My First, '66 M35A2, Work In Progress Build Thread

[Jeepjake]

Well I guess it is about time I start a thread and introduce myself to the Steel Soldiers MV community. So, Hello!
I recently realized a long standing dream of being the proud owner of a 13000 lb yard ornament.... and it has been a steep and slippery slope from there!
I started stirring the pot really good around the end of May 2011 and this time there was no slowing down, I was wound up so tight there was no way out except through a Deuce! After watching the Gov Liquidation auctions for quite a while and reading from the wealth of information on the SS forum I decided that a private deal was my best option. I just didn't have time to dedicate to a responsible 1000 mile recovery of a 13000 lb vehicle, and I couldn't swallow paying half the acquisition cost in shipping. I quietly lurked about Craigslist and popular public auction sites until about two months ago when I made the plunge.
I located a ' 66 Kaiser M35A2 Wo/W from a private party about 200 miles away from my home town of Bend Oregon. She had only 250 hours on the engine, air shift t-case, a newer transmission, likely replaced during the 1989 military rebuild along with the engine. She sports a soft top, and not much else. Some minor rust, being a Pacific North West truck, that is just the way it goes, it comes with the territory.
I managed to convince a good friend of mine who lives in Portland to go preview the truck with cash in fist. If it met all the requirements I had laid forth, as well as pass a lengthily pre-purchase and pre drive inspection he had the green light to take it home with him.
Well as it may be, the fellow was working a few jobs and was downright tough to get ahold of, which nearly spoiled the whole thing! In the meantime I bumped into a smoking deal on a M105A1 trailer with the dual wheel landing gear, tarp, bows, and racks for 250 bucks, so while we stewed over getting ahold of the deuce owner, I sent my buddy after the trailer as it was just too sweet to pass up, now I had really locked myself into getting a M35.
An arduous two weeks drug on until we could arrange a meeting time to view the M35. The day and meeting time came and went, by this time I was so wound up I could hardly function and I wasn't even there to take a look at it! All checked out good, not a single leak on the entire truck (and it has fluids everywhere it should) all mechanical checked out, so the deal was done and my buddy bought the truck. Little did I know that the most difficult portion of the whole deal would be to get him to sign the title over to me!!!
I received a joyous picture of my new truck parked in front of my buddies house, waiting for a good mechanical scrutinizing, and a trip over the "hill" to home. I rallied a friend from the Bend side of the hill to go with me for the ride home.
We greased everything in the Lubrication order, plus some, and changed fluids in the transmission which had a bit of emulsified water. The transfer case oil was a tad on the old side, so it was drained and replaced as well. I replaced 4 tires and outfitted her with a set of troop seat racks which we had purchased from a really great fellow MV owner in the portland area. All else was good. Armed with enough tools to rebuild the thing on the side of the road, we hooked up to the M105A1 and headed for the mountains. I kept her at about 50 most of the way until we were faced with Mt Hood which she pulled at about 30 mph no problems, just slow (4-6% grades, climbing to a little over 4000 ft from sea level).
I rolled into Bend without a single mechanical issue, averaging about 12 MPG, and a grin ear to ear.
At this point the only person in my immediate family who knew about the whole mess was my loving and understanding wife. The rest were in for a surprise! (not having any kids, the dogs expressed as much excitement as they could and demanded a ride around the block immediately!)

Not more than a half hour after I got home, the deuce had wandered down the street and tried to play with a neighbor's tree, the tree lost I had to actually look back to be certain the choker hadn't come loose of the tree, I let the clutch out and didn't feel anything, and the engine didn't even labor or come off idle.

From there the last few weeks have been one "great find" after another. Last weekend I found myself headed back over the mountains to Eugene to pick up a C model turbo from a fellow SS member, and a knuckle-boom crane from a semi-truck wrecking yard. The gentleman who sold me the turbo had swapped the C out of his deuce as the noise was not to his liking. I, growing up listening to logging equipment and earth moving equipment, have a special place in my heart for the throaty whistle delivered by a large disp. diesel engine exhausted straight off the turbo and can think of few sounds in this world to its rival! It's not for everyone, but it is sweet music to me!
The crane I picked up is a Hiab Speedloader 173 (I believe, as the data tag was missing) but it should nestle itself right behind the cab, and I should only have to push the box back about 12-14 inches to accomplish the installation and I shouldn't have to hack the box up at all, just push it back.
Thinking I was about done with things for a spell, and I could let the pocketbook recover some, I ran across a great deal on 5 G20 pilote tires locally, such a good deal that to buy the 6th at full price I will still come out on top and smelling pretty! So I dug round the bottom of the barrel and came up with enough scratch to bring home the massive rubber. Wheels will have to wait for a bit, so the tires will have to hold down the shed for a while. In the mean-time I can start the labor work of stripping the paint, stopping the spots of rust, and getting the crane installed.
well that is PLENTY of a story for now, but I figured my first post should make up for the several months of lurking
A Thanks is due already to the many great and informative threads out there, My inspection checklist was strong right down to the lower generator mounting bolt, which was (big surprise..) Loose.

 

[wsucougarx]

Welcome aboard!! Hey since you're local why don't you come up and join us for our Annual PNW Steelsoldier Parade/Convoy get together next month in July. Here's the link:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/upcomi...chehalis-river-valley-m-v-convoy-campout.html

 

[BadMastard]

Jeepjake, Welcome aboard! Looks like you're well on your way to addiction.

Mike,. Rofl- since he's local huh? I totally agree though he SHOULD come up!.

Jerry
AKA BadMastard

 

[Jeepjake]

WSUCOUGARX- Thank you for the invitation, that wouldn't be a terrible drive, and I think the deuce would handle it just fine. Unfortunately I think my weekends are booked this summer, I am about to embark on a major landscaping adventure in my back yard, the toil of which will likely consume every available weekend until the snow flies again.
That being said, I will keep an eye on the date and if it looks possible i will drop you a note.

Cheers
Jake

 

[Jeepjake]

A little shopping, and a little dissassembly

I was able to track down a PTO to use for my truck that has both a front and a rear output, that should make it possible to run a hydraulic pump off the rear output and leave the front clear for the addition of a winch if i so desire.

I am discovering that the paint job done right after the first was done with little to no surface preparation, so the semi-gloss original paint is letting go of most of the additional paint on the truck. I had intended on repainting anyway, but this will require that i take it all the way down to the original paint if the new paint has any hope of surviving. I went by Harbor Freight and bought a cheap needle scaler, and got their extended warranty in hopes that the 50 dollar investment (had a coupon) will survive the ordeal, there is some really thick paint, and some rust scale in some nooks and crannies that this tool will help me get to.

I went to town on the crane with a 10 lb hammer and got one of the pivot pins out, and two others started. I will have to fully disassemble the crane to rebuild the cylinders and give the contraption a proper paint job. I sprayed the pins down with Kroil and will try it again when I have someone to steady the punch, as the pins are all driven flush to the surface now. It is just a little to difficult to get a good swing on a sledge while you are holding onto the punch too!

-Jeep

 

[srodocker]

Welcome aboard! you should defiantly make it up to the rally even if its just for a day. we have a few members coming up from oregon already and you can hop in and convoy with them up. it will be a blast!

 

[ryker725]

Welcome from a fellow new guy. 4 months into my first deuce.. I picked up a mint M105 at Ft. Polk a few weeks back for a click above minimum. Unfortunately my wife has a death grip on the check book and refuses to let me do any upgrades at this time.

Welcome again and congrats!!

 

[Jeepjake]

Welcome from a fellow new guy. 4 months into my first deuce.. I picked up a mint M105 at Ft. Polk a few weeks back for a click above minimum. Unfortunately my wife has a death grip on the check book and refuses to let me do any upgrades at this time.

Welcome again and congrats!!

Congradulations on the auction win at Ft. Polk, I wish i was closer to a liquidation site.
My wife takes the "all is fair in love and war" quite seriously.. I may have got the deuce, but it didn't come without a re-landscape of the back yard. I will be busy this summer!
It should look real good, plus I get to use the deuce for all the heavy lifting. she has hauled 6 yds of various gravel so far, well not that impressive, but when you are unloading it into a wheelbarrow and pushing up a hill behind the house, it FEELS impressive LOL

 

[Jeepjake]

Paint Decisions

Ok, so I may have been silent for a few weeks, but only because i have been making use of the daylight that sticks around to 9:30 here at 44 deg N latitude in central Oregon. Non-deuce related projects have me running circles!

I am in the process of deciding on a paint scheme, I am not overly fond of the semi-gloss OD that was the original issue for this particular rig, but I have narrowed my "green" colors down to a 383 CARC substitute, or the "forest green camouflage" and a good flat black. So right now she sports the CARC substitute on the passenger side, and the driver's side half-acre has the forest green (rapco 34079)

the paint was hastily done with only a couple rattle cans to give me a good basis for comparison, a proper paint removal and prep will follow. final paint will be done with a spray gun.
hopefully I will be able to lay down a few good very light coats, followed by 2 nice even coloring coats that will ad a bit more texture to the job.

I think i have decided on the 34079 (drivers side) and ultra flat black (krylon), neglecting any tan colors in the scheme.
It is not historically accurate, but it looks good, and leaves the paint a bit more under-stated than the 383 CARC substitute which i find to be just a bit to "bright" for my particular taste.

 

[Jeepjake]

Independence day!!

I was asked to make an appearance in a local small-town parade, so the flag mount became a red hot priority!

i figured i would do a little step by step of what i did, it worked out real nice (I think) and was very inexpensive. The flag mounts are removable in seconds (upper portion), are very secure and required no permanent modifications to the deuce. The flag mount is constructed from ABS pipe and is plenty rigid for parade speed flag flying, with a bit of give. overall height comes out to 12'6'' and will fly a 3x5 flag without worry of it contacting the stack.

parts list:
2.5'- 2" ABS pipe
10'- 1.5' ABS pipe
1x- 2" smooth cap
1x- 2" to 1.5" internal bushing
1x- 2" coupling
1x- 2" to 1.5" belled reducing coupling (modified)
2x- 2" eye bolts
2x- 2.5" u-bolts
2x- 4x8x.5' plate aluminum (or equivelant, this is what I had lying around)
2x- quick disconnect keychain couplers

General overview:
I wanted a robust flagpole that was non-conductive, easy to erect, placed the flag a safe distance from harm and did not require significant modification to the deuce. (this requires none)

 

[Jeepjake]

Flag pole 1 of 3

OK, first a little background.... My father was a pipe-bender for 40 years, and I followed him all over plumbing houses before I went off to school, so naturally I gravitate to these building materials, even after 50K in engineering education LOL.

base unit parts:
2.5' of 2" ABS
2" cap
2" to 1.5" internal reducing bushing
2" coupler
ABS glue

the additional fittings are to make sure the 1.5" pipe can slip in and fit securely into the base unit without any wiggle. 1.5" pipe has quite a bit of slop when just slipped into 2", so i did the following, gluing permanently as I went along.

I inserted the reducing bushing about halfway into the cap, being certain that the 1.5" reducing portion of the bushing was facing the open end of the cap, then glued the coupler onto the reducing bushing. this created a 1.5" pipe centering end cap for the 2" pipe.
this was then glued onto the end of the 2.5' section of pipe.

 

[Jeepjake]

Flag pole 2 of 3

Clamp Plates:

materials:

4" wide x 8" long x .5" thick aluminum plate (or equiv)
2- 2 1/2" u-bolts

This was a bit of overkill but convenient, as I had it lying around. I cut a piece of 4"x 1/2" aluminum plate to 8" long (in hind-site, 7.75" may be better, as 8" was a pretty snug fit, and required some interesting part gyrations to get it into place)

Drill holes for the clamping u-bolts about 1.75" from each end of the plate.... the plate will slip into the bumper support, the base tube will then be clamped to the backside of the bumper by the bracket.

(if the second and third pic are confusing, I made two flag mounts, hence the driver/passenger pics)

 

[Jeepjake]

Flag pole 3 of 3

Flag Pole:

the last piece is the flag pole riser, which will be easily removable from the truck for teardown-transit, the base can remain on the truck for as long as I am too lazy to take it off.

materials:
10' of 1.5' ABS pipe
1- 2" to 1.5" bell reducing coupler
2-1/4" x 2" eye bolts with nylock nuts
2- quick disconnect keychain couplers

the bell reducing coupling must have the internal stop removed (a die grinder makes really quick work of this) and the taper to the joint area must be removed so it can easily be slid down the 1.5" pipe, but is not loose.

The pipe is cross drilled for the eye bolts, and the keychain couplers make it easy to remove the flag from the pole without it being too awkward.

That's it.

To install simply slip the 1.5" into the clamped on 2" and seat securely in to the reducing bushing in the cap at the bottom of the 2" tube, then slide the bell reducing fitting down onto the top of the 2" tube to secure the top, it make a tight-fitting and good looking flag pole.

Oh, and ABS comes flat black, you just have to convince it with a little maroon scotchbrite. to scuff off the shine, and take off the lettering

I think it will work just dandy, besides, nobody will be looking at the flag pole with 'ol glory up there.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Excellent

​

 

[Jeepjake]

Winch PTO and linkages

I scored a dual output transmission pto from a fellow MV enthusiast in the Portland area. It will require a rebuild(seals). He also hooked me up with a few misc. Linkages, time to hit the books and figure out how she goes together.
I have the crane largely disassembled for hydraulics rebuild, but have not had the time to tear into the hydraulic cylinders quite yet. Slow and steady, she will come together.
-Jeep

 

[Welder Sam]

Wow. I cant wait to join "THE CLUB". Congrats!

 

[Jeepjake]

We went camping/'wheelin this weekend. After climbing into and out of the Ochoco Mts in eastern Oregon, I am backing out my fuel stop screw.!! Max boost was 6.5 psi at 2600, and loaded with the jeep and gear I saw 1175 on the pyro on the longest pull, bogging low in 4th. I think I will opt for a bit more juice for the "quick sprints" and drive careful for the long pulls, it is really easy to just watch the pyro and back down, but "flintstoneing" a deuce to get her up the hill is a little out of the question!

 

[Karl kostman]

CONGRATS on the new purchase Jake the truck looks very good and you have found a project that will thanksfully NEVER END, as you will find out! These trucks provide so much entertainment in so many ways not only in the driving part but the working and improving them to your exact liking! Have fun you have a darned fine looking truck!
KK

 

[rpollitt01]

Congrats on the new truck!..welcome

 

[downeast]

I agree, it does look good. I painted my deuce Marine Corps green with flat black accents. It isn't historically accurate but I like the way it looks.