**** i have just spent over an hour reading this thread from start to finish
i am really impressed with the work done on this truck
you are truly a feild surgeon in the respect of bringin her back from the deathbed
i really hope that one of our brethren here will take her on and finish her up
thanks for the thread
Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind remarks. It has been an incredible journey from start to almost finished. Most people would have written the truck off as scrap and probably thought I was nuts when I said I was going to get it on the road again. Well, truthfully, I am a little nuts, but that's another story.
__________________
Chris Stansbury, founder of Chris' CUCV Homepage in 1998 and Steel Soldiers in 1999.
1985 AMG M998 HMMWV, under the knife
1992 BMY M925A2 - TRADED!!
1991 BMY M923A2, SOLD
Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind remarks. It has been an incredible journey from start to almost finished. Most people would have written the truck off as scrap and probably thought I was nuts when I said I was going to get it on the road again. Well, truthfully, I am a little nuts, but that's another story.
As for the NUTS part, Chris.... I'm sure that only a VERY well trained psycologist knows for sure.
I've often heard that there is a very fine line between genious and insanity. Few would have the "courage" to take on the M925A2 project because they lacked your VISION and intuitive sense that under the rust was a beautiful truck.
Thanks Bill. The road has a very tight entrance with 2 stone pillars on either side and you turn out into a blind curve on the main road. It was a pain getting the deuce in and out of there and you take a chance of hitting someone by swinging into the other lane to avoid hitting the pillars. I hope to have a farm outside of town one day where I can have a building to keep some bigger toys. In the meantime, I'll have to keep something 1-1/4 ton or smaller. It's even a PITA to get my crew cab Ford in and out of there. I'm sure it wasn't a big deal in the 50's when the road was built.
Issues many rural transplants don't consider until their house is on fire.
Your local FD (likley a vol. FD, and if paid they will be calling local vol.s for mutual aide) needs to be able to quickly, efficiently, safely run large fire turcks and and lay 5" hose from hydrants or run multiple large tanker trucks to your home.
I suggest contacting the local Fire Chief an ask if you can sponsor a tanker shuttle drill to your home. 2hr of water shuttle from whatever supply points they have (or should have) established. You supply the brats and burgers when it is done. Good plan to make these friends. If your trafficability is as bad as stated then the Fire Chief ( and local insurance agent/underwriter) should be kicking butt to get the road/gate problem fixed. You're not properly protected and your property is at risk.
Note if local FD is running 1972 single rear axle (or M35) converted gasoline tankers then they are broke and you need to help them get fixed. Modern tankers are typically 2000gal (single rear) or 3000+gal (tandem). And many of them. FD is NOT going to meet industry water supply standards with anything less.
That M925 would make a fair FD tanker (if you install the ABS on it).
The entrance is tight, but not impossible. It is easier to turn onto my road than it is to turn out of it. I have driven a 36' moving truck and a deuce in and out of there. The city has regular trash service there and I have seen a tri-axle dump truck down there too. I have a hydrant right in front of my house too.
I will certainly inquire at the fire house to make sure there aren't any issues with getting their current trucks down my road.
__________________
Chris Stansbury, founder of Chris' CUCV Homepage in 1998 and Steel Soldiers in 1999.
1985 AMG M998 HMMWV, under the knife
1992 BMY M925A2 - TRADED!!
1991 BMY M923A2, SOLD
Well, it looks like it is time for one final installment on this series. I am working on a 3-way trade with a SS member, 19kilo, and another fella who's not on the site yet. So, I needed to get the truck ready for transport. I drove down to my old office in VA on Tuesday to load up a bunch of spare parts that I squirreled away for later use.
I then headed to Winslow's to prep the truck. I used John's Bobcat forklift to load a seat in a crate, a parts winch, a battery box relocation kit, 3 bare rims, and 4 rims with tires. That pretty much filled up the bed. I then tossed in any extra intake parts, wiring, etc... that I found laying around my work site. It was starting to get dark by then and mosquitoes as big as half dollars were coming out of the swamp to dine on me. I packed up and headed to my brother's place to bunk up for the night.
After 4 hours of sleep I hit the road again for John's. I had to dodge passing thunder storms for most of the morning, but still managed to sort through all of my spare parts and box everything up for 19kilo. After that, I drained 6 gallons of water out of the cooling system and added 6 gallons of anti-freeze. It is starting to get cooler here and I didn't want anything to freeze and bust. Once the fresh coolant was in, I buttoned everything up to take it for a 10 mile run out in farm country. I was a little bothered by the fact that one of the check valve was sticking and letting air out of the system faster than the compressor could put it back in at idle. I had replacement valves, but didn't have the time to swap them out. The truck makes a ton of air on the road because the compressor is fed from the intake, which is pressurized by the turbo. At 2000 rpm it would pump things up to 110 psi or so and then the expeller valve would dump out of the bottom of the air dryer. So, I got the air built up to release the brakes and off I went. The truck ran and drove fantastic. It was quick to reach 55 mph and held that speed without an issue. The brakes felt great too. The real bonus was the air leak had stopped when I returned from my test drive. I'm guessing one of the check valves had a little dirt or corrosion around it and was sticking open. A good long run and plenty of brake use must have cleaned it out.
I was a little sad at the thought of saying goodbye to that truck because of everything we have been through together, but I know it is going to a good home and the project will be completed. I also felt a great deal of pride at what I had accomplished with that truck. It was residue when I got it and now it is a runner. With some body work, paint, and finishing touches, it will be like new again.
Thanks to all of my SS friends for sticking with me through this project and helping me find all of the parts I needed to complete it. I know Craig c'dub will look down with pride knowing that the fan clutch he gave me helped bring new life to this truck.
Well, I guess that's enough of the sentimental stuff. Here are a few more shots of the truck as it sits now along with one from where I first got it. Enjoy.
__________________
Chris Stansbury, founder of Chris' CUCV Homepage in 1998 and Steel Soldiers in 1999.
1985 AMG M998 HMMWV, under the knife
1992 BMY M925A2 - TRADED!!
1991 BMY M923A2, SOLD
Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone.
The Following User Says Thank You to steelsoldiers For This Useful Post:
Well, it looks like it is time for one final installment on this series. I am working on a 3-way trade with a SS member, 19kilo, and another fella who's not on the site yet. So, I needed to get the truck ready for transport. I drove down to my old office in VA on Tuesday to load up a bunch of spare parts that I squirreled away for later use.
I then headed to Winslow's to prep the truck. I used John's Bobcat forklift to load a seat in a crate, a parts winch, a battery box relocation kit, 3 bare rims, and 4 rims with tires. That pretty much filled up the bed. I then tossed in any extra intake parts, wiring, etc... that I found laying around my work site. It was starting to get dark by then and mosquitoes as big as half dollars were coming out of the swamp to dine on me. I packed up and headed to my brother's place to bunk up for the night.
After 4 hours of sleep I hit the road again for John's. I had to dodge passing thunder storms for most of the morning, but still managed to sort through all of my spare parts and box everything up for 19kilo. After that, I drained 6 gallons of water out of the cooling system and added 6 gallons of anti-freeze. It is starting to get cooler here and I didn't want anything to freeze and bust. Once the fresh coolant was in, I buttoned everything up to take it for a 10 mile run out in farm country. I was a little bothered by the fact that one of the check valve was sticking and letting air out of the system faster than the compressor could put it back in at idle. I had replacement valves, but didn't have the time to swap them out. The truck makes a ton of air on the road because the compressor is fed from the intake, which is pressurized by the turbo. At 2000 rpm it would pump things up to 110 psi or so and then the expeller valve would dump out of the bottom of the air dryer. So, I got the air built up to release the brakes and off I went. The truck ran and drove fantastic. It was quick to reach 55 mph and held that speed without an issue. The brakes felt great too. The real bonus was the air leak had stopped when I returned from my test drive. I'm guessing one of the check valves had a little dirt or corrosion around it and was sticking open. A good long run and plenty of brake use must have cleaned it out.
I was a little sad at the thought of saying goodbye to that truck because of everything we have been through together, but I know it is going to a good home and the project will be completed. I also felt a great deal of pride at what I had accomplished with that truck. It was residue when I got it and now it is a runner. With some body work, paint, and finishing touches, it will be like new again.
Thanks to all of my SS friends for sticking with me through this project and helping me find all of the parts I needed to complete it. I know Craig c'dub will look down with pride knowing that the fan clutch he gave me helped bring new life to this truck.
Well, I guess that's enough of the sentimental stuff. Here are a few more shots of the truck as it sits now along with one from where I first got it. Enjoy.
Thanks for the update.
I know the feelings of saying goodbye to "an old friend". You've been through alot together, and breathed new life into that OD Iron. You have again proven and presented the essence of being a STEEL SOLDIER.
Hope all 3 parties in this threesome are benefitting from the SWAP. If we could be nosey.... What all is changing hands??
