Working on the M1078 LMTV

[aleigh]

I just usually feel terrible about running sheet metal screws through sheet metal... Holes get mangled up sooner or later and corrode, but I guess if you are not going to remove/replace much it isn't going to matter too much.

 

[mkcoen]

I just usually feel terrible about running sheet metal screws through sheet metal... Holes get mangled up sooner or later and corrode, but I guess if you are not going to remove/replace much it isn't going to matter too much.

Hopefully there won't be any movement that will wallow the holes out and they should be protected for the most part. I don't like doing anything to a military vehicle that can't be "undone" if someone wants to restore it exactly as it came out somewhere down the line. I think these holes are small enough they can be easily filled if needed.

 

[mkcoen]

As good as it's going to get.

 

[Another Ahab]

As good as it's going to get.

It looks great; what's not to like?

 

[mkcoen]

It looks great; what's not to like?

I never would have thought it but it turned out to be extremely tight when I got the passenger side up. I had to wedge the front and back together then the only thing that would keep them in place were the screws. I better be happy with it as its staying there. Now on to the floor. yay

 

[FloridaAKM]

Looks good & it is functional, @ least you have a roof turrent cover & serious insulation to stop the heat & weather from pounding into your truck & you!

 

[mkcoen]

We're making a little head way on the AC. Apparently the shop didn't tighten the Schrader valve on the high pressure side so whenever it got up where it was supposed to be it was leaking freon. After buying the appropriate sized valve tool and getting that squared away Keith_J added 2 1/2 cans to the system. We got the temp at the vent down to 54°! Still not automotive cold but better than the 65° we were getting before. Now the key is to get the cabin to the point that it doesn't heat up faster than the ac can cool it off. But since I have the M1082 pickup next week I don't want to start tearing things apart and need the truck in the middle of it so will wait until I get back to get into it.

I also finally got one of the OverDrive inspired accessory boxes put together. I still haven't wired it but it's pretty much ready to go other than that. This ones for the dash and I still want to do another one for the front of the bed.

 

[Another Ahab]

We're making a little head way on the AC. Apparently the shop didn't tighten the Schrader valve on the high pressure side so whenever it got up where it was supposed to be it was leaking freon. After buying the appropriate sized valve tool and getting that squared away Keith_J added 2 1/2 cans to the system. We got the temp at the vent down to 54°! Still not automotive cold but better than the 65° we were getting before. Now the key is to get the cabin to the point that it doesn't heat up faster than the ac can cool it off. But since I have the M1082 pickup next week I don't want to start tearing things apart and need the truck in the middle of it so will wait until I get back to get into that.

54* sounds plenty cool to me, but I'm guessing it isn't.

What is "standard" automotive cold?

 

[mkcoen]

54* sounds plenty cool to me, but I'm guessing it isn't.

What is "standard" automotive cold?

35-45° The biggest thing is fighting the heat coming in to keep the cab cool. 54° at the vent right now means the cab will stay in the mid-80s when it's around 90° outside. I'm hoping once I get the floor insulated so there isn't as much engine heat coming through that it will make it down in the mid-70s. Of course when October and November come around and the outside temps are only in the 80s then maybe it'll keep up better.

 

[DanM7890]

54* sounds plenty cool to me, but I'm guessing it isn't.

What is "standard" automotive cold?

When in school I was told 35-45 is what you're looking for. All depends on outside temp and humity

 

[Tinwoodsman]

Mark, get a small window unit and use it temporarily to cool the cab before you hit the road.

 

[mkcoen]

Mark, get a small window unit and use it temporarily to cool the cab before you hit the road.

I'm going to limit my driving (other than to get the trailer) to morning hours so I don't have to worry about it too much. I'll be leaving Thursday morning around 0430 so should have it nice and cool by the time I hit Ft Hood. As long as Murphy doesn't cause too many problems I should be on and off base by 1000 and home by 1400.

 

[FloridaAKM]

Good luck with your trip & we will try to keep murphy entertained else where!

 

[mkcoen]

So I'm trying to get ready to pick the trailer up Thursday and wanted to get a couple of things done but don't really have time to do everything in a permanent fashion. The 2 biggest items were the backup camera and I wanted to be able to use my magnetic trailer lights in case I can't get the ones on the new trailer working - really don't want to be messing around in the GP lot or along side the road.

The trailer lights were really a simple issue. I picked up a 7 pole/round pin trailer plug and a 4 pin vehicle side plug. It was simple to wire the 4 pin into the 7 pin (colors are even labeled in case you're wiringphobic) then plugged that into the truck and my magnetic lights into that. Easy peasy.

The backup camera takes a little more work. First part was threading the 20' of video cable from the back of the truck to the front. That was probably the hardest part and I still need to zip tie from the fuel tank back. I followed the truck's wiring loom so deciding where to go was automatic. I still haven't decided for certain where I'm going to mount the camera but probably directly over the pintle hitch. For now I'm going to screw it to a 2x4 and clamp it in place so I'm not rushed in getting that done. Next task is getting power to it. For the time being I ran a line from the 12v lug on the new trailer plug and just tied the ground into the wire coming out for the 4 pin. I can now pull the camera off whenever I want and not have to worry about being hardwired to the truck. I will mount it permanently at some point but in the meantime I just want to be able to use it for this trip.

 

[m38inmaine]

Good job Mark, that camera will come in handy.

 

[mkcoen]

One of the other things I didn't get done was finishing the accessory box. It turns out it's not deep enough if you mount everything on the face so I'm going to have to go back and solder the wires onto the connections rather than using the spade connectors. Again, I don't want to rush things especially since I'm not the best with a soldering iron so I made a field expedient plug so I could at least charge my phone. The missus wasn't real happy that I found a trailer quite so quickly after getting permission to buy one so I don't want to push things by missing a call

 

[coachgeo]

.... picked up a 7 pole/round pin trailer plug and a 4 pin vehicle side plug. It was simple to wire the 4 pin into the 7 pin ....

Just as an and FYI for everyone. At many autoparts places or ordered online at various sites, premade adapters can be purchased as a single body plug with the 7 on one side and 4 on opposite ($12? autozone), or in pigtail fashion like what mkcoen made (25? autozone)

 

[mkcoen]

Just as an and FYI for everyone. At many autoparts places or ordered online at various sites, premade adapters can be purchased as a single body plug with the 7 on one side and 4 on opposite ($12? autozone), or in pigtail fashion like what mkcoen made (25? autozone)

The problem is finding one for a 7 pole/round pin connector locally (not to say they not out there) but none of the regular part stores even had round pin plugs thats why I had to go to a trailer supplier to get it. And I doubt you can get a pre-made one with an extra 12v lead coming off of it.

 

[coachgeo]

The problem is finding one for a 7 pole/round pin connector locally (not to say they not out there) but none of the regular part stores even had round pin plugs thats why I had to go to a trailer supplier to get it. And I doubt you can get a pre-made one with an extra 12v lead coming off of it.

Figured you made your own because incorporating the extra lead for your camera source. Good plan. Good luck with the trip to go grab the trailer. Look forward to your write up on your finished camera install when you get back. Looks like it came with a real nice screen.

In General didn't realize the 7 "round" pin are hard to find locally. Guess flat blade are more common these days. Wonder if a bigger Truck Stop/Travel Center might be a good source to find a round pin type local? Course Travel Centers are not local to many though.

 

[mkcoen]

Looks like I should have waited for this week to buy a trailer.