Steelsoldiers’ BIG M756A2 Project!

[AZDeuce]

That's nice and useful Deuce, for poor mans creeping oil I mix 50/50 ATF and Acetone, just don't get it on you the Acetone is a carcingetic. I just mixed up a batch and soaked the U-joint end of the winch driveshaft for my M54A2, I let it soak almost 2 weeks, and a light tap with a hammer and it moved, I got her to move in all directions and added grease to the Zerk fitting and she took it. That shaft was found under a water tank in the back of my M54A2 and was rusted solid. I sprayed on it with Break Free and beat the heck out of it with NO result, but a two week long soak in my homebrew creeping oil did the job. Give it a try, I quit buying Kroil cause this stuff works so good. Somebody on SS turned me on to it, haven't looked back since.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Picked up a load of 11.00R20 G177 Goodyear’s for the M756A2 yesterday. My NDT’s still have decent tread on them, but they’re showing their age with quite a bit of weather checking. I thought about just going with the 9.00x20 NDT’s again, but the blocky tread pattern on the G177’s should do better on wet, icy, and snowy roads, and give me a few more MPH’s. Can’t wait to get them mounted. I think they’re going to look really good.

I actually bought them from one of our advertisers, Colony Tire. They were great to deal with and their prices were good too. They sell on eBay or you can contact them directly. I worked with @Ryan Kight. Give him a ring at 757-408-0103 and he’ll get you hooked up!

Here are a few pics of our adventure. My dad brought his F250 along because we had to haul my 11 11.00R20’s and then 5 11.00R16 for my brother’s M37. Thankfully, my contractor buddy left his telehandler at my house, so we used that to unload the tires and put them in the back of the deuce!

 

[wheelspinner]

They are such an improvement. You will want to read up on the camber shims for the radials

 

[steelsoldiers]

A pallet load of body parts arrived from Memphis Equipment today! I had originally planned to repair the cab and fenders, but it became very apparent that they were just about beyond repair. So, the easiest thing to do is swap them out! There are just a couple of small rust blisters in the new cab, so most of my time will be spent on sanding and sandblasting all of that red paint off of everything!

 

[SCM35A2]

A pallet load of body parts arrived from Memphis Equipment today! I had originally planned to repair the cab and fenders, but it became very apparent that they were just about beyond repair. So, the easiest thing to do is swap them out! There are just a couple of small rust blisters in the new cab, so most of my time will be spent on sanding and sandblasting all of that red paint off of everything!

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Nice delivery!

 

[steelsoldiers]

Haven’t had time to work on the truck recently, but I did get to test out my new pallet forks! The loader on the Massey handled the cab without issue. Our new garage is nearing completion, so I’m hoping to get the truck and body parts in out of the weather soon!

 

[steelsoldiers]

Big update on the truck today! I tend to be a purist as it relates to most things on my M756A2, but I made an exception when it came to the tires. I decided to ditch the stock bias ply 9.00x20 NDTs for a set of Goodyear G177 11.00R20 radials. I love the blocky look and the excellent road manners. The steering effort was much lower when stopped or at low speeds. I know a lot of guys have mentioned that their steering was too twitchy or sensitive with the G177s, but mine felt pretty good. I may try the camber fix at some point, but for now, I’m pleased!

 

[Charlie175]

I picked up a M756a2 # 04G37970053510009
I have the Gin poles, 1 leg brace, and both in bed pully mounts.
Missing the tailgate, bed winch, trunnion, pulleys, and Gin pole to trunnion brackets. Maybe one day I will find those.

 

[Mullaney]

I picked up a M756a2 # 04G37970053510009
I have the Gin poles, 1 leg brace, and both in bed pully mounts.
Missing the tailgate, bed winch, trunnion, pulleys, and Gin pole to trunnion brackets. Maybe one day I will find those.

.
Neat. Got any pictures?

Might be worth creating yourself a new thread as you start working on your build.

 

[Charlie175]

I shall take some!

 

[cattlerepairman]

@steelsoldiers "Enlightened" motor pools quite evidently did several things to their M35 to make them perform even better, including singling them out and installing radial tires. I say this, based on the configuration of trucks surplussed out when they appeared on government auction sites. As such, yours would still be "motor pool correct" with the Goodyears mounted. My five cents!

 

[steelsoldiers]

I picked up a M756a2 # 04G37970053510009
I have the Gin poles, 1 leg brace, and both in bed pully mounts.
Missing the tailgate, bed winch, trunnion, pulleys, and Gin pole to trunnion brackets. Maybe one day I will find those.

Cool! Glad another one was saved! I will keep my eyes open for any of the BII. I’ve been scrounging for years to get mine. The only thing I’m missing are the stake pocket adapters.

 

[steelsoldiers]

@steelsoldiers "Enlightened" motor pools quite evidently did several things to their M35 to make them perform even better, including singling them out and installing radial tires. I say this, based on the configuration of trucks surplussed out when they appeared on government auction sites. As such, yours would still be "motor pool correct" with the Goodyears mounted. My five cents!

That’s a great way to look at it! I may try it with singles at some point, but figured it would be safer and more stable with duals when using the pipeline equipment.

 

[cattlerepairman]

I like the look of the radials as duals. Looks massive and very capable.

 

[Fredo Corleone]

Cool! Glad another one was saved! I will keep my eyes open for any of the BII. I’ve been scrounging for years to get mine. The only thing I’m missing are the stake pocket adapters.

The stake pocket adapters were the last BII items I acquired, used them once just to try them.

 

[steelsoldiers]

The stake pocket adapters were the last BII items I acquired, used them once just to try them.

Cool video! Doubt I would ever use them, but it would be neat to have a complete set of BII.

 

[steelsoldiers]

I’m finally getting some work done on the M756A2! My oldest boy “graduates” from 8th grade in a few weeks and the school always has a parade and picnic to celebrate. My son came to me about a month ago and asked if we could use the deuce in the parade, and of course I said yes! I’ve been scrambling ever since to make the truck safe and look as good as possible.

Two weekends ago, I removed the bedsides, headboard, and tailgate. Then, we cleaned out the bed and pressure washed the whole truck.









Last weekend, I started working on wiring and lighting. The military removed the work lights, clearance lights, and all associated wiring at some point. I had to straighten the clearance lights bracket, mount the lights, and build a new lighting harness. I also got one of the work lights mounted and operational too.





This weekend, I’m hoping to finish all of the wiring and lighting repairs, and start swapping out the air tanks. I also want to adjust the brakes and check all of the fluids

 

[Charlie175]

Awesome!

 

[steelsoldiers]

The M756A2 has been on the back burner since I started the HMMWV project, but it got a little love yesterday afternoon. My oldest son or one of his friends “accidentally” shot the radiator with an airsoft gun, and it turns out that those plastic BBs can cause a coolant leak if they hit a tube. I pulled the radiator out so I could take it to the shop to be boiled out and repaired. While it’s out, I’m going to replace the water pump, belts, and hoses. The pump has been weeping a little and the pulley/shaft have quite a bit of play in them.

Here’s a video showing the water pump wobble:

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[WillWagner]

The radiator woulda been fine if it weren't for those meddlin' kids!