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What did you do to your deuce this week?

DutchmanZ

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View attachment 821321
I decided to crawl under Brutus. Wasn't going to let a little ice stop me. This is the moustache spring. It's purpose is to hold the inner shoe away from the drum when the parking brake is released. You may be able to retrofit one if your truck has the provision for the right side (of the spring) attachment screw. You're right about the adjustment knob on my type of handbrake lever. I must have had a senior moment.
I’m good now. The newer setup is a direct swap. I just had to get the cable nut off. Not a lot of room up there.
 

frank8003

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I have the 8022 manual but I haven’t verified what it says about the parking brake. I just know my original brake assembly had no provisions for the mustache spring and the new assembly did. I don’t have a pic of the new setup. With my truck being a 1953, there are several things I’ve found that are different over the newer trucks.

View attachment 821239
It is meant to be there properly installed with goofy washers. Should not have to persuade the shoes at any time.
part 7064466 and/or 70644688
NSN 5340-00-321-6375 or maybe 19207-706-4466
We know it as mustache spring but proper nomenclature is parking brake stabilizer spring
 

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fleetmech

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I backed up Brutus to the woods and shoveled a couple of yards of wet snow out of the bed. Then we went on a hazelnut coffee creamer run.
You've closing in on my personal record of most truck used for the least weight hauled... I once took my Reo C101 to the deli for a half pound of pastrami! I have taken the deuce on a few take out runs to the local diner... Why do we do it? Because we can!
 

Dipstick

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Amen brother fleetmech! I can't remember a time when I wasn't fascinated by trucks. I would play in the sandbox or in dirt for hours with my Tonka toys building roads. My Mom never had to worry about where I was. As a kid, I even got my Dad to take me around to heavy truck dealers so I could gom the color brochures and memorize the specs. I can remember drawing detailed, scale pictures of trucks (mostly Mack B-61s) for hours on end. I always dreamed about owning one myself. Even put myself through tractor trailer driving school. Nothing is as cool to me as sitting up high in a big diesel truck and going through the gears. I just wish I could fit a Road Ranger in Brutus. The sounds of the engine. The vibrations. The smell of diesel exhaust. The bumps. The view. I love it. I don't drive my Mustang GT in snow ever and seldom in rain. 13 years old and it still has the original brake shoes with plenty of meat left. If the weather is crappy, Brutus gets the call to action. And sometimes I want to drive him just because I feel like it. Welcome to the addiction!
 

Mullaney

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Amen brother fleetmech! I can't remember a time when I wasn't fascinated by trucks. I would play in the sandbox or in dirt for hours with my Tonka toys building roads. My Mom never had to worry about where I was. As a kid, I even got my Dad to take me around to heavy truck dealers so I could gom the color brochures and memorize the specs. I can remember drawing detailed, scale pictures of trucks (mostly Mack B-61s) for hours on end. I always dreamed about owning one myself. Even put myself through tractor trailer driving school. Nothing is as cool to me as sitting up high in a big diesel truck and going through the gears. I just wish I could fit a Road Ranger in Brutus. The sounds of the engine. The vibrations. The smell of diesel exhaust. The bumps. The view. I love it. I don't drive my Mustang GT in snow ever and seldom in rain. 13 years old and it still has the original brake shoes with plenty of meat left. If the weather is crappy, Brutus gets the call to action. And sometimes I want to drive him just because I feel like it. Welcome to the addiction!

ABSOLUTELY! I love banging through the gears but have nothing that has that kind of transmission in it!

There is at least one build on here with a Roadranger in it. It sounds so neat. Not sure that it helped the truck other than giving it a real transmission, but the cool factor is definitely went WAY UP!
 

Dipstick

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I think it would Tim. The ratio spacing would be closer and you wouldn't have the massive torque drop between 3rd and 4th and 4th and 5th. The Spicer 5sp is only about 13.5" long. Road Rangers are more like 20" or longer. I'll have to find that post.
 

Mullaney

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I think it would Tim. The ratio spacing would be closer and you wouldn't have the massive torque drop between 3rd and 4th and 4th and 5th. The Spicer 5sp is only about 13.5" long. Road Rangers are more like 20" or longer. I'll have to find that post.
Hi Owen,

So it was installed in a 5-Ton rather than a Deuce and it wasn't a bolt-in fit for sure. Had to raise the cab three inches to fit it under the floorboards. It sure looks nice though and while it might not go any faster, I would imagine acceleration would be improved... I couldn't resist adding a picture of the shifter below.

The story is at:



CRF450x Roadranger Upgrade.jpeg
 

Dipstick

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I figured it was a 5 ton with a Cummins. Another option would be the rare 5 tons that had Mack engines. You could probably get an RR or a Mack multispeed transmission in one of those too. Spicer makes a 6 sp manual transmission for larger straight trucks. Even one of those would be a vast improvement. I'll have to see if I can find the dimensions. I measured Brutus' trans when I replaced the U-joints on the short shaft to the transfer case six years or so ago. The picture of the shifter really floats my boat! Thanks Tim!
 

pitpawten

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Today I messaged a member about getting a replacement starter.

It hasn't moved since Oct 2019 when I blew my starter up and wasted a brand new battery - time to get it going again!

Plus, I need to burn the burn-pile and its too close : )
 

DutchmanZ

Active member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
89
212
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Location
Pantego, NC
It is meant to be there properly installed with goofy washers. Should not have to persuade the shoes at any time.
part 7064466 and/or 70644688
NSN 5340-00-321-6375 or maybe 19207-706-4466
We know it as mustache spring but proper nomenclature is parking brake stabilizer spring
Don’t take this as an argument but my M35 is a ‘53 gasser. There was not any mounting points for a mustache spring. (See earlier pics) Therefore I can only guess it came without one and at some point it was a revision for newer truck. The replacement assembly I installed has it and it’s installed correctly. I also attribute some sticking shoes to a stiff brake cable but I haven’t found the older style cable to replace it.
 

frank8003

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Today I messaged a member about getting a replacement starter.

It hasn't moved since Oct 2019 when I blew my starter up and wasted a brand new battery - time to get it going again!

Plus, I need to burn the burn-pile and its too close : )
What, no pitchers?
Well, that was another 431 daze gone........................
 

Dipstick

Well-known member
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Effort PA
Don’t take this as an argument but my M35 is a ‘53 gasser. There was not any mounting points for a mustache spring. (See earlier pics) Therefore I can only guess it came without one and at some point it was a revision for newer truck. The replacement assembly I installed has it and it’s installed correctly. I also attribute some sticking shoes to a stiff brake cable but I haven’t found the older style cable to replace it.
Dutch, I was thinking about it and I realized that the mounting points for the moustache spring are on the inner and outer shoes themselves, so either you have the kind of parking brake shoes that accept them or you don't. It's not something to worry about in any case.
 

Mullaney

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I bought one of those Grease Fitting Rejuvenator tools on Amazon. Can't wait to try it out on a few recalcitrant fittings on Brutus.
Hi Owen,

It would be really neat to know how well that tool works. I have always just been inclined to remove to old Zerk, poke around with a paperclip or a packing hook or scratch awl to remove the crusty grease... Looking forward to hearing what you discover!

Tim
 
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