Old mixed parts M35 Gasser VIN ID ?, please.

[DavidWymore]

So I did some M35A1 searching last night, and ended up searching through stb64's posts too. Pretty knowledgeable guy it seems, thanks for your posts!

Some things I learned to check:

Orientation of the front crossmember, mine is the early multifuel vertically oriented rectangular tubing, brackets still hot riveted in.

I have a 1-3/8" diameter knob (cracked plastic body) windshield washer switch, "coarse" grip grooves. I think laters knobs are smaller and "fine-splined". Wipers bodies are also plastic.

Low air pressure warning switch is "Type A", which I think is early style.

My fuel tank support bracket has the cutout for the horizontal exhaust.

Bed is missing, but there are bed attachment angle clips hot riveted to the frame, so I don't think the bed was u-bolted on as the early trucks are said to be.

I got to wondering about the interior color. I read somewhere last night about a "Bronze Green" color, and my interior is what I might call a Bronze Green. It is different from the rest of the truck, and looks like it was done pretty thouroughly and completely over the OD. I need to wash out the cab and see better. I wonder when it was painted, and if it's a military color? The civvy colors on the outside are yellow and red. I found these alfaheaven truck pictures, and it has a similar looking color on the dash.

http://www.alfaheaven.com/MilitarySection/6x6 Trucks/69.htmlk

Another thing I wonder about is my shifter. It's too short and booger welded on. I wonder if they ever changed and what it should have.

 

[rustystud]

The shifter is not stock. Someone welded that handle on.

 

[stb64]

Pretty knowledgeable guy it seems, thanks for your posts!

Thanks, David, and you are welcome! And I learned something from You, too: I always thought the frame number on -A1 trucks was on the right frame rail, no wonder i could not find it. I read it somewhere, and never verified it.

Bed is missing, but there are bed attachment angle clips hot riveted to the frame, so I don't think the bed was u-bolted on as the early trucks are said to be.

The brackets are there on my truck too, but the 2 pairs in the middle are not used.

I found another M35A1 in a surplus dealer's yard and took some pictures.

Notice the serial and Army reg number, how the exhaust pipe hangs way too low, and how the mechanics got creative to make the pipe clear the handbrake. It looks like a front exhaust pipe from an early M35A2 was used. The unused frame brackets and the U-bolt are also visible in the pictures.

 

[DavidWymore]

Thanks, stb!

I found telltale ubolt plate marks on the bottom of my frame, matching the positions of the ones in your pics. Looks like they put the plates on before the truck was painted OD.

Your last picture shows an exhaust hanger with two rivets or bolts by the unused bed mount, my frame only has one hole there.

I keep meaing to check the hole patterns from the missing tags on my dash. Wish I had taken more pictures of Jack's 427 A1. Maybe I'll have to go over there again. ~4 hrs away though.

 

[stb64]

The exhaust hanger is different on earlier trucks. The pictures show a later M35A1, the new style bracket came about in 1963-64 and was kept even after the changeover to M35A2, until the vertical exhaust stack was introduced.
The exhaust hangers must have changed a lot over the years. Some older TMs talk about a clamp on the battery compartment bracket, the newer ones about a bracket on the frame crossmember. I am still trying to find out how to convert my truck back to the horizontal exhaust, but it is very difficult to find a M35A1 with the original exhaust still in place to take measurements.

Here are a few pictures of an early M35A1:

I took these pictures the day i bought it, at the seller's place.

The small dash panel was used only used on the early trucks. 1963 and later models should have the newer intrument panel.

 

[DavidWymore]

Very cool, thank you! Mine being a '62 (I think based off the serial), I wonder if my "big" dash is original or not. Need to compare pictures.

I wish I could just walk around your truck and look. I guess I need to get back to Jack's. I think his exhaust is intact. I could make the exhaust if I have measurements, probably close without them. I have a couple pics of his, and there is another guy on here that's seen it and posted pics. I should have taken more!

Looks to me like maybe A1 and A2 shifters are different...? A1s maybe just come up and back, one bend, and A2 come back and then up, 2 bends.

 

[stb64]

The changeover to the big instrument panel could have been in 1962 as well, all i know is that the 1963 models i have seen all had it.

I never paid much attention to the shifters, but the transmissions on -A1 and -A2 models are the same, and the shifters are part of the transmission, so they should be the same too. My truck is 6-7 hours from here, so i can't just go out and look.

Regarding the exhaust, what i have done so far was removing the ''bubba'' -A2 J-pipe, and replacing it with a piece from a non turbo -A2 exhaust, which i will have to extend towards the back of the truck. Right now it stops in font of the battery box, but i can't continue before i know what the original exhaust looks like. Well, i could, but i want to get it as close to the original as possible.


An -A2 turbo exhaust stack was installed by cutting the original retaining ring in half and welding it around the the stack's flex section, so it could be bolted to the turbo's flex pipe.

 

[DavidWymore]

Stb, I found telltale bed ubolt plate marks in the paint on the bottom of the frame.


Also, I started researching paint and looking at my truck, and I'm pretty sure its USMC Forest Green, not army olive drab. There are some things that are OD, such as the oil cooler housing and injector lines that I installed, and the air cleaner appears to be OD, swapped on at some point, but the majority seems to be forest green as can be seen on the inside of the fender under the air cleaner

 

[DavidWymore]

I read on a modeling site about "Nancy" the gun truck that the tail lights were hung from the bed instead of the frame on the early trucks...?

 

[stb64]

TM 9-2320-235-10, M35A1, Dec.1961, shows the taillights mounted to the frame.
TM 9-8022 (M35 gasser), Dec. 1954, shows the taillights mounted to the cargo bed.
In both cases, the taillights are the old version (left and right are different), the left one is the service tail/stop & blackout tail, and the right one is the blackout tail / blackout stoplight.

 

[NDT]

Thanks, David, and you are welcome! And I learned something from You, too: I always thought the frame number on -A1 trucks was on the right frame rail, no wonder i could not find it. I read it somewhere, and never verified it.

The brackets are there on my truck too, but the 2 pairs in the middle are not used.

I found another M35A1 in a surplus dealer's yard and took some pictures.
View attachment 548744View attachment 548745View attachment 548746View attachment 548747View attachment 548748View attachment 548743
Notice the serial and Army reg number, how the exhaust pipe hangs way too low, and how the mechanics got creative to make the pipe clear the handbrake. It looks like a front exhaust pipe from an early M35A2 was used. The unused frame brackets and the U-bolt are also visible in the pictures.

Guys, this is the factory original M35A1 and pre-stack M35A2 exhaust set up. The indentation on the pipe where it clears the handbrake shoes is factory.

 

[DavidWymore]

Thank you, gentlemen!

On a bit of a side note, I think my truck is pretty original except the LDS465 and in pretty rough shape. I could swap the frame to get rid of the reinforcements that are welded on, Sprag t case for the air shift I have, and even the cab and sheetmetal, but then is it really the USMC A1 anymore? I'd have to register it as the newer truck if I swapped the frame, but I'm afraid the reinforcements might damage the frame off-roading whether I keep them or cut them off. I can fix everything that's there, just more time instead of $.

 

[stb64]

Guys, this is the factory original M35A1 and pre-stack M35A2 exhaust set up. The indentation on the pipe where it clears the handbrake shoes is factory.

It may even be an original setup, but it sure doesn't look like one: As can be seen in the pictures, it does not line up with the cutout in the tank bracket, hangs very low, and is suspended only by the turbo and the bracket at the end. It looks more like a cheap one-fits-all replacement, probably installed at the depot.
On the other hand, it looks a lot like the one shown in the 1981 series TMs, that's the TM series with the simplified drawings, so it's hard to say if it is really the same.
I know there were at least 2 different setups used on the M35A1, and i am NOT counting those used on gassers, or the later LD-465-1 powered trucks.

Some trucks had a clamp holding the exhaust pipe to the forward battery box bracket, and to the frame above the rear spring.

From TM 9-2320-209-20 ( April 1965)

TM9-2320-209-20-3-1 (May 1981) shows a bracket with U-bolt at the crossmember behind the transfer case, instead of the battery box clamp.

 

[DavidWymore]

I will try to get over to Jack's and check out his exhaust.

I'm still curious about shifters and now steering wheels. I have a gasser shifter with one bend and a shifter from an A1 that was converted to A2 (the parts truck I got my cab and bed from) and has the two-bend shifter. I guess it's most likely that the shifters changed when the trans was changed to overdrive 5th.


Here is what I think is an A1/A2 with a single bend shifter.

http://www.militaryfactory.com/imageviewer/ar/gallery-ar.asp?armor_id=62


I noticed it seems the early steering wheels have rounded spokes and center, and seem to be darker/black, painted maybe, and laters are squared off and lighter green.

Looks like stb's has the single bend shifter and square spoke steering wheel.

Mine and stb's large dia wiper knobs are the only ones I've seen.

Anyone know when they switched from riveted to welded centers in the wheels?

 

[DavidWymore]

Ah-hah! All kinds of goodies on what looks like a pretty original '62 A1.

Scroll to the bottom. Anyone know any members in Portland, IN?


http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/studebaker.htm

 

[stb64]

I noticed it seems the early steering wheels have rounded spokes and center, and seem to be darker/black, painted maybe, and laters are squared off and lighter green.

Both my 1969 M275A2 tractors, and my 1969 M109A3 shop van have the rounded spokes.

 

[DavidWymore]

All kinds of cool details in this video of scooter01922's 1960 Stude who noted the hinged A1 mudflaps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gDpp-fmVd4

 

[DavidWymore]

I have a pretty good collection of A1 pics and some info going from mining the internet.

http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/reo.htm

 

[ravendog]

I have an M 35 a 2 water tanker I have just recently obtained a title for. The numbers on the frame in front of the drivers side upper wheel compartment need to match the last digits on the number plate that is supposed to screw on above the glove box ish.. I was lucky and was able to find mine underneath all of the gear in the first aid kit buried in the sand underneath the driver's seat it has the Kaiser manufacturing logo on it it's still took me four and a half months to complete the paper end of this project. I used an MVD Express in my state if you have one that's where I would start. if the first one doesn't work out. keep trying. these guys all know different people working in the motor vehicle department. good luck with it, look and every part of that cab that you can to try to find that number plate I hope youhave success.

 

[Kaiser1963]