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It sounds like you might have metric bolts - I agree with niferous - Fastenall is a good resource. McMaster would be a good supplier if you knew exactly what you needed, and if you needed about 100 of each size, but Fastenall is great for smaller jobs. Home Depot is never at the top of my list...

You can sketch out a floor plan on graph paper, but its also easy to use some chalk and draw the 109's interior outline on a concrete slab, then you can try things full size to be sure that everything fits before you start sacrificing lumber. You can also do this inside the 109's box - mock up...

A battery cutoff switch is standard on school buses. I found mine at an IH dealer, but NAPA also has them. The standard method is to install them in the battery ground lead - that way, if anything goes wrong, or the switch shorts out, its in the ground lead and won't destroy anything. My M37 had...

The advantage with my 135 is single tires, but they were also 11x20's. When I did my brakes, I removed the tires, then I used an adapter I welded up that bolted onto my hydraulic floor jack and slipped over three of the brake drum wheel studs. I pulled the drums with it, then used it to...

Parts are where you find them - look for middle of nowhere junkyards that have just about anything. Chances are that there's an old Dodge tank that will fit and work fine. You can make just about anything military with a coat of OD paint.... Bill's right - Adirondak also has Dodge parts. Also...

I used to have an M37, but I kept moving my head to see around the wiper motor. Sold that and bought an M135. SOld the M135 when a friend of mine pulled out his checkbook and said HOW MUCH? Its hard to turn dowm HOW MUCH.... I'm rebuilding an S250 shelter right now, and looking at a PU. The 135...

You were lucky to find a truck with great sheet metal - most of them are getting kinda leaky after all these years. When you are doing any mechanical work, be careful of the muffler - they don't exist as surplus anymore. Your only option is to modify a civilian muffler. Also treat your exhaust...

Check with Midwest Military in MN or Vintage Power Wagons in IA - they would know what fits, and might even have something available. You might want to epoxy-line whatever tank you wind up with - I've done that to everything I've restored and no leaks

Great idea! For some reason, the midwest seems to be just past the ends of the earth when events are being planned. Maybe it's because most MIL bases are in the south and near the coasts, but we do have MVs here in MN.

If you decide to roll or brush on a coat of paint, remember that brushing on paint was the normal way that a using group had to paint equipment - spraying was limited to a support organization. Even now, users are told to touch up paint by brush or dauber instead of spraying. A friend of mine...

Most states have something similar - if a cop sees you driving something with a collectors/historic plate in rush hour heading to work, they can get a mite unhappy, but on a weekend, it all becomes a "test drive". When I registered my GMC 135 as a MN collector's vehicle, they asked me if I would...

I used to use them for paint removal - they can do a clean job, but you will go through a lot of needles and retainers. I used to replace needles and retainers when needed, about 1 set per month. They do a great job on thick, hard paint, and not so good on a thin coat. They are noisy, so plan on...

If you're going to use it with no more than about 50 ft leads, and you plan on running up to about 5/32" low hydrogen (7018, etc), you should be able to use # 2 welding cable. I used to run 300 amps with a 50 ft stinger and 50 ft ground with no problem for all my welders. They were all heavy...

A word to the wise - if you are tall, or a little wider than you were when you were 18, you're in for a heap of problems. Just about anything armored is designed for skinny little 18 year-olds. Once you have a few years and a few pounds on you, they get real crowded real fast. And it's even...

Get used to having to hunt for parts. NAPA and other parts stores will fall flat on their tails if you ask for a military part, but once you track down the civilian equivalent, it gets easier. Read the threads here - like converting to civilian WS wipers, or JATONKA's conversion kits for...

24 volt relays are common industrial parts - check with Grainger or McMaster. There are also lots floating around surplus. I found sealed, 24 volt, 2-pole relays at a surplus store for $ 2 each. Look for an electronics dealer instead of a vehicle surplus dealer, such as Fair Radio, Murphy's...

If you decide to go to silicone fluid, fill and drain the system several times using alcohol to get all the old DOT-3 fluid out. If you don't, you will wind up with spongy brakes forever. When I did my 135, I used a pressure bleeder full of alcohol, and ran about a gallon through the system. As...

If you wind up cementing MIL weatherstriping on, take the time to wash it first to get any manufacturing residue off. That's why it's usually a challenge to glue down weatherstriping - some of it has a soapy residue from the extruder that makes it.

The only glitch you'll run into is the electrical connectors - an M35 uses the new style connectos, while an M135/211 would use the metal-shelled Douglas connector. You can make up a short adapter cable easily.

About the only suppliers who might have anything would be Brian Asbury (Canada) or Memphis Equipment.