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Extensive M108 repairs

Stretch44875

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I guess I could call it M35 gasser repairs instead, since no repairs were performed/needed on the crane. This is all to get it road ready, its been a yard truck for too long. A lot of parts came off a parts truck(multi) I had that was in good shape.

Start with the engine.(pun!)

New belts, hoses, radiator fluid, governor for air adjusted, valves and timing adjusted, aircleaner cleaned and hooked up.

Thought I had the spark right on the truck, but when I went and set the timing the truck ran like crap. Double checked the timing marks, and they were right on. Had to really advance the timing to get it to run. Turns out the new distributor I got was the was made to rotate the opposite way! So instead of advancing the timing, it retarded it. That will not make your engine happy. So dug out the old distributor and put new stuff out of the newer one in the old one. Truck revs out good, and has power for the first time!

Changed fuel tank, old one was pinholed. New batteries.

Jacked up the truck and used the out riggers to hold up the rear. After looking at them I didn't trust them to not sway(they are pivoted at the top). So put a bar between them at the bottom, then 2 heavy duty ratcheting straps in a X to hold them together, and keep from swaying.

Front axle, shocks, and springs were changed(since I had a u-joint style one, and springs/shocks were in better shape).

All torque rod/dogbones replaced and modified in the rear(see other thread)

Rear trunion bar/bushings and u-bolts replaced. Mine didn't have bearings, but tapered bushings with grease slots in them. Cleaned/regreased them. Another thing that other should check, u-bolts in the rear can rust away to nothing inside the trunion housing. The orginial ones were rusted bad, and would not come out.

New inner seals, wheel hub seals, and one piece boots for the front axle.

New inner, outer, and pinion seals for the rear axles. All brake hubs cleaned, including removing slinger and cleaning behind in on the rear hubs. All wheel bearings cleaned/checked/regreased. Had to replace 2 bearing/cone sets.

The braking system was JUNK. All the wheel cylinders were seeping/leaking, some pistons were stuck. Airpack had bad seals in it. Master cylinder was decent. Everything got rebuilt.

All new brake hoses, all steel lines replaced in the rear, some in the front. Some of the original lines had compression splices, which are low pressure.

Rear driveshafts replaced with newer ones. New rear wiring harness, newer style lights/brackets all the way around. Tires changed around to best ones on front, and decent tread on all.

Winch lock button repaired, cable greased and respooled.

Still have to install front wiring harness, newer turn signal switch/box, doors, windshield, hardtop, change some fluids(most already done), hit all the grease zerks, and strip off some metal that was welded to the rear deck.

Truck runs SO MUCH BETTER! Brakes are excellent, gets up to speed, shifts/revs out nice. Too bad it's probably only 4 mpg. Don't know how fast yet, at 27 degrees and no windshield, I didn't go far.

If you have bought a M35 truck for the road, and not pulled the brake hubs, get it done. All three of the M35's I have took apart had seeping/leaking wheel cylinders. Just because it's fresh out of the military, doesn't mean it's been maintained in the last 5+ years. First thing anyone should do with these trucks is check the braking system top to bottom, and repack/inspect all the wheel bearings and seals.

Dennis
 

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Stretch44875

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And a BIG shout out to Dan, otherwise known as therainbowboxer on SS, for coming out and helping. Idea is for the truck to go to Findlay, Marango, and Haspin.

Dennis
 

JDToumanian

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That's awesome Dennis!

I need to do a lot of the same work on my V-18A/MTQ, and I've been working on it a lot lately.... Collecting tons of parts, removing anything not original.

Yesterday I removed the carburetor and exhaust manifold, as the carb needs rebuilding and the manifold nuts had stripped some of the threads.... I dreaded removing the studs for fear of breaking one in the head, but they all came right out with no problem. Quite a morale booster!

Jon
 

doghead

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Did you replace or rebuild the wheel cylinders? Which brake fluid did you use?

That sure is a lot of work accomplished!
 

jwaller

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I just replaced a wheel cylinder on the 818 and found about 3 table spoons of rust in the bottom of that old one. I suspect they all have that in them. in time I'll rebuild them all. I've done all the rubber flex hoses already.
 

Stretch44875

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Yep, that was the only thing holding the axles under the truck.

Honed and rebuilt all the wheel cylinders. Some had rust pitting in them, but was where the piston rides, and not the seal.

DOT 3. Used Kenny's infamous pressure bleeder, work like a charm, again!

Took a nap in the afternoon....

Most of the work was in the last 2 weeks, couple of things were last month.

I will post up some more pics, as soon as the camera gets found:evil:
 

maddawg308

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Great work, Stretch. Would be great to see that at Haspin, but I know the fuel bill to drive there would be murder, even from only mid-Ohio.
 

TheRainbowBoxer

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And a BIG shout out to Dan, otherwise known as therainbowboxer on SS, for coming out and helping. Idea is for the truck to go to Findlay, Marango, and Haspin.

Dennis
NP. I'll probably be able to come out and help with wiring the cab on Thursday.

..and @ Maddog - Chris S. and I will probably be donating cash to the 'get the crane to haspin' fund.
 

Recovry4x4

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I'm lucky in the fact that mine had all the dogbones replaced before I got it. I'm unlucky in the fact that all the cylinders need to be repacked as they leak like crazy. Oh well, at least the transition to multifuel is done!
 
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