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What did you do to your deuce this week?

Mullaney

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View attachment 831234View attachment 831235
I began fabbing my new plastic battery box support today. I cut all of the metal to size and laid it all out. I bent one drill bit and broke off another in the mild steel. Brand new Dewalt drill bits. Pathetic. Suitable only for sheetrock or wood. My plan was to bolt it together first and decide if I want to weld it later. It all went well except for the drill bits. Otherwise it would have been done. Oh well, I guess I'll get new bits tomorrow.
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That's sad Owen...

At one point in time DeWalt bits were made out of good steel. That is pretty crummy.
Used to be that cheap bits were crummy and HF wasn't ever the place to go.

Seems like everybody is jumping on the cheap bandwagon - even American companies.
 

Dipstick

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That's sad Owen...

At one point in time DeWalt bits were made out of good steel. That is pretty crummy.
Used to be that cheap bits were crummy and HF wasn't ever the place to go.

Seems like everybody is jumping on the cheap bandwagon - even American companies.
Yeah Tim, I was surprised by the bits. They were titanium or something. I'm just going to buy a bunch of cheap made for metal bits tomorrow. One good thing is that my ancient 5/8" bit was able to easily drill through the 3/16" flat stock where the 1/2" handle pins drop through. That was a relief. Tomorrow is another day. I must say my Dewalt 4.5" cut off disks work really well though. I wish I had a floor standing bandsaw and a floor standing drill press. My holes and cuts would be more accurate.
 

Dipstick

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Battery Box Support 1.jpgBattery Box Support Rear.jpgBattery Box Retainer Rear.jpgBattery Box In Place.jpg
I know this is a mere trifle compared to what some of you fellas do, but maybe you'll find it interesting anyway. The first pic is the finished support. I'll probably have to add a center strap and upgrade the side angles from 3/4" to 1" because the rear lower piece hits the C-channel when I'm pushing the box home. The second picture shows the rear lower bracket and the cable tray. The third picture shows the rear lower bracket trapped under the red 1" angle I had left over from making fuel cell mounts for my old Dodge. The fourth pic shows the plastic battery box in place with the handles dropped through the holes. Next I have to fit it to Brutus and drill the frame support brackets and the C-channel for (4) 1/2" bolts. Then I'll take the whole thing apart, clean it up, and paint it. Then hopefully it goes back in Brutus for good with new batteries. I may yet weld it although the bolts will be plenty strong. I don't know.
 

V8srfun

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Great guys thank you for the info the video I watched the guy said the zipper ones are no good but it’s pretty much a road queen so they might work
I got my boots from big mike. I went with the silicone non zipper ones they were easy to install and I did not have any trouble with them popping out of the groove like many have shared horror stories about.

on a side note I am right in the middle of you and dipstick in Altoona 16601
 

Dipstick

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V8srfun, I'd be interested to know how long you've had your non-zippered boots installed and to see how long they last. You are about a three hour drive SW of me (in a V8 car that is). There are a handful of Steel Soldiers very near me. One of the soldiers lives not five miles from me! We're going to meet up soon hopefully.
 

jasonjc

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V8srfun, I'd be interested to know how long you've had your non-zippered boots installed and to see how long they last. You are about a three hour drive SW of me (in a V8 car that is). There are a handful of Steel Soldiers very near me. One of the soldiers lives not five miles from me! We're going to meet up soon hopefully.
I just replaced a set of non zipper boots that I put on 15 years ago. They showed some dry rot but not bad and one had a small hole. One side was full of gear oil. But the truck has not been used in like the last 10 years , just sitting in the tall grass.
 

V8srfun

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Altoona pa
V8srfun, I'd be interested to know how long you've had your non-zippered boots installed and to see how long they last. You are about a three hour drive SW of me (in a V8 car that is). There are a handful of Steel Soldiers very near me. One of the soldiers lives not five miles from me! We're going to meet up soon hopefully.
They have only been on the truck for about 6 months or so.
 

Dipstick

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I just replaced a set of non zipper boots that I put on 15 years ago. They showed some dry rot but not bad and one had a small hole. One side was full of gear oil. But the truck has not been used in like the last 10 years , just sitting in the tall grass.
Sitting for 10 years? I can understand that. You must be happy to have it going again.
 

Dipstick

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Battery Box Support 2.jpgBattery Support and Box.jpg
This is my new battery support test fit. I found that I had to lower the rear cable tray on the battery box 1/2" due to the thicker C-channel. I just re-drilled the 5 holes in the plastic box. I also drilled the C-channel and the frame brackets for bolts this morning in a light rain. I dropped the bolts in the mount and put the box in place. Everything lined up fine. The battery box compartment door latches closed. Now I just have to prep the metal and paint everything. Then the batteries go in finally. If you guys are getting annoyed with my posting this stuff just let me know and I'll stop.
 

Tracer

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View attachment 831410View attachment 831411
This is my new battery support test fit. I found that I had to lower the rear cable tray on the battery box 1/2" due to the thicker C-channel. I just re-drilled the 5 holes in the plastic box. I also drilled the C-channel and the frame brackets for bolts this morning in a light rain. I dropped the bolts in the mount and put the box in place. Everything lined up fine. The battery box compartment door latches closed. Now I just have to prep the metal and paint everything. Then the batteries go in finally. If you guys are getting annoyed with my posting this stuff just let me know and I'll stop.
Dipstick. Not at all.
 

Mullaney

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I'm glad you don't mind tracer! I sometimes feel like my posts/accomplishments are a little bit light weight compared to others.
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Hey Owen,

In my mind, you get extra points for working as a "shade tree mechanic" like myself.
Every job I do on my truck means about twenty trips into the house (work building).
My guess your experience is a lot like mine when it rains. You get wet. I get wet. We do it anyway - cause we want to!

Never mind that you happen to be doing smaller projects at the moment.
Axle Boots on the other hand is a project!

Keep talking and keep posting pictures sir!!
 

Tracer

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DSCF2852.JPG DSCF2853.JPG DSCF2855.JPG InkedDSCF2854_LI.jpg Well most of the shelter has been painted, except around the entry door when I ran out of paint. Just a quarter can more and I could have finished the job. But you know how it goes. So I ordered some more Woodland Green paint, and that should be here middle of next week. I did a lot of body work on the shelter as there were a lot of small dings, especially on the right hand side. I also did a brake bleed on the Deuce today. My Nephew came over and was Soldier B. We got it done and added some Dot 5, and now the pedal is firmer. The MVCC is around the corner, and I still have to do the oil & filter change tomorrow. Were going to give the shelter a test run on Saturday. 🤞
 
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Dipstick

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Effort PA
View attachment 831431 View attachment 831432 View attachment 831435 View attachment 831434 Well most of the shelter has been painted, except around the entry door when I ran out of paint. Just a quarter can more and I could have finished the job. But you know how it goes. So I ordered some more Woodland Green paint, and that should be here middle of next week. I did a lot of body work on the shelter as there were a lot of small dings, especially on the right hand side. I also did a brake bleed on the Deuce today. My Nephew came over and was Soldier B. We got it done and added some Dot 5, and now the pedal feels firmer. The MVCC is around the corner, and I still have to do the oil & filter change tomorrow. Were going to give the shelter a test run on Saturday. 🤞
Tracer, I can see now why space in the shelter is at a premium. I mistakenly thought the shelter was the full size of a 12' Deuce bed! I thought it went in your truck bed. You have a very sharp looking truck and trailer combo! I can see that you have put a ton of work into both! (y)
 

Tracer

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Hawthorne, NV.
S-280 shelter system.jpg s280-military.jpg Dipstick, the shelter in my trailer is an S-250. The shelter that fits in the bed of a 2 1/5 or 5 Ton is an S-280. The S-280 Shelter also fits on a dolly.
 
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Dipstick

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Location
Effort PA
View attachment 831479 View attachment 831481 Dipstick, the shelter in my trailer is an S-250. The shelter that fits in the bed of a 2 1/5 or 5 Ton is an S-280. The S-280 Shelter also fits on a dolly.
Thanks Tracer. I get it now. Quite a bit of difference between the two. They look heavy. I've always thought the Deuce with "shop van body" would make a good camper for the MV minded.
 
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