5ton Bumper Fun and New Project

[TedG]

I received my M813A1 a little while ago from a fellow SS member and it was on "deck" for bringing it up to operation while I was finishing my hmmwv project. I have now started to turn wrenches on this truck and I started with the big banged up bumper. I have tried to find a replacement bumper and failed. So I had the twisted, bent and dented bumper placed into a 30 ton press along with some torch work and with a little magic, I believe it turned out well. I also fixed the driver's fender that was dented during the bending of the bumper in it previous life!

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[Hammer]

Well done!

 

[AceHigh]

How much do you charge to iron and press a whole Deuce? That is some great work.

 

[mudguppy]

yeah, as previously stated: holy cow, that's some great work!!

 

[M543A2]

Many of ours had a chain thrown around the middle section, then yanked on, bending the middle of the bumper. Some also got hits on the ends like yours. Seems they do not know what tow shackles are for!!
Regards Marti

 

[TedG]

This poor truck was molested heavily by a gl fork truck. Winch roller broken, left front boot and retainer destroyed, bed frame hit, rear air ports eliminated, and then the cargo and top were damaged from motor freight wind! I have already replaced both doors, cleaned up the winch with new seal and gaskets, and next is the wood racks. Hopefully I can get this done soon for a visit to the paint booth!

 

[bulldog_mack13]

How did the tail gate hold up? Mine was trashed by GL forks.

 

[TedG]

HI Jay,

Yep, they got that too! The bottom lip was not a lip anymore and a nice hit in the middle and both rubber bumpers missing. It is an operating tailgate so I will just put the lip back in it and clean up some of the dents. Also, both tail lights were gone (destroyed not removed).

Can you image some fork truck guy thinking he can push a 5 ton sideways just above the rear duallys! OR lift the entire front end by the winch roller! This truck was in great shape until mr fork truck found it!!!

 

[Verkstad]

[quote Seems they do not know what tow shackles are for!!
Regards Marti[/quote]

Thats too common in the towing recovery business, They like to wrap chains over anything and screw up wiring, hydraulics etc. rather than connect to the shackles & hooks made for the purpose.
Then again Maybe its a liability safety thing because they have no good way to know if a towing shackle is attached properly.

 

[TedG]

Well I thought I would post up a fresh picture of the M813A1 after being sandblasted, primered and painted CARC383 one part. Next is tires and dressings!

5.5 gallons of paint for the entire truck inside and out!

 

[txdodge43man]

what kind of tires you going with?

 

[swbradley1]

How much do you charge to iron and press a whole Deuce? That is some great work.

I want mine with starch. So it will last longer.

 

[frodobaggins]

Well I thought I would post up a fresh picture of the M813A1 after being sandblasted, primered and painted CARC383 one part. Next is tires and dressings!

5.5 gallons of paint for the entire truck inside and out!

Looks good man, next time post some more in progress pics, we'd love to see your work.

 

[TedG]

The shoes will be 48" Michelin XL's on HEMTT rims.

Progress pictures are lacking on this project, my bad.

 

[Armada]

Wow! What a transformation! It looks great Ted!

 

[TedG]

Thanks Paul and others for the comps.

Here are some pictures of the reinforcement plate prior to pop riveting in and the setting of the M66 turret. My bobcat was able to reach the top with 1" to spare. Strapping required! Also prior to primering, I remembered to take a picture post sandblasting. Sorry for the blur.

 

[Armada]

Ted, is that reinforcement plate one that you fabbed? Nice work if you did! Here is a pic of one in a deuce that was at Camp Grayling. How important are the plates when adding the gun mount? Since the gun mounts are mainly for display, is it necessary to have the reinforcement plate?

 

[gunboy1656]

Armada,

Heres a good thread about a cracked cab from an improprely installed plate.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/21723-cracked-cab.html

You gotta figure you have a lot of weight bouncing around, whether for display or not. Gun mounts are like 700 pounds or so.

 

[SGTStewart]

Looks Great!

 

[TedG]

Paul,
The plate is an NOS unit, the other goodies are used take-offs. I strongly suggest that the plate be installed if the M66 is to be used. After I installed the plate and then set the turret, I notice that I had to readjust the doors a little!

Rivets: steel, 3/16" x .5" or so. I used around 90-100 of them!

Who sells the back rest cushion? I need two (one for this truck and one for the other).