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Operation: Gertrude. Kendelrios M715 restoration thread

67Beast

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Silver Lake Sand Dunes MI.
Like I mentioned on your facebook post, once you get the C channel the top should fit really nicely. But now looking at larger pics on the computer, I see it is missing the windshield stand-off brackets as well. The good news is that they are the same as M38a1 Jeeps and are fairly cheap to replace. Midwest Military has them for $12 each with the welt. There is a right and a left. https://shop.midwestmilitary.com/product/lh-windshield-rest/ and https://shop.midwestmilitary.com/product/rh-windshield-rest/
 

kendelrio

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Alexandria, La
Like I mentioned on your facebook post, once you get the C channel the top should fit really nicely. But now looking at larger pics on the computer, I see it is missing the windshield stand-off brackets as well. The good news is that they are the same as M38a1 Jeeps and are fairly cheap to replace. Midwest Military has them for $12 each with the welt. There is a right and a left. https://shop.midwestmilitary.com/product/lh-windshield-rest/ and https://shop.midwestmilitary.com/product/rh-windshield-rest/
Is it supposed to have the clip things like on the hood of the M series cargo trucks?
 

kendelrio

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Yesterday was tail light assemblies.... considering my fabrication skills are somewhere between a chimpanzee that had a stroke and a 4 day old banana peel, I think I did ok. I **do** have to move the passenger side one down and out about 1/4".

20230109_135507.jpg

20230109_144137.jpg

20230109_143802.jpg

20230109_164801.jpg

I also had to build a jumper to allow the fender marker lights to get power.

I got home last night and found the new master cylinder waiting for me, so today is brakes.

Old cyclinder:
20230105_121355.jpg

New cylinder:

20230109_185740.jpg
 

Attachments

kendelrio

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Yesterday was kind of a smorgasbord of tasks.

I installed the new MC
20230110_144114.jpg

Replaced the brake hydraulic switch

20230110_142503.jpg

And while under there found a nail that needs to be replaced with a pin

20230110_142500.jpg

A little digression...

This past weekend, a friend of mine told me "I have an old army truck at the house you can have". I asked what kind and he said "Hell, I don't know! It's green and has a star. You can come take it or take what you need". I asked him to send me a pic of it and I got these yesterday:
Resized_20230110_163106.jpeg

Resized_20230110_163136.jpeg

Resized_20230110_163233.jpeg

Another M715!

I go look at it, and sadly, she had been converted to 12v, has a 305 and is in almost scrap condition.

The good news, though, is there are definitely some usable parts! The stand off brackets that @67Beast talked about, roof channel, some body panels, data plates and wheels for sure will be taken off!

Today will be some rat killing at the house and maybe this afternoon I'll head to the shop.
 

marchplumber

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Peoria, Illinois
Yesterday was kind of a smorgasbord of tasks.

I installed the new MC
View attachment 888377

Replaced the brake hydraulic switch

View attachment 888378

And while under there found a nail that needs to be replaced with a pin

View attachment 888379

A little digression...

This past weekend, a friend of mine told me "I have an old army truck at the house you can have". I asked what kind and he said "Hell, I don't know! It's green and has a star. You can come take it or take what you need". I asked him to send me a pic of it and I got these yesterday:
View attachment 888380

View attachment 888381

View attachment 888382

Another M715!

I go look at it, and sadly, she had been converted to 12v, has a 305 and is in almost scrap condition.

The good news, though, is there are definitely some usable parts! The stand off brackets that @67Beast talked about, roof channel, some body panels, data plates and wheels for sure will be taken off!

Today will be some rat killing at the house and maybe this afternoon I'll head to the shop.
I SWEAR!!! IF you don't fall in POOP and come out smelling like Lilac!!! I'll be DARN!! CONGRATS!!!
 

67Beast

Well-known member
983
500
93
Location
Silver Lake Sand Dunes MI.
Yesterday was kind of a smorgasbord of tasks.

I installed the new MC
View attachment 888377

Replaced the brake hydraulic switch

View attachment 888378

And while under there found a nail that needs to be replaced with a pin

View attachment 888379

A little digression...

This past weekend, a friend of mine told me "I have an old army truck at the house you can have". I asked what kind and he said "Hell, I don't know! It's green and has a star. You can come take it or take what you need". I asked him to send me a pic of it and I got these yesterday:
View attachment 888380

View attachment 888381

View attachment 888382

Another M715!

I go look at it, and sadly, she had been converted to 12v, has a 305 and is in almost scrap condition.

The good news, though, is there are definitely some usable parts! The stand off brackets that @67Beast talked about, roof channel, some body panels, data plates and wheels for sure will be taken off!

Today will be some rat killing at the house and maybe this afternoon I'll head to the shop.
Definitely looks like there are some good salvageable parts left on it. Soft top frame, brushguard, front fender don't look too bad and it would be a holy grail type of find if it has the tailgate still with it. You could probably sell the tailgate for enough to fund most of your work on the current one!
 

M813rc

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Near Austin, Texas
Seeing your side marker lights made me think "Ooh! That's a pretty good idea!" And since the M715 I am currently 'decivilianizing' will not be going all the way back to original stock condition, why not?
The previous owner had drilled holes and put some mickey-mouse lollipop turn signal/marker lights on the front fenders, so rather than weld up the holes when I remove them I may just stick military clearance lights on there instead.
My stock rear frame already has bolts to which I could add sheet metal mounts for side markers, so no need to add holes in the bed.
More lighting can seldom be viewed as bad!

Cheers

(ps - the black headache rack, the pie pans in the grill, louvers in the hood, and that lovely buffalo hood ornament are already gone)

1.jpg
 

67Beast

Well-known member
983
500
93
Location
Silver Lake Sand Dunes MI.
Seeing your side marker lights made me think "Ooh! That's a pretty good idea!" And since the M715 I am currently 'decivilianizing' will not be going all the way back to original stock condition, why not?
The previous owner had drilled holes and put some mickey-mouse lollipop turn signal/marker lights on the front fenders, so rather than weld up the holes when I remove them I may just stick military clearance lights on there instead.
My stock rear frame already has bolts to which I could add sheet metal mounts for side markers, so no need to add holes in the bed.
More lighting can seldom be viewed as bad!

Cheers

(ps - the black headache rack, the pie pans in the grill, louvers in the hood, and that lovely buffalo hood ornament are already gone)

View attachment 888608
Yep they were added at one point to vehicles in Europe. Here a pic I have of one that was just restored back to it's original 7th Army Masster Camo.
 

M813rc

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Near Austin, Texas
Yep they were added at one point to vehicles in Europe. Here a pic I have of one that was just restored back to it's original 7th Army Masster Camo.
Excellent! Thank you!

So, not the first one to come up with the idea. I can do it and be correct. :)
Makes me wonder now if that is why those lollipop lights got put where they were?

Cheers
 
Last edited:

M813rc

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Near Austin, Texas
I had figured the lollipop lights were a forest service/volunteer fire department thing (mine appears to be former forest service).
I'll have to go back further through my photo files, so far I've found several of M715s with clearance lights on the fenders, but no military 715s with lollipops. I do see a number of post-military ones with lollipops in the same place.

Cheers
 
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