XM757 climbing out of its nest

[cranetruck]

With the engine running smoothly, I simply couldn't wait to take the next step, so on went the tires and a short test run followed.
It just floats over the humps, the power steering working great and the power brakes are superb. It's nice to hear the turbo as I let off the "gas", it still smokes a lot, but a highway run should clear that up.
Only bad part are the tires, good for driving around the yard, but hardly for a road trip....
Still got plenty to do, but I will drive it more and more for sure.

An interesting note, the oil pressure comes up very fast, within 5 seconds after sitting for a day. Must be the higher capacity oil pump , so I'll probably be removing the pre oiler that was installed some time ago.

 

[M1075]

Yippee! Congrats on the progess. I know it has been over a year in the works.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Ok, pics bring more questions as always. Whats up with two mushrooms?

 

[cranetruck]

Re: RE: XM757 climbing out of its nest

Ok, pics bring more questions as always. Whats up with two mushrooms?

The heater.

 

[JDToumanian]

WOW! Congratulations, Bjorn!

That first drive must have been very satisfying indeed... this is the first time it's moved under it's own power since you've owned it, right? The paint looks great too!

Jon

 

[Dieselsmoke]

Beautiful bjorn!!!! that's a rare site for sure!!! Nice work.

 

[Armada]

Nice work! I really like that MV. It is so unique. Can't wait to see more of it.

 

[WillWagner]

WOO HOO! good to see it rolling. Where are you gonna get rubber for it?

 

[BFR]

looks great!

 

[Stan]

Congratulations, makes you feel like you can walk on water after all that work and IT WORKS.

 

[maddawg308]

This thread can be summed up with one smiley:

 

[rizzo]

nice

are you going to get a trailer for it?

 

[SasquatchSanta]

Wow!!! --- That's really cool!

All the hard work is paying off.

Post more pictures.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Fantastic! Congrats Bjorn. I look forward to seeing it in convoy!

 

[Desert Deuce]

Congratulations Bjorn! That's a magnificent piece of equipment. Looks like many new fittings and an external filter in the heater pic. The different turning characteristics of each front axle can be seen in the second picture as well as the articulation of the rears. The color and Vietman era black stars are very cool. NIce piece of work!

 

[cranetruck]

Thanks for your support!
I'll post more pictures from other angles now that I can move it around, the front has been facing NW and the sun was not hitting it right for good pictures.
Fortunately, there are many more things to work on, the electrical, the cab, the winch for example and I'll always be on the lookout for tires in better condition.
The filters you see in the image above are the Racor primary filter/water separator and the engine oil bypass filter.

Jon, yes, it's the first time it has moved under its own power for a decade or so. The paint has been applied a piece at a time using Aervoe 997B (24084) rattle cans, not so good for larger surfaces.

Yeah, the fittings, I have learned to love the "push-on" types over last the year. Thru cab connections are made water proof so that the original design goals are not compromised.

The shovel in one of the images below is the perfect tool for mounting tires, just roll the tire up and lever it to the right height with the shovel.

 

[Armada]

Bjorn, the front wheels appear different than the rears. Are the rears just not fully assembled or is it a design feature?

 

[BKubu]

Bjorn, congratulations. The truck looks great. Have you ever contacted Tom Bauer about the truck. He used to own an M757 tractor and he might have some misc. parts lying around. I hope you bring it to the VA off-roading trip next spring. I probably will bring my HEMTT, although I plan to bring another truck for off-roading.

 

[cranetruck]

Bjorn, the front wheels appear different than the rears. Are the rears just not fully assembled or is it a design feature?

The front wheels have "steps" on them...if that's what you mean.

Bruce, I honestly don't have enough money to go "shopping" for parts and it's no fun to find parts and not being able buy them. Tom hasn't chimed in when it comes for spare parts, so I don't think he has anything left.
I have been told that there are NOS tires availble some place in NE Virginia, but like I said, without money it's not fun to pursue a lead like that.
I do want to stick to original tires, although I know several different new ones can be used.

 

[redass73]

super cool truck... you do great work..