RGS20inophir
Member
- 90
- 13
- 8
- Location
- Socorro, New Mexico
Well, I have fallen off the deep end of the pool. A deal came up that I just could not pass up. I have snagged a 54' REO gasser M35. The truck was in Las Vegas, NM so a road trip from Socorro to Vegas was necessary. We exchanged goods on Friday and I got a crisp New Mexico Title in hand. On Friday I decided to take at look at the top end of the tranny on the A2. I have been having issues with 3rd gear. It seems like the synchro is starting to fail. This all started after it popped out of third while cruising around the week before last. I can upshift into third, but downshifting even with RPM matching was a PITA. Under load 3rd will occasionally kick out. It seems like even when it is in gear it doesn't seat properly. I tore the top end apart to look at the synchros on friday and they all looked fine, the shift forks were in the right position... but it was still giving me issues. So, I elected to go ahead with the recovery and deal with the synchro problem later.
Saturday morning at 0600 a buddy of mine and I were getting ready to start rolling. With the A2 purring away like a kitten at a bowl of milk it was time to get it in gear and start rolling. We left the house by 0700 and were on the interstate.
Miles flew by, the truck was happy and cruising along at 55. Towns with funny names like Encino, Villanueva, Sena, and Coruco. If you are ever in New Mexico and you are looking for a WONDERFUL back road to take... try NM 3 from I-25 to I-40. You will follow the Pecos river for quite a ways. Just be advised that this is not a towbar friendly road. Anything over about 40 feet and you are hogging both lanes going up and downgrade.
Just as we come off of the ramp into Vegas the A2 decided to stay stuck in 5th. O.O!!!! WOAH! Once I came to a stop at the top of the ramp I monkeyed with the tranny, trying to get her out. Apply some power, no go. Finally I put it in low, slipped the clutch and once we were rolling I was able to get it out of gear. Throw it back into high 2 and we are trucking again.
We arrived Las Vegas at around 10:30. Time FLEW. I think taking that back road is actually faster than hopping on I-25. I know it is fewer miles and FAR more scenic. We got the gasser hooked up and then walked to Subway for lunch. We walked over to O'Reilly for some GL-5 "just in case" we needed it and then did the final inspection of the vehicle. Initially I noticed a few things... the bed is longer than my A2 bed, there is a huge gap between the bed and the cab, the bumperettes are missing, it looks like someone has chopped quite a bit off the rear end already,
and there is quite a bit of work to be done on the ol' gal. The cab is some putrid seafoam green color, but she has good bones to work off of.
With everything ready to go, the gasser in neutral, it was time to get it in gear and start rolling. It was about 1330. I know at one point I talked about turning a deuce bed into a trailer... I am never going to do that now. WOW THOSE BEASTS ARE HEAVY! You can really hear the turbo kick in when there is a decent load behind you.
Because NM-3 was so twisty we elected to go on an alternate route home that was a little better road. Then it was on to I-25, to U-S 84. TALK ABOUT SLOW GOING. Hauling that rig up and down the hogbacks was an exercise in patients. Top speed was 45, minimum speed going up the grades was about 15-20. Man those multifuels can bark!
On the way home we stopped a few times to stretch, check the sidewall temperatures, look at the drivelines, etc. At this point it was likely 90+ in the NM heat. The engine temp in the A2 was consistently around 210*. It is amazing the power difference between the engine at 180* and 210* If I let her cool a bit she comes roaring back ready to go... at 210 it is like a fatigued runner. Course that could also be placebo...
We took the cutoff at Vaughn onto US-60 and then it was a leisurely drive at 45 all the way to I-25. We arrived Socorro around 2015 and then came the fun part... getting the gasser into the back yard. This little endeavor took the better part of two hours. It still isn't where I want it... and it won't be until she can run under her own power.
All in all... I am extremely happy. More pictures to follow, but here are a few from the trip.
My girlfriend, roommates, mother, sisters, and brothers all think I have lost my mind... and they would be right.
Questions:
1) Where are the TMs for the gassers? I need to get the procedure for carb adjustment.
2) Should I simply bob and turn her into a REAL XM381? Or do I bob and double cab?
Saturday morning at 0600 a buddy of mine and I were getting ready to start rolling. With the A2 purring away like a kitten at a bowl of milk it was time to get it in gear and start rolling. We left the house by 0700 and were on the interstate.
Miles flew by, the truck was happy and cruising along at 55. Towns with funny names like Encino, Villanueva, Sena, and Coruco. If you are ever in New Mexico and you are looking for a WONDERFUL back road to take... try NM 3 from I-25 to I-40. You will follow the Pecos river for quite a ways. Just be advised that this is not a towbar friendly road. Anything over about 40 feet and you are hogging both lanes going up and downgrade.
Just as we come off of the ramp into Vegas the A2 decided to stay stuck in 5th. O.O!!!! WOAH! Once I came to a stop at the top of the ramp I monkeyed with the tranny, trying to get her out. Apply some power, no go. Finally I put it in low, slipped the clutch and once we were rolling I was able to get it out of gear. Throw it back into high 2 and we are trucking again.
We arrived Las Vegas at around 10:30. Time FLEW. I think taking that back road is actually faster than hopping on I-25. I know it is fewer miles and FAR more scenic. We got the gasser hooked up and then walked to Subway for lunch. We walked over to O'Reilly for some GL-5 "just in case" we needed it and then did the final inspection of the vehicle. Initially I noticed a few things... the bed is longer than my A2 bed, there is a huge gap between the bed and the cab, the bumperettes are missing, it looks like someone has chopped quite a bit off the rear end already,
and there is quite a bit of work to be done on the ol' gal. The cab is some putrid seafoam green color, but she has good bones to work off of.
With everything ready to go, the gasser in neutral, it was time to get it in gear and start rolling. It was about 1330. I know at one point I talked about turning a deuce bed into a trailer... I am never going to do that now. WOW THOSE BEASTS ARE HEAVY! You can really hear the turbo kick in when there is a decent load behind you.
Because NM-3 was so twisty we elected to go on an alternate route home that was a little better road. Then it was on to I-25, to U-S 84. TALK ABOUT SLOW GOING. Hauling that rig up and down the hogbacks was an exercise in patients. Top speed was 45, minimum speed going up the grades was about 15-20. Man those multifuels can bark!
On the way home we stopped a few times to stretch, check the sidewall temperatures, look at the drivelines, etc. At this point it was likely 90+ in the NM heat. The engine temp in the A2 was consistently around 210*. It is amazing the power difference between the engine at 180* and 210* If I let her cool a bit she comes roaring back ready to go... at 210 it is like a fatigued runner. Course that could also be placebo...
We took the cutoff at Vaughn onto US-60 and then it was a leisurely drive at 45 all the way to I-25. We arrived Socorro around 2015 and then came the fun part... getting the gasser into the back yard. This little endeavor took the better part of two hours. It still isn't where I want it... and it won't be until she can run under her own power.
All in all... I am extremely happy. More pictures to follow, but here are a few from the trip.
My girlfriend, roommates, mother, sisters, and brothers all think I have lost my mind... and they would be right.
Questions:
1) Where are the TMs for the gassers? I need to get the procedure for carb adjustment.
2) Should I simply bob and turn her into a REAL XM381? Or do I bob and double cab?
opcorn:
