Project "oddball"

[ElTigreDelNorte]

Figured I should start a thread about my first deuce, turns out it's not normal... An oddball if you will.

Back story: I'm a sub contractor for a rather prominent local exterior business. My work takes me to the end of many small country roads, it was one one such road that I came across a 1954 m135. I have wanted one for a few years now so I offered the owner $1,000 after a counter offer we settled in $1,250. Now I just need a place to work on it, but I should have that nailed down pretty soon. The owner said he drove it to his property and left it there, that was in '92 (the year I was born). I imagine I will have to redo a lot of the seals and gaskets that's probably going to lead to a full bore rebuild.

The Plan: ultimately I want to get it running and looking like it did when it was delivered from the factory. The shop van part will be turned into a camper for the ultimate hunting/bush party wagon.

"Shush tigger show us the pictures"
ok here's the pictures everyone wants. Sorry if some are upside down. (More to come in a week or so)

 

[USMC 00-08]

Welcome to the forum!! Neat project. We are getting close to putting out a part list on these trucks that will help you out on getting the beast how you want it. Parts for these are more available than most people realize.

 

[Warthog]

Great first project.

 

[ElTigreDelNorte]

Thanks for the pic fix warthog! I don't know what's going on in the dialog box they're good but then when I post it flips.

 

[hendersond]

They make great campers. We throw a 10x14 tarp over the top in the summer so the steel roof does not get hot and park it broadside to the breeze and let it blow thru. Never needed AC. We run a 800-1200 watt milk house heater in the winter and get cooked out with 3 people. Great project. My advice is keep it on the road as much as possible so you can camp.

Last year there was a lot of wishing and dreaming about camping somewhere other than the yard

 

[ElTigreDelNorte]

What's the legal scoop on not having seat belts in such an old truck? What TMs do I need for the engine and tranny? (The 302 and hydromatic tranny)

thanks

 

[m1010plowboy]

It's always best to dig up info on your local seat belt legislation, then post what you find. Insurance, registration, road usage laws and basically anything to do with legal interpretation is discussion we avoid. A better question might be, when is the last time any of us 'ever' read the legislation.
http://drivesmartbc.ca/rules-road/drivers/old-car-no-seatbelts-children

http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/road-safety/rules.htm

My seat belt advice would be to strap ourselves in with an engineered 5 point harness and do the same with all our passengers. We've lost some good people from impacts inside the cab. Hitting anything at speed is real rough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xttQR_yo9BU

The "Rest of the Story" on that truck will get squeezed out but it's not far from you and I'm betting it'll be on the road this year.

For TM's on the engine and trani, someone went through a lot of trouble to get it all in one place here. The whole website is cool so pass it around.
http://www.jatonkam35s.com/jatonkaM135-211sTMdownloadpage.htm

In the TM forum the primary manuals are here http://www.steelsoldiers.com/forumdisplay.php?118-Korean-War-to-VietNam-War-Vehicles-TMs

 

[m1010plowboy]

Twins

I had to pull these pictures together. Did we have a surplus of yellow paint from our Yield signs or what happened to the color choices? Stan? Cmpman?

It looks like the same guy painted them! Something originally oddball about that truck.

My data plate reads 30-4-54 120703002

 

[Section8]

The epic Rambo road block Jimmy is still around?!
It's close by?!
Is it hidden in a barn near Hope, were the movie was filmed?
I would love to own that piece of awesome movie history!