M211 Project - A work in progress

[ravenwoodlabs]

I am new to this site. Posting my current project vehicle 1953 M211 that I purchased last spring. I have made resonable progress on it over the summer but there is still a lot to do.
I am doing all the work myself so there is a lot of learning along the way.

Body was solid and Powertrain was in good shape. There were a lot of missing parts and the usual bump and paint work.

I found a hard-top I decided was a must buy since it lives in northern Michigan.

Looking for advice on a few issues I have not solved yet.
- Seems to run out of fuel after running under load for a short time, quickly recovers or restarts. I have been told it is a filter in the fuel tank or the fuel pump. Anyone experience this?

- Looking for a source for (road legal) amber lenses for the front so I can get rid of the civilian turn signals on the fenders.

- Anyone have a low cost cab heater solution that works?

- Any advice on how to licence this truck and the road restrictions/inspections I will have to deal with. This is really a Michigan question?

Lots of questions, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
[/list]

 

[badgmc56]

Welcome to the site! On the running out of fuel problem, check the fuel filter in the tank first. If that is ok then check fuel pump volume ect. The other thing it may be is a low float level in the carb causing it to run out of fuel and recover when it comes to an idle. Make sure there is no restrictions in the fuel line also. You can PM me with any questions. Be glad to help.

 

[n1bnc]

Congrats on the green GMC. You will have a lot of fun with it. I had one many years ago and more recently the M135 now living in New York. I found SS to be a wonderful wealth of information and advice.

Keep the green side up!

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

Looks like you've done an excellent job so far with the truck. It's looking great! I have always liked the look of the 211's. Good work.

 

[clinto]

That looks great, welcome to the site.

 

[maxim]

Oh boy another Michigan truck..You can get Historical Plates for it but it all depends on what you want to do and how much you can get away with. The H plate lets you drive it to parades, shows, educational events, things like that. Of course all this is loosely defined. You can always be on the way to some one's house to 'show' your truck. I also interpret it to mean that it has to be serviced and monthly runs about the county is exercise . All the bearings and seals need to be put into motion for proper maintanance. The purpose of the H plate is to allow some one to enjoy thier antique vehicle, but preventing some one from taking a beat up '70 vintage car and plate it with a H plate and drive it everyday. If you choose to do more with it and own property to haul stuff reveiw the Michigan application about log/farm. I used to plate mine log/farm, but did not use it that much to justify the $120 a year plate, so a H plate is $35 for 10 years.
It will also depend on what the enforcement officer will call it. I have no problems around the county as they now recognize me and just wave. I presume as long as you are driving responsibly and not be annoying they don't seem to bother you. There are areas in the state where you may encounter different treatment. If you choose to insure it through a antique agency they will have restrictions on how you use the vehicle and some will only insure it if has H plates, storage, (to prevent theft). As far as i know there are no inspections, but if you should be inviolved in an accident, even if it is not your fault, the vehicle may be scrutinized as to it's road worthyness. The best defence is the best offence to do your preventive maintanace and record repairs. Lots of people can get thing moving , but can they stop it. A large commitment in this hobby is the time and money to keep the truck in the best condition possible.

 

[hippiedude]

Wellcome !! Nice GMC I love these trucks.....I would check the filter and go over the tank real good ....my tank was real bad ... If you need a fuel pump there are a few on E-bay right now....good luck....Tim

 

[M215]

Amber lights

Welcome fellow M-series GMC owner,
Here is a pic of my front marker lights converted to full amber lens. These were made by milling out the front light cover and siliconing in a full lens, easy to switch back to original style covers for shows. I also have adapted the black out light wiring for blinkers and use Gamma Goat lights on rear for stop / turn

Good luck, Karl

 

[ravenwoodlabs]

RE: Amber lights

Thank you everyone for your advice and comments, just want to say this is a great site.
I have noticed many different colors on these trucks, I used the Gilespie Coatings Post WWII OD Semi-Gloss thinking this was correct
although I know not the original "type" of paint, any one know the correct color?

 

[jasonjc]

RE: Amber lights

The gillespie 23070seemed to match the paint on mine. I match it to parts that have not seen daylight for 50+ years. So I don't think I had any fading.

 

[rizzo]

RE: Amber lights

nice looking trucks guys

those GMC's have found a way into my heart

 

[pa.rich]

RE: Amber lights

Real good looking truck! Getting back to the fuel filters, dont forget to check the end of the fuel line where it terminates in the carb.

 

[nattieleather]

RE: Amber lights

You can put the larger military lights on your truck for the front and rear lights. They look like the ones on the M35s that are posted in that forum. Direct bolt up and all you'll need to do is run the wire from the fender lights to the new lights.

Nice looking truck.....What you didn't want to keep that cool custom top? LOL

 

[pedormont]

RE: Amber lights

I didn't see anyone mention that the in-tank fuel filters are actually the square plates mounted on the outer can of the fuel pump unit. If the are clean, you can hold them up to the light and see the pinhole size openings fromed into the metal. My 211 was a P.I.T.A when I moved it down the main street on a Sunday morning at 0630 and had to restart every 50 feet (not registered or insured; got to the light and it turned red of course) . It had run just great for short distances and at idle and I had every confidence that I could move it the half mile necessary without trouble. The fuel pump can would fill with fuel at idle but then would empty within 10 seconds of shifting into F2. The filters will clean well with acetone and the light test is good enough. I left the filters off the can and installed an inline between the shutoff cock on the driver's side frame (under the hood) and the carb. Also there is a brass mesh filter in the carb where the delivery line attaches. Rust in there is a good indication that the steel line needs replacement. Given the age of the truck, I won't mention the fuel tank cap vent being in the fording position(?) or the possibility that the vent tube on the gas tank is rusted closed because the rubber gasket is probably too loose to seal anythig but meteors out. The truck looks great.

 

[stephenfeldmeier]

Welcome to the site! On the running out of fuel problem, check the fuel filter in the tank first. If that is ok then check fuel pump volume ect. The other thing it may be is a low float level in the carb causing it to run out of fuel and recover when it comes to an idle. Make sure there is no restrictions in the fuel line also. You can PM me with any questions. Be glad to help.

This is excellent advise so just in case you don't have any maintenance manuals yet here are the specs for the fuel pump check
according to TM9-8024 the fuel pump should operate at 20 gal per hour at 2.5 to 3 psi, so 20 gallons per hour converts to 42.6 ounces per minute or ruffly 3.5 beer cans a minute.

Also I don't want to insult your intelligence, but make sure you don't have a bunch of water in your tank either, your pump sits fairly low in the tank and any sloshing around the pump will pick up per water.

 

[ygmir]

HI,
does your bed have fenders inside?
I got a bed, I"m not sure what it fits.
it looks like the M35 but, has raised fenders inside and a folding thing inset in the tailgate, maybe a "step" or something?
I'm just wondering what it fits, and, think it might be for a truck like yours.
Thanks,
Henry

 

[ravenwoodlabs]

HI,
does your bed have fenders inside?
I got a bed, I"m not sure what it fits.
it looks like the M35 but, has raised fenders inside and a folding thing inset in the tailgate, maybe a "step" or something?
INo fenders inside my truck bed, that might be a M135 truck bed. I have been told that the M211 and M35 beds are interchangeable but have some minor differences. I think the M135 is unique though.

 

[nattieleather]

The M34 and the M135 both had the bed with the raised fenders. The trucks also had single 1100X20 tires instead of the dual 900X20s.