New M211 owner

[dan19]

Hey all, I just became a 1954 M211 owner very recently. An older gentlemen I knew owned a M211 that I had fallen in love with back when I was about 10. I loved the truck and I would ask him about it all the time. He wasn't a restorer, he just liked owning the truck and driving it around his property. Well 14-15 years went by and I heard he had passed on, and I went to the estate sale and lo and behold the truck was there. There were a few older guys that were some competition but I wasn't the letting the truck get away from me this time

The truck itself is in very good shape. There's a lot of surface rust on the cab roof, but nothing too bad. I've crawled over the whole thing and it seems that the only thing in need of replacement is the windshield frames. They have a good bit of rot. I have a couple older F-series trucks that keep me busy with sheet metal welding, so if I can just replace the frames, that would be best. If anyone has a spare set that they would be willing to sell, please let me know.

This old girl will be going in the shop. My plan is to do full frame-off restoration and return the truck to original condition. The only thing I may do differently is to put a retro wooden flatbed on it, as I just enjoy the look of flatbed trucks, but that's a decision for later.

I've always enjoyed reading Steel Soldiers and I'm glad to finally have a deuce of my own, especially the one that really started my love for them. I'll be very thankful to be able to draw on the knowledge of the folks here.

 

[german m1008]

Welcome from Germany.
Sounds like a good Story.
Built Thread maybe?
Good luck with it.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Welcome to the site, hobby, friendship, events, and all that goes with it, That truck is SO lucky to have you as the new owner. You will "bond" together, as you have had an association (affinity) with it for all these years. And now...It's Finaly yours. THAT is some REAL feeling, I know it (as) my ford jeep 1942 was obtained in similar circumstances..and I was just 15 years old then!. And it is still with me. Please post up ALL the progression of your new possions restoration with the obligatory pictures.

 

[USMC 00-08]

Welcome to the group. A little TLC and that truck will look great! If you decide you want a military bed, I think the M35A2 bed is nearly identical to the M211 one.

Show us the engine and inside of the cab when you get a chance.

 

[AZK9]

Glad you were able to get the truck after all that time!

Welcome from Arizona!

 

[Blake]

Welcome!

 

[hendersond]

Welcome! They are impressive old things. It is nice that the sheet metal is thick and easy to weld.

 

[mhassett]

Excellent score.

 

[SturmTyger380]

Nice looking truck! We will help as much as we can here! We are kinda obsessed.

 

[Merle]

Great looking truck, a little TLC and wow.

 

[Fifty]

Outstanding! Love the M211. Great looking start and good story.

 

[M543A2]

Not everyone gets to acquire a vehicle they liked as a younger person. Good to see you got it! Welcome to the site! We help all we can either on here or with private messages. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I tell you all of the below because of my experience and my not knowing your level of mechanical ability or experience.
I used one of these for years on the farm. I put a hoist under the bed and sides on it and used it for hauling grain and aggregates. I also pulled a large implement trailer with it and had a snow plow on the front. I still have it but it is retired.
From my experience, I highly recommend what a transmission guy who worked on these told me when I got mine; get that engine oil out of the transmission, flush it, and put in Dexron ATF. I did that and in about 15 years of hard use but not abuse had no problems with it.
Look at the trans pan bottom. there you will find plugs labeled "water" and "oil". The oil drains the trans, the water drains the cooling system at that point. There is a heat exchanger in the pan that has engine coolant circulated around it to cool and also in winter warm the trans oil that is circulated inside the cooler. Because this is a low area in the cooling system, crud collects here, and when bad enough to cover part or all of the exchanger, results in trans failure. Drain the coolant at this point and remove the cover on the front of the trans oil pan. Check for crud in the cavity around the exchanger and clean it out with pressure water, not full force like a pressure washer would but enough to move out the crud. A garden hose at house system pressure should be sufficient. You can make a gasket for the cover if needed or clean the surfaces and use a good RTV compound to seal it.
There is a band adjustment that is critical, done by checking the height of a pin under as cap on the top of the valve body control where the shift linkage attaches to the trans. Keeping this properly adjusted eliminates band slippage which also will destroy a trans. Let me know if you need the info on how to adjust it.
A supplier like Memphis Equipment or Portrayal Press might have the manual I have that is a good source of information, TM-9-8024; TO 36A12-1B-321 "Operation and Organizational Maintenance, 2 1/2 Ton 6x6 Cargo Trucks, M135 and M211". It also covers the dump, tanker, shop van, truck tractor, and water tank truck variants of the truck.
Also, a gas engine that has not been run for years gets acid in the oil and due to summer heat and winter cold condensation forms between the rod and main bearings and the crank. This can cause the bearing shell surfaces to be degraded to where as you run it surface layers will flake off, destroying the bearing and loosening the clearance beyond specification. If you see any rust under the oil fill cap or the valve cover if you remove it suspect the bearings for this problem. You can try running it, paying close attention for any change in bottom end sounds that indicate a bearing loosening up. Also, every time you change oil cut the filter apart and inspect the surface of the media for any signs of small chips that are not magnetic. (Of course you want to pay attention to any magnetic ones too!) If you catch it quick enough you can probably be OK with just putting in a new set of bearings without having to grind the crank. If you do replace the bearings, a good thing to know is that the main bearing sizes in the 302 get progressively larger from front to rear. Be careful to get the right bearing on the right journal! Experience talking here! I did a bearing change in mine with the engine still in the truck. Gasket kits should still be available.
Good luck, and have fun!
Regards Martin

 

[dan19]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and wishes, I'm glad to be a part of the community.

Not everyone gets to acquire a vehicle they liked as a younger person. Good to see you got it! Welcome to the site! We help all we can either on here or with private messages. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I tell you all of the below because of my experience and my not knowing your level of mechanical ability or experience.
I used one of these for years on the farm. I put a hoist under the bed and sides on it and used it for hauling grain and aggregates. I also pulled a large implement trailer with it and had a snow plow on the front. I still have it but it is retired.
From my experience, I highly recommend what a transmission guy who worked on these told me when I got mine; get that engine oil out of the transmission, flush it, and put in Dexron ATF. I did that and in about 15 years of hard use but not abuse had no problems with it.
Look at the trans pan bottom. there you will find plugs labeled "water" and "oil". The oil drains the trans, the water drains the cooling system at that point. There is a heat exchanger in the pan that has engine coolant circulated around it to cool and also in winter warm the trans oil that is circulated inside the cooler. Because this is a low area in the cooling system, crud collects here, and when bad enough to cover part or all of the exchanger, results in trans failure. Drain the coolant at this point and remove the cover on the front of the trans oil pan. Check for crud in the cavity around the exchanger and clean it out with pressure water, not full force like a pressure washer would but enough to move out the crud. A garden hose at house system pressure should be sufficient. You can make a gasket for the cover if needed or clean the surfaces and use a good RTV compound to seal it.
There is a band adjustment that is critical, done by checking the height of a pin under as cap on the top of the valve body control where the shift linkage attaches to the trans. Keeping this properly adjusted eliminates band slippage which also will destroy a trans. Let me know if you need the info on how to adjust it.
A supplier like Memphis Equipment or Portrayal Press might have the manual I have that is a good source of information, TM-9-8024; TO 36A12-1B-321 "Operation and Organizational Maintenance, 2 1/2 Ton 6x6 Cargo Trucks, M135 and M211". It also covers the dump, tanker, shop van, truck tractor, and water tank truck variants of the truck.
Also, a gas engine that has not been run for years gets acid in the oil and due to summer heat and winter cold condensation forms between the rod and main bearings and the crank. This can cause the bearing shell surfaces to be degraded to where as you run it surface layers will flake off, destroying the bearing and loosening the clearance beyond specification. If you see any rust under the oil fill cap or the valve cover if you remove it suspect the bearings for this problem. You can try running it, paying close attention for any change in bottom end sounds that indicate a bearing loosening up. Also, every time you change oil cut the filter apart and inspect the surface of the media for any signs of small chips that are not magnetic. (Of course you want to pay attention to any magnetic ones too!) If you catch it quick enough you can probably be OK with just putting in a new set of bearings without having to grind the crank. If you do replace the bearings, a good thing to know is that the main bearing sizes in the 302 get progressively larger from front to rear. Be careful to get the right bearing on the right journal! Experience talking here! I did a bearing change in mine with the engine still in the truck. Gasket kits should still be available.
Good luck, and have fun!
Regards Martin

Great information, thank you for sharing. I will definitely check that trans adjustment pin and check the exchanger.


I did change the oil, and it came out pretty thick. I'm not sure if the oil's been changed since the truck was parked god only knows how many years ago, so it's possible that there's bearing damage. I will be extremely careful when I start it, which should be happening in the very near future when it warms up.

I changed the transmission before I saw your post, so I put in non-detergent 10 weight since that was what the data plate listed. Should I switch over to ATF?

As promised I have some pictures. I've been busy with school so I haven't had a lot of time to put into the truck, but I did get it home, which was an experience.



Disconnected the front drive shaft and towed from the rear since we couldn't start it and the transmission seemed to be engaged.



About halfway there the tire started losing tread with the exception of one chunk. This made the whole thing hop up and down, taking the tow truck with it. Pieces of truck were flying 40-50 feet in the air.



Thankfully we made it, albeit not entirely in one piece. The tire did hold up though. I got a few gray hairs on this one.





Dang it's good to have her home!

 

[m1010plowboy]

That's a barn find. The hood support piece, running down the center of the grill, that's a rare piece. Not sure why there's a plate sticking up above it but you take great photos so I know we'll see more. The hard top asks the question....How many U.S. trucks had hard tops? The grab handle on the dash is not always easy to find either so that truck has something to tell us.

The data-plate, bumpers and hood numbers look to be in very nice, original condition so a few close-up photos should tell a story and go in the museum.

With the new oil in the transmission, you may want to run it and check for leaks prior to a 'dump and add new'. Ideally, you pull the bell housing plug.....and nothing comes out now. After you've gone through the process and run it, see how it behaves. We're running the heavier 30wt non-detergent in summer but for a "break in", after sitting, 10wt won't hurt it. I don't see the reb shifter lever either so can't wait to go for a ride!

It's always a good recovery story when it's hooked to an insured tow-truck. Can't wait to see the rest of it

 

[USMC 00-08]

What is the plate behind the grab handle and beside the data plate?

 

[dan19]

I've been having some difficulty getting on this website, I seem to get a 503 error message most of the time. Wonder if that's on my end...

I was wondering about the hardtop. I read an article on the M211 that said that US Army M211s all had softops. So I'm curious to know more.

The data plates are in good shape other than being a little grimy. The dataplate behind the grab bar lists the agency responsible for various parts of the truck. The dataplate next to the grab bar lists all the technical data for the truck like dimensions, fluid types, wheelbase, air pressure, etc. I'll get a better picture this weekend.






I'm having a hard time getting some of these pictures to upload. some of them will upload and some won't. While I figure that out, here are links to the pictures uploaded to a picture hosting site. Apologies for that.

http://postimg.org/image/hdaoz8eev/

http://postimg.org/image/42pqc9tbx/