My BIG M925A2 Project Truck Is Home

[BFR]

wow, I can't believe tha amount of progress you have made... It looks great!

 

[Nonotagain]

Chris, my sister’s ex-boy friend had a 46' trawler with a single diesel engine that got a tank full of spaghetti algae when he fueled up in Norfolk heading to Cape Hatteras.

He got towed back into Norfolk to the marina where he had purchased the fuel. He dispensed fuel right from the pump into a clear five gallon container to prove that the fuel was contaminated. A case of algaecide and two cases for fuel filters later he finally got to Hatteras.

Figure on pulling the tank, filling it with a couple of gallons of water and TSP and bring it to a boil over a gas burner. Rinse the tank a couple of times using hot water, and then refill using fresh fuel.

 

[jbingvtx]

I have just read this whole thread start to current. What an adventure! You have invested money, time, sweat and I'm sure more than a few drops of blood. It will be a vehicle that you know inside and out. I'm new here, you started this project long before I even visited this site. I see a whole community pulling for you, helping find parts, helping turn wrenches and lots cheering you on. It is this comradarie that first drew me to this website. I like the way this truck has been a focal point in your family as well, it reminds me of wrenching on any one of my old wrecks with my brother. We always had to go for a "victory lap" whenever we got one patched together enough to run. I came here interested in MVs but now I've found lots of great people that I am eager to meet in person. I can't wait to see this gigantic beast with my own eyes too. Kudos Sir, I am looking foreward to the next update.

 

[hndrsonj]

Chris, truck is looking great. As much as you don't want to hear it, I'd pull the tank all plugs etc and take it to a big truck place for a steam cleaning (my deuce tank was $30). You are spending alot of time and money on temp fix filters, may as well fix it right once. Just my 2 cents.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Thanks for the encouragement and the suggestions everyone. I appreciate it. Pulling and cleaning the tank may be the ultimate solution. So far, I am only out a couple of inexpensive in-line filters. The inside of the tank that I can see looks spotless, so I figure it must be hiding in the depths of the tank somewhere. I really want to try that BioKleen before I pull it. I have read some really good reviews about it, but I couldn't find any before I went down this time.

I am definitely looking forward to the added filtration capacity from the big cartridge filter. It is something I wanted to add to my 923A2 and have been planning to add to this truck even before this little hiccup. The little inline filters are notorious for plugging up at inopportune moments. There is a PS Magazine article out there about that very thing.

 

[skull bone]

The Seabees logo on the mudflaps makes the truck

 

[cranetruck]

Hey Chris, that filter looks like a mistake, hard to believe that it was installed in a production vehicle...also, it should be a water separator. If you have the space, go for the Racor type used on the Hemtt trucks, should be surplus units around for about $35 that only need a cleanup and new drop-in cartridges (love those top loaded filters!).
I have all the info on the Racor filters if you go that route.

 

[maddawg308]

I notice all the tires are inflated, and I remember the early pics showed flat tires. Did you hook up the CTIS, or are you running without the CTIS for now?

 

[BKubu]

Hey Chris, that filter looks like a mistake, hard to believe that it was installed in a production vehicle...also, it should be a water separator. If you have the space, go for the Racor type used on the Hemtt trucks, should be surplus units around for about $35 that only need a cleanup and new drop-in cartridges (love those top loaded filters!).
I have all the info on the Racor filters if you go that route.

Bjorn, I hate to say it, but that little in-line filter is actually correct! I thought the same thing when I got my first A2. I figured someone must have installed an additional filter for some reason, but it is correct. On the positive side, they are easy to replace and they are inexpensive. I have about 20 and I keep a couple in the truck. I have only had to replace them when I do my regular servicing. I know that Chris had several clog on my old tan M925A2 when he drove it up from Winslow's place in NC.

 

[cranetruck]

Bruce, do you have a part number for that in-line filter, I'd like to compare spec?

 

[Oldvw2]

I notice all the tires are inflated, and I remember the early pics showed flat tires. Did you hook up the CTIS, or are you running without the CTIS for now?

Hey Mike,
We've actually got new(er) shoes under her now - long term plans are to hook the CTIS back up....

Chad

 

[duncan]

Chris, one thing you should check before going all out on tank cleaning, whats the state of the fuel lines themselves? When the truck has been stood for a long time with diesel left in the lines, that will have turned to goo. With the fresh diesel now flowing past itll slowly break up that residue and clog the filter.
I fixed that by replacing about all fuel lines, but unhooking the lines on both sides and blowing out with some air might work too. Beware though that the muck gets really thick, mine looked and felt like semi dried glue. In some of the lines I could not replace I used steel wire to scrape the insides.

I simple fix might be to get some cheap hose, connect to the pump (with a filter ofcourse) and drop the other end into the tank through the filler cap, then run on that for a few miles. Using clear hose would make your life even easier

 

[davidkroberts]

Chad,
Have you or anyone else figured out how to make the CTIS reliable? All the ones ive seen have ended up deflating one or more of the tires. Ive been wary about getting one of the new M35A3's partly because of it.

Dave

 

[steelsoldiers]

Bjorn, that filter is a clear plastic unit I got from Napa so I could see how quickly it was clogging. The stock A2 trucks came with a small spin-on filter/water separator mounted on the block after the lift pump. The GI's soon discovered that filter by itself was inadequate so a small metal filter was added right before the lift pump. The braided line that connects the copper supply line to the lift pump was cut in two and the filter was added with clamps. Later, the GI's figured out that the fuel filter setup on the 939/939A1 trucks was much more effective/efficient/less likely to clog and deadline the truck. The depot maintenance folks started adding those filter kits to the A2 trucks to remedy the problem. I picked up my needed fittings and had a hose made at my Napa today. I love my Napa! I will post pics so you can see the size comparison.

Mike, the CTIS is not hooked up right now. The tires that were on the truck were all flat and shredded. Now it has a set of 90% tires with cores in the valve stems. The CTIS will probably be the last thing to be fixed on my truck.

Duncan, thanks for the suggestion. It is possible that some of the debris is coming from the lines. That truck had been sitting for a long time. My money is on the tank though because when I got the truck there was no cap on the tank and it was a 50/50 water/fuel mix. I drained the whole tank and there was a good bit of muck in it. There was probably some left behind the baffles and clinging to the sides/bottom after I drained it.

Dave, the CTIS system on my 923A2 worked very well. I am hoping to be able to get it working on my 925A2 as well. The key is to have clean/dry air, leak free connections throughout, clean filters in the wheel valves, clean electrical connections, rust-free valves, and a good ECU. I haven't worked on the M35A3 system, but I would assume that the same principles would apply.

 

[steelsoldiers]

I had a good work day today. It was bitter cold with the wind howling, but it was sunny and dry.

I started out by dumping some BioKleen in the fuel tank and adding 20 more fresh gallons of fuel.

Then, I decided to install the exhaust stack. Too bad I installed the muffler upside down a while back! So, I had to remove, flip, and re-mount the muffler. After that, I was able to get the stack installed. That should help keep the rain out of the muffler .

Then, I removed the bent and mangled splash guard from under the passenger side of the cab. The bolts were seriously rusty so that was fun. Once I got the old one off, I had to remove the splash guard and fender from the parts truck. It was even rustier so needless to say the captured nuts were a huge PITA. I finally got them off and readied to install on my truck. Thankfully, they went on a lot easier than they came off. I had to adjust my cab with the BFH to get things to line up since the last fender had been torn off before I got it!

My final project of the day was installing the big fuel filter. I had to borrow some power tools for that so I fired up the truck and drove it over to John's shop. Pete and David were there working on some 4x4 deuces. I used the drill press to drill some holes in the mounting bracket. Then, I marked the transmission cross-member for a set of matching holes and broke out the power drill. One of the holes was off a little so I had to use the die grinder to elongate it a little. Things lined up great after that. Then, I mounted the bracket and the filter housing with some shiny new grade 8 hardware. Once it was mounted, I had to fun the flex lines, fill the canister with fresh fuel, prime the system with the push button on the lift pump, and check for leaks. The truck fired right up after that and all of the connections were dry.

Before heading out for the day, it was time for a test drive. I flipped on my lights and headed for the 2-lane country road. I eased the truck on up to 50 MPH and cruised on down the road. It shifted and accelerated smoothly. The brakes pulled it back down to a stop without any issues. I hung a u-turn in a gravel lot and headed back to John's. I hit 55 MPH on the way back. What a great feeling!

Next time I go down it will be time to finish the wiring, lights, mount the bumper, and the winch control valve. I also need to get the oil pan swapped and the bedsides installed. A new soft top needs to go on too.

Sorry about the lack of good pics. I forgot my camera and had to use my crackberry.

 

[EZFEED]

HEY! Lemme get back to you on this chain hoist you are talking about. Its not like a little hand operated crank thingy with a little short boom on it is it???? I have something like this that I picked up with a lot of junk.

Also...if you see something for sale at one of our locations like Polk or Beauregard here in LA then bid and lemme know so I can pick it up for you and find a way to ship. I have a camp on Toledo Bend lake and either one are on the way and I do run up there and back once or twice a month. I'm sure everyone here would do the same for each other too I would hope.

Lemme see if I have that hoist. I wanna say its a cable though???

Hey...I screwed up and forgot about this Actually...5 days after I posted that my grandfather started getting really weak and sickly and he just passed a few days after Thanksgiving so I was preoccupied with him to that point. Went back home twice during that period but never thought about the winch and boom. I'm going on my week off tomorrow and will snap some pics fer ya!

 

[EZFEED]

WOW Chris you never cease to amaze me each time I view this thread! Dont know how you are doing this out in this weather....jeez!

Chris, one thing you should check before going all out on tank cleaning, whats the state of the fuel lines themselves? When the truck has been stood for a long time with diesel left in the lines, that will have turned to goo. With the fresh diesel now flowing past itll slowly break up that residue and clog the filter.

Ditto Duncan, same thing with mine too. It was like cleaning cholesterol out of a fat mans arteries. That crap comes out in chunks Chris and may take some time to clear out.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Thanks for thinking about the hoist, but I actually lucked into one just recently. Sorry to hear about your grandfather. As far as the weather goes, I think I actually prefer work projects in the freezing cold compared to the sweaty, stinking hot, humid, mosquito/gnat/tick/bee infested summer

 

[steelsoldiers]

I forgot to mention that a couple of SS guys stopped by while I was working. Brandon AMGeneral and Neil neilhendrix pulled up in Brandon's dually. Brandon was nice enough to deliver my tool crates that came all the way from TX via Frodo and timntrucks. They spent a couple of hours looking around the yard and shopping for parts. It was good seeing you guys and thanks for the delivery!

 

[halftrack]

I like the fuel filter set-up!