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M422
We bought my wife’s Mighty Mite, Jeannie, nearly a dozen years ago. The previous owners never finished the mechanical restoration. She has many issues that need to be addressed and repaired. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor expertise to give her all of the TLC that will bring her to fully operational condition. At one time she started and stopped, but the batteries never charged. The front and rear wiring harness is missing. The bearing on the squirrel cage fan housing is shot. The brakes need to be gone through again. The clutch needs to be checked. The shift forks need to be inspected and possibly replaced. She is an important member of my vehicular family, and I feel bad that I’ve neglected her for so long. I trailered her over 100 miles to a good friend and fellow SS member’s house on Saturday 7/16. (See http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...done-to-your-CUCV-today-lately-Part-2/page104 Post #4140 for pictures of how I single handedly loaded her on the trailer). He is my Mighty Mite Medic. He did a body-off frame-up restoration on his M422. It is IMMACULATE!!! He knows these unique and special vehicles like the back of his hand. Jeannie needs love and attention. My goal at the end of the mechanical restoration is to turn on the power, set the choke, start her up, and drive her away. That to me will be an absolute miracle, and is the reason I titled this thread as such. I’m so thankful that Jeannie will be well taken care of.
We cleared out room in the garage (the Operating Room) to begin surgery. The MM Medic decided to tackle the issues with the engine first. We removed the front clip with a 7/16” ratchet and a Philips screwdriver. We tied the oil filter housing to the top of the engine so it wouldn’t stress the rubber lines. There’s no wiring harness connecting the headlights or the horn, so there was nothing to disconnect. We ran into our first obstacle with the cooling fan shroud. The screws that hold it onto the back plate are straight slot, and haven’t been touched in nearly 56 years. There ALWAYS has to be one that’s stubborn; naturally it’s the one that’s hardest to access (on the very bottom of the shroud and slightly tucked behind the front frame cross member). The Medic sharpened a chisel and a ball peen hammer to break the screw free. Problem solved. Removing the top cooling shroud was the next challenge. One of the screws wouldn’t come out. I used a flat blade screwdriver to pry it up while the Medic pressed down hard to unscrew it. We freed up enough of the screw to cut it off with the Dremel. What we discovered under the shroud took us both by surprise. A four legged creature, probably rat or mouse, took up residence and built a nest on top of the driver side rear cylinder. Thankfully it was long gone. I’m a bit concerned about this, as I drove the Mite a bit over the years never knowing about the nest. I’ve never had the cooling shrouds off. I hope there’s no engine damage from the cooling fins being blocked by the nest. We cleaned up the oil cooler with a toothbrush, WD-40, and carburetor cleaner. It was FILTHY. After that, we stopped for the day.
I plan on putting in as much sweat equity into the restoration as time allows so I can learn about this rare vehicle. I’m not sure when my next thread update will be, as the Mite is so far away. Stay tuned.
We bought my wife’s Mighty Mite, Jeannie, nearly a dozen years ago. The previous owners never finished the mechanical restoration. She has many issues that need to be addressed and repaired. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor expertise to give her all of the TLC that will bring her to fully operational condition. At one time she started and stopped, but the batteries never charged. The front and rear wiring harness is missing. The bearing on the squirrel cage fan housing is shot. The brakes need to be gone through again. The clutch needs to be checked. The shift forks need to be inspected and possibly replaced. She is an important member of my vehicular family, and I feel bad that I’ve neglected her for so long. I trailered her over 100 miles to a good friend and fellow SS member’s house on Saturday 7/16. (See http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...done-to-your-CUCV-today-lately-Part-2/page104 Post #4140 for pictures of how I single handedly loaded her on the trailer). He is my Mighty Mite Medic. He did a body-off frame-up restoration on his M422. It is IMMACULATE!!! He knows these unique and special vehicles like the back of his hand. Jeannie needs love and attention. My goal at the end of the mechanical restoration is to turn on the power, set the choke, start her up, and drive her away. That to me will be an absolute miracle, and is the reason I titled this thread as such. I’m so thankful that Jeannie will be well taken care of.
We cleared out room in the garage (the Operating Room) to begin surgery. The MM Medic decided to tackle the issues with the engine first. We removed the front clip with a 7/16” ratchet and a Philips screwdriver. We tied the oil filter housing to the top of the engine so it wouldn’t stress the rubber lines. There’s no wiring harness connecting the headlights or the horn, so there was nothing to disconnect. We ran into our first obstacle with the cooling fan shroud. The screws that hold it onto the back plate are straight slot, and haven’t been touched in nearly 56 years. There ALWAYS has to be one that’s stubborn; naturally it’s the one that’s hardest to access (on the very bottom of the shroud and slightly tucked behind the front frame cross member). The Medic sharpened a chisel and a ball peen hammer to break the screw free. Problem solved. Removing the top cooling shroud was the next challenge. One of the screws wouldn’t come out. I used a flat blade screwdriver to pry it up while the Medic pressed down hard to unscrew it. We freed up enough of the screw to cut it off with the Dremel. What we discovered under the shroud took us both by surprise. A four legged creature, probably rat or mouse, took up residence and built a nest on top of the driver side rear cylinder. Thankfully it was long gone. I’m a bit concerned about this, as I drove the Mite a bit over the years never knowing about the nest. I’ve never had the cooling shrouds off. I hope there’s no engine damage from the cooling fins being blocked by the nest. We cleaned up the oil cooler with a toothbrush, WD-40, and carburetor cleaner. It was FILTHY. After that, we stopped for the day.
I plan on putting in as much sweat equity into the restoration as time allows so I can learn about this rare vehicle. I’m not sure when my next thread update will be, as the Mite is so far away. Stay tuned.
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