M543A2, Thanks Papabear!

[patracy]

I've started a little more PM work. Drained the transmission oil. It wasn't pretty. It's always been hard to shift and a grinder. The oil I drained out was about like syrup. Waaay too thick for a transmission. I refilled it with 40 weight oil. Still grinds every now and then, but it's much better. I'm going to try double clutching it next drive. I'm guessing the t-case probably has the same gunk it it as well. I'm going to use some synthetic 75w90 in it. I got the chassis lubed as well on the 1,346,849 grease points. Then I'm going to drain and fill the axles. Just need to pick up two 5 gallon tubs of gear oil to start that. I've also got everything to change the oil as well, probably get to that this weekend as well. And I need to replace the headlamps as well.

 

[Welder Sam]

Thanks for the mental picture of what i likely have ahead of me

 

[patracy]

Clicking right along...

Oil change - Check
Turned up pump two flats - Check
Changed t-case oil - Check

I'll change the headlamps tomorrow. Also need to figure out if the speedo cable is out or if I've got a dead speedo. Looks like the blower motor is frozen on the heater as well.

Trying to shop around for the best price on gear oil at the moment.

 

[atankersdad]

There are no better people, as my mom used to say, than Papbear and the GA crew. He makes this hobby into a family event. We we are not limited to just him and his possie.. This site is loaded members who give all.

 

[rumplecat]

At least yours had some oil in it! When I picked mine up it had been completely drained, the only fluids in it was in the two dead batteries. All together it cost me $700+ to fill her up. 75 gallons of hydraulic oil will set you back! But it is a great truck to use and soon to restore!

 

[patracy]

Went for a drive to put a $50 drop of fuel in it. Man it's cold natured. I had hardly any power to start with, and I had idled it for a good 15 minutes before I started out. Drove about 3 miles to the gas station and put a little drop ($50 doesn't go anywhere on diesel anymore) of fuel in it. I let it idle to the side and BS'ed a bit with a friend and the owners. It was up to 160F then. I had a good deal more power after that. On the way back I gave her all she had. Which is about 53mph. It certainly shows it's weight when it comes to engine braking. Err lack of it.

I took a paint scraper to the flakes and moss. I'm going to haul out my pressure washer and start blasting the entire truck down. Then I'll wire brush the portions that didn't flake off. I'm thinking about just using the latex house paint on it due to the sheer size of this thing and all the nooks and crannies it has. I'm guessing 5 gallons MIGHT cover it.

Also the transmission shifts way better with 40wt oil in it.

 

[zout]

Dang PT - thought you would have had that ALL done by now and ready to rock and roll us GA FOLK gotta hold together.

 

[patracy]

I'm going to work on some sheet metal patching this week and get everything prepped for paint. I'm working on it!

 

[patracy]

Well I didn't do anything to the wrecker directly today. But I did goof around with my towbars. I picked up a set of heavy towbars from docfarmerall at the GA rally. But the feet use 1.5" pins. So I picked up a section of 1.5" OD 1" ID DOM tubing. I cut it down into four parts 1 3/16" long. I beveled them out a tad, then tapped them into place in the feet. The pins I picked up from tractor supply had some powdercoating on them. I opted to strip that off instead of enlarging the holes of the bushings and axle clamps. I've got to change out the wheel on my grinder and bevel down the inside shoulder of the feet. But they all pin together now at least. I'm going to cut down the pins and re-drill them shorter for this.

 

[73m819]

those adaptors will work on the axle clamps BUT will NOT work on the bumper lift brackets

 

[patracy]

those adaptors will work on the axle clamps BUT will NOT work on the bumper lift brackets

Yeah, the bumper clevises aren't tall enough to clear the radius of the towbar foot. I was just making these for the axle clamps I had.

 

[patracy]

Whahahahahaha.....

Just a bit of advice, bottle jacks do not work under the rear of a M543A2 on dirt. You can keep on pumping them, but the truck isn't going up. Just the bottle jack deeper into the ground.

 

[papabear]

Actually, with 5ton wreckers you don't push the truck up, you push the earth down!

Got room for a 6X6 under the jack?

 

[patracy]

I actually ended up using a 1ft x 1ft 1" thick steel plate under the jack to gain elevation the second time around.

 

[73m819]

I have steel plates and blocks to spread the weight of the 819 on bottle jacks

 

[patracy]

I have steel plates and blocks to spread the weight of the 819 on bottle jacks

Playing with all these heavy toys, I've learned it's important to keep chunks of plate steel, thick rebar, and steel pipe around. You're going to need something to spread weight, pry with, and use as a cheater bar!

 

[73m819]

a couple of cable come-a-longs and chain binders go a long way in helping also

 

[patracy]

The M543A2 got a new set of Goodyear G177's today. I also adjusted the brake shoes while I had it apart. Didn't get a chance to drive it, as I went to the mud bog this afternoon. But the tires seem to not bulge as much as they did with the old NDCC's.

I'm probably going to get the truck sandblasted by a guy locally to prep it for paint next. I need to find a front bumper as well.

 

[budman67]

I didn't realize the m816 came as a multi fuel known as the m543a2,changing
my wish list to a m543a2. Does the TM for the 816 the same for the m543a2?
It does look like it is. Is the m819 also in a M/F version as well?

Thanks guys for the pictures,they are a big help when reading the TM's

 

[73m819]

THE 819 is cummins 250 as all 809s, the 816 is a 816 (260 tm series) the 543 , 543a1, 543a2 as well as the 246s are the 211 tm series, the 246 is the 819 of the 211 series