What did you do to your deuce this week?

[Crazyguyla]

I dreamed about my Deuce today. Still trying to get it in the same state I'm in.

 

[Another Ahab]

I dreamed about my Deuce today. Still trying to get it in the same state I'm in.

Is that the "dream" state, or do you mean Florida?!

 

[Tracer]

Pulled the PTO out of the Deuce for repair. Hope to have it to the welder tomorrow and back ASAP.

 

[Another Ahab]

Pulled the PTO out of the Deuce for repair. Hope to have it to the welder tomorrow and back ASAP.

 

[Tracer]

View attachment 692209

Cracked flange caused a slow leak. The PTO isn't to hard to take out, so I'll probably find a good PTO housing and swap everything out rather than weld this one.

 

[AZK9]

I dreamed about my Deuce today. Still trying to get it in the same state I'm in.

I know the feeling. It's hard to have such an awesome machine parked at a distance.
Living in AZ, but wishing... and dreaming of all the things that need doing on the deuce
while it's still in South Jersey... well... sometimes the reality seems more like a frustrating
nightmare.

I dream deuce mod dreams quite a lot.
Can't wait to get her x-country and into the mountains of Arizona!

 

[tobyS]

Moving to level 2 in the LED dash lighting experiment, going from cool white to red and green also. I started a thread for it here:
https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?170155-LED-dash-and-other-uses

 

[Wolfgang the Gray]

I forgot to post about last month when I converted my rear shackles to the captured "safety-pin" style like the front.
I wanted the rear shackles to be as easy to take on/off as the front were and have a "captured" retaining clip. I previously had had the rear shackle pins sand blasted, so then I welded to the top of the heads an 'S' hook and crimped on a short chain, another 'S' hook and a the large "safety pin" style retaining clip. It is the exact same style of retaining clip used on the front shackles.

So why would you need to remove your shackles? Neat what you did, but I can't figure out why.

 

[gimpyrobb]

If you ever have to use them, the cotter pin settup sucks azz.

 

[kml9705]

Moving to level 2 in the LED dash lighting experiment, going from cool white to red and green also. I started a thread for it here:
https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?170155-LED-dash-and-other-uses

Erik's Military and industrial surplus has various Dash Indicator Lenses ranging from the standard red to blue, amber, clear and green. Has anyone tried just changing out their lens? I would assume the clear lens would give a good result.

 

[tobyS]

Erik's Military and industrial surplus has various Dash Indicator Lenses ranging from the standard red to blue, amber, clear and green. Has anyone tried just changing out their lens? I would assume the clear lens would give a good result.

I haven't, but further back in the thread there was another member Gimpy referenced that went through the discovery process for replacing the bulbs with LED's, which required a longer lens. I liked how 18operator's lights looked, are indirect so I'm using the light strips... which I discovered are rather cheap in white (and more expensive in red and green).

I ordered a red and green, but the roll is only half length of what the white is, at almost double the cost and will take longer to get. Thanks to Mac and Todd for sharing the first order of white.

 

[Jbulach]

So why would you need to remove your shackles? Neat what you did, but I can't figure out why.

To put a strap on them, and use them...maybe?

 

[kml9705]

Dis some more on the 12v system today. Installed a master switch for the 12v system. I will eventually change it out to a military switch. Hooked up power to the tank drain heaters, installed a power outlet/USB, and installed interior lights.

 

[tobyS]

Dis some more on the 12v system today. Installed a master switch for the 12v system. I will eventually change it out to a military switch. Hooked up power to the tank drain heaters, installed a power outlet/USB, and installed interior lights.

View attachment 692578View attachment 692579View attachment 692580View attachment 692581View attachment 692582

Do you have fuse or a circuit breaker? I'm thinking there should be some DIN rail stuff, but only now starting to look.

I do have some 24vdc DIN mount relays if you get sophisticated.

 

[tobyS]

My how plans change. I sold the donor M105A2 today whose bed was going on the back of my A3, making it into a 4x4 (but not cutting the truck frame length). I had to help with some of the daughters wedding cost and I had a back up green iron plan.

Plan b now is to use the deuce bed on the trailer frame that I built, making it into a dump bed and then to put the LMTV bed (picture) onto the (6 x 6 becoming) 4 x 4, deuce. The fixed sides on my deuce bed are better for a dump and that gives side access to the truck.

I'm leaving the A3 rear axle in position, leaving the lower links but removing the spring. To make it into a true four link I will fab an axle mount and attach it to the top link mount that is directly above the bottom link in the frame trunion. Thus four dog bones will be used outside the frame and both air bag mount and watts link will go behind and above the rear axle, but not require it's removal or the removal of the frame trunion. Then with 395's and the longer wheel base, it will resemble a M1078...somewhat.

The last picture is the start of the trailer that gets the deuce bed, made into a dump. I' made a bit of progress on the frame but this picture gives a side view to see axle spacing. The dump is air over hydraulic disk on both axles, HMMWV wheels and tires.

 

[HanksDeuce]

Drained the transmission fluid. Dropped the pan. Decide to use Permatex The Right Stuff instead of a gasket. Used it on the Allison AT545 PTO block-off plate too. Let it cure a week.

Swapped on a new WIX 51622 remote transmission filter. Put in 20 quarts of DEX MERC. Made the cold mark when cold. Drove it until hot. Couldn't read the dipstick correctly with the almost hot, clear fluid.

Drove over to my buddy's house and he showed me how to use a light dusting of baby powder to read a dipstick for hard to read fluid. 21.5 quarts is the magic number!

 

[tobyS]

Hank, does your AT 545 have the gear for a PTO?

Here is one on my 1545.

 

[HanksDeuce]

Hank, does your AT 545 have the gear for a PTO?
Here is one on my 1545.

When I took the PTO cover plate off you can see a large gear in there. Is that what the Chelsea PTO mates up to? Stupid question, but some AT 545's are missing the PTO gear in there? I don't know how common it is.

I don't really have a need for a PTO (dump bed, snow plow, etc). If I had more money than sense I would put a hydraulic winch on the front and the 24v Warn winch out back.

 

[tobyS]

If it has the gear, it fits the same PTO as the 5 ton uses, 6 bolt. The only difference is the number of teeth. The 545/1545 has 55 teeth and the Alison in the 5 ton has 77. By the math, the 5 ton turns just under 1.5r for every 1 engine rpm and the 545 turns just over 1/1. Some 545's do not have the gear.

I won a lot of the PTO's and have sold quite a few but have been experimenting with tranny PTO on the A3 as you can see. The last hing in the world I would do to the CAT 3116 is drive a hydraulic pump on the back of the air compressor. I made the one above with a large displacement pump because the 5 ton winch needs a lot of flow.

I plan on going to a smaller variable displacement pump and pressure compensation (PC) for what I want to run now. I have another kit for direct mount to change the PTO with a common SAE B and 13 tooth spline....which by Murphy's law, is different than my PC pump.

 

[Cow Puncher]

Painted our logo on the door.

Added some flair to both doors using black one shot paint.