Successful Deuce Recovery

[silverstate55]

LOL, good one Jerry!

Ma Duce, good luck with your A3!

 

[gimpyrobb]

I have some spare chunks. Let me know if you just want a yolk to swap out thew bad one.

 

[Ma Duce]

you will be able to follow along on a new thread I will start later today. . .

I will also refrain from jokes about dancing on Navy ships. But we're all gonna have some fun.

 

[silverstate55]

you will be able to follow along on a new thread I will start later today. . .

I will also refrain from jokes about dancing on Navy ships. But we're all gonna have some fun.

I didn't think soldiers knew how to dance...

 

[silverstate55]

I have some spare chunks. Let me know if you just want a yolk to swap out thew bad one.

Will do, thanks very much!

BTW, LOVE the avatar!! "Such a simple word..."

 

[73m819]

The original owner said he bought it from a GL auction in California and used it for work for a couple of years, before a disgruntled employee drove it in low gear for an extended amount of time/miles and ruined the rear axle. That's what he told me, and I didn't see anything to convince me otherwise.
QUOTE]

This should not wreck a rear, the rear does not know or care what gear is run, in fact in low range would make the rear last longer due to the low speed, I would look for another reason for a tore up rear end (this could lead to a few jokes)

 

[silverstate55]

Thanks Ron, I'll know more when I change fluids throughout the whole truck. Hopefully it's just that rear axle, everything else seems fine. I'll be picking up a replacement axle on December 2, hopefully I can start with the axle swap that following weekend.

And thanks for your service in Vietnam; you did GREAT in my opinion, I appreciate it. Vietnam Vets were the heroes of my generation, and made me want to join the Marine Corps at age 17. Good job, and welcome home!!

 

[73m819]

a thought, the way that yolk is tore up (looks like FL damage like someone else said) the brake line right below it could be your leak, a MC will drain if a WC or a line leak just by gravity

 

[silverstate55]

In spite of the slow posting I've been busy fixing little things with my new Deuce: installed throttle pedal return spring; fixed engine shut-off cable; re-installed front towing shackles after cleaning the rust out of the mounting eyes; and replaced the shifter boot.

I've also been corresponding with fellow member David Doyle (DDoyle here) to see if he can decipher my Deuce's VIN tag to let me know more about it. David told me that the VIN makes my truck a 1975 AM General M35A2C, but it was built on a 1973 chassis. Funny, cuz the California DMV (where it is titled when I bought it) lists the truck as a 2004 Kaiser! Most likely that's because it was first titled there in 2004 when the seller bought it at auction, and there isn't anything more telling on the data plate. That's my guess anyway. Thanks David!!

Yesterday I made a 650-mile round trip to pick up some parts from Mark at 100DollarMan (aka Hundy). Hundy/Mark gave me a SMOKING deal on a replacement rear axle, a complete passenger side door (mine didn't have a window nor the roll-up mechanism), complete inner windshields with wiper motors & arms, a headlight retaining ring, and several other small parts. Thanks Mark!!!

While at Hundy's place in Lucerne Valley, BJ showed me the joy of removing door hinge pins and how to get around them...he also emphasized having an impact screwdrivers to break the hinge screws loose. Not only was this a successful visit with some great deals, but I really enjoyed Mark & BJ's company. Hundy and his crew are VERY kind and helpful, true assets to this hobby!! As long as he's in business, I'll definitely get my hard parts from Hundy if he has them.

Then I had an appointment in San Clemente (on the doorstep of Camp Pendleton) to look at some NDT tires and wheels in 9x20 and 11x20 sizes. Turns out this is the shop of another SS member (and eBay seller) scyros35. Steve and Garret were outside and even though I was 30 minutes early, they welcomed me with what seemed like open arms! What great guys! They have a MOUNTAIN of used 9x20 tires on Deuce rims and 11x20 tires on 5-ton (10-hole) rims for sale CHEAP. It was too good to pass up, and they made my 650-mile round trip well worth it!! I thought I was able to get both sizes on Deuce rims, but I misunderstood the ad on Craigslist and the 11x20 tires are actually mounted on 5-ton 10-hole rims. No worries, Steve and Garret gave them to me for free! I ended up getting 30 tires/wheels for the price of 16. WOW!

I got to look around their shop and grounds there, WOW, very impressive! Steve & Garret had all of their employees come outside to not only pick out the best tires for me, but to load them for me as well for free.

All-in-all, a very successful trip, and I got to meet some fantastic fellow SS member.

I'd like to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to David (DDoyle), Mark & BJ (100DollarMan), and Steve & Garret (scyros35). These fellows are true assets to SS and have cornered my business whenever I can send it their way.

 

[davidhdale]

what wrong no one got nothing to say about weight of vehicle being towed with a smaller unit you tore in to one last week pulling a101 with a car what a joke

 

[73m819]

what wrong no one got nothing to say about weight of vehicle being towed with a smaller unit you tore in to one last week pulling a101 with a car what a joke

Just a thought here, I would say the tow vehicle can more than handle the weight, looks like a 3/4 or 1 ton, I do not see ANY trailer sag even with weight transfer, also I would bet there is independent trailer brakes, and working lights

 

[silverstate55]

what wrong no one got nothing to say about weight of vehicle being towed with a smaller unit you tore in to one last week pulling a101 with a car what a joke

I don't recall tearing into anyone pulling an M101 with a car. I might have made some recommendations with folks pulling M105 trailers with 1/2-ton or smaller pickups, but hey, that's their business.

My truck is a heavy-duty 3/4-ton with 1-ton rear suspension & axle. I also have Firestone air bags on the rear axle, and additional frame reinforcements. I have replaced the entire brake system with top-of-the-line Raybestos rotors/pads/calipers/pistons/etc... so braking is NOT an issue with this truck.

I custom-built my trailer to haul the weight of not only Deuce trucks but also my Caterpillar crawlers. The outer (main) frame rails are 8-inch I-beams, reinforced with 3-inch and 4-inch C-channel. I also installed two 4-inch C-channel runners longitudinally from front to rear. 8-inch crossmembers and 5/16-inch-wall rectangular tubing are placed every 12 inches down its 20-foot bed length. Every butt-joint where the crossmembers are welded to the four frame rails is reinforced front & back with angle-steel, fully welded for maximum strength.

The dovetail is boiler-plated welded inside & out, and reinforced with rectangular-tubing K-bracing. I also welded in a 3-inch C-channel underneath to add bracing to prevent too much flex/droop. I have added 6-inch T-channel to the front of the forward axle mount to tie the suspension mounts into the outside frame rails, to prevent any flex/bending where the forward suspension mates to the frame. The entire suspension mount is almost a subframe, tied together longitudinally and laterally with heavy steel reinforcement. All spring perches are boxed with 1/4-inch steel plate.

The axles are 8K-pound Dexters with new electric brakes. Each 4-inch drop spindle has extra reinforcement added to minimize the spindles flexing under heavy loads. Springs are 7K-pound units each. I dismounted each brake drum to drill out the stud holes for mounting replacement Dexter 5/8-inch studs, as I recently upgraded to 17.5-inch wheels and Load Range H tires (each one good for 6K-pound max load each at 120psi). I even had to upgrade the lug nuts to flanged Dexter units, 1-1/8-inch hex diameters at 250-lb/ft of proper torque.

Each axle has a pair of Air Lift Load-Lifter 5000 air bags, with custom mounts and rock/debris guards I built for each one to protect them on the road. Each upper air bag mount is welded to a 4-inch C-channel running laterally and welded to the four frame rails, as well as additionally reinforced, for maximum weight distribution.

I ran 12-gauge and 10-gauge wiring the entire length of the trailer, and used PVC conduit pipe and large J-boxes to house all wiring. I use all LED lighting for max visibility & longevity. Even the smaller clearance light wiring is in flex tubing to protect it; there is NO exposed wiring anywhere. I even used 1-inch steel tubing to fabricate tail light guards to protect them, and installed tall LED lighted rods above the tail lights so I can always see where the tail lights are located while backing (usually installed on boat trailers).

I have a 12K-pound electric winch at the front of the trailer, which was fabbed from 8-inch C-channel (VERY heavy!!!) and uses a 20K-pound 2-5/16-inch ball hitch. My truck has a custom rear receiver I built, and a 20K-pound weight distribution hitch. As 73m819 points out, there is little sag in the rear of the truck and virtually none on the trailer. As the Deuce was being winched aboard, there was little to no flex/sag on the rear of the trailer, but the leverage was a different story! It almost lifted the rear of my truck off the ground.

While driving back, I kept the speeds low to avoid problems, and stayed to 2-lane roads so as not to impede freeway traffic. Better safe than sorry. My truck had NO issues while towing this load, even up some steep hills, and at every stop we made, I checked the tire pressures and temperatures; the trailer tires got warm but not hot, and the hubs were barely even warm.

I don't recommend anyone else trying this, but I have no worries doing it as I purpose-built everything you see and I trust my experience.

 

[davidhdale]

well what class dl do you have you have to have class a to pull anything over 10,000 lbs check your dot

 

[silverstate55]

well what class dl do you have you have to have class a to pull anything over 10,000 lbs check your dot

Nevada Class "F."

 

[73m819]

what wrong no one got nothing to say about weight of vehicle being towed with a smaller unit you tore in to one last week pulling a101 with a car what a joke

well what class dl do you have you have to have class a to pull anything over 10,000 lbs check your dot

I do not see where the first QUOTE has anything to do with the second QUOTE, we are talking apples and sun flower seeds here

 

[silverstate55]

FINALLY found some time to start doing some work on this Deuce to make her roadworthy, as I'd like to get her registered soon & start driving her. I removed the cab soft top initially to re-sew the back clear window zipper, as the threads had dry-rotted and I wanted to seal the cab up against rain & dust. The cab soft cover is in bad shape, but I only need to get another year out of it before I go hard-top, so I figured I could do some patchwork repairs with a tent repair kit I purchased at Wally World.

There were only 2 longitudinal braces instead of 3, so I fabricated a third one out of 5/16" steel rod and 2 flat washers. The frame for the soft top was really really rusty, so I disassembled it and removed the rust with my grinder & wire cup wheel; I also fixed numerous small things that needed to be set right.

The Deuce as I bought it had NO windshields nor frames for them; thankfully, Mark (Hundy) of 100DollarMan.com sold me a pair for a great price shortly after. I disassembled both frames and cleaned the rust out of them; one had good glass so I repainted it Flat Khaki and installed it, complete with all hardware...as soon as I get new glass cut for the other frame, I'll get it installed.

I also finally installed two new headlights I picked up from Saturn Surplus a while back; these were pretty easy to match up since the wires on the back side still had their metal numbered tags on. Mark/Hundy also hooked me up with headlight mounting rings, so in they went!

Once I get done with some smaller things, I'll drop the fuel tank to take to a radiator shop to be cleaned & sealed, and then replace the forward rear axle.

 

[overlordofmars]

Good luck, its always nice to see a truck find a good home.

 

[100dollarman]

Looking good, Warren!

 

[Recy Mech]

Good read. A safe recovery is a good recovery Subscribed, cause I want to pick up some re-build project knowledge.

 

[silverstate55]

Looking good, Warren!

Thanks Hundy!! Here are some more photos showing some of the parts you gave me such great deals on! I removed the passenger side door, since it had no window nor regulator, not even a crank handle...and replaced it with with a door I bought from Hundy, complete with EVERYTHING, even the mirrors! It wasn't too hard, and I only needed my wife to hold the bottom corner of the new door while trying to line up the top screw hole to hold it in place. It was nice not having to remove the hinge bolts, as the top hinge bolt on the old door was very difficult to remove...I got the bottom one out no problem after soaking with PB Blaster, but the top bolt broke in two pieces somewhere inside the housing. I applied heat with my torch until it was red hot, but it still wouldn't budge even when using a 4-lb hammer. Parts of the door frame started to bend, so I removed the hinge after pulling the door off to work on it later.

You can see the replacement axle I also picked up from Hundy on the left edge of the photos; I hope to start the axle swap tomorrow. Then it's on to the myriad of other small, time-consuming fixes until it's roadworthy in a few weeks. The light is starting to show at the end of the tunnel!!!

Thanks so much Hundy!!! You've really helped make this an affordable, do-able project!!