanks Mustang! The block was just used as a big spacer. its just a scrap one. It was from a '48 studebaker convertable... flat head 6 cylinder. i forget the displacement, but its small... maybe 80 horsepower or so. WAIT A MINUTE.... the Weasel used a studebaker flathead 6. i bet its the same block. haha! it wasnt from a weasel as i said, but if its the same block, that kind of makes it MV related.

 

[Wildchild467]

You did a hel......... heck of a job. Amazing.

If you ever make it to the Ga Rally, I will have a spare frosty beverage in the cooler for you.


To bring that truck back and do all the stuff you did, is a lot of work.

Thank you Clinto. All these nice comments are very nice to hear, they really are. I definately would like to make it to the GA rally someday. I hear it is a good time. I love my deuce, but i dont think i would take that down.... it would be a haul. i have no doubt the truck would make it, but my butt may not. haha! 160 miles to Rausch Creek seems far far away! haha.

I took a picture of it this morning infront of the house... i cant help it, i had to post it. looks a lot better of a back ground, in its natural enviroment! By the way, i check the odometer, i put over 200 miles on the truck since i put it on the road monday.

Last night i did more odds and ends work. I still have not put the heater in and dont think i will for a while. Im still trying to figure out how i want to do the plumbing and what heater i want to use: the original A3 heater or my modified A2 heater. Im leaning toward my modified A2 heater. anyway, back to last night. i got the glove box in, glove box door, topped it off with oil, lubed the tail gate hinge because the box it like brand new and seemed to "bind" when i let the tailgate all the way down. The pins are really tight in there, so thats nice. I also intalled my interior lights which are (2) 1156 Bulbs hooked up in series (one on each side). I was thinking about installing door jam switches so they come on when i open the door, but i have not quite gotten there yet. i could put the door jam switches on a 3-way switch, so i can have them off all the time, on when the doors open, or on all the time. I like doing the little projects that make the truck a little nicer and a little nicer. Im dreadding putting front axle seals and boots though. its going to get messy.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Wow, great work!

 

[caliber1]

Yeah Tom, I once had a nice Snap-On set too. Seemed a so called friend needed them more. What are all the switches under the dash for?

 

[Wildchild467]

Yeah Tom, I once had a nice Snap-On set too. Seemed a so called friend needed them more. What are all the switches under the dash for?

Well id first like to addess something about the switches. i almost think they might be military. i only say that because they have 24V stamped on the side of them and they are all grouped together at 5 switches (one unit). i think theere was a manufacturer name on them, but i foget what it was. they seem like a very high quality switch.

anyway, the switch on the far left turns my backup lights on, to the right of that turns my "wing" lights on (the ones under the sides of the box in the front), and the center switch turns on my underdash interior lights. to the right of that and the far right one are empty right now for future projects TBD

 

[04mustang]

Thanks Mustang! The block was just used as a big spacer. its just a scrap one. It was from a '48 studebaker convertable... flat head 6 cylinder. i forget the displacement, but its small... maybe 80 horsepower or so. WAIT A MINUTE.... the Weasel used a studebaker flathead 6. i bet its the same block. haha! it wasnt from a weasel as i said, but if its the same block, that kind of makes it MV related.

Thats pretty cool! The reason I noticed it is because I just finished the resotration on a 1936 International C-1 motor that used that same block. So when I saw it I was like...wait a minute!

 

[shenkmen]

Tom, nicely done.

 

[Wildchild467]

Tom, nicely done.

Thanks joe. Now there will be 2 nicely painted deuces at rausch creek this fall. How is the paint on your M105A2? We could match there too. And if people ask, no we did not plan on having the same paint job. Haha!

 

[shenkmen]

Thanks joe. Now there will be 2 nicely painted deuces at rausch creek this fall. How is the paint on your M105A2? We could match there too. And if people ask, no we did not plan on having the same paint job. Haha!

I'm sure your deuce is looking better than mine. Jerk. The 105 has the original 2006 paint on it. It is pretty.