My first and new Kaiser m715

[SouthernM715]

Just got it sorta..Have to pay the rest off before I can bring it home. HOPE you guys like..and thank you for letting me join!

 

[clinto]

Welcome to Steel Soldiers!

Great looking truck, there are a lot of 715 guys here..............

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

Agreed with Clint here...very nice lookin' truck! Also welcome to SS...always good to have another MV brethren.

 

[SouthernM715]

Thanks for the welcome..Ive lurked before drooling over all these mean machines..Finally found one in great shape..trying to add pictures.

 

[SouthernM715]

Inside pics

 

[maddawg308]

Very nice -715 there! Looks like the previous owner removed the gas can holders, inverted the taillights (???), and removed the pintle hook as well. Other than that, VERY clean! Welcome aboard!

 

[SouthernM715]

well...I have no clue what im doing..Im reading a lot the last few days, where can i get said things and inverted tailights, do you mean upside down? I really want to make it look like it did when it was rolled off the floor. Nothing but time.

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

Welcome to the site. That is a great looking truck and the Jeep tailgate adds to the legacy of being one of the early Army attempts to buy specially prepared civilian trucks. I know Kenny will be glad to see you have joined as the Florida members are growing. Did you buy it from a dealer or a collector? Any history to the truck available?

You will love spending time on line here it is a great place.

If you have any spiritural needs drop me a PM or post a note in the Chaplains forum.

 

[SouthernM715]

dont know much history about the ole girl..other than it went into the forestry service but wasnt used..I bought it from a guy not much older than i am that has put in some elbow grease..On my little forum my friends host, apparently one of the guys buddies use to own it before the guy i bought it from..apparently its been pretty much in this shape for a while. Comes with a lot of extra parts to keep it maintained and going. I hope the motor and drivetrain will hold up because I like its originality instead of throwing in a chevy smallblock.

Only thing though is I found that the granny gear is making a heck of a lot of noise..Going to be checking it out soon..I should have it home at the beginning of the month. THanks again and glad to hear everyone thinks its a solid ride.

 

[Armada]

Very nice and solid looking truck. Welcome to the site, glad to have another M715 owner on board! So the powertrain is original? Got any pics of the 230?
One thing about your truck though,...... you need to get some paint over the chrome mirrors.....

 

[SouthernM715]

How could I forget the motor??

But yes..I do need to get the bling off that thing.

 

[Armada]

Cool! Man, your truck sure is clean. No rust underneath either!
Was your air cleaner just laying loose on the carb? Hope it's not bolted on that way. It should be level.

 

[SouthernM715]

you know..i dont know..I think the guy im buying it from said it sits like that uh oh..more little things to tinker with.

 

[Recovry4x4]

It's a sweet M715 and welcome aboard. I'll be looking forward to seeing that at the FL Rally in Feb. Will be held in the Clermont area on the outskirts of Orlando. You gotta make it, gonna be a hoot.

 

[67Beast]

Nice looking truck, welcome. There are quite a few guys here with 715's so you should be able to find a good bit of info between here and the 715zone. It looks fairly complete and most of the missing pieces should be easy to turn up in searches on ebay or the for sale boards. It does look like the soft top frame is still there, as it was quite common to build the homemade hard tops over them. I can see the big line of rivits along the back, mine was the same way and was the better part of an afternoon drilling them all out. Being that your in the Florida sun I would make that the first thing on my list. These trucks are just too much fun to drive with the top off. Mine stays topless most all of the summer. If you need any restoration tips, just let me know,as I did mine as a complete frame off resto. I'm in the process right now of aquirring the few bits and pieces to convert back to the stock 230 from the V8 the PO installed. Follow the link in my sig and you can see alot of pics from the restoration.

 

[Elwenil]

The air cleaner is easy to find cheap NOS. Check Ebay or Saturn Surplus. In addition to the tail lamps inverted and the pintle missing it appears to have had the original fuel pump/vacuum pump combo replaced by a civilian fuel pump. How are the wipers operated with the pump missing? I take it by the old style air cleaner and old style turn signal switch and relay box that it is a 1967 or early 68 model.

Originality is one thing but if you intend to drive it, I suggest a few mods. One is the swap to electric wiper motors if they haven't been swapped already. The second is the swap to M35 style tail lamps. The old "cats eye" lamps can be hard to notice now that drivers are used to large red brake lamps all the time and a number of M715 owners have been rear ended because the driver didn't notice the lamps. The M35 lamps are a direct swap and bolt right in place and plug in with no modifications. The original lamps can be swapped on in about 5 minutes for shows. I'd also recommend the swap to the M35/HMMWV style turn signal switch, wiring and flasher module. The old relay box can be a pain to keep working and there are no easily service parts inside. The later 68 and 69 models had the new style turn signal switch and all so it's not too far from original.

And toss that shovel, it's too long to fit correctly, lol...

 

[SouthernM715]

The air cleaner is easy to find cheap NOS. Check Ebay or Saturn Surplus. In addition to the tail lamps inverted and the pintle missing it appears to have had the original fuel pump/vacuum pump combo replaced by a civilian fuel pump. How are the wipers operated with the pump missing? I take it by the old style air cleaner and old style turn signal switch and relay box that it is a 1967 or early 68 model.

Originality is one thing but if you intend to drive it, I suggest a few mods. One is the swap to electric wiper motors if they haven't been swapped already. The second is the swap to M35 style tail lamps. The old "cats eye" lamps can be hard to notice now that drivers are used to large red brake lamps all the time and a number of M715 owners have been rear ended because the driver didn't notice the lamps. The M35 lamps are a direct swap and bolt right in place and plug in with no modifications. The original lamps can be swapped on in about 5 minutes for shows. I'd also recommend the swap to the M35/HMMWV style turn signal switch, wiring and flasher module. The old relay box can be a pain to keep working and there are no easily service parts inside. The later 68 and 69 models had the new style turn signal switch and all so it's not too far from original.

And toss that shovel, it's too long to fit correctly, lol...

The wipers are vacuum operated and work flawlessly. The turn signals work but the brake lamps were a concern. Ive seen pics of the bigger lights, didnt know what they are from or what to look for on ebay. I did notice how small they were. But my brake lights are on.

I dont know what swaps with what or even what your talking about switching the turnsignal switch and flash moudle but if people can bare with me and all my questions Id be grateful.

One of the first things I do want to do is remove that hard top. But without a soft top to replace it with..I figured Id wait till I have one.

Im at a total loss on 24volt systems. I dont know how they work..Im completely lost on this new toy of mine.

If there is a link for part numbers or who sells what im being told to look for Ill write it all down and start replacing.

 

[Boatcarpenter]

SouthernM715, electricity is electricity, it follows the same circuitry rules on your vehicle whether 12 or 24 volt. You just need to be sure you get 24 volt parts, bulbs etc. Put 12 volt parts in and they will fry with sparks, smoke and the like Get the wiring diagram and a good meter and you will have no trouble with it.
Nice truck and good luck,
BC

 

[gimpyrobb]

Yup, www.m715zone.com has alot of these swaps documented. You should post up over there. Lots of guys with stock parts available. Like BC said, your 24v system is the same as a 12v system, just a different voltage. The higher voltage allows for smaller sized wires for the same current draw and easier starting in cold climates.

 

[Pappa-G]

Sweet ride! I sure miss my old one. I'm working on getting another, gonna steal Armadas after he gets done fixing it up! Don't tell him though.