Recent content by 135gmc

The AC unit uou have isn't worth saving. It's built like a Mack truck, with all top grade components, but it uses R22 refrigerant, and sounds like a Cessna when it's running. The many flare joints in it means you'll regularly need to add more Freon. It's rated at about 6000 BTU to cool the...

Crazy thought - think about replacing your right front brake hose. I've heard about hoses that can fail internally and can partly block fluid flow. You have a very nice looking 135. Be glad that you aren't starting a restoration right now, because parts for the GMCs are really drying up. A...

If you can make them fit, a Group 31 is a standard truck battery, and it is designed for a more severe environment than an automotive battery. The last time I bought batteries for my Freightliner, I got four Exides from Tractor supply at about $125/each. They are available as both conventional...

I've had good results by poking a tapered punch through some cardboard, then stuffing the bolt partway through. I usually space the bolts about 2" apart so they can be sprayed easily.

Any way you look at it, backup lights are a good idea, whether required by the state or not. It can be challenging backing up any MIL vehicle at night, particularly on a rainy, gloomy night - the kind that seems to suck the light right out of your headlights. One "incident" of backing into...

As I've aged, I have found that my night vision is worse than when I was younger - as a result, I try to get to my destination before dark. When I had my military trucks, that was an absolute rule in my mind. Even with upgraded lighting & reflector tape, anything OD will be hard to see at night...

Engine and drive train parts are common to all the M37/42/43 series, but the ambulance interior parts can be difficult to track down. As I recall, one of the hardest to find is the box ceiling since it's basically a 5 ft wide piece of Masonite - and just try to find 5 foot wide Masonite. The...

And if you ever need new cables on something that's 6-volt, remember to always get "6-volt" cables -- they're much heavier than 12 volt cables. Check NAPA instead of one of the chain-store parts suppliers

A tire shop is the easiest, but if you want to do it yourself, place the old tire/rim flat on the ground, place a 2x12 that's about 5 ft long on the tire (close to the bead), then drive up the "ramp" until the bead is broken. You can do the same for the other side of the tire. Once the bead is...

Also be sure that the U-joint flange bolts are tight. It doesn't take a lot of motion in these bolts to result in a definite ckunk.

Newer units have the freon removed before they are surplused. All it would take to get them up and running again would be to pull a vacuum on them for about an hour, then refill with freon. Some of the surplused ACs are 20 years old, and they have lost their freon through normal seepage through...

The old military AN/TIQ-2 PA system is rated at a conservative 20 watts output. Each of the speakers are also rated at up to 20 watts as well. They were normally set up with commo wire for speaker leads. The TIQ-2 is a 70 volt system, and each speaker is designed for this system - it's the same...

The AC looks like a 6000 BTU vertical AC. These were a standardized military design, and were built by several suppliers, such as Hollingsworth. The design was by the military (see MIL-A-52767D - Belvoir Research, Development & Engineering), and the suppliers had limited options on their sources...

I just re-read the reservation - the right location is K24, not K33

If anyone is looking for Douglas electrical connectors (old M-series), parts, and crimpers, I'll have them - all new. Contact me if you want crimpers/tools for other types of MIL connectors. Contact me if you need any bulk VIC interconnect cable. As near as I can remember, I'll be at K33 or 34.