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letssleds M-135 Project

letssled

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letssleds M-135 Project - Operation Plowshare

Well I guess it is time for me to start me thread. After a few false starts, I am finally on the go. Special thanks to Plowboy (member here) for all of his help.

Basically I am joining 3 cabs together to seat 8. Custom frame and a Cat 3306 for power. Have a few starting pics, but going to get serious in the next few weeks. Certainly open to suggestions and thoughts! :)

IMG_2208.jpgIMG_2360.jpgIMG_2490.jpgIMG_2576.jpgIMG_2485.jpg

So far,

Pic #1 I have sourced some part trucks. You can see my donor trucks.
Pic #2 My workspace (going to be a little tight)
Pic #3 My helpers helping Daddy move his T1138 Transfer case
Pic #4 Roll cage and frame steel
Pic #5 Very rough cab line up and cabs stripped - ALL parts have been taken apart and saved for other people.
 
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Section8

Member
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Little Fort, B.C., Canada
Wicked cool!!
I have been waiting to see someone do three cabs!!
Are you going to leave the rear most cabs door on to keep 6 doors or weld sheet metal and make it like a suburban?
I am interested to see how you get by the insurance and registration red tape with a whole new frame.
I was told that in making a new frame you are especially making a "new" vehicle and it needs to be up to date on all safety regulations. Airbags and ABS etc...
Of course I am out in BC and the govt like to get you coming and going. I have heard it's better to just "git er done" and deal with them in the I dint know manner. LoL.
Since you have the cabs disassembled to a degree I would suggest something I was going to do with a crew cab i was going to make.
Take the channel frame rails under the floor off and make one long one to run front to back. That way you won't have to try and line up cabs and have three cross members under each cab in the fronts to account for the cabs lift where the pedals at located.
Of course this means a little more sheet metal work in dropping the floor of the cab down to smooth the floor pan out but I think it would be better than having more stress and flex points between three cabs.
The CAT 3306 is a good motor. A lot of people rag on CAT engines saying they are throw away motors but I have run lots of equipment with them and have found them to be quite reliable and have plenty of power. Don't abuse them and they run forever.
I would also suggest power steering if you haven't thought of it. One from an old International will work quite well. Most sit above the frame rail that I have seen. Unless it is from one made in the 1980s.
Plowboy won't steer you wrong when it comes to advice and help. He is one of the most solid honest guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Good luck. As most will say, keep us posted and have lots of pictures for us to drool over.
Canadians rock!!
Welcome to the site!
 

m1010plowboy

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I had the great honour of hanging out with your Dad at Dog Rump Pond the Wednesday before the Stony Parade. What a schmokin' set of wheels he gets to tour around in. I was under the time management gun trying to get Goose washed for the show so didn't get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked to. That's a cool spot to spend a Wednesday night so we might try and convoy 3 Deuces into town once the boys are finished with the million dollar 1955' M135 Goat. Once you're done, we need to meet for a camp-out so your 3 deuces can hang out with our 3 deuces.

You talked about extending the cowling to fit the 3306 in. I woke up wondering if there is anything at the back of the Cat, like oil filters, or anything that needs regular maintenance that would be hard to get to with the short hood. Then I went to sleep thinking I better deliver a hood and fender real soon! Then I woke up thinking you put a flip front end on it. Then I woke up thinkin' I need to get some sleep.
 

letssled

Member
52
0
6
Location
Canada
Wicked cool!!
I have been waiting to see someone do three cabs!!
Are you going to leave the rear most cabs door on to keep 6 doors or weld sheet metal and make it like a suburban?
I am interested to see how you get by the insurance and registration red tape with a whole new frame.
I was told that in making a new frame you are especially making a "new" vehicle and it needs to be up to date on all safety regulations. Airbags and ABS etc...
Of course I am out in BC and the govt like to get you coming and going. I have heard it's better to just "git er done" and deal with them in the I dint know manner. LoL.
Since you have the cabs disassembled to a degree I would suggest something I was going to do with a crew cab i was going to make.
Take the channel frame rails under the floor off and make one long one to run front to back. That way you won't have to try and line up cabs and have three cross members under each cab in the fronts to account for the cabs lift where the pedals at located.
Of course this means a little more sheet metal work in dropping the floor of the cab down to smooth the floor pan out but I think it would be better than having more stress and flex points between three cabs.
The CAT 3306 is a good motor. A lot of people rag on CAT engines saying they are throw away motors but I have run lots of equipment with them and have found them to be quite reliable and have plenty of power. Don't abuse them and they run forever.
I would also suggest power steering if you haven't thought of it. One from an old International will work quite well. Most sit above the frame rail that I have seen. Unless it is from one made in the 1980s.
Thanks for your reply :), I am replacing the entire floor and building a full enclosed roll cage. I have 5 kids and I want to insure they are protected to the best of my ability. Plus I want to put in a very large heated rear window. So when I started digging into things it made more sense to replace it with new steel. The channel/floor is being replaced with 2x4x.125 rec tubing for the permimeter and 1.5 x 1.5" x .100 square tubing cross members. 14 guage sheeting welded on the bottom and 14 gauge sheeting riveted on the top.

I looked into the regulations, admittedly there is a lot of "grey". From what I gathered, I am exempt from almost all of them as this is a personal vehicle and will not be used commercially. I do have to get it inspected. But I plan on putting on modern brakes, suspension, etc. So I am prepared for this. Or at least I hope to be.

CAT has had their dogs, but they have had a few triumphs. I was considering 3 engines. Cummins 6cta, 3306 and 3406. The 3406 was to big and heavy for what I needed it for. And I couldn't find a 6cta, they are not common up here at all. Lots of ata, but I wanted strictly no electronics. I am picking up a 300hp, 1100 ft/pd 3306C shortly.....That should do the trick nicely. There are few bad comments on the 3306, it is long and heavy, but has a very high reliability.

Funny you mention the power steering. I never thought of looking to the international side for parts. I was thinking about a Ford F550 or higher power steering box as the 3306 has a built in pump already. But admitedely would prefer to stay in the med duty truck side. Is there a specific model you would recommend?
 
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letssled

Member
52
0
6
Location
Canada
I had the great honor of hanging out with your Dad at Dog Rump Pond the Wednesday before the Stony Parade. What a schmokin' set of wheels he gets to tour around in. I was under the time management gun trying to get Goose washed for the show so didn't get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked to. That's a cool spot to spend a Wednesday night so we might try and convoy 3 Deuces into town once the boys are finished with the million dollar 1955' M135 Goat. Once you're done, we need to meet for a camp-out so your 3 deuces can hang out with our 3 deuces.

You talked about extending the cowling to fit the 3306 in. I woke up wondering if there is anything at the back of the Cat, like oil filters, or anything that needs regular maintenance that would be hard to get to with the short hood. Then I went to sleep thinking I better deliver a hood and fender real soon! Then I woke up thinking you put a flip front end on it. Then I woke up thinkin' I need to get some sleep.
Hey PB :) great to hear from you. Thanks again for all your help! The 3306 is great in that there is literally nothing on the rear of the engine, just the throttle linkage for the pump. I think to keep noise and heat levels down I have to extend the engine bay. There is only 48" of space lengthwise and the engine is 57" long including the bell housing. I can tuck the bell housing under the cab (8"), but I still have to stretch the engine bay at least 12 inches. In addition I need extra room for the inter-cooler and larger rads and A/C condenser (have to keep Mrs.letssled happy.....)

I look forward to a camping trip, hopefully I will have this done in a year.....I still owe you a steak.
 

letssled

Member
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Location
Canada
Ever consider a Detroit? Fits in a MLVW nicely.
I did, but admittedly very briefly.....In my learning days I worked with the 53 series. I certainly can attest to there reliability, I just don't want any to deal with noise, oil leaks and faulty super charger shutoffs. Plus a lot of there older stuff was pretty heavy weight wise. Admittedly the Cat is pretty heavy and a little noisy. But it is a VERY reliable engine.
 

Section8

Member
502
5
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Location
Little Fort, B.C., Canada
To bad you weren't closer. I have a 1991 cummins 12v fully mechanical that I was going to put in my M135.
A couple easy mods to the engine and you get some decent horse power gains. To make room I was planning to push the engine back into the cab by 2 to 4 inches. This would provide enough room to fit the 4 core radiator I was planning to buy for cooling the beast. Another added benifit would be easier access to the engines rear end for maintenance.
The power steering boxes I have seen are off of a 1700 and 1800 series International. Both were top frame rail mounted. The one I have is on my 1982 1600 series International and is mounted on the out boardside of the frame. This is easily corrected for top mounted with some homemade custom brackets. I would suggest chewing on member Rustystud 's ear. He has worked for International for a number of years building their trucks he would know best. Plus he is another strait shooter who won't steer you wrong.
Another point to ponder is the brakes.
The old air over hydraulic system works great, so I am told, but if you are up grading your axles, as I see in other posts, you may want to consider a Hydro Max system.
The master cylinder that I pulled from a 1800 series International has a 2 in cylinder bore as apposed to the stock M135/M211 trucks 1 3/4 inch bore. Also the Hydro Max system has an electric pump for a system back up incase of engine shutdown.
However if your CAT 3306 has an air compressor. .... full air brakes?!?!
 

letssled

Member
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6
Location
Canada
The old air over hydraulic system works great, so I am told, but if you are up grading your axles, as I see in other posts, you may want to consider a Hydro Max system.
The master cylinder that I pulled from a 1800 series International has a 2 in cylinder bore as apposed to the stock M135/M211 trucks 1 3/4 inch bore. Also the Hydro Max system has an electric pump for a system back up incase of engine shutdown.
However if your CAT 3306 has an air compressor. .... full air brakes?!?!
That Cat comes with a factory air comp and power steering pump, all gear driven. However, I am going for dual circuit hydraulic brakes and modern disc brakes on all wheels. I am going to use a Ford F550 rotor and hopefully adapt an ABS system in if I can find something available of a med duty truck. I can't use air brakes, wife might have to drive this sporadically (hopefully very, very, sporadically ;-) ) and she drew the line at that.

I am going to check out that hydra max system....sounds like best in class.

For the rad, I gave the guys at Wizard cooling a call, they are going to custom make me a intercooler and a rad. The benefits of electric fans and not having to build a shroud or worry about engine/rad alignment far outweighs the cost IMO.
 

m1010plowboy

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I gave up 2 of my 3 stooge's to be part of this project...whatcha gonna call the project? Not sure if I mentioned it but 2 cabs came in a 3 truck deal and they were named, Larry, Curly and More. There wasn't much left of Larry, the silver one. Looked like Larry was a drinker, was all smashed up, so he's going to a better place. Curly had the frame farmer extended, rear pto added and likely had a manure spreader mounted on the back. Curly will certainly smell better for the remainder of its cab life. More, the CDN M211 needed more work, so instead of Moe, it became More. Your 3rd cab came from a 5 truck deal and it was a parts truck. We called it a 'parts truck'.

The little lady won't have any trouble driving it. Once she gets up in the air seat and finds out it's easier to see all the little cars around her, she won't get back in the car. I'm more worried about the kids when they turn 16..."Dad, can I take the truck over to the school to pick up 7 friends".....haaaaaa good luck saying no so we better get them on my M135 at the farm for training.

Stay off the net and get er' done. :driver:
 

letssled

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Location
Canada
Well have the frame laid out and squared up. Out 1/32" over 26', I think that is close enough. Mock layup of of the fenders and cowl on the frame almost looking like a truck :)

I think I am going to lower the doors and door frame 2.5". That will allow me to cut off the bottom inch of steel from the door frames. Out of all my doors, the bottom inch is light to severely rusted, but the remainder of steel is solid. Plus this will allow me to cover the tube ends of the double walled floor. Talk about army tough......seems like a million spot welds on the door frames! You can see the modified door frame and the original door frame.

IMG_2696.jpgIMG_2697.jpgIMG_2698.jpgIMG_2699.jpgIMG_2700.jpgIMG_2701.jpg



Pic #1 - Squaring up the frame
Pic #2,3 - mocking up doors, grill, cowl and fenders.
Pic #4,5 - looking down the frame
Pic #6 - removing door frame gussets.
 

letssled

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Canada
I gave up 2 of my 3 stooge's to be part of this project...whatcha gonna call the project?
Hmmm, I think Operation plowshare would be very fitting......kinda what I am doing although much less boom.....

I'm more worried about the kids when they turn 16..."Dad, can I take the truck over to the school to pick up 7 friends".....haaaaaa good luck saying no so we better get them on my M135 at the farm for training.
My kids promised never to grow up.....

The little lady won't have any trouble driving it. Once she gets up in the air seat and finds out it's easier to see all the little cars around her, she won't get back in the car
On second thought, I am going to leave it Manual steering and hand crank to start.....
 

rchalmers3

Half a mile from the Broad River
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Wow, that's gonna be a awesome space in that stretch cab! I've never scratch built a frame but.....

Why would you not first fit the drive train and at least the front suspension before hacking the body? That way your cab could be trimmed and fitted as necessary.

It would be a drag to fit the cab first then find it interferes with the drive train or steering.

my unsolicited .02

Rick
 

letssled

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Wow, that's gonna be a awesome space in that stretch cab! I've never scratch built a frame but.....

Why would you not first fit the drive train and at least the front suspension before hacking the body? That way your cab could be trimmed and fitted as necessary.

It would be a drag to fit the cab first then find it interferes with the drive train or steering.

my unsolicited .02

Rick
Those are all very good points and I appreciate your questions! I am going to modernize the suspension and stretch the frame roughly 2' over stock. I am only working on the parts that will essentially be independent of each other. The cab is a fixed unit, so I can complete the roll cage and attach body panels without interfering with anything. Even with the drive train in, it won't matter per se, how far back or forward the cab is. The main frame rails are 2' longer to allow for some growth if needed.

The front axles, front fenders and grill are all going to retain the stock locations. The truck will "grow" from these points. Once my engine, tranny and transfer case get here and placed in the frame I can attach the cab mounts and fit the cab as it will be a large "cage" covered by the body panels and can be moved as one solid unit. I have a complete cab that I am using to insure I get it right the first time (or pray I get it right, lol), I have only hacked into 2 cabs so far. Regardless, I can't put the 2x4 rec tube frame in unless i cut the gussets out as they will not have any smooth surface to attach to.
 

m1010plowboy

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I did my research, Project "Plowshare" was the use of nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes, like gardening, building lakes, moving small mountains. I don't need to ask what you're using for heat!

Thought I had the perfect fender for you today. It was already painted yellow, to match the nuclear colour. There's some rot at the bottom so you can compare it with a few others that are now growing at the G749 farm. I headed up north where the genetic G749 plantation is and harvested what I could. The hood will come off the Cold Lake truck and I'm trying to make that happen Sunday.

P6240141.jpgP6240140.jpgP6240139.jpg

We'll need to coordinate when you come in. I'll be working in Nisku so I can either leave the parts at the farm or you can meet me on airport road and 9th depending on when you pull in.

I needed a piece of project Plowshare to knock the weeds and grass down up north....a little before and after.

20160623_160800.jpg20160623_160436.jpg
 

m1010plowboy

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We had some help today and Chris rolled into the G749 farm with the hood off the Cold Lake warrior. It's the best one and the only one that doesn't have the custom crack across the middle. Everything is staged at the lower sea-cans so loading should be easy. There's a lime green and yellow fender to choose from. Both are pretty good but the yellow one looks more nuclear next to the orange hood.

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I had to cut 3' of grass to get at the northern trucks and I think we sent you the best hood out of the entire collection. We'll need to find a welder as well as a good block and hammer man for the next truck.

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If you have the kids with you when you hit the farm take them for a walk towards the upper sea-can. We grow em' big at the G749 farm and I left this soccer ball size puff-ball in the middle of runway 27/09, on the way to the sand-pile. It's been real wet out there so we ordered up some dry weather to dry up the trail to the bottom. Get er' done.

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