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I got the M814 home. Now what?

EMD567

Driver for the Ga Mafia
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Aiken SC
Like any used vehicle, you have a punch list of "little things" that you want to take care of. The problem is, an 814 is not "little". Ferro and I found some things, while not trip stoppers, needed to be addressed before I could hit the road again in security.
Things like the Emg stop pissing fuel sideways out of the shaft, water and rust in the fuel tank, drain on the fuel filter jammed closed. A leak on the oil filter stud that holds the canister on, and a heater core missing an inlet. So the work begins.
When the engine runs out of fuel, you still have about 10-12 gallons of fuel in the tank. I drained all the fuel, then took about 3 gallons and swished it in the tank to rinse as much of the rust out. With the baffles in the tank, I could only clean 1/3 of the tank. I hope this is enough, because the next move is to drop the tank, and take the fuel outlet off the tank(12 screws) and use a steam cleaner on it. The fuel filter was an easy fix- just trot on down to NAPA and buy a new petcock to drain the can. I have the e stop off the IP, and a trip to cummins in the morning for the spin on filter kit and the E stop valve.
The cooling system is a mess. The heater is DOA, with one leg of the heater broken off. I also have 1/4" of sand in the bottom of the heater box, curtesy of Fort Bliss. Both cutoff valves are in bad shape, with major portions gone due to electrolysis. The coolant is an olive drab color, and smells bad. After I get the fuel system and oil filter taken care of, I will tackle the coolant problems. Pictures follow.......
 

goldneagle

Well-known member
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Location
Slidell, LA
Think about installing a coolant filter system. You can install a T where the heater hoses are connected to the engine with a separate shut off for each line. These filter housings and filters are available at NAPA. THe filter will capture any rust and particles that may clog the radiator.
 

Alredneck

Banned
1,494
15
0
Location
TN
Derrick you been spying my M814 build? Can you say long wheel base tractor! Rear steer! Turbo! Trans swap! 14.00 radials! I hoping to to do a shake down run on Sat!
 

EMD567

Driver for the Ga Mafia
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,117
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48
Location
Aiken SC
Just an update. Spent the week chasing 10-32 taps and dies, and then trying to find 10-32 hardware. What is the deal with all the fine thread hardware? Replaced the right hand mirror, with new SS all thread, and then replaced the spreader bar on the left side mirror. Drilled the holes to tie the roof down, and bolted same. Then vacuumed all the Fort Bliss dust out from the nooks and crannys. Next is refilling the fuel tank, and the oil leak.:mrgreen:
 

Bob H

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Huron National Forest, Michigan USA
I know where a tan cargo cover is for it!
It is HEAVY though so it would need to go via frieght from Pineview Surplus in Frederick, MI.
(Not mine)

Those 20 ft beds are cool!!!!!! (so is that monster generator too!)

Fine threads take alot longer for the nuts to vibrate off than course threads.
 

EMD567

Driver for the Ga Mafia
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,117
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48
Location
Aiken SC
I would need all the bows and whatnot. I may put a cover on it later.
 

armytruck63

Active member
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Location
Redlands, CA
The reason for the fine threads is they are much less likely to loosen up given the vibration that goes along with a Diesel engine and off-road operation. Keep telling yourself this as you turn a nut 156 revolutions to unscrew it.
 

EMD567

Driver for the Ga Mafia
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,117
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48
Location
Aiken SC
It has been a little while since I have updated this thread. The 814 is now roadworthy. The oil leak has stopped, the cooling system has all new rubber hoses, and the system itself is been flushed, and new antifreeze added.
The latest thing was getting the 814 tags. I had been putting it off until now as I also have 2 other vehicles that I need to pay taxes on, and I wanted to do it all at once. So today, I trotted down to the county complex, paid my taxes on everything(814 was $30.14) and then drove down to the SC DMV office to get my tags. While I figured I would have problems, the lovely red head that took care of me had just a few questions. The main one, which she asked several times, was "Are your sure you aren't going to use this vehicle for hire?" To which I replied NO, it is for personal/pleasure use only. She went and talk with the supervisor, to make sure she was doing it right, when they noticed the MTY weight. Do you know that if you put anything over 1 ton(2000 lbs) that you will need a CDL? Yes, and I pulled my SCDL out and showed her my Class A CDL, so that problem was taken care of. Then came the issue of taxes. I paid NJ sales tax, and they wanted me to get a tax number, and they would apply the NJ taxes to my SC Taxes. I said that it was okay, let me just pay the 300 dollars, and I will fight with NJ for the 623 dollars that I paid NJ.
So, after 20 minutes, and 715 dollars, I now have SC P431938 as my tag, and a SC title.

LOOK OUT SOUTH CAROLINA, THE 814 HAS HIT THE ROAD :DRIVER:
 

fuzzytoaster

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Fort Worth, Texas
Good job. [thumbzup] I want video of this beast on the road and I want to see it with troop seats and canvas soon! (you can hold a lot of cub scouts in there so I hear)
 
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