spicergear
New member
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- Millerstown, PA
No, this ain't about a Ford. My other M715 is named Futura. It's named that because of the guy on GSA that outbid and ran the price on me two years ago for it when it was only 20 miles from the farm. He was 'Futura' and I hated him since, but the truck was so purdy (I had gone and looked at it) that from then on super clean 715's would be referred to as a 'Futura Truck.' Yeah, so I'm weird. Well, our own McInfantry calls me one day and says, "Hey man I found a truck down here and you said you been looking for another and I though you could do a good job with it. I'd keep it but I think I'd be sleeping in it...or be nutted." He sent me some pics and incredibly...IT'S FUTURA!!! Unbelievably Futura had traveled some 1,200 miles to be parked under a tree and neglected until McInfantry stumbled across it. The guy was willing to sell...other vices had him needing money, and I bought it! Yeah...for a $h!tload less than what he did too! McInfantry had business in a town about 1/3 the way and I had some stuff to bring him and another guy so we all met and swapped parts, loaded Futura, shot some guns, and headed home.
Our other buddy with a M715 winched it on.
Then it was my turn to molest this fine hunk of expendible military equipment. One of the parts swapped down there was a busted up NV4500 from a '97 2wd Chevy. NV4500's have a really nice overdrive 5th and a deep granny gear. The M715's have divorced T-cases so a short tail tranny is a nice set up. I went through that and got a bunch of new parts to get it ship-shape again. I also cut a deal with another buddy to get a CUCV's 6.2L V8 Diesel with 5,000 miles on it from a military rebuild. I searched ebay until I found an old Lakewood Scattershield bellhousing to use so that I'd be able to weld to it or modify it easily. I also wanted mechancal linkage. The fifth pic down from here shows the throw out bearing's slider snout I had to make for this tranny as it never came with one factory. Welded a 1.5" solid round to 1/4" plate. Faced the back and OD of plate, clamed it by that and turned down the od of the round stock and bored it out to fit. Might look a little mungy, but I didn't need to turn the front side the whole way down so I didn't. I'm a function guy, not a pretty guy.
Orginal shifter hole was round, I squared it off and voila! Engine and trans is a real comfortable fit. Remounted main mount for T-case shifters and E-brake handle on a simple angle piece. Oil pan even has factory step in it that looks perfect for it's new home above the Dana 60.
Our other buddy with a M715 winched it on.
Then it was my turn to molest this fine hunk of expendible military equipment. One of the parts swapped down there was a busted up NV4500 from a '97 2wd Chevy. NV4500's have a really nice overdrive 5th and a deep granny gear. The M715's have divorced T-cases so a short tail tranny is a nice set up. I went through that and got a bunch of new parts to get it ship-shape again. I also cut a deal with another buddy to get a CUCV's 6.2L V8 Diesel with 5,000 miles on it from a military rebuild. I searched ebay until I found an old Lakewood Scattershield bellhousing to use so that I'd be able to weld to it or modify it easily. I also wanted mechancal linkage. The fifth pic down from here shows the throw out bearing's slider snout I had to make for this tranny as it never came with one factory. Welded a 1.5" solid round to 1/4" plate. Faced the back and OD of plate, clamed it by that and turned down the od of the round stock and bored it out to fit. Might look a little mungy, but I didn't need to turn the front side the whole way down so I didn't. I'm a function guy, not a pretty guy.
Orginal shifter hole was round, I squared it off and voila! Engine and trans is a real comfortable fit. Remounted main mount for T-case shifters and E-brake handle on a simple angle piece. Oil pan even has factory step in it that looks perfect for it's new home above the Dana 60.
