Lots of progress has been made in the last week and a half. I got 11 brand new 9r20 power king super traction hd tires will all new tubes for the truck. I wanted a more aggressive stock tire to keep the same power and torque but also have better traction. I broke all 11 tires down and sanded and primed and painted them and reassembled. Fuel tank came in and put brand new gaskets and fuel sending unit in the tank. Checked for leaks and no issues. Tank is squeaky clean. Painted the tank. The truck turns amazing with the 9r20 radials, just like my cargo does with g177 tires. Excited to get it finished up and take it for a spin.
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My 1971 Am General m109a3 RV build
- Thread starter muthkw25
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May I ask what your reasoning is for keeping the 9.00-20 tire size? I have had them on my truck originally, driven it long distance that way and I would never go back after changing to 11.00R20 size. The lower rpm alone are worth it for me.
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You the Busy |Beaver
Got to be a prize on here someplace for that effort that fruitful
I wanted to keep the original size because I will be towing a trailer with the build. Wanted the truck to have the same torque and power while towing up grades. The new tires are a heavier ply then the stock tires and have more aggressive look while still giving me a radial tread for longer tread life. I have 11r20s g177s on my cargo truck and also wanted a different look. Im not worried about top end speed.
Well I got alot accomplished since last update. Got the whole outside box sanded and primed. Applied herculiner to the roof to seal the top and seams to prevent any water leaks. Painted the whole outside as well. Gotta get a couple more coats but it's starting to look like a truck. Dad helped wire up a civy flasher box that clinto made up, then wired up the trucklite led brakelights. Alternator was adjusted because it was overcharging slightly and just fine tuned it and is working great. Got the mudflaps installed and applied bedliner to them to protect them from the stones. Used all stainless steel hardware to mount up the mudflaps. Waiting for the new rubber mud flaps to come in. Painted up the reflector frames to match the truck. Just waiting to apply 2nd coat to the box before mounting them up. Lastly I removed one of the benches from inside the 109. Talk about heavy!
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She has not looked that good in a while, I bet! Very nice.
Thank you very much I'm sure it's been decades but good news is it's going to look better yet.
Since last update I managed to remove the benches inside the box. What a pita. But good news is I was able to get them out and start cleaning up the inside. I ended up removing the old screens and installed brand new ones with copper screen and new stainless hardware. Plan is to tape them up and save me time after painting since they will be installed. Started taping off the lights, data plates, etc. Removed the rear fan to prep for an inside air conditioner.
Plan is to refinish one of the filing cabinets to use and attach an inside air conditioner to the top of it.
My cat decided to check out the box as well.
New rubber mudflaps came in for the truck. Also installed a coolant filter and water pump heater. It's a Katz model 11619 600w. Get on Amazon it's much cheaper. Filter base and filter is from Napa. Works great. Will be excited to see how well it works after.
Plan is to refinish one of the filing cabinets to use and attach an inside air conditioner to the top of it.
My cat decided to check out the box as well.
New rubber mudflaps came in for the truck. Also installed a coolant filter and water pump heater. It's a Katz model 11619 600w. Get on Amazon it's much cheaper. Filter base and filter is from Napa. Works great. Will be excited to see how well it works after.
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That's all nice and stuff, but the MAIN thing is that the CAT approved!
Seriously, this seems to be coming together nicely and looks sharp.
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Seriously, this seems to be coming together nicely and looks sharp.
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Thank you! It has been coming along great. Today I got the rest of the windows tapped of and dad and I finished the deadbolt on the box so someone can't lock me inside the box. Prepping the Walls and floor and getting ready to paint this weekend. Getting excited to see the final product!
archmark
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The data plate in the cab will tell you if it's an M109 or M185. The other sure way to tell is by looking on the upper front passenger side of the box. If there
are two plugs for the shore power, then you have an M185 (the electronics repair version of the shop truck). If you have just one plug then you have an M109A3 (the general purpose repair version of the shop truck). Mine had been registered for years as an M109A3 but the data plate was almost illegible but the dual shore power plugs was the giveaway that what I had was really an M185A3. If yours is an M185A3 and your data plate is legible, sometime please make a scan of it & send it to me & when I get it reproduced I'll send you a free one...
Data plate shows it's a m109a3 but it has two outlets on the passenger side. And the data tag on the box above the pioneer tool kit says it's a m185 so they must have removed the old box and just put a m185a3 box on the truck, or tbe data plate could be wrong.
archmark
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You have yourself a true Unicorn!!
Since last update I was able to prep the inside for paint. And got the walls lightly sanded and the floor vacumed multiple times. Decided to paint the box with 686 card tan. Color really lightens up the inside. Floor is going in next.
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Got the floor installed recently and took the tape off the windows and all the controls inside the box. I bought 3/4" x 3'x3' rubber mats from tractor supply that connect together. These have holes so if water spills it can evaporate and not sit on the wood surface and cause any rot. They works great in my cargo truck so I gave it a shot. So far I like the look of the floor. Makes the box look larger. I got the table and chairs assembled. Other items for the inside are on the way. Did a 2nd coat on the box outside. Have one more coat to do and it should be solid.
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archmark
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What's your thoughts on doing the floor in diamond plate and then having Rhinoliner applied? I really like the rubber mats. The inside really looks good now!!!
Thank you for the compliment!
You could do that but diamond plate would be expensive with the rhinoliner. But it could be doable. It might not be comfortable to walk on with bare feet. As long as the floor is sealed up nicely with paint and the Mats protect the wood, it should be ok. It would be up to you what you want.
archmark
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Did you have the outside bead/soda blasted or just hand sanded? What primer did you use, with an airless?
archmark
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Where'd you buy the tires? Prices on Amazon are considerably higher than some of the online dealers that also offer free shipping...
archmark
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I found a set of 11 at Simpletire for $2497.55 with free shipping. That works out to about $215/tire pluse FET...