Oldfart
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Just got our M816 Wrecker home. It came out of GL last August and managed to survive un molested in an open storage lot lo these many months.
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Home at last
- Thread starter Oldfart
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steelandcanvas
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Sweeeet!
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Nice looking truck. The trailer looked like over kill though. 
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Interesting camo scheme - are you keeping it that way? Makes a refreshing change to the gr-br-blk...
... and welcome to the unofficial underground 'wrecker owners club'!
... and welcome to the unofficial underground 'wrecker owners club'!
Oldfart
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To: Steel and Canvas ~~ Thanks! It has been a long wait to get this one home. This one should fire and run soon enough to put it in the St. Pat's event.
To: swbradley ~~ Yes, it was overkill, but that can happen when you find a trucker who is a thousand miles from home and needs a backhaul. And his home landing zone happens to be just a couple of miles from our home.
To: zebedee ~~ The camo scheme has caused lengthy discussions between my son and myself. We had not seen this camo before and our first inclination when we saw the truck on GL as to repaint in traditional OD. However, when we towed it out of GL and parked it for several hours in the desert while looking for a storage location, we noticed it seemed to really blend in with the enviroment. This set us to wondering if we should just leave the same scheme in place.
To: swbradley ~~ Yes, it was overkill, but that can happen when you find a trucker who is a thousand miles from home and needs a backhaul. And his home landing zone happens to be just a couple of miles from our home.
To: zebedee ~~ The camo scheme has caused lengthy discussions between my son and myself. We had not seen this camo before and our first inclination when we saw the truck on GL as to repaint in traditional OD. However, when we towed it out of GL and parked it for several hours in the desert while looking for a storage location, we noticed it seemed to really blend in with the enviroment. This set us to wondering if we should just leave the same scheme in place.
goldneagle
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Looks like a nice truck. Is it missing the battery cover (step)?
Oldfart
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Yes, the step is missing. The master cylinder was found laying on the cab floorboard and the brain box was missing. The batteries were missing as was a fuel tank cap. The bumper vise and vise plate is missing and the front winch gearcase is broken. It appears the missing vise, vise plate and broken winch gearcase were the same event. I assume the reason the truck was pulled from service. I think the brain box and master cylinder were robbed for another truck. GL made a description error by switching the engine tach reading for the miles. I think that fact made this truck appear to be a high mile unit and turned off many bidders. When we towed the vehicle off base, we were able to jump start it and found the oil pressure to be very good, as was the air pressure. ~~ The tool boxes were locked when we got the truck. We cut the locks off and found all sorts of treasures. Because it was so hot, we did not look to the bottom of any of the boxes, but rather we installed new locks, put the truck in storage and headed home to buy the parts necessary to make it run. My son and I had to laugh a bit as there was a rather lame rope pulley in one of the tool boxes. It seemed out of place with all the large clevises and sacks of tire chains.
Scarecrow1
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I know your glad to have it home. Good luck and let us know how the rebuild is going .........
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Don't laugh - that's one of those golden egg BII pieces that never seems to exist on released trucks. Definately need pics and dims so the rest of us can copy!!
Enjoy : ) : )
Danger Ranger
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I will be watching this. Looks like a great score guys!
crasheej
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Your right zebedee that rope and the blocks that go with it are the frist thing to go. They do come in handy.
indy4x4fab
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Subscribed. Congrads on the new truck.
Gamagoat1
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Looks great, congrats on getting it home!
Nice to have another one in the neighbor hood.
Nice to have another one in the neighbor hood.
steelandcanvas
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Oldfart & Jollyyroger: I might have a 5 ton step at home, you need the right side, battery box top correct? I'll look tonight to be sure.
Oldfart
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It was so hot in the desert outside of Barstow (107degrees early in the am when we entered the DMRO) that it was hard to touch the metal parts of the truck for any length of time. We cut off the padlocks withan 18 inch bolt cutter only to find a 36 incher in one of the tool boxes. We brought that home with us "just in case" someone might cut the locksagain and rediscover the contents. The tool box that had the rope hoist had another coil of rope and we don't know what under all of that. There were some spare fan belts on top of some cardboard boxes of (????) in the other tool box along with the larger bolt cutters. We have no idea what is in the bottom of that box either. We found a couple of sacks of tire chains in the rear sideboxes and more pins and clevises. We did not dig to the bottom of any of that stuff, but I think it is mostly pins and clevises. This weekend we hope to geta few minutes to reopen the boxes and take some photos of what we find. We bought new batteries, a used brain box and a new master cylinder so we could return to Barstow, hopefully make a few quick repairs and drive the beast home.As a result we think we are equipped with the necessaries to get it at least running fairly quickly. The tools to do all this have been residing in theconstruction box in the back of my truck ever since August waiting for the moment we could break away to retrieve our treasure.
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Oldfart
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Oldfart
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More pictures
Jollyroger and I took some time off from business this afternoon to try to check out our M816. We installed the batteries we had taken with us back last August and we made an effort to start the truck. No luck, but we think we ran it clear out of fuel when we jump started it on tow last August. There was no air warning horn either. Makes me wonder if we don't have some wiring undone given there was stuff removed. We opened the tool boxes and took some photos, but again we did not stir around to look under the top layer. There appears to be a large hammer underneath and some sort of an oilcloth bag or liner in one of the boxes. The two sacks of tire chains are larger than we originally thought and I am guessing there are chains for two wheels in each sack. The canvas bags seem a little dry rotted and I fear we will tear them trying to pull them out the small opening. We were able to crank the engine long enough to build a little air pressure and oil pressure. There was pressure in the radiator as well. Fluids look good and full.
Jollyroger and I took some time off from business this afternoon to try to check out our M816. We installed the batteries we had taken with us back last August and we made an effort to start the truck. No luck, but we think we ran it clear out of fuel when we jump started it on tow last August. There was no air warning horn either. Makes me wonder if we don't have some wiring undone given there was stuff removed. We opened the tool boxes and took some photos, but again we did not stir around to look under the top layer. There appears to be a large hammer underneath and some sort of an oilcloth bag or liner in one of the boxes. The two sacks of tire chains are larger than we originally thought and I am guessing there are chains for two wheels in each sack. The canvas bags seem a little dry rotted and I fear we will tear them trying to pull them out the small opening. We were able to crank the engine long enough to build a little air pressure and oil pressure. There was pressure in the radiator as well. Fluids look good and full.
Oldfart
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Photos of the tool boxes
We still did not dig to the bottom of the tool boxes. It looks like our cold Colorado weather did not freeze the spiders and we were out of time after installing the batteries and trying to kick the engine over.
Besides the top of the tool boxes there are some photos of the boom and things stuffed between the spare and the cab. Not sure what the square board lid like thing is.
We still did not dig to the bottom of the tool boxes. It looks like our cold Colorado weather did not freeze the spiders and we were out of time after installing the batteries and trying to kick the engine over.
Besides the top of the tool boxes there are some photos of the boom and things stuffed between the spare and the cab. Not sure what the square board lid like thing is.
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Nice Wrecker.
It appears to be painted in the dessert "merdec" pattern. I have seen some M931 tractors with it and it does look cool. Somewhere down the road I am thinking of painting my tan m923 with the same pattern as the base coat is already on it.
It appears to be painted in the dessert "merdec" pattern. I have seen some M931 tractors with it and it does look cool. Somewhere down the road I am thinking of painting my tan m923 with the same pattern as the base coat is already on it.
Oldfart
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last photos from today
It is hard to see in the photo of the tool box with all the ropes, but there is another rope hoist with the pull to lock feature that appears to be larger than the rope hoist in the tool box with the fan belts. ~~ The dates on the photos are incorrect (camera batteries died and I did not reset the date and time.)
It is hard to see in the photo of the tool box with all the ropes, but there is another rope hoist with the pull to lock feature that appears to be larger than the rope hoist in the tool box with the fan belts. ~~ The dates on the photos are incorrect (camera batteries died and I did not reset the date and time.)
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