M45 Compressor truck

[Crazyguyla]

Here's my compressor truck rescued from someone's field from somewhere in La. I bought it from a friend that helped my find all the hard parts fro my AMC cars over the years. It sat in front of his business for about 2 yrs before i worked up the nerve to ask what it was going for., and the truck came home with me As far as I can tell, it's been sitting for the good part of ten yrs. everything was rebuilt in late 1988 early '89 or so the rebuild tags suggest. It does run, but has no brakes.. seems the steel lines rusted away with the master cylider. Should have all the steel lines replaced by spring

 

[cranetruck]

Wow! That's a great project. Keep us posted.
Bjorn

 

[Hookin1]

Good start, I have a spare bumper if you want it.

 

[Crazyguyla]

here's the inside. soem may call them rust holes.. or they could be rally big drain holes.. oil leaks will be easy to spot now LOL rust stop does wonders LOL

 

[Crazyguyla]

More inside and the original tank

 

[rmgill]

Looks like you'll need a new cab.

 

[Crazyguyla]

Here's pictures of the engine and Compressor. The engine rhas a magneto ignition, anyone familer with this set up? The compressor turns, the engine turns very slowly after bumping the starter a few times. i pulled all the spark plugs and filled each cyl with marvel's mystry oil. it's been soaking for about 2 yrs now LOL the compressor seems mostly in one piece. just have to get the engine to turn freely without having to strip it down..

 

[BFR]

Looks like you'll need a new cab.

nah, that'll buff right out.

 

[Polverone]

nah, that'll buff right out.

Yer killin me

Crazyguyla - looks like you have something to keep you home at night(s) weekends. Pride in ownership is going to be truly sweet when your new truck is up to your standards and you show the before and after pictures. Keep us up to date with your progress.
Do you have any specs on CFM's and PSI on the compressor?
Would it run a sandblaster? You could kill two birds with one stone that way.
Have fun.

 

[bomar76]

Might need a quart of this for some of the deep scratches:

 

[Crazyguyla]

the specs for the compressor are 210 CFM, 100 PSI. It's safe to say it would run a sand blaster. if i had a hoist to put the compressor on the ground to run while i sandblast the rest of the truck. I plan on getting it able to be driven and see if it can make the trip to Mo. Forget the bondo, i've had people tell me how to layer fiberglass mats to make the cab whole again; it was from guys who do extensive fiberglass repairs on boats. i lost the notes tho, but i could give it a shot. But a new hood and cab would look nice. I'm just upset that i've seen brand new cabs and hoods sitting at the LANG wharehouse collecting dust. just didn't know the right people to "acquire" them *LOL*

 

[Stretch44875]

Be sure to check the air tank for the compresser before firing it up. Hate to see it blow up because the tank was rusty or cracked. That is some serious rust, where was this stored, in a salt bath ?
Dennis

 

[Crazyguyla]

It was most likely sitting in the bayous of S. Louisiana.

The tool boxes on both sides are full of parts a scavanged when our unit cleared out the part stashes before our deployment to Iraq.

I been contemplating trying to remove the bolts holding the manhole cover on top the tank. just have to buy stocks in penetrating oil first LOL

 

[red devils dude]

um i'd say the sheet metal is gone and for the manhole cover I am thinking heat LOTS of HEAT.

 

[Crazyguyla]

After picking up some parts from BFR, I spent the next day installing them on the duece. It was a sunny cool day and great for working. I should have taken pictures after I was done working, but forgot the camera at home. The next day was wet and miserable.

Things replaced:

Fuel tank and straps, hood, grill, front bumper, and rear harness. Recharged the batteries and fired up the truck and watched the top radiator hose disintegrate from dry rot.. it looked good. I replaced the upper and lower hoses and let the truck run for about an hour.

I forgot my brake bleeder in Mo, so that'll have to wait til later to finish the brakes. After the brakes are finished, It'll be ready for a test drive . Then i can focus on repairing the rotting cab and getting the compressor running.

I have a new/ slightly patched multifuel tank. I coworker at work was sawing it in half to make a grill. talked him out of the tank and had the damaged welded. If anyone needs a tank, let me know. After running up to Ga to meet BFR, i realized how many people lived along the way. I'm hoping to get stationed at redstone arsenal after my tour here in Mo. probably have a snowballs chance in hades of getting it tho.

 

[DDoyle]

Marcus,
If you want to - drop me a note and I'll round up the TM number for manual on the compressor - if you don't already have it. I also some pixs of this type of truck when new, which I can email if you like. If its convenient, I'd like you to send me the info off the data plate of both truck and compressor.

Regards,
David Doyle

 

[SierraHotel]

You call that rust...? Looks like someone went nuts with battery acid! Sounds like you either have much deeper pockets than me or a decent supply point to 'aquire' things from.
Very interesting truck and project!

 

[Crazyguyla]

David,

I have the manuals on the compressor, thanks for the offer. I'd like to see the pictures, the pictures i have are the ones in the manual.

Truck Info:
M45 Chassis w/winch
MFD 1957 by Curtis Wright

Compressor Info:
Model: J210-FED
SN: ???
MFD: Harris Equipment Corperation
Type: Rotary
CFM: 220
PSI: 100

i'm working to convert the manuals to PDF and have them uploaded.

 

[Crazyguyla]

You call that rust...? Looks like someone went nuts with battery acid! Sounds like you either have much deeper pockets than me or a decent supply point to 'aquire' things from.quote]

I did have a decent place to aquire stuff, but Katrina closed that place down. I'll have to buy some sheet metal and that will give me a chance to learn the finer techniques in welding and panel replacement. A new cab is planned, but not for a while; truck's going to need new shoes soon.

 

[maddawg308]

Looks like you have your work cut out for you. Good luck on your resto project! Would be nice to see that compressor truck up and running again!