M985 Recovery and Restoration

[Stalwart]

General Update -
Will need to have new Cargo Bed Sides fabricated - any suggestions Stuart? (I read that you had some custom made out of aluminum!) Did you end up incorporating troop seats into them? Inquiring minds need to know!

Dave.

Hi Dave!

Sounds like good methodical progress!

Yes, I had new cab height sides made for mine, as I recall about 10-12" taller than stock. They were expensive but fit perfectly. No, mine have no seats built in and it would make 45-50 lb. aluminum doors probably more than 100 lb each. Remember it isn't only the seats, but the supports to make the aluminum sides strong enough to support the seats.

Let me know if you want the name of the person responsible, I'm sure they still have the plans they made. Would I buy them again? Without hesitation.

Stuart

 

[Stalwart]

Carry people in a HEMTT??? That's asking for trouble.

40 or so well behaved CAP Cadets (Civil Air Patrol) are an exception, normally I only carry family and friends.

 

[paradeduty]

Thanks Stuart -

Sure looks like they did an awesome job. If they wouldn't mind making a set of the drawings available for me to use, that would sure be great. Good idea working in the "cross bar" across the middle dropside to handle the center bed cover bow. Excellent looking truck!

Dave.

 

[Stalwart]

OK Dave, I'll have to check on any plans or drawings next week.

The header was all my work and head scratching. With bows in place you cannot drop the sides. Because of the thickness if the folded 1/8" aluminum, the stake pockets are too small for std. HEMTT bows. I made steel stake pockets at the top of the doors and fastened them blindly into the area inside the custom made 1/8" aluminum C-channel with 1/4-20 SS rivnuts. I made a jig on plywood and cut and re-sectioned the stock 3-piece bows into one piece units with a header and short one for the right leg. Then I made two storage racks for the front of the bed that holds all the bows and another bracket for the header. I also added lashing hooks to the bed sides and bed front, also blind with rivnuts. My wife and I can go from top up to top down and stowed in 5 min. and from topless to top up, in less than 10. This speed is helped by the use of rubber ropes on the sides and the front end panels and one lashing rope on each corner to cinch the ends.

All parts were then sandblasted for traction for the OD powdercoating.

For the ladder, I installed some brass bushings in the bed and made some brackets that hold the ladder away from the sides but still hold it secure.

S.

OH, and to keep all those nice powder-painted steel parts away from those nice aluminum sides, I used self adhesive 1/8" sheet cork.

 

[paradeduty]

Awesome work there Stuart!

 

[Ord22]

awesome job stalwart!!!

 

[Stalwart]

Thank you gentlemen! Since Damon started the HEMTT project he decided when he did anything, it should be done right, I'm just following along . . . I HOPE. There are numerous places where upgrades need still be to be done but it is slowly coming together. The major things left is to remake the doghouse, spruce up the engine, rewire and replace all the circuit breakers and needle-scale the undercarrage to remove accumulated paint and recoat. I also plan to add some "house" 8D batteries, have a built in AC inverter for campouts, mount a Diesel fired 24V generator/charger, battery equalizer for the 12V systems and upgrade the alternator to a higher output civy design to charge both the house and vehicle batteries.

 

[paradeduty]

Sounds like one heck of a plan!

 

[paradeduty]

Well - Its back home!

After an extended stay at the Truck Shop for some TLC, we brought the M985 HEMTT Cargo home for the first time. The guys at the shop went over her pretty thorough. As far as I can remember off the top of my head, the list of maintenance points is:

Grease/Lube EVERYTHING
Convert "canister style" engine oil filter to "spin-on"
New engine oil and filter
New Hydraulic Filter
Change (2) hydraulic lines on Crane
Change (2) engine belts
Change inner and outer air filters
Replace both windshields with new glass and rubbers (kept one original for spare)
Replace windshield wiper blades
Dillute Coolant down from -60 to -40
Check Differentials/Hubs/Transfercase
Check air brake condition (currently about 50% on shoes - not bad for my uses)
Service air dryer
Check air system for leakage - replace misc seals, etc.
Lights are all functional except for many of the clearance/marker lights which are probably just bulbs

I think that this is about all that it needed to be "dependable". I still have a lot of tinkering to do. I noticed on the ride that the fuel guage liked to go all the way to "full" - probably a loose or broken connection to the sending unit somewhere. All of the other guages seemed to be happy. Need to see if I can locate some replacement seats. I have new seat belt kits already. I have to check into the whole Behr Paint ideas. Looks like something even an electrician could do reasonably well!

Sorry, had company tonight so no new pictures yet - so sad, but soon!

Dave.

 

[Bob H]

 

[MWMULES]

paradeduty I may have nos sides, I got these with a M818 fender and was not sure what they went to, There are 21.5"X71" bad thing is I am in Kansas, only one had a NSN 2510 01 155 5121 but there are lefts and rights and have light surface rust from sitting out.

 

[paradeduty]

Finally got home from a scheduled service call that took all day - but it is done and the owners are very happy - mission accomplished. So, as promised, here are some pictures of the truck before the ride yesterday evening at the truck shop and this evening back home in the yard with the other stable-mates.

 

[Stalwart]

Boy, those sides do look right from the pictures. Looks like you have plenty of tires there Dave!

 

[paradeduty]

Hey Stuart!

Ya, got lucky on the tires a while ago - right after the wrecker came home. The sides do look to be the right ones from what I see. Time will tell!

Dave

 

[Andy1234]

Finally got home from a scheduled service call that took all day - but it is done and the owners are very happy - mission accomplished. So, as promised, here are some pictures of the truck before the ride yesterday evening at the truck shop and this evening back home in the yard with the other stable-mates.

I am officially jealous.

Andy

 

[Welder Sam]

mmmmmmmm sweeeet rigs

 

[Stalwart]

I am officially jealous.

Andy

I must agree, THREE of these awesome trucks is nothing short of a dream come true!!!

 

[Ord22]

Great work on the cargo hemtt! If i'm ever in chelsea, i will definitely visit you. you have a the best outdoor garage of trucks, ever. where do you find the hemtts? where do they sell them at? I've looked on government liquidation.com and don't see them on there.

 

[Bob H]

I must agree, THREE of these awesome trucks is nothing short of a dream come true!!!

Not to mention the one of a kind 8x8 TACOM Prototype, that was off to the left in pic #2 and almost completely left out of those pics.

 

[paradeduty]

Hey Ord22 -

I would not have believed it myself back when I was drueling over Damon's M977 Restoration (that Stalwart is now the proud owner of). I don't know if it is "intentional" or not, but they do seem to pop up on Government Liquidation and other places maybe once a year or so (sure seems that way). Somehow they seem to have filtered past the "rebuild program" that I thought was still going on for these types of trucks. Biggest thing when it comes to getting one is that you just have to be prepared to pull the trigger on the purchase when it does - because it might be another year before the next one. And because they come up so rarely (at least for now), unfortunately, you have to be comfortable "taking what you can get". I guess it's not like you can just preview a dozen or so and pick the best one. I have gotten EXTREEMLY lucky on the condition of the trucks (on average) that I have come to find. They do pop up here and there through other sources. Bruce has gotten one or two - as a matter of fact, I think Bruce's pristine M977 just sold again (it was available through an online broker, asking price with lots of very cool extra parts was 175,000 - but who knows what the end price was). Just have to be prepared for some crying time when it comes to writing the check - but it's simple supply and demand. On a similar note however, there seems to be a number of the articulated front units from the same family of trucks that were built for the Marines that seem to be "making it to market". They are out there - you just have to be somewhat committed (in more ways than one!) to getting one. Dave.