My M35A2: Number 1

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

Well I picked up my M35A2 from event 3520 in Indiana this Friday at 10:30am... My prefer setup for this task is a Coffee in one hand and Lucky Strike in the other... No problems at all I put in two car/light duty truck batteries to jump the truck, and replaced the aging U6-TL in the attempt to resurrect them in the box. It was only a partial resurrection worked well enough to get me from Indiana to my brothers' house in Elizabethtown Kentucky for more inspection, but they died on Saturday. So I had to order some for today. The only things the truck really needs are Windshield wipers which I replaced after the photos and parking brake cable. Other wise this truck is A-1 shape for a truck 38 years old. I mean there is some rust in spots I need to paint but nothing rusted through and certainly no holes in the truck. And I'll need to do a oil change soon before it goes into daily service. Also window and door seals are needed, along with with some adjustments to the two door windows. The truck came with a complete tool kit and 8 x 5 gallon Jerry Cans. A full tank of Diesel for my 168.9 mile trip back to Kentucky... And what looks like 4 newer tires on the rear and 2 absolutely brand new front tires. Hawker T 373 models.

The engine is a LDT-465-1D with the fuel compensator by-passed so that is sort of a bummer in that I'm stuck to diesel. However, on the plus side the truck showed about 12-13miles per gallon on the fuel consumption side running at about 2100-2200rpm to cruise at 45-48mph the entire way. The best speed I got out of it was 52-54mph when I ran the gears out to 2400 rpm, but mostly I kept the engine the 2000-2200 rpm. I tried to avoid any lugging and other things that would kill fuel consumption. My brother who was helping out said the truck only smoked when going up hills and when I fired it up the first there was no smoke at all.

Was I wrong about the loudness of the trucks? Yes, they are much louder at speed on the highways. I driven them on local streets so 25-35mph and off-road and they don't seem that loud. But on the highway it was really loud. So I'll need to start of thinking of ways to reduce the cabin-interior noise pollution.

Also the truck has an insulted soft-top. It's nice but damn does the truck smell like an Army Surplus store. I need to get some serious cleaning products? I tried frabzee on seats and that worked a little but not much. I also need a heater, do you guys go vintage surplus or just after market?

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

RE: My M35A2

Hey what sort of paint does the military use?

 

[maddawg308]

RE: My M35A2

CARC - Chemical Agent Resistant Coating. Like paint, but resistant to many types of chemicals and solvents. It is expensive for us to buy, and dangerous for us to spray and sand. For repainting the deuce using the same looking paint job, the paint makers use a CARC-looking paint, but without all the noxious properties.

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

Re: RE: My M35A2

CARC - Chemical Agent Resistant Coating. Like paint, but resistant to many types of chemicals and solvents. It is expensive for us to buy, and dangerous for us to spray and sand. For repainting the deuce using the same looking paint job, the paint makers use a CARC-looking paint, but without all the noxious properties.

Where can I get that sort of paint that looks like CARC but is not non-toxic?

 

[Recovry4x4]

RE: Re: RE: My M35A2

You can source paint from Rapco in TX. They seem to have the most fresh paint. As far as the FDC being bypassed, doesn't mean much in regards to the ability to run multi fuels, it just adjusts for the density of fuel and even works to your detriment on some fuels. Very clean looking truck. I doubt that you will get rid of that army truck smell. BTW, I use Peltor Powercoms to combat the interior noise.

 

[dm22630]

12-13 MPG?! WITH the cargo cover on?!?! Your estimating may be slightly off.....I get 8MPG with my cargo cover on & 10-11 without. I run mine at 2200-2300 RPMs most of the time. At "top speeds" I keep it 2300-2450

You can run anything you want. The compensator is so you will get EQUAL power from all fuels (i.e. --- gas has less power than diesel, so when gas is used the compensator would pump more into the engine so you would not lose power).

Reduce your in-cab noise level by ---> option #1 - EARPLUGS / option # 2 - new muffler ---> http://www.odiron.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=648

And....if you dont like the smell.....get rid of the truck and buy a honda.

NICE looking truck. GREAT paint. Looks like you have a really good engine. It looks like you did not buy a project on wheels like many do.

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

Re: RE: Re: RE: My M35A2

You can source paint from Rapco in TX. They seem to have the most fresh paint. As far as the FDC being bypassed, doesn't mean much in regards to the ability to run multi fuels, it just adjusts for the density of fuel and even works to your detriment on some fuels. Very clean looking truck. I doubt that you will get rid of that army truck smell. BTW, I use Peltor Powercoms to combat the interior noise.

Rapco-Texas, got it thanks...

Yeah you could run it with other fuels, but the metering would be crappy. Personally I'm really happy with performance I'm getting right now. 12.5 gallons for 168.9 miles isn't bad at all considering I didn't turn it off for four hours straight. I parked it and let during my two rest stops. So I'm not going to tamper with the engine right now. But thanks for the infor, my understanding was that once it was disabled it was unable to proper meter out the fuel for the engine if the fuel density was less than Diesel or greater and either starved or flooded the engine.

As for the smell, you really think it is there to stay? I cannot use bleach on the floor boards, replace the seat covers and cushions and hope to get the smell out?

thanks for compliment on the truck...

all this for 2056.12 total including state tax and auction fee from GL... I'm really pleaased with it.

 

[dm22630]

Re: RE: Re: RE: My M35A2

Yeah you could run it with other fuels, but the metering would be crappy.

You dont have to meter anything.

I put transmission fluid and used motor oil in mine (sometimes on an empty tank / sometimes mixed with diesel). It burns it JUST like diesel & I do not have ANY loss of power.

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

12-13 MPG?! WITH the cargo cover on?!?! Your estimating may be slightly off.....I get 8MPG with my cargo cover on & 10-11 without. I run mine at 2200-2300 RPMs most of the time. At "top speeds" I keep it 2300-2450

You can run anything you want. The compensator is so you will get EQUAL power from all fuels (i.e. --- gas has less power than diesel, so when gas is used the compensator would pump more into the engine so you would not lose power).

Reduce your in-cab noise level by ---> option #1 - EARPLUGS / option # 2 - new muffler ---> http://www.odiron.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=648

And....if you dont like the smell.....get rid of the truck and buy a honda.

NICE looking truck. GREAT paint. Looks like you have a really good engine. It looks like you did not buy a project on wheels like many do.

If the fuel gauge is correct, it says 3/4s of a tank, from full which is 12.5 gallons. My brother's odometer and mapquest both say that South Holt Rd. Indianapolis is 168.9 miles from Elizabethtown KY. That gives me about 13.512 miles per gallon. Now if the tank was overfilled or not I'm not sure ,it seemed to be filled to the dotted line on the tank. The cover makes less of difference in fuel consumption at 48-55mph then say constant pressure on accelerator peddle. I maintained a very steady 2000-2200 rpm for the entire trip only dipping to 2000 or less on hills and than down shifting as required. Other wise I left it in 5th and cruised the entire way to my destination. Perhaps the sweet spot for this engine just happens to be 2000-2200rpm that gives the most economical fuel mileage for truck? I could just have an odd ball engine that gets a little better than average fuel consumption or fuel gauge that is slightly off. Either way once it gets batteries tomorrow I'll fill it up and figure out the exact fuel consumption. I bet it will be 12.57 or 12.75 gallons so about 13.0-13.25 miles per gallon. And than I'll monitor it so I can maintain a log of it and see what it averages over say a month.


as for the noise I know how to solve it. I just didn't experience it at high road speeds and figured it would only slightly older than at 35mph but I was incorrect in my assumption. It is much louder. So I guess I'll have to use a muffler and get some sound deadening material for the hood and firewall. I really didn't think going 45-48 mph was going to make a big difference over 25-35mph but it did.

As for the fuel compensator well that is exactly what it does, it meters out more fuel for gasoline to increase the volume of gas flow since Gas contains less power per volume of Diesel Fuel. Now of course some oil combinations contain more power for the volume of fuel than diesel does. In this case your fuel system is metering out too much fuel and you smoke more, and with gasoline you're too lean. This is the heart of a multi-fuel engine the ability to meter out the correct amount of fuel for combustion at a specific temperature and air density. If the fuel injector pump is tuned proper for diesel fuel than using another fuel in it will not produce the same power or fuel economy. I would say that when this engine was rebuilt they did more than just by-pass the FDC they returned the injector pump to deliver a more efficient charge of fuel for the engine at cruising speed of 48mph at 2200rpm. Think that is what the depot did because they wanted to get more range out of the older trucks.

As for the smell, well, musty just doesn't do it for me. So I'm going to change the seat covers with new stuff, and get new cushion material. Also I'm going to bleach the hell out of the floor boards and dash to kill that odor or as much of it as I can possibly do.

 

[kcimb]

Wow, nice paint. Seem to be some good ones coming out now.

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

Wow, nice paint. Seem to be some good ones coming out now.

Thanks. This is my first one... I'm thinking I need a M123A1C once get big-garage for it.

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

Some More photos...

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

I cannot wait to start to running it Bio-Diesel... I think Water-Injection will be another addition to the truck will increase power and economy as long as the boast remains constant... Methanol-Water Injection I think is the way I want to go.

 

[Flea]

FWIW, my FDC has been bypassed the whole time I've owned my truck, and I've run gas, WMO and diesel and have noticed no difference between the three.

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

FWIW, my FDC has been bypassed the whole time I've owned my truck, and I've run gas, WMO and diesel and have noticed no difference between the three.

Yeah I don't think it really works that well, but that is what it does or should do. Personally I think the Depot tuned the injector pump for diesel during the by-pass process and it is running s well I don't want to screw with it.

 

[DanMartin]

Go propane Injection if you want economy...

 

[Barrman]

Nice looking truck.

Now, you seem to write like you think you know it all. That is fine. We each have our own ways.

But, these fuel gauges are not know for being spot on right all the time. I would suggest you mark a spot on the inside the tank filler neck/filter, fill it to that mark, make a run of at least 100 miles and then fill to that spot again before you go telling people they are wrong about the mileage you might have gotten. Using the gauge needle to guess what is left in the tank when you didn't know how much exactly was in the tank to begin with is useless. I "thought" my Gasser M35 was getting better than 10 mpg the first long trip I took it on based on the gauge movement. Then I filled it back to my mark on the tank. 4.98mpg was my actual. I hope you really are getting 13+. But just guessing and then to argue about how you are correct just seems kind of petty.

That smell really doesn't go away. I had my truck down to the bare frame last winter, painted everything and put it all back together. Once all the different parts got hot, burned the paint off and started venting gear oil vapors, the smell was back. Canvas might contribute some, but mostly it is the gear oil vapor in my experience.

You can run the other fuels with the compensator bypassed without worry.

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

Go propane Injection if you want economy...

I've never read that Propane Injection gives you much better fuel economy, I've read that water-methanol will give about 20percent if you maintain standard boast settings.

 

[ssgtwright-usmc]

Man, that is one very nice truck. Sometimes I do miss riding in the back of them but again I dont miss it that much.
Hated the bounce everytime you hit a bump and landing back down on the wooden seats, OUCHHHH!!!!!

 

[sak00]

FWIW, my FDC has been bypassed the whole time I've owned my truck, and I've run gas, WMO and diesel and have noticed no difference between the three.

Quick side note. Education needed. What does FWIW mean?