M932A2 and Mk-48 Cab conversion

[agazza2]

wiring and cooling update

Well the wires are all spliced/soldered and shrink tubed together. Just have a few in the cab to extend (indicator lamps, shifter). Ordered some radiator hoses and 90 degree extension tube which will get painted. Sent 2 hoses back to Amazon because the quality is not as good as High Performance Silicone (HPS) that already was on the truck. The other HPS which I ordered from Amazon I kept and is the blue one on the photo.

Drove up to see Soni on Saturday (16 hour round trip) to purchase front cab guard, cab steps, and heater for the MK-48 cab. Wish I had more time to spend their as I am sure I could have found many things to buy. Thanks Soni, as this is going to make the build that much easier.

Lower Hose
Lower hoses will be fairly straight forward. One 90 degree then go into bypass, and then into a 45 degree so there are no hard bends. Then it will have the straight cross over into the final 90 degree that goes into the radiator. (HPS 2.5" 90 degree & 2.25" 45 degree used, and original 90 degree).

Upper Hose
Brand (UPGR) 13" aluminiumradiator extension tube used. Purchased this on Amazon as well.

Radiator shroud will be refitted to radiator with addition of aluminum flat pieces to provide addition material to bolt shroud too.

Also started to work on the shifter adapter plate. The plate will go under the current black plate and extend out to be able to bolt to the existing holes in the cab. Should have photos of this once completed.

 

[agazza2]

Engine Doghouse build

Worked on the engine doghouse this weekend for a few hours before it was to hot to touch anything metal outside. The main structure is in place, but still need to make support brackets that tie into the existing m932A2 front cab mount brackets that go to the frame. Front doghouse framework will have either flat steel gussets, or angle brackets welded on for additional support for fenders. Also thinking about adding the same type of support for the rear section of the fenders before the fenders turn down. Once all the brackets are in place, end caps for the steel tubing will be welded into place. I used 2" x 2" x 1/4 steel tube for the front, and 2" x 4" x 1/4 for the rear. Exhaust tube from the turbo comes straight out to the 90. At the end of the 90 degree I am thinking about using the original flex section to sustain any movement from the engine torquing.

Also received the hoses in the mail from Amazon so I should be able to finish up the cooling system this week one night after work. I need to also start ordering parts for next phases of the project (shifter cable, bell-crank for air throttle, ect....)

 

[machinist75]

Coming along very nicely, good job.

 

[agazza2]

Exhaust fabrication

Today made a little progress on the exhaust and lower radiator house. The exhaust will be placed like a HEMMT except will exhaust will exit on the passenger side to reduce the noise for the driver. Brackets are clamped in place and will be welded once all modifications are completed. I need to add one small section of flex tube on the bottom to allow for movement. Thinking about using the original one from under the M932 cab if I can get it to stop rattling.

The lower radiator hose was installed and will clear the fan shroud. Need to purchase some 3" clamps to complete the install. Also finalized the template for the shifter adapter plate and will plan on cutting it out tomorrow. Some photos of today's progress.

 

[agazza2]

Did not have as much time to work on the truck last weekend as I had to work. But I did get a few things done including finishing the exhaust and mounting the air cleaner assembly, and start on the mount bracket for the front guard. This week I will start to build the rest of the engine doghouse so I can start getting panels made to enclose it. Also ordered the shift cable from Custom Control Cables out of Houma, LA (www.theafdc.com) Custom cable made to match what is currently on the truck but 12' long. P/N 200-04333-0144

Specifics on the cable 4 series 1/4"-28 all stainless steel fittings, 3" of travel, grooved clamp hub on both sides, 144" long. Their website helps you build the P/N for the custom cable. Cable was made and shipped the same day. I will probably order my park brake cable and transfer case cable from the same company when I am ready to tackle that part of the project. Pics of the cable will be posted when it arrives.

The air cleaner snorkel will get rotated towards the front once the side covers are made so it will be away from the exhaust heat. I may also modify the air inlet to the side of the top cover so only the mushroom cover will be used. This would eliminate the extra pipe, and resemble the HEMMT air cleaner. Also will look at the Air cleaner housing mods other SS members have been doing for increased air flow.

 

[agazza2]

Shifting completed, ROPS enclosure, Front guard progress

Even though it was 115-117 degrees outside this weekend I was able to make a little progress on few parts of the truck with the materials I had available. Received the shift cable in the mail, and it is an exact replacement for the original cable. Also finished the shifter adapter plate (I will take a photo of the install and template. Put the front guard on the support I made last weekend, and have made my materials list for additional steel tubing I need to complete this part of the project.

The weekend wrapped up with starting to connect the doghouse ROPS together so I can get pre-liminary measurements for the top, and sides. The top I am thinking about going with 11-12 gauge metal (up to 1/8") so it would be strong enough to walk on. This would allow me take weld it in place. The other option would be to go with 1/4 aluminium and use big daddy rivets or bolts to secure it to the ROPS. The side panels will be made out of aluminium so they can be folded up easily. I will be glad to get this portion done so I can get all the hoses, wires, and Protective control box mounted and secured. During the week I will be working in my garage on the parallel box for the steering to make a mount bracket. That way next weekend I can start taking measurements for the steering shafts that I will need to have made.

A few pics of the work completed this weekend.

 

[Viper8]

Super professional work - really nice! Did you design/build the doghouse to be removable if (heaven forbid) you have to pull the engine at some point, or would you just pull it straight out of the top of the doghouse structure?

 

[Landbarger]

SO STOKED that there's another one of these builds to watch. Please know that all of the time it takes out of your project to take pictures and write-up your progress is hugely appreciated by many of us on-lookers.

 

[patracy]

How in the world did I miss this thread!

Looks great! When I got to the wiring portion I kinda started asking myself if this was really a good idea LOL.

 

[Tinwoodsman]

How in the world did I miss this thread!

Looks great! When I got to the wiring portion I kinda started asking myself if this was really a good idea LOL.

Based on your end result Drew it was a good idea.

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

Sweet project I'm curious.. How does the air make it to the radiator in that position? Is there a scoop somewhere that I missed, or does it just travel under the truck through that bottom cutout in the front?

 

[agazza2]

Super professional work - really nice! Did you design/build the doghouse to be removable if (heaven forbid) you have to pull the engine at some point, or would you just pull it straight out of the top of the doghouse structure?

The doghouse will be removable. Between Soni's & Drew's build they have worked through many of the challenges one would have faced by being the first one to do these builds. You would not believe how many times I go through both of their builds and photos and use it as a photo instruction manual for assemble for this build. You really get an understanding many of the challenges they faced especially when looking at each item that needs to be modified. Both Drew and Soni have provided me with the inspiration to do this build.

Sometimes I find myself staring at certain things for the build, and come up with an idea, then go back, and look at the other builds and see if the way I am thinking would be along the lines with what they did.

 

[agazza2]

Sweet project I'm curious.. How does the air make it to the radiator in that position? Is there a scoop somewhere that I missed, or does it just travel under the truck through that bottom cutout in the front?

The front cut-out is exactly how it will get the air to the radiator. This is a large opening and slopes up near the radiator which provides good airflow. For the my build, I will not build any major structure in this area to restrict the airflow. If I put a winch in later, it will be low profile and mounted lower. The grill will also be designed the same as the original HEMMT/MK-48 with large rectangular holes.

 

[agazza2]

Drew, I agree, it was a good idea going forward with your build. When I looked at the 48+ wires I cut and labeled I knew there was no turning back at this point. But I have done this many times when I worked at GM Desert Proving Grounds when building mock up vehicles during the winter. I also keep checking your build pages looking for updates. But I guess once you complete this big of a project, you need a break for awhile just to be able to enjoy the vehicle. I am looking forward to when you start to build some modules for your SEMMT.

I think the module concept is a great idea to make one truck a very versatile and multi-purpose truck. I am thinking about putting a LMTV bed on mine for one of the modules. Keep up the excellent work on your build.

 

[agazza2]

I have made some progress over the last few weeks, but just have not had a chance to post. Some of the accomplishments but not completions are to cut the battery box down and move it forward. I will be using a M925A2 single fuel tank, so I do not have to have all the extra fuel lines. Also I will not need to have the switching valve.

Had the sheet metal bent for the fenders, and top of the dog-house, and started to install the passenger side fender. I still need to build additional support brackets for the fenders. I will also weld the whole length of the fender. Right now I just ran 1"-2" beads. I also moved the tire mount bracket forward to behind the doghouse once I rotated it 180 degrees. The storage box will now be on the drivers side. This mount will also get cut down on the passengers side to make room for the spare tire to mount on the ROPS. The air tank that was behind the drivers side step was moved to under the storage box so the battery box can be moved back closer to the frame.

I also mounted the steering parallel box to the frame, and another bracket behind the parallel box bracket to support the PCB box. The side access panels have been added to the passengers side. A rain gutter will be added to the top when I weld the top of the doghouse on. With all these items in place I can start building some the additional support brackets for the ROPS, Fenders, and front brush guard.

Today I did see a big difference in using quality Stick welder rods. The last ones I used 7018 that were on sale from Praxair, did an all right job, but not the best. Since I ran out over the weekend, I went to Home Depot and bought the Lincoln 7018 rods. Talk about a great bead, and ease of sticking an arc. Did not realize there would be that much difference.

 

[agazza2]

fender bracing

More progress to share on the work that was done on the fenders this weekend. I made the back braces for the fenders which will also serve as steps. On the passengers side the support also holds the spare. An additional beam will be installed to secure the tire too. On the drivers side, the support has been made with the step. Below will be another two steps. One is the step that is made from the cab step, and a plate will be attached to the top of this bracket to create the middle step. I will need to make a grab handle on the storage box to aid in climbing up to the fender. The fenders are made out of 1/8 steel, and the steps metal was re-purposed from the M932A2 fuel tank covers.

Planned work for next weekend
The spare tire lift will be similar to Soni's FEMMT and swing outwards to lower the wheel. I will be cutting up the old M932A2 lift to make a shorter and movable lift. I will also start to close in the back of the engine doghouse. If it is cool enough outside I will take the tarp off the truck and take a full photo of the whole truck.

 

[agazza2]

Modified rotating tire davit

Was able to get the modified tire davit mounted today. Still need to take the top off and figure out what type of a winch to mount on the top to lower the tire. The top will be pinned, so it does not rotate during traveling. Tke the pin out and the top will rotate out to lower the tire. The top will also be able to be taken off, and used at the Tire davit behind the engine doghouse to lift items on the back of the truck. May use a gear drive hand crank for now to lower the tire, until I can find a small winch that has a brake. I will also add angle 1/4" sheet metal triangles at the corner of the tire davit for reinforcement tomorrow.

Tuesday I will be going to Barstow to pick up the BAE hood air ventilators I won. I will use one on the back of the doghouse. I may end up keep two additional ones for future projects.

 

[agazza2]

More progress

I have been working on small items to finish up this project. Was able to find a Military hand crank winch on one of the popular auction website after CastleBravo let me know he had seen a few available. It is a Thern 83L Hand Crank Winch. It should work out great for lifting the spare tire. A photo of the winch is attached. Went to start it up, only to find out all the batteries are junk from sitting out in the Arizona summer heat. Started to also work on finishing the steering. Used a M1070 jack shaft for the connection from the parallel box forward. I will have more photos of that soon once it is shortened and welded.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I have been working on small items to finish up this project. Was able to find a Military hand crank winch on one of the popular auction website after CastleBravo let me know he had seen a few available. It is a Thern 83L Hand Crank Winch. It should work out great for lifting the spare tire. A photo of the winch is attached. Went to start it up, only to find out all the batteries are junk from sitting out in the Arizona summer heat. Started to also work on finishing the steering. Used a M1070 jack shaft for the connection from the parallel box forward. I will have more photos of that soon once it is shortened and welded.

I've been looking at those winches for a while now for a project on my truck. I'd appreciate your opinions on it after you've used it a bit. They look well built.

Your truck is coming along nicely. I really enjoy seeing how creative some folks can be. Great job so far.

 

[agazza2]

Swamp Donkey, I will definitely you know how it does after I install it. It does look like it is heavy duty compared to what is available for hand crank models. It seems like it is rated a little low compared to how it is constructed.