New to me M715

Lance aka Hookin1 was nice enough to sell me this M715. Short of finding another cab, its going to be sitting a while. If I get backed into a corner, it might become an MJ-715. Pics should explain everything. Since I took these this morning, the wrecker boom ( poor excuse) has been removed and much more paint scraped off. Where you see the dark green, I've been at it with the razor scraper. Check it out!

Very nice save! Looks like it needs a lot of cancer treatment, though...

A good bodyman might could save the cab, I can not. The rest if the truck is pretty decent. The tailgate is quite bent up but the bed is pretty solid. The Tornado engine cranked over today but has issues. It will soon be scrapped in favor of a SBC or 6.2 diesel. All in all, worth saving if I can score a better cab, of not, it will get a J cab.

Kenny, I think my M37 is in better shape!!

Hope you have fun with it!

You're a brave man Kenny...
What is the hoist looking thing in the back?

*sigh* another person who thinks that a perfectly good Tornado should be scrapped in favor of something that this rig was never meant to have...

Make sure the 230 finds a new home that is NOT a smelter. There are plenty out there who like the old straight-sixes, minor faults and all.

If it were a perfectly good Tornado, it would start. If it were running I would leave it alone. The distributor is bent, water pump gone and the carb junk. Once I get that stuff still no guarantee that it will be OK. Rather not invest in an engine thats not a known runner.

Ahh, new information I wasn't made privvy to at the start. I am rebuilding my engine compartment little by little. My -715 Tornado hasn't run in years, but in checking it out, so far got it to turn over, and compression looks good. Just haven't fired it up under it's own power yet. I have two spare carbs, a spare water pump, spare fuel pump, spare dist. (all of them new), so if stock items fail on startup, I got spares!

And in the -715 business, spare parts are like GOLD!

I kinda sympathize a little bit with those who re-engine their 715s. If you have a blown engine, might as well replace it with something else with a little more juice. What I don't like is the never-ending line of people who complain about the Tornado engine, and swap out perfectly good running blocks with something else, when the stock engine is fine. The complaints about the underpowered engine were usually from those who over-revved the stock engine and broke the timing chain, or who overloaded the truck and complained that the stock engine was underpowered. It's a good engine, as long as you understood it's limitations and quirks.

I just hate to see the day when I go to a military museum and see a M715 truck on display, but with a 350cid Chevy engine, power steering and 40" mudders because they're "so much better than the originals".

If you need any spare parts for your rig, let me know. I have a few floating around! Also, I hope you're on M715Zone.com, those guys have forgotten more about these trucks than I will ever know.

Ken I think that cab can be salvaged if need be... Be more than happy to give you a hand with that sheet metal... But your doin the sandblasting!!! Get some Naval Jelly or something on it in the mean time though... Be a shame to see it go further south.

Inner and outer rockers are available as are floor pans. Don't know if I can commit that much to it with everything else going on. Mike, look for a PM.