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I used to use Nomacast and similar N-55-N99 rods for welding cast iron, but I switched to an inconel rod from Aircraft Spruce a couple years back and couldn't be more impressed by this stiuff. It's $200/Lb but seems to flow into the casting porosity almost like a braze.
That said, if it were...
Sorry, I was thinking about the big drops of 1/2"-1" plexi I had sitting around (actually, I think it's mostly lexan) when I suggested that material.
Aluminum or steel plate is probably more common in people's scrap piles... from, say the center drops out of MRAP wheel adapters. :-)
I wouldn't worry about the integrity of the piston, but I would feel better knowing the rings hadn't lost some tension.
I wonder if you would benefit from making a leak-down tester?
Jjust a plate of plexi or anything flat, punch a couple holes so you can bolt it down (use an o-ring to seal) and...
On the FV430 forum, one patient soul made himself a set of re-capped pads.
Discussion here:
http://wwwfv432couk.freeforums.org/recapping-track-pads-t1636.html
Video here:
https://vimeo.com/150641980
I am a firm believer that the worst trips often make the best stories. You will stories to tell at gatherings for years.
As in "did I ever mention the time I bought an M37, in Canada, sight-unseen off ePay? It had expired plates, no gas tank or parking brake, and barely an exhaust system but...
So, almost exactly a year ago I won a bid for a M109 on Govplanet. After almost 9 months they still hadn't gotten the rad cert filed but I finally managed to get a refund. So, I decided to start looking locally. I saw some listings but nothing with a price/condition ratio I was happy...
I can't speak to the HMMWV specifically, but I did sit down a few months ago and do some budget math. In a bit over a half-dozen vehicles with built-on dates from about 1965 to 1993 the aggregate is sufficient that I could save thousands of dollars a year by giving them all away and making...
The shop near me has turbocharger/exhaust hose rated for exhaust, like so: http://www.masterduct.com/vehicle-exhaust-hoses
lots of layers of stainless shim stock (foil) and muffler putty would get you a long ways down the road I bet.
I hear about 2MPG for those rigs, and they track poorly on...
You might not have something that esoteric, most hose-supply shops sell silicone hose in large diameters for just that application.
It's not cheap, like $5 per inch, of course if you are driving a MK48 that's about what it cost you to go down the road. :-)
I had one years ago, tweaked the governor and it would cruise at 60mph... unloaded... on *flat* ground. I got just under 4MPG. On a hill with even a tiny load, loaded sand trucks with trailers would pass me like I wasn't moving.
Unless you plan to break down more than once a year, that sounds like a pretty lousy rate. I had a heavy-truck recovery vehicle come to my shop to move some armor and it was something like $175/hr. Since I'm in California, I just assume that's a high number.
Many years ago, I used a M35 as a daily-driver for much of 3 years. I think I had to walk home a time or two but mostly it was fine.
Now, this was a very tired gasser-deuce and I was young and while mechanically-inclined I didn't know what maintenance I should have been doing so there's no good...
Suffering focuses the mind and that trip was VERY focused. I think the best one from that trip was when an unsecured battery bounced up into the metal seat frame. Did I mention all my title and import paperwork was safely stored under that seat and that paperwork is flammable... ah, good...
Well, I did learn to drive in a 1953 Dodge truck. Not an M37 but Navy surplus, so it can be done and if you do it you will forever be able to use a manual transmission.
The total lack of climate-control would be pretty rough in my opinion, no insulation, all the door and window seals leak...
You have a few issues and it's time to at least yank the head.
The compression is too varied. You need a valve job or rings.
The top speed should be 50+MPH
The knock... if your oil pressure is good, almost certainly a wrist-pin or what it ties to (piston/rod). that can be checked when you pull...