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M35A3 Owners unite

Docuscg

Member
51
0
6
Location
Wilmington, NC
Workday

Truck GI 003.jpgTruck GI 013.jpgTruck GI 011.jpgFinished putting on my hitch support bracket today along with fixing tach and tighten up some hose clamps to the heater that was leaking. Installed 4 cup holders so NO MORE SPILLS. Good day today.
 

guns1977

Active member
109
26
28
Location
AL
Just got myself a A3, it needs a little TLC, it has low miles 3,xxx. A friend purchased the truck and it was mint, it has been driven 2,000 miles since out of the military, but he had a right front tire blow out and before he could stop it, it went down a 6' bank, thru a power pole, thru a gas meter and then stopping in a house. The truck was still running and had to be cut off after the wreck, but from the radiator fan forward is junk, just like everyone else with the green disease I want one of everything. My wife heard about it and said we need to get the truck. Well that was good enough for me I got the truck before she changed her mind.. and after a long trip back, I have it home. I need to get the damage area apart so I can see what all I do need, I have located what parts I do need but the truck purchase alone CLEANED me out, now of course I want to get it back in shape ASAP. Any leads would be appreciated I need all cooling radiators, hood, grill, bumper, passenger fender, exhaust system, mirror, a couple of good dependable steering tires, and later down the road a passenger door. I have also read 100+ pages on the A3 to have a idea on what to look for and where to start, I have a A2 but there are differences. Any suggestion on do's and don't's would be helpful. I will have questions as I progress, they may be dumb but I rather ask than guess. I will try to upload some pictures showing the wreck no names or locations will be given, no one else was hurt, Thank Goodness, the driver was beat up pretty good but nothing broken, I had to clean all his blood off the steering wheel before and inside before anything rusted, would you believe he wouldn't volunteer to do that. Hmm Anyway this is/was a good truck and I want to get it back in shape. Thanks for any and all help.
a32.jpg
 

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doghead

4 Star General /Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
26,246
1,177
113
Location
NY
Let me guess, his front tire was flat(when he bought it) from leaking ctis, and he inflated it and drove it til it blew?
 
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guns1977

Active member
109
26
28
Location
AL
Don't know, another person purchased it from GL and he drove it 1,800 miles with no problems, the front and back 2 never leaked but the middle 2 have a slow leak. It didn't blow out the sidewall it blew out the tread.
 

DodgerRoger

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
32
0
6
Location
Owasso/Ok
I would check all of whatever holds the frame together and do some measureing to make sure the frame didnt bend or break or loosen any rivets, welds that sorta stuff. If I can locate a hood for mine Id sell the hood that is on it that only has a small dent in it, Id like to find one of these mythical fiberglass hoods.
 

guns1977

Active member
109
26
28
Location
AL
I would check all of whatever holds the frame together and do some measureing to make sure the frame didnt bend or break or loosen any rivets, welds that sorta stuff. If I can locate a hood for mine Id sell the hood that is on it that only has a small dent in it, Id like to find one of these mythical fiberglass hoods.
Yes I have been under it looking at the frame to make sure I want to progress with the rebuild. The frame is good and straight, the frame channel ears are only bent where the bumper mashed in. I've got a friend who is a paint and body guy who is going to give me a second opinion on the frame status.
 

rivercreek

Member
101
1
18
Location
Berryville, VA
WOW ! Thats quite a ride, glad no one was seriously hurt. Just out of curiosity, how fast was the driver going when it blew ? Have never had a blowout on an A3 (knock on wood), but it doesn't look like fun. I think we can all take a lesson from this incident: to be CAREFUL and lets never forget just how BIG and HEAVY our super cool big boy toys really are. Out of curiosity, did the truck lose brakes as well? Seems like he went for quite a ways before getting her stopped. Thanks for the pictures. Oh, do you have a close up of the bent frame ? I was surprised to hear that it bent. Don't have any spare parts, but good luck getting her back together.
 

guns1977

Active member
109
26
28
Location
AL
WOW ! Thats quite a ride, glad no one was seriously hurt. Just out of curiosity, how fast was the driver going when it blew ? Have never had a blowout on an A3 (knock on wood), but it doesn't look like fun. I think we can all take a lesson from this incident: to be CAREFUL and lets never forget just how BIG and HEAVY our super cool big boy toys really are. Out of curiosity, did the truck lose brakes as well? Seems like he went for quite a ways before getting her stopped. Thanks for the pictures. Oh, do you have a close up of the bent frame ? I was surprised to hear that it bent. Don't have any spare parts, but good luck getting her back together.
About 40mph, if you look at the pic of the front and on the right side where the bad u bend is is where the ears are bent down, no big deal on the frame but the bumper is scrap. he had brakes but it all happened so fast he was trying to straighten it up and stop at the same time, if he wasn't slowing down I believe he would have made a drive thru in the house, the damage to the house is siding, plywood and paint no big deal, just think about the stopping distance on the road
 

goodguyzy

Active member
1,337
13
38
Location
medford oregon
I have a hood, bumper (same as A2), fender (same as A2) doors (same as A2) only problem is im on the other side. There are a lot of discussion on the michelin tires that all you need to know is they are junk. Right now im hauling mine on the lowboy until I get them replace with goodyear 395's.
 

guns1977

Active member
109
26
28
Location
AL
I have a hood, bumper (same as A2), fender (same as A2) doors (same as A2) only problem is im on the other side. There are a lot of discussion on the michelin tires that all you need to know is they are junk. Right now im hauling mine on the lowboy until I get them replace with goodyear 395's.
Yes i have read a lot about the tires. right now i would like to find a couple good
tires for steering and later replace the rears
 

glcaines

Well-known member
3,911
2,586
113
Location
Hiawassee, Georgia
I blew one of the rear tires during my 1000+ mile recovery of my A3 from Sparta to Georgia about two years ago. Although only going 45 mph, I almost lost control, swerving back and forth across both lanes of I-75. The tread and part of the sidewall separated. The tire caught on fire after the truck stopped. Tires were only slightly low when picked up at GL and were at 45 PSI when the tire blew.
 
76
0
6
Location
Western New York
Did anyone install the Hot Start kit yet? I would be interested in seeing some pictures? I'm not a fan of ether and my truck is bi-polar... either it starts in 1 tap of the starter switch above 40F, or about six 5 second cranks when below freezing.

Regarding tires, yes many Unimog's uses the same size, Continental 365/80R20 MPT 81. That is what I went with when replacing my tires.
 
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guns1977

Active member
109
26
28
Location
AL
Ok I have a question, the piece on the front of the radiator fan went thru the radiator, it turns freely, what do I need to check to make sure its ok before I start putting everything back on, pics belowrad.jpgrad2.jpg
 

michaelpilot1

New member
65
7
0
Location
Kennesaw, Georgia
The piece on the front of the fan is an air powered clutch mechanism that unlocks the fan and lets it freewheel when the engine is cold and locks the fan to the hub if the engine reaches a certain temperature. According to the tech manual, if it freewheels with no air pressure to it there is a problem it should lock up until supplied with air.

Ok I have a question, the piece on the front of the radiator fan went thru the radiator, it turns freely, what do I need to check to make sure its ok before I start putting everything back on, pics belowView attachment 410235View attachment 410236
 

glcaines

Well-known member
3,911
2,586
113
Location
Hiawassee, Georgia
The piece on the front of the fan is an air powered clutch mechanism that unlocks the fan and lets it freewheel when the engine is cold and locks the fan to the hub if the engine reaches a certain temperature. According to the tech manual, if it freewheels with no air pressure to it there is a problem it should lock up until supplied with air.
Now I'll have to go check to see if mine freewheels with no air pressure.
 
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