Curious old M49 fuel truck

[Paweł]

Hello!

@HDN - thanks a lot for your comment! I think you're right. After you pointed it out I even found the right part in the kit.

Took a little longer than I thought, but I've got another update - I was working on the chassis and also on the cab:








As you can see I’ve replaced the bumperettes with sheet metal to hopefully make them look better.

Similarily I’ve had an accident with the step boxes and I repaired them with other sheet metal:



I also started working on the tank. First I had to cut off the later sides:



Then I had to do some fixes and tweaks:



I'll soon have everything ready for the 3D printed older sides.

I was also working on custom decals and now I'm waiting for them to print.

That'd be it for now - thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

 

[Paweł]

Hello everybody!
I've got one more question - looking at the photo of the real thing (on top of page 1) it seems to me that it doesn't have the tail lights at all - how come? Were they just smashed or what happened to them? It looks like it's not uncommon on other similar trucks, too. I'd appreciate your comments on that.
Thanks in advance, have a nice day
Paweł

 

[gringeltaube]

it seems to me that it doesn't have the tail lights at all...

They should be there - from factory at least.

 

[Paweł]

Hello!
Thanks a lot for your comment and for posting that cool TM picture!
I wonder if they just got knocked off (and not replaced - not important?) or were they deliberately taken down?
Like I wrote in another photo another similar truck doesn't seem to have 'em neither:

By the way this has an interesting hook on the rears, looks like it would be good for rigging a parachute or hoisting it aboard a ship.

Any more comments on the taillights? Thanks in advance!

Have a nice day!

Paweł

 

[msgjd]

1) starting/jumper cable connector on the rear right of the cab - would a Vietnam-era M35 have it?

2) what would an old M35 need in terms of air inlets? Would there be this round hole on the front of the left side panel under the hood? Would there be a "mushroom" inlet for the air filter on the right?

Paweł

1: not all trucks have the slave cable receptacle .. If you choose to have one , the 2-pin type with knurled cap is period-correct
2; the cab inlet vents are same regardless whether it's a gas or mf .. The gassers do NOT have a round hole in the right-hand engine bay door below the hood, and no mushroom cap

HDN answered your 3rd question correctly .. and i will add all of the M44-series trucks have the HMG ring mount clamp , in my experience

are you planning to fabricate and add the 3rd underbody outlet valve on the tank?

 

[msgjd]

the cast-iron exhaust manifold elbow is large as you indicate, close to 4" .. I have two of them NOS but they (and the truck too) are nowhere close to where i winter, thus I cannot measure them.. As you can see in below pic, the exhaust pipe to the muffler is smaller than the cast-iron manifold elbow it bolts to.. The pipe is just under 3" as someone has already mentioned




the tailpipe , approx 2-3/4" diameter.. Not all trucks have the downspout that bolts to the flange seen here

 

[Paweł]

@msgjd - thanks a lot for your comments! I missed you in this thread! So you're spending the winter somewhere where it's warm? Sounds like a very good idea!

OK, so I filled the hole for the mushroom on the right side and the panel under the hood will be completely smooth. Makes me wonder a little how do they attach the tube for fording - but I guess they removed the whole panel, right?

On the third tank valve - the answer is yes, I'm just drawing up the valve and it's base using your pictures as reference. The valve of the front tank will be almost completely invisible, covered by the air tanks and the muffler, but I'll do it anyhow.

Thanks also for the additional pictures. I'll leave the manifold as I have it for now, but I still have to do the rear exhaust pipe, so I'll terminate it with this three bolt flange.

How do you like my model so far? Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

 

[Jbulach]

@msgjd…How do you like my model so far? Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Looks amazing so far! Hope to see it running and pumping fuel soon…

 

[msgjd]

@msgjd - thanks a lot for your comments! I missed you in this thread! So you're spending the winter somewhere where it's warm? Sounds like a very good idea!

OK, so I filled the hole for the mushroom on the right side and the panel under the hood will be completely smooth. Makes me wonder a little how do they attach the tube for fording - but I guess they removed the whole panel, right?

How do you like my model so far? Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

1: my winters are spent 3 hours to the south of home but unfortunately it lands me on top of a mountain range, so no, it's not warmer, especially with the wind chill effect happening almost 24 hours a day.. But the stoves are comfortable despite what's blowing outside

2: the fording pipe attachment: i have never iseen it on a gasser but the field-expedient method would only require the door to be left open, laying flat on the fender.. In the real world, i don't think the door was ever removed to facilitate the snorkel

3: you are doing an excellent job !

 

[Paweł]

@Jbulach , @msgjd - thanks a lot for your comments and for your kind words!

I got my valves at last:

I have drilled out the two existing mounts and one additional hole. I had to relocate the holes for the pipes in the rear tank bulkhead and after dry-fitting the valves the bottom of the tank looks like that:

I'd like to make the control cables but I don't know how it's done, that they change direction - two times in case for the cables for the forward tanks. Can you help me on that?

Thanks in advance and have a nice day!

Paweł

 

[msgjd]

I'd like to make the control cables but I don't know how it's done, that they change direction - two times in case for the cables for the forward tanks. Can you help me on that?
Thanks in advance and have a nice day!
Paweł

1: I believe there is a spring inside the valve body .. I have not had one apart

2: The spring has tension at all times, these valves have a default-closed action

3: When the control levers in the rear cabinet are pulled rearward to open the valves, the spring tension is greatest,
the operator will feel tension throughout the entire range of motion of the levers

4: You are an ambitious one wanting to do the cables ! Now you have another handy use for your OD-colored spool
of sewing thread

5: It just occurred to me that your comment "change direction" might mean the routing of the cables, and not how
the valve direction operates .. My pictures don't show enough detail of where 2 of the 8 cable sleeves are exactly
located in relation to the tank crossmembers, they are difficult to see above the rear/rear axle area. I can only
estimate which crossmember they change direction because my truck is 3 hours away until April or May.. Clearly
your model is worthy of more than an estimation ! But I will include a crude drawing anyway with hopes someone
else will do an exact drawing before I get under my truck again..

6: Yes, the three compartment cables cross each other at the rear tank area

7: On your model tank body, it will be interesting to see how you build the early-style deep wheel wells


FRONT TO REAR , looking to rear















Note: although the valve control levers for the truck operator are situated 200g, 400g, 600g from left to right, the 400g and 600g cable protection tubes cross before passing through the bulkhead, putting them out of order as seen in the above pic

 

[Paweł]

@msgjd - thanks a lot for your great help!

ad. 5 - that's right, that's what I meant, maybe I didn't write it clear enough.

Without your photos I wouldn't eve touch this projects and I would be surprised if anybody else posted the right photos here - although it would be a pleasant surprise!

But I looked at your photos again and noticed an interesting thing:





That's a very cool sketch, by the way! That would take care of two out of four "turning points", right? Do I see it right, that they are fixed to the frame crossmember instead of the tank? This makes things a little harder...

It's also interesting about this emergency shutoff cable - it ultimately bolts to the transfer case PTO, right?

I'll do the wheel wells soon, too!

Thanks again and have a nice day!

Paweł

 

[msgjd]

@msgjd - thanks a lot for your great help!

.... I looked at your photos again and noticed an interesting thing: That would take care of two out of four "turning points", right? Do I see it right, that they are fixed to the frame crossmember instead of the tank? This makes things a little harder...

It's also interesting about this emergency shutoff cable - it ultimately bolts to the transfer case PTO, right?
Paweł

1: you are welcome, glad to help. .. i have gotten great help here (especially about doing the overhead on the 855
cummins engines and rebuilding the IP head on multifuels), thus i contribute when i can

2: You are in luck, the 4 angled tubing sleeves for the cables are attached to the bottom of the tank crossmembers , not to the truck .. The emergency shutoff cable has a (straight) sleeve attached to one of the pto shaft supports (unpictured), i forget which one. These tanks are removed as a complete unit and the cables stay with the unit, unaffected.. The only part of the tank body that needs to be disconnected is the pto flange at the transfer case. (not to mention the truck frame mounting bolts)

3: The emergency shutoff cable does not shut off the PTO.. It is for quickly closing the tank valves simultaneously from the driver's running board area. There's a simple cam-trip mechanism located on the lever assembly in the operators station in the back.. The other end of the cable ends with a small T-handle protruding out the front of the tank body on the driver's side (see pic below, where the T-handle hangs downward near the center of pic). .. Sorry I cannot crop this old low-resolution picture and enlarge it, I am new to Mac .. I will include a much-newer pic below that but it doesn't show the shape of the handle like this old pic does

 

[Paweł]

Hello!
I have another update here!

I was working on the cab - mainly the seats:



The lights on the wings are old stock, 3D printed (Shapeways - my design!):



By the way - what would be the lens color here? On the photos I could find they look black.

And I made the dashboard:



Then I made a breakthrough on the tank. First I patched the front bulkhead:



Here is my rendering of the control cables - I was not sure about fastening the cable guides, so I just made them "float":



This shot shows off the 3D printed parts and plugged holes for the hose hooks:



Other side:



I still have to fill and sand the joints. I also plan to restore all the small details, like the hose compartment doors, tarp hooks and so on.

And here's one more dry fit shot:



Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

 

[Mullaney]

Hello!
I have another update here!

I was working on the cab - mainly the seats:



The lights on the wings are old stock, 3D printed (Shapeways - my design!):



By the way - what would be the lens color here? On the photos I could find they look black.

And I made the dashboard:



Then I made a breakthrough on the tank. First I patched the front bulkhead:



Here is my rendering of the control cables - I was not sure about fastening the cable guides, so I just made them "float":



This shot shows off the 3D printed parts and plugged holes for the hose hooks:



Other side:



I still have to fill and sand the joints. I also plan to restore all the small details, like the hose compartment doors, tarp hooks and so on.

And here's one more dry fit shot:



Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

.
Wow! Those tank controls look really good to me...

 

[Paweł]

.
Wow! Those tank controls look really good to me...

Thanks a lot for your kind words!

 

[HDN]

You're coming along well with your project! I'm most-impressed with the dashboard and the seats. It reminds me a lot of my truck!

By the way - what would be the lens color here? On the photos I could find they look black.

The front turn signal/market lenses should be amber. If you want to get super ambitious, the cateyes below them are white At least that's how they were on my dad's M37 before he switched to the newer large-lens markers.

EDIT: Looking at a few pictures on the internet, I'm now unsure if the marker lenses themselves were amber, or if the bulbs within were amber shining through a clear lens:

 

[msgjd]

EDIT: Looking at a few pictures on the internet, I'm now unsure if the marker lenses themselves were amber, or if the bulbs within were amber shining through a clear lens:

What I saw in the 70's-early-80's military as well as on my own oldest M-series trucks, the front lens choices seen were clear glass w/clear bulb, and clear glass w/yellow bulb, and amber glass w/clear bulb .. All three variations of the metal lights were used .. (aside of the normal composite housings w/plastic lenses that came out in the mid-late 1960's)

On my early-1950's IHC commercial trucks the front parking lenses were originally clear with clear bulbs .. I upgraded them to amber bulbs in the early-90s , but have not upgraded all of my 1950's M-series' yet

 

[HDN]

What I saw in the 70's-early-80's military as well as on my own oldest M-series trucks, the front lens choices seen were clear glass w/clear bulb, and clear glass w/yellow bulb, and amber glass w/clear bulb .. All three variations were used

They just had to try them all didn't they?

@Paweł I guess if it were me, I'd figure out whether one of those lens-lamp combinations were installed at a certain production date. Otherwise go with whatever you like most as the Army swapped parts around as they saw fit Kinda like the one picture of a fuel truck you posted where it appears the tail lights were removed.

 

[msgjd]

They just had to try them all didn't they?

@Paweł I guess if it were me, I'd figure out whether one of those lens-lamp combinations were installed at a certain production date. Otherwise go with whatever you like most as the Army swapped parts around as they saw fit

They sure did !!

It's my belief they started out with the clear/clear in the 1950's and a number of them changed to amber bulbs at a later date of course, but it wasn't a uniform thing in any of the units I was in or around..

By the mid-late 1980's all of the metal lamps that had still remained on some of the older trucks in my Armor BN had been replaced with composite lamps , but again, this did not happen military-wide.. It apparently depended on branch and unit and whether or not Maint wanted to bother with it.. I had seen USMC M39-series 5-tons still sporting metal lamps in the 1990s when they were surplussed out of the system ..

The amber glass lens is a supercede and I would not be surprised if we discovered they first became available in the late-70s .. I suppose a Dash-34P TM of certain later dates might disclose a lens color with the part number