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Rebuilding after 15 years of storage

PHOENIX-GER

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Germany
Our stencils arrived wednesday
Not a cheap solution but exactly what we want.
We ordered also the stencils for the trailer as shipping and taxes are 45% on top.
It's absolutely worth the money.
Comes with good instruction and a squeegie

20250625_173934.jpg

Today we run several test paintings.
It need a sensitive and steady hand to pull out the small transfer tape inside letter and numbers. All other is an easy handling.

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In the 6 is still the transfer tape
Now i know why the most take the broken letters as there is not such a problem 😅

We also finished customizing the battery brackets. They are ready for painting.

The airpressure tank got his bracket and place between the trailer hitch. On the picture the tank is not aligned, it was just for customizing the bracket and will be disamble again for painting.

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CARC686

Well-known member
402
699
93
Location
New Mexico
Our stencils arrived wednesday
Not a cheap solution but exactly what we want.
We ordered also the stencils for the trailer as shipping and taxes are 45% on top.
It's absolutely worth the money.
Comes with good instruction and a squeegie

View attachment 949592

Today we run several test paintings.
It need a sensitive and steady hand to pull out the small transfer tape inside letter and numbers. All other is an easy handling.

View attachment 949593

In the 6 is still the transfer tape
Now i know why the most take the broken letters as there is not such a problem 😅

We also finished customizing the battery brackets. They are ready for painting.

The airpressure tank got his bracket and place between the trailer hitch. On the picture the tank is not aligned, it was just for customizing the bracket and will be disamble again for painting.

View attachment 949594

View attachment 949595
Tank for compressor? Anything else?
 

PHOENIX-GER

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
503
1,071
93
Location
Germany
Tank for compressor? Anything else?
Yes for compressor. Will be installed in the enginecompartment. We have airhorns. At the beginning should this be our working truck. So this was planned for airtools as well. But as this is now an oldtimerrestoration its just for small things you will face by Camping.

We plan to visite oldtimerfestivals. In the M1102 trailer will be our equipment.
After this expensive rebuild will it never be a workingtruck again.

In this case of oldtimerrestoration i had also remove our customid brushguard as he has an own one which we store. But if i do this will i never got roadregistration again with that customized brushguard. In 1995 it was registered but today the law changed. Such massive brushguards are no longer allow.
If i change anything of the original or customid condition he had former roadregistration will this be removed from its papers which make it of course illigal if i don't care and use it again. I can exchange the brushguard to original but will be ask in a policecontrol where is the customid one listed in the papers and will got a fee for the exchange and some trouble to explain that the original one is really original and finally have a visible control by authorities that it is install again. A typical gernan thing. But the truck will be not immediatly taken from road with remove registration by police.

That mean also our second Project in Rebuild GMC Sierra 2500 4x4 LBZ from 2007 will never got such a brushguard. Also the most nice things from USA are here not allow. 😒 But allone to have a powerful drivetrain is worth the efforts in rebuild.
The Sierra will got a bigger compressor to run shop airtools.
For the Chevy is a smaller one enough which work the airhorns, air to refill tire or run some small airtools.
 

PHOENIX-GER

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
503
1,071
93
Location
Germany
I'd sure like to have that custom brush guard, but the shipping would be astronomical.
I am sorry the original brushguard is not for sale. And yes its expensive. We import 95% of all needed parts. We got the truck 1995 without brushguard and troopseats.
To become him original we purchased these missing parts during the restoration process

But i have seen during our search several in the USA for offer.
We was thinking about purchase and import but then we found accidently an offer in Germany.

We store all original parts we don't use like the brushguard, the TH400, the NP208, original instrumentcluster... Nothing is for sale. It's about a resale value.
Oldtimer in complete original condition have a higher value here. And with the rebuild original parts in store is always change to original condition possible.

The truck come on the road again as "new".
Zero Miles on suspension and drivetrain.
 

PHOENIX-GER

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
503
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93
Location
Germany
This Saturday we had again a painting job. We primed and paint black the battery brackets, the airpressure tank include brackets and at least prepared first step of markings with the tan background front and rear.
We had done still some attempts for the markings to got routine so that we hopefully can give him next week an identity.

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PHOENIX-GER

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
503
1,071
93
Location
Germany
Thanks for your invitation. Unfortunately this year it will not be possible. We are not ready in 3 weeks. But next year we will have a "date". Nice to meet you there.

Without your help we hadn't got a real and correct identity for him.

With this truck, we also want to honor all the veterans of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment who secured our peace in Germany in the 1980s. A piece of history that should not be forgotten.
 

PHOENIX-GER

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
503
1,071
93
Location
Germany
Finished today the markings.
He is now a famely member from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

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IMG-20250712-WA0000.jpg

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We also proudly present our new M16s:

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Advantage no problem with Authorities 🤣

Our last investment for the truck will be a pair of M16 riffles. We are not allow to hold real weapons onboard or better anywhere without a weapon certification. Costs are around 500 Euro, include a qualificationtest, a psychological examination, something we call criminal record certification and you must declare that you need this certification. Every 3 year you have to renew with all points listet above again. As we have no reason for this certification.... will it be deny.

So our first choice is an authentic M16 as Airgun if this is to troublesome (airgun below 7,5 joule is free in use) than an authentic Decogun will be possible
 
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PHOENIX-GER

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
503
1,071
93
Location
Germany
Wonderful job!! Looks like brand new!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you - it was only able with your support and the good stencils from Scott Watson

Yes the truck will be like brand new if the restoration process is finished.
We spent until today 4000 hours (from both of us together) in 4 years for the job to do.
That means every weekend, holidays and vacations we were and will be in our shop.

We didn't expect to go into such a big project what began just with let us bring him back as Work-Truck on the road again ended up in an Oldtimer-Restoration.

We always said we didn't store him 15 years to said one day it is not worth the money and the job to do to save him.
 
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