M715 resurrection

[oilcan]

My first MV has been deadlined for right around 5 years now. I've tried a few cheapskate fixes before without any luck, but things are finally starting to come together for the old bird.

 

[PUZZLED]

LOOKIN GOOD! how far is this one going? just running, or all the bells and whistles???

 

[spicergear]

Nice! I put a 6.2 with an NV4500 in one and an NP205. What do you have behind the diesel? Is it the stock NP200 case? Is it leaking oil yet?

The 6.2 is good in them! Mine was pretty gutsy.

 

[Barrman]

Nice to see you are back Adam. Back in Ohio too?

 

[auron]

my freind has a m715 that he lifted and put 44's on and did a whole drive line swap to it 454ci ho, with long tube headers and dual exhause. its not original by any means any more which ive seen people tell him he ruined a good truck but i like it. if i can find any pics of it i will post them and i kinda wish i had the 9k that he wants for it

 

[spicergear]

I was told by a couple people I had ruined this truck too... To each their own.

 

[oilcan]

CUCV 6.2 with HMMWV 24 volt IP and electrics, Chevy SM465 4 speed, Stock (leaking) NP200, stock axles, 11.00-16 XL's, Corvette master cylinder... It was a fire truck that wasn't very well maintained, so hacking it really isn't an issue. Plus, everything I modded can easily be put back to stock.

I doubt I'll drive it every day, but it'll make a good DD when it's done. There are plans in the works to add some other goodies. I'll just be happy to have a running truck for now!

The last running motor that was in this thing was a 6.2, and I was pleased as punch with it. My only complaint was the lack of O/D for highway driving, and that might be taken care of soon. (don't want to jinx it, though)



And yup, I'm back in the Buckeye. Long story, but things are working out.

 

[auron]

i found it

 

[PUZZLED]

I was told by a couple people I had ruined this truck too... To each their own.

SWEET!!!!
I think that is how they are supposed to look

 

[saddamsnightmare]

February 10th, 2012.


Yep, those are truely ruinations of fairly rare military trucks.... I drove M715's in their original form and felt that they were better then the later CUCV's for power and capacity... Any man can waste money, though, it is their right to do so, but 50 years from now someone's going to be undoing all that work and paying premium prices for the needed original parts...
I will never figure out why these birds don't just get a KIA diesel version of the 715 and start chopping on those? Or better yet, chop up a Land Rover or Range Rover and improve both the highways and the woods....

 

[oilcan]

There's always one...




And if I didn't have a backspace button, I might have just gotten myself kicked off this site.

 

[gimpyrobb]

What a junker!

 

[oilcan]

I resemble that remark.

 

[spicergear]

Saddamsnightmare, just a quick fyi, a pair of stock front fenders on Velvet and you'd barely know I was there. It has stock spring packs with Rocks' and an NP205 on stock t-case mounts. Funny, of the people I talked to that drove them 'new' the consensus was that their kidneys still hurt from thos SOB's driving like buck-boards and any road speed is condusive to a swallowed valve. If you don't need any traveling speed than a stock truck will do. If you would like to do nearly anything else...they must be modified. It's tough to get places without being on main roads nowadays and driving something at 45 or 50mph is the pits! ...OR you're isolating youself to the super long routes that take so much longer to stay off the highway. I have often thought about another 'Velvet' build only stopping before the 46's. Rockwells, yep- I liked them and with single style M34 wheels with 1100x20 Goodyear Custom X-tra Grips they fit perfectly. I put a lot of miles on it with that combination. The stock 427TD BBC was nice but a 6bt would be fun to try to get 20mpg out it. The 3053A tranny was about perfectly geared for that truck and the truck would never ever hurt it.

The stock trucks are great and I've seen plenty of BEAUTIFUL restorations but the fact is if you want to be out and about more than short stints or parades...you gotta cut the cord and do some modifications.

Even the M715 I put the 6.2, NV4500, and NP205 in with stock (but lockout and locker'ed) axles looked like a nice factory ride...but had usability as far as travel.

 

[spicergear]

what a junker!

lol!!!

 

[oilcan]

So to get this thing back on track, I'm really thinking about a few ways to stuff a 3053A in the truck. And since everything is built to go back to stock, I'll put the factory transmission crossmember in the pile I've saved from all the other mods and build a new one.

Tom, I'll be sending you a pm to pick yer' brain on the subject.

 

[spicergear]

I kept the factory transmission cross member too on both those trucks.

 

[gimpyrobb]

See if the input shaft from the 3053 will fit in your flywheel. You can use the deuce clutch in there if it does.

 

[oilcan]

Replacing or modifying the pilot bushing won't be a problem.


I need to scrounge through my parts pile and start fiddling with the calipers and mics. Maybe my pops will show me how to do a machinist's drawing, since he used to do that stuff for a living. And I might have some old parts interchange manuals in the bookcase. (I forgot I had those things!)

 

[Flingarrows]

There's always one...




And if I didn't have a backspace button, I might have just gotten myself kicked off this site.

Agreed. He wouldn't like my 715 with the 6.2/465/205.

Good looking truck, I'll be watching your progress