• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

A neglected v 100

B3.3T

Well-known member
1,293
92
48
Location
SW Ohio
That motor is an M75 in M113 configuration. You just need to switch over the water pump pully and attach the fan. The stock carbs are crap though, even brand new.
 

M813rc

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
4,204
3,188
113
Location
Near Austin, Texas
While you can make the vision blocks out of lexan/plexiglass, it's not original.
It is definitely an option, and one I'm pursuing on my other armoured car. But there are very few V100's in private hands, and doing the restoration "properly" is usually important to the owner. It would certainly be important if you wanted to enter it for judging at a convention.

I was lucky in having good NOS blocks, and one of the other V guys gave me the one odd one in the turret that I was missing. If I hadn't had those, I might have considered using plastic, if only for the short term, to save on expense. Despite the list of green stuff in my signature, my pockets are not deep, so spiking for that much armoured glass would have been very painful.

Driving - the V actually makes a fairly decent road vehicle. The longest trip I have made at a time was around 175 miles. I was honoured by being asked to provide escort for parts of the Texas Vietnam Veterans memorial statue when they were being made a couple of years ago. The V didn't mind the trip, but I was really glad to get out of it at the end of that day. Were I 30 years younger, I imagine it would have been much easier!

Fuel consumption is awful. My V gets about 3 mpg, which is worse than even the military thought it should be. B3.3T mentioned the carburetor - I had our local carb whiz almost snatch himself bald-headed in frustration trying to tune my carb. That piece of junk is, well... a piece of junk. When Louie and the other Vietnam V100 vets (GREAT bunch of guys!!) came to play with my V a couple of years ago, one of the comments was "You still have that crap Holley carb! First thing we did when we got a new car was write home and get a speed shop to send us a new carb". I think I'm going to follow their advice. B3.3T gave me an excellent suggestion on a bolt-on Edelbrock, I just haven't acted on it yet.

Cheers
 

B3.3T

Well-known member
1,293
92
48
Location
SW Ohio
The very best $300.00 you will ever spend on a V-100 is for an Edelbrock 1405 Performer carb. Works great right out of the box. All you need is a stock manifold for a Mopar 316/383. I have seen these for as cheap as $15.00. Rory, you will kick yourself for not doing it years ago.
 

plasmacutter

Member
32
9
8
Location
N.J.
I have the new manifold, also she will be fuel injected, the engine was a 113 I have the original V exhaust manifolds and are in perfect condition,
all the mods are not permanent I will save all the original stuff for the next owner, as far as shows and judging , I would like to be a purest but
I know I like drivability more
 

plasmacutter

Member
32
9
8
Location
N.J.
I was at the gilbert show a few weeks ago and asked a dozen duce and five ton truckers what make tires they liked

some had Goodyear some Michelin XZL ?

weigh in anyone ?
 

M813rc

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
4,204
3,188
113
Location
Near Austin, Texas
The Michelin XL looks the most like the original Commando tires, but they are all getting a bit old now.

The Goodyear tires were used by the military after the Commando tire, so correct for a late use V100 (post-Vietnam). That is what I am running on mine. They look good, and drive great. Again, most are getting a bit old.

The Michelin XZL is an excellent tire. I have those on a couple of my 5-tons. The surplus ones are pretty recent vintage, so age shouldn't be an issue. The only downside is that they are not "correct" for a V100. But, for safety and driveablity, that isn't an over-riding concern. They are used on the M1117 ASV, the V100's grandson.

Best case is two sets of wheels, if you can find a second set (they are as common as hens teeth). That way you can keep those original Commando tires mounted and put away for a competition, but drive around on a second set of "expendable" tires. You are NOT going to be swapping the tires back and forth on one set of rims!
I was lucky enough to find a second set of wheels to do this, but you might have better luck getting a set made.

Cheers

Pic 1 - Michelin XL
Pic 2 - Goodyears
Pic 3 - Michelin XZL
 

Attachments

TacticalTruck

Active member
928
48
28
Location
Va Piedmont
I went with the Edelbrock 1405 Performer and matching Edelbrock manifold with Chrysler electronic ignition, runs smooth.
I put a variable venturi throttle body fuel injection I made here at my shop on my Roadrunner. Might go that way on the V.Pinsker 003.jpg
 

baseballump

Member
135
5
18
Location
Staunton, Il
Rory
Please do not bring up changing a tire on a V rim. We did that in Nam took a crew of 6 young GIs 4 plus days to change out 4 tires. What a job it kicked our rears. The second time it came up on a different V we went to the Air Force base and traded 8 case of C-rations for the to take 4 tires off rims and put 4 on took about 6hrs.
Louie
 

plasmacutter

Member
32
9
8
Location
N.J.
working on the front axle and trans today, inner seals and machining some new bushings,

this is the 4-5 ring and pin part of the synchro , some call it a breaker ring, the bottom of the trans looks like it should

after years , they checked off on the list "flush, clean and change fluids in the transmission " every time it went for service.

hard drivers,
 

Attachments

plasmacutter

Member
32
9
8
Location
N.J.
sorry guys,
I was busy last week drying out my place in Virginia , since then I did get the trans and front axle assembled and painted.

I will have more pictures this weekend, L2KojMeLg9vGrJWO960JeVm2TlOpm4TCcZukAloFiGQ,C3-z4rW2QEdtgWMGRQJBgePACqSKhj_ZfNmq8eIjT34.jpg
 

plasmacutter

Member
32
9
8
Location
N.J.
finally found some time to update some progress, we had a bbq at Lincoln park airport N.J. last week,

some of my friends from Gypsy Company brought there trucks. I had my MKT there and did a bunch of cooking.

Jeff's HEMTT is what we use to pull out and put in engines on our projects hopefully the v100 is next.

I finished the trans and front axle, while the paint was drying I pulled out the brake pedal assembly and found everything was worn out

so I spent a few hours in front of the mill and lathe with some bronze oil lite making and fitting bushings, the brake pedal pivot was cracked from end to end

I machined out the tube and welded a new one in .then started on my hydro boost adapter, for my purest friends all these mods. I am doing to my V are bolt on and

can easily be put back to original if some one wanted. tomorrow I will make the leaf spring and shackle bushings, more to come
 

Attachments

juanprado

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
5,605
2,898
113
Location
Metairie/La (N'awlins)
finally found some time to update some progress, we had a bbq at Lincoln park airport N.J. last week,

some of my friends from Gypsy Company brought there trucks. I had my MKT there and did a bunch of cooking.

Jeff's HEMTT is what we use to pull out and put in engines on our projects hopefully the v100 is next.

I finished the trans and front axle, while the paint was drying I pulled out the brake pedal assembly and found everything was worn out

so I spent a few hours in front of the mill and lathe with some bronze oil lite making and fitting bushings, the brake pedal pivot was cracked from end to end

I machined out the tube and welded a new one in .then started on my hydro boost adapter, for my purest friends all these mods. I am doing to my V are bolt on and

can easily be put back to original if some one wanted. tomorrow I will make the leaf spring and shackle bushings, more to come


What is on the front of the m923 bumper?
 

plasmacutter

Member
32
9
8
Location
N.J.
It is a crane that Jamie made it has stabilizing feet and extends out and forward I think 20 ft. he made different attachments for it, the back of his truck has a wheel lift

that he carries dirt bikes,
 
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks