WizardBlack
New member
- 12
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- Location
- Marysville, Ohio
Hello,
Just wanted to introduce myself. Along with my Dad, I am the proud owner of a '71 M109A2 (or actually an M185A2). We got it from GL out of NJ and had it transported back to us.
Overall, I have been doing some shakedown stuff while we wait on registration to finish up along with the help of another SS member (who owns an M109A3).
We found that everything worked quite well; the engine has 30 hours on it and it runs strong with very good oil pressure. The differentials had just been serviced, etc. I found the e-brake was adjusted incorrectly and the heater in the back had been removed. Otherwise, we were pleased to find it had a new hardtop, new electric wipers, new steering wheel and electric horn setup, mostly new tires, a Solargizer, fresh batteries and a fresh wood floor in the van body.
The worst thing, I'd say, is the body is in dire need of a paint job. It appears as the three color woodland scheme was painted over with a translucent tan color to implement a 'hasty desert 3-color'. I power washed it off and most of it is removed.
Now, I have stripped the interior lighting, wiring, wall and ceiling metal (which was kind of bad) and I am getting ready to lift the van body off (with my trusty 10 ton crane
) and set about repairing a few van body rust spots and paint the van body, back of the cab and powertrain/frame under the van body. This will be my 'phase one'. Phase two is to create a hybrid tactical/camper interior for the van body and phase three is to repair some fender rust and paint the rest of the truck.
Speaking of paint, I tried the Behr formula posted on here. My fellow SS member has a CARC'ed M109A3 for me to compare against. I found the Behr formula too vibrant in color for a 'broken in' CARC green paint job; particularly at sharp viewing angles. I took one of his pieces to Home Depot and yielded a much closer formula (which I will be posting) that matched quite well to an existing military CARC job but still was not nearly as flat at a sharp viewing angle either. I have settled on the opinion that this Acrylic Latex will never get that flat. The paint did not seem to harden as much as I'd like either so I ended up buying some Gillespie paint in the end.opcorn:
Oh, we are also working on a filtration system for WMO/WVO processing to take it down to 1 micron that can be quickly broken down or reassembled and transported with the truck.
Well, there you have it. Thanks for reading!
Just wanted to introduce myself. Along with my Dad, I am the proud owner of a '71 M109A2 (or actually an M185A2). We got it from GL out of NJ and had it transported back to us.
Overall, I have been doing some shakedown stuff while we wait on registration to finish up along with the help of another SS member (who owns an M109A3).
We found that everything worked quite well; the engine has 30 hours on it and it runs strong with very good oil pressure. The differentials had just been serviced, etc. I found the e-brake was adjusted incorrectly and the heater in the back had been removed. Otherwise, we were pleased to find it had a new hardtop, new electric wipers, new steering wheel and electric horn setup, mostly new tires, a Solargizer, fresh batteries and a fresh wood floor in the van body.
The worst thing, I'd say, is the body is in dire need of a paint job. It appears as the three color woodland scheme was painted over with a translucent tan color to implement a 'hasty desert 3-color'. I power washed it off and most of it is removed.
Now, I have stripped the interior lighting, wiring, wall and ceiling metal (which was kind of bad) and I am getting ready to lift the van body off (with my trusty 10 ton crane
) and set about repairing a few van body rust spots and paint the van body, back of the cab and powertrain/frame under the van body. This will be my 'phase one'. Phase two is to create a hybrid tactical/camper interior for the van body and phase three is to repair some fender rust and paint the rest of the truck.Speaking of paint, I tried the Behr formula posted on here. My fellow SS member has a CARC'ed M109A3 for me to compare against. I found the Behr formula too vibrant in color for a 'broken in' CARC green paint job; particularly at sharp viewing angles. I took one of his pieces to Home Depot and yielded a much closer formula (which I will be posting) that matched quite well to an existing military CARC job but still was not nearly as flat at a sharp viewing angle either. I have settled on the opinion that this Acrylic Latex will never get that flat. The paint did not seem to harden as much as I'd like either so I ended up buying some Gillespie paint in the end.
opcorn:Oh, we are also working on a filtration system for WMO/WVO processing to take it down to 1 micron that can be quickly broken down or reassembled and transported with the truck.
Well, there you have it. Thanks for reading!
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