Steelsoldiers’ BIG M756A2 Project!

[steelsoldiers]

Now that is close to home , small world indeed !!!! Amazing it is in that good condition considering it came out of western NY . what with the liquid acid they put on the roads in winter . Very nice truck . Good luck , Bob k

Thank you, Bob. It’s a good 50 foot truck as they say. Looks like the unit it was attached to was really good at painting over rust. The fenders, doors, cab corners, stake pockets, tool boxes, and stiff leg sockets all need rust repair. Thankfully, I’m very prepared for that having lived in the rust belt all my life.

That's a fine piece of history right there, will be watching this thread with great interest.

Thanks for your dedication and hard efforts sir.

Thanks! Looking forward to getting this project underway!

 

[BKubu]

Chris, how much of the truck-specific stuff have you been able to locate vs. are you still looking for? I am curious how far away from completing the truck you are. That sure is a great truck to restore.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Chris, how much of the truck-specific stuff have you been able to locate vs. are you still looking for? I am curious how far away from completing the truck you are. That sure is a great truck to restore.

Thanks, Bruce. Up until about 2 weeks ago, we had been able to find all of the BII except for the trunnion and the stake pocket adapters. Thankfully, Kenny in WI was able to find a trunnion for me, so now we just need a set of stake pocket adapters.

 

[Maverick1701]

subscribing! That's one cool truck

 

[steelsoldiers]

subscribing! That's one cool truck

Thank you, sir!

 

[steelsoldiers]

The first of many boxes of new parts arrived today! The ends on both of the truck’s door handles have rusted off, so it’s time for some fresh ones!

 

[Recovry4x4]

Crud, I can't remember the guys name that bought all my BII but I do recall have 2 sets of stake pocket adapters.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Crud, I can't remember the guys name that bought all my BII but I do recall have 2 sets of stake pocket adapters.

I can’t think of his name either. One of our fellow SS members knew him and was able to contact him about selling me a trunnion. He wasn’t interested in selling that, but I never asked about the stake pocket adapters. I’ll have to go back through my old PMs and see if I can find him.

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

That’s my friend Keith that bought the BII from recovry . That extra set of adapters ended up in VT.

 

[steelsoldiers]

That’s my friend Keith that bought the BII from recovry . That extra set of adapters ended up in VT.

That’s right. Thanks, Jon. It’s hard to remember all of the details. I’ve had so many conversations about M756A2 BII over the last 15 years.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Keith Boda stinks to get old.

 

[steelsoldiers]

It’s here!! The trunnion is finally here!! Special thanks to Ken aka kennys@wi.rr.com and Bob aka Neophyte for making this happen! I’ll be getting a bunch of detailed measurements for Bob so he can make a CAD file for future reference.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Check out the brass Navy data plate for this truck. I’m wondering, given the scarcity of these pipeline trucks, if this was one of the only examples registered by the USN. Have any of you guys seen another Navy M756A2?

 

[Ajax MD]

I haven't. I'm betting the truck served most of its life with the Seabees. They're the only Navy group that would be laying pipelines that I can think of.
When the Seabees got done playing with it, it went to the MIUW.

That's my educated guess.

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

Keith's truck is only 11 numbers away:

These two pics were posted on the site a long time ago:

Not the best pic but I think the truck on the left is an m756:

Seabees pipeline truck with the cargo bed in Vietnam 1970:

Another one, not sure the year or location:

 

[steelsoldiers]

Keith's truck is only 11 numbers away:
View attachment 756223

Love the vintage pics. Thanks for posting, Jon. I didn’t realize the Seabees used so many pipeline trucks, but it makes sense if you think about it. That’s really cool that Keith’s is so close numerically to mine. I wonder if they were attached to the same unit at some point?

 

[Fredo Corleone]

One of my co-workers was in the Seabees and he was assigned a pipeline truck.

 

[steelsoldiers]

One of my co-workers was in the Seabees and he was assigned a pipeline truck.

Cool! Next time you see him, ask if he has any pictures of his old truck. It would be really neat to find a guy who used to operate this truck back in the day.

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

That’s really cool that Keith’s is so close numerically to mine. I wonder if they were attached to the same unit at some point?

I wouldn't be surprised if it was from the same unit, his still had the sharks on the doors too. I'll ask him where he bought it from next time I see him, I think he told me but I can't remember now. It's been out of service at least as long as yours.

Some more Vietnam pics but not all navy trucks:


Da Nang

Another with cargo bed on the right:

1966. This one might be a navy truck. I have a couple more pics of a navy m756 that looks like it could be the same truck, but it's completely destroyed.

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

"Camouflage nets cover vehicles and equipment of Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit 210 during the joint military training exercise Ocean Venture '92."

Missing the gin poles and maybe even the headache rack.