Steel Soldiers MV of the month 2025 - October VOTE HERE!

Welcome to the MV of the month poll sponsored by Consolidated Press. If you need decals, magnets, stencils, or anything printing related, please give them a call!

Now, onto the vote! Please vote for MV of the month! Feel free to campaign in this thread, but please keep it here and not via PM.

1. SCM35A2


2. fuzzytoaster


3. joshs1ofakindxj


4. SaM817


5. Migginsbros

Oh, gee....another easy choice this month....

Cheers

Here is my 1964 M35 A1/A2 w/winch truck, was converted over to an M2 model/multi-fuel in the late 80’s. I have owned the truck now for 5 years. The truck was in decent condition when I got her, so I started with the mechanical stuff to get her road ready. I pulled off all the wheels, removed 40 plus years of paint & repainted them. While doing that all of the brake components were replaced-(wheel cylinders, bearings, seals/gaskets, all hoses, master cylinder, rebuilt the air pack, brake shoes-all) & added a brake fluid reservoir kit to the inside of the truck.

Other mechanic parts replaced was the entire exhaust system from the turbo back, speedometer/tachometer cables, gauge grounds, all filters-(oil/fuel/air), front axle boots, belts & removed the old axle vents & replaced them with ¼ fittings that allowed me to run the air lines up & away from them-(see pic). I also swapped out the old battery box for an updated/bigger plastic version so I could run two group 31 batteries along with all new cables & grounds. One last thing was to have the starter rebuilt & replaced the old solenoid. So now she starts, runs & stops!

Next I swapped out off the reflectors, headlights, air breather stack, mudflap guards/mudflaps-(semi-trailer) top winch plate & added a cover to it. Tailgate needed some new step handles & rear bushings so those were replaced as well too. Scored a vintage military issue Pioneer tool kit, so installed that along with all new hold down straps.

On the inside I’ve only done a few things such as new upper/lower passenger seat cushions, new pedal covers, shifter boot, new wiper motors & blades, starter push button, added a battery kill switch & new fire extinguisher.

The truck has the LDT-465-1D multi-fuel engine with the whistler c turbo & besides me completely taking it apart to clean/detail-paint everything its basically stock. The truck came with the non-air assisted transfer case, but however that has been since swapped out to the air powered model.

I'm going to post pics of what I started with & how she currently looks...

More...

Few more...

More...

Engine Bay pics, are I spent a lot of time on....

Current look...

Good morning your´ll MV enthusiasts.
This is our 1975 Unimog 406.145 build in 1975. It´s an airfield tug which is good for towing 20 tons.
She has the common Mercedes 6 cyl. Diesel direct injected OM 352 engine and a trany with 6 speed forward an 2 speed reverse. You can switch in 4x4 and all locked, if you want.
Special feature is the torque converter clutch system which allowed a jerkfree pulling or pushing. You can stop in every gear without disengage the clutch.









We hat to replace a cracked curved rear window , shocks, belts and so on. Nothing exiting.









It´s a Family truck, you can go for a ride with up to 5 members.
We own this not so often build Unimog since 2011.

Mercedes built 353 with crewcab total, 302 of them were aircraft tugs.

As a former Artilleryman, I have to go with my roots....

The original ballast weights are 1,3 ton each.
We build a pair of o,4 ton each.
So you have enought pressure at the rear axel but you get much better from a standing start.

The original Schmidt Snow plow and the PTO driven Brush is an original equipment. There is a diiceing trailer discribed in the TM but we never see one real.

"described" and "never seen one real" might not be too suspicious, sometimes there is a special option in the catalogue that was otherwise seemingly never taken up by any buyers as much as it stayed listed in the catalogue for some time?

unrelated casepoint is this seemingly normal multi-duty locomotive https://nrhs.com/site/wp-content/up...530-March-1973-Jack-de-Rosset-MSB-rotated.jpg which were sold several thousands of - but on the other hand just a few of these were very unusual unique catalogue options such as a lone single locomotive that had extra-tiny fuel tank for axle loading reason (tank was only like three feet long) and non-standard air system at the same time etc

This is my "Husky " VMMD - Vehicle Mounted Mine Detector. If you've been to the Sand Box in the last 20 years you may have seen these vehicles in detachments of 4 clearing routes. This specific model, the "Husky 2G", was named the U.S. Army's greatest invention for 2011 for its "significant impact to army capabilities" and top 10 greatest inventions of 2010. It's still in service today and frankly put.. this is the only one in private hands. It is operational and road legal with clean title! (Sonic run anyone? ).

It's pure function over form in every way. Everything about it is classified TM and spec wise. Friends on the inside who have inquired for support info have been questioned and denied. This machine somehow escaled the cutting torch and will continue to be restored back to fieldable condition without military or OEM support. A true DIY restoration.


Take a look at the brochure attached to the bottom. Very cool and the only unclassified for distribution pfd I've found related to the Husky 2G model.





Michael at Black Dog Customs connected with me and had the in-field parts trailer that would be pulled the the last vehicle in the group. It's literally a rolling "loot box" for this vehicle and is sacrificial for when it inevitability finds a mine that causes structural damage. The whole front and rear sections can be grafted over to the Husky while on site and then drive away. There's always more to be found on this machine as time ticks on. Talk about a great connection!

you know, I had initially wondered about the attachment arms at all four corners and the "bidirectional bumpers" but now seeing that trailer - to quote an old expression 'ohhh now everything makes sense!' .. interesting hardy design indeed especially with blowing the front axle, 'steal' one off the trailer, and keep on driving like as if nothing had happened (in my own uneducated opinion you know..)

F

fuzzytoaster said:

This is my "Husky " VMMD - Vehicle Mounted Mine Detector. If you've been to the Sand Box in the last 20 years you may have seen these vehicles in detachments of 4 clearing routes. This specific model, the "Husky 2G", was named the U.S. Army's greatest invention for 2011 for its "significant impact to army capabilities" and top 10 greatest inventions of 2010. It's still in service today and frankly put.. this is the only one in private hands. It is operational and road legal with clean title! (Sonic run anyone? ).

It's pure function over form in every way. Everything about it is classified TM and spec wise. Friends on the inside who have inquired for support info have been questioned and denied. This machine somehow escaled the cutting torch and will continue to be restored back to fieldable condition without military or OEM support. A true DIY restoration.


Take a look at the brochure attached to the bottom. Very cool and the only unclassified for distribution pfd I've found related to the Husky 2G model.
View attachment 956074

http://imgur.com/2FfxApd

Michael at Black Dog Customs connected with me and had the in-field parts trailer that would be pulled the the last vehicle in the group. It's literally a rolling "loot box" for this vehicle and is sacrificial for when it inevitability finds a mine that causes structural damage. The whole front and rear sections can be grafted over to the Husky while on site and then drive away. There's always more to be found on this machine as time ticks on. Talk about a great connection!

View attachment 956076

Click to expand...

Fuzzy, what's the engine & transmission? Any pics from under the hood?

canadacountry said:

you know, I had initially wondered about the attachment arms at all four corners and the "bidirectional bumpers" but now seeing that trailer - to quote an old expression 'ohhh now everything makes sense!' .. interesting hardy design indeed especially with blowing the front axle, 'steal' one off the trailer, and keep on driving like as if nothing had happened (in my own uneducated opinion you know..)

Click to expand...

It's more than I can express when it comes to pure function on this machine. Everything is flat panels and exterior bolts. I wouldn't call it crude by design but truly a purpose built machine. I mean.. in the event of a detonation all the windows can be removed in about 60 seconds and the steering wheel pulls off for extraction of the operators. I'm finding out more about it every day.

Tracer said:

F

Fuzzy, what's the engine & transmission? Any pics from under the hood?

Click to expand...

None on my phone and sadly not much to look at from the side panels but I will indulge you in a "first start" video below.

The engine is a Mercedes-Benz OM906LA Special which I'm assuming is built to fit the profile of the chassis. It's tight working on it. Most everything is accessible from above due to the V-shaped hull. The transmission is an Allison 2500SP. Air brakes. Lockers, quad steering, and can crab walk. It fits 2 occupants cosy like (hints the name Huskly 2G) but it has A/C!

In the video below I had to remove the rockers and and the head cleaned up from years of moisture and rust. It was licked up solid with hung injector being the ultimate culprit. The engine is notorious for taking 7-10 seconds to build oil pressure. I had to syphon the oil/sludge out of the pan with a vampire hose as there's no way to service the oil on this setup. It's a working theory that the engine wasn't expected to need servicing in its line of duty as they were frequently sent back stateside for evaluation, repair, and improvement. This meant new engine.

@fuzzytoaster regarding "crude by design" there is that expression 'only a mother could love it' which also seemingly has came up a few times with very odd one-off railroad locomotives that looked really ugly yet they stayed around for many years of good service tho (and would you believe that one of these was originally a steam locomotive tender that then was torched in the middle as to weld a new homemade center cab onto it and equally they bunged a little diesel engine into one of the 'then-now hood' ends driving chains through new floor holes to the repurposed two chaingear-powered axles on it? looked very up-boxy ugly compared to a more normal abit larger-and-with-walkways ge 44-tonner, but hey it worked hm??)

as for regarding servicing, consider that they perhaps were designed to have expendable life out-field and that beside an entire engine block was too heavy to "just chunk aside and get a new one off the trailer" I perhaps won't be surprised if indeed the engine itself was only meant to be serviced right on the floor instead underneath a roof of a heavy-duty mechanical shop