Gasser Cab Removal

[sermis]

Tim, are the lines the same as on the M35. I don't know what is left on my parts truck.

 

[Barrman]

Yes, the lines are the same and yes, I am going to replace all the brake lines and hoses. The long metal line to the rear axles has already been replaced. I have new front rubber hoses along with another line for the drivers side front. My plan was to get the cab/fenders/hood on the truck and drive it in to my class to let my students learn how to work on some real brakes. Thanks for the suggestion about changing them all. I was thinking about it, but the last day or so has convinced me it has to be done now.

 

[Barrman]

I hit the wrong reply button above. Here you can see my thinking ahead about brakes because I didn't worry about painting anything near them since they will we removed along with the hubs and bearings to give my students something to do.

Sermis, I meant to call you between coats tonight, but I was able to run a complete cup through the gun without getting back to where I started. So, I just mixed more paint and kept spraying. 4 cups got the engine and everything else you see painted on 3 sides. I didn't clean the bottom of stuff, so there wasn't any point in painting it.

 

[sermis]

Are you going to run duels? If not flip the hubs.

 

[littlebob]

Tim
Did you do anything to the chassis Chemically. I presure washed the front half of mine a few times and used degeaser and spent a lot of time trying to remove the undercoating that was put on mine with a scraper, wire brush and cup brush on a small grinder. I'm now working on the rear portion after repainting the front and replacing the cab. I've been using the needle scaler tht I didn't have on the front portion of my project and will finish up with the cupped brush, but I'm still not sure how much I need to do after I get to that point.
littlebob

 

[nattieleather]

Tim,

I thought the new cab could be lifted by your roof winch? I thought the issue of putting the new cab on was a non issue. Or are you planning on bolting everything to the new cab prior to putting it back in the truck? I would think it would be better in the long run to leave it bare and install the cab and then bolt the seats in, the air cleaner on etc. once the cab was installed.

 

[Barrman]

Sermis, Duals on this truck. A future yet to be found and bought multifuel will probably get the tires and rims like you are running. I figure a running Gasser is something somewhat rare and deserves not to be modified as much as I would like. I hear "I have never even seen a Gasser" a lot. So, this one gets all new wires with Packard ends and a 60 Amp alternator. That is about all the modifications I plan for this truck besides the 11.00 tires and drop side bed. But, a Gasser bed is not going to be cost effective to find/buy/redo and most people won't know the difference anyway. Yes, your bed we moved the other day would be closer to correct, but right now, I want to finish and drive the darn thing. My bed is closer to that objective than yours.

RJ, nothing. When I did the M715, I put regular automotive primer down on bare metal and then the Gillespie paint over that on the first few parts. Chips and flakes were caused by the primer coming off. I didn't have the funds to buy the red oxide primer at the time and just painted the rest of it paint to metal. None of that has come off yet without a bigger/harder object hitting it first. Such as a M35 rim dropped onto the tailgate lip. Even that takes a lot less paint off than you would think. We have humidity here, but nothing like the swamp you are surrounded by so rust might make things different for you.

I did figure out that if the metal has growing rust on it when I clean it bare, the rust will grow back with the paint on top. But, bare, shiny metal painted within a day or two with just paint on top seems to last as long as I let the paint stay there without abusing it. Your previously undercoated areas would probably be fine if painted the day after you removed the undercoat. But, the best thing to do is bare metal, Ospho/ POR-12, red oxide primer and then paint.

Joe, I stripped the frame a lot more than I planned. I am not building a show truck but a driver I plan to use as much as I can afford the fuel to. The frame got painted because I had to take the truck this far down to replace the cabs. Kind of a "while I have it apart, I might as well paint it" thing. But, I had to stop somewhere. I sat and looked at it for a while yesterday morning thinking "I can get the engine/transmission out with about 20 bolts right now. That would really make the inside frame look good." Then reality hit. I need my shop space for stuff other than M35 frame storage.

Now, about the lift. I used the winch to pick up the stripped cab last week. The winch was about 3 feet from a truss. I had to move the winch so it would line up over the cab on the truck. You can't tell in the pictures, but I have about 3 feet of clearance front and rear on the frame and no more. The frame is in the only spot it can be. This put the winch about 10 feet from the nearest truss. Yes, the replacement cab is at least 200-400 pounds lighter. But, with the steering column out. The frame is going to be very difficult to move. Using the overhead winch will require the frame being moved both out and in with a doubtfull safe working result on the winch after I move the truck. The engine hoist however can pick up the cab where it is and put it over the frame without moving anything.

I have been thinking about it a lot since last Friday if you can't tell. Then I screwed up during my paint fest last night. I didn't even think about painting the battery box and tool box. Yes, they can be installed after the cab. But, they are a lot easier to install without the cab in the way. So, that leaves today with figuring out which of my 3 possible battery compartments and tool boxes or combinations of I want to use, sanding them down and then painting the underside of them. I also need to find an open auto parts store to buy metal brake line at so I can make a new tank to front frame fuel line. The weather is probably going to keep me from painting the top sides if I get that far today in the evening Wednesday or even the rest of the week. That pushes me back to the heat of the day Saturday for final painting. So, maybe Sunday afternoon I will be able to mount the boxes and try to mount the cab.

 

[sermis]

One on each corner of the cab from the roof. It will disperse the weight.

 

[2027Deuce]

Tim,
I have a gasser bed and I am undecided if I should try to save it or find a better one. I have an older TM but I am unable to find the differece between a gasser bed and a diesel. Are they significantly different or just cosmetic?

But, a Gasser bed is not going to be cost effective to find/buy/redo and most people won't know the difference anyway.

The bed I have needs two cross members redone, right side about middle, right over the exhaust. It also has rusted through slightly in the front, but is fixable. I was just curious if there is a big difference in beds.

Scott

 

[jesusgatos]

I'm in the process of replacing the cab on my M109 with an NOS cab that I picked up a while ago, and I've got the whole thing stripped, except for the steering column. I can't lift the cab up and back because of the M109 box. Do I really have to remove the steering box? Ugh...

 

[jesusgatos]

Really hoping to hear that there's some other way to remove the steering column. No way to disconnect it from the box?

 

[Barrman]

You can pull the column out of the box. Refer to the -30 manual about what has to be done. MVM did an article a while back about steering box removal as well.

I chose to keep it all together because it worked great. I figured if I bent something or didn't get it back together right, it would not have been worth the time saved by pulling the box and column off as a unit. Plus, pulling the box requires the drag link/pitman arm to be removed. Doing that made me inspect it which basically assured me that my entire steering system was in good shape and safe for road use.

 

[jesusgatos]

OK, thanks. I'll check out that manual, but it's good to know that I can remove the column from the box. After I replace the cab and swap-in my new LDS engine, I'm going to remove the stock steering box and install a full hydro steering setup. So I'm not too concerned about how the box comes apart. I only need to be able to put it back together so I can move it from one part of the driveway to another.

 

[Barrman]

Then pull it apart. Once you see the exploded view in the -30 and -30P, you will understand why I wasn't in a hurry to pull it apart.

 

[jesusgatos]

Then pull it apart. Once you see the exploded view in the -30 and -30P, you will understand why I wasn't in a hurry to pull it apart.

I haven't downloaded the -30 manuals yet, but I looked at the -34 manual and it was hard to tell from the illustrations what order things need to come apart in. Does the -30 manual explain that? I'm just wondering how much of the box I'm going to have to disassemble, and whether I can do that while the box is still in the truck.

 

[jesusgatos]

Anybody have a link to the -30 manuals handy?

 

[Barrman]

Had my trucks mixed up. Sorry about that. The -34 is what you want for the M35A2

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