G749 preservation

Edit, I found the Timken seal you listed for $13. That is a lot nicer than the $20+ Memphis wants for the original hub seals. Good on you for finding a modern replacement.

http://kscdirect.com/item/NAT+418028/THE+TIMKEN+COMPANY_418028+SEALS%0A

No idea on the outer lip thing.

Excellent thread, You get 1 rep point from me and 2 thumbs up for your perseverance and ingenuity for an amazing job.

Sherm

Don, wow...thank you..... speechless and humbled...

Gunfreak25........your Moniker....... Brother you've had incredible insight carrying 'Sherm' around as your Moniker and as sad as his loss is I know he'd be proud having you carry that photo for another 96 years.

Onward

I was torn up today over that. May you rest in peace Mr. Morgan, he was my favorite MASH character of all time. Even if Colonel Potter was fictional, growing up without anyone to call dad you find yourself collecting father figures in life. That's why I hang around you old folks so much.

Hey Dave maybe you forgot but I have a case of those inner hub seals, anyhow Keep up the good fight

One of my All Time favorite episodes. RIP Colonel Potter.

If you remove the front bumper and want to sell it let me know I have a truck that could use it for. Happy Holidays.

Santa comes from India

Had a great opportunity to visit the southern states so I arranged to have a knuckle seal kit waiting for me.

One call to Memphis Equipment and the two seal kits got shipped to a friends shop in San Diego. They showed up in a well packed box in great shape and Memphis handled everything.

The seal kit says they were made in India so they've traveled the World. Made in India, shipped by Memphis Equipment to San Diego, traveled in rental car to Yuma, Tuscon and Phoenix then flown to Canada. They're going on before Christmas as soon as me and the Trailer Park Boys open the TM's.

Part numbers pictured below.

Also found some alternative outer axle gaskets. They're a little larger but seem to work well. .....Stemco #3112 The original packaging came from Brian Asbury and part numbers are in the pics.

Inner axle seals are now falling out of the sky and all with different widths. We found a combination in the pics below that allow me to put two seals in each axle. Can't think of why I wouldn't because it's better then storing them on the shelf.

Cornhead grease.....mmmmm

Brake lines needed to be replaced and Edmonton Brake and Clutch made the replacements look fairly close to original.

Inners seals, brakes, bows and crack

Taking a break is good...........but the green crack keeps callin'

Got the two seals into each inner axle using a nice 'replacer' tool and hopefully it will be drip free for twice as long.

Replaced knuckles and re-assembled brakes which will be painted at a later date.

Had some great volunteer help and nearly finished the bows and seats replacing the un-salvageable lumber with pre-cut Ash wood from our local "Superior Lumber" store. This time we used "Endura" Green Primer/ Sealer and Endura found a way lower the gloss on the paint.

.....and after removing the drag link we found a 1" long 'crack' in the front mount. This has got to be a rare occurrence. I can't imagine the forces it took to crack it but it's worth checking on all the trucks.

Should be done real soon......

Thats a nice truck.

greased knuckles, paint

Learnin's fun.......... thinking I'd be saving a whole lot of guessing about how much grease was in the knuckle, I squeezed 2 tubes of Cornhead grease into the knuckle prior to assembly.

Cornhead grease doesn't wait to start working and it's yogurt consistency was trying to get on my spotless surfaces which I just wiped down with thinner.....to get the grease off. A quick layer of "Right Stuff" gasket maker .....which may or may not be done correctly....and both brake assemblies are done.

Everything bolted back together quickly and with any luck she'll be dry on the outside for a few hundred years.

Endura provided me with a couple of $30.00 spray cans which is going to help with 'coating' areas that were missed.......ca ching. Endura Paint - 1K and 2K Aerosols

Endura Paint - Industrial Coatings

When's it gonna be done?

Looks like icing from a cake , Is it going to be ready for the gun show ??

Dave, that thing is looking so ... almost ready.
Thanks for the help that you've given me ....

We Are so going to have to do beers when you are next in town,
and I just might let you do a familiarization tour on our M135!

Icing on the Cake

SuperDave.....Sweet icing, thanks again for all the tips, cylinders and the solutions to all the challenges that I've yet to find.

You know how new I am to the MV thing so one more day of listening will do me GOOD.

The Cornhead grease has an extreme temp range and a great consistency to get in all the holes but I can't help thinkin'.......

Will the grease be thrown to the outside and away from the knuckle while touring?????

Is the solution simply to pack the grease in until she don't fit no mo'??? and lube often?

I can also see how "a wet knuckle" (leaky seals) would actually help in reducing friction on the knuckle seals and keep them from wearing out.

Were all of these knuckle design diffs 'oil bath' with the intent of leaking a little to keep the knuckle ball lubricated?

If so....How should a guy ensure his knuckle ball is not drying out and sticking to the seals whilst using the 'grease method'??? Do you need to grease the exposed part of the knuckle on your truck??? (which needs to be posted with pictures)

So much to learn...

Ok, about the gun show. When I bleed the brakes tomorrow and they work the M135 will be going to the show.

If not......the only thing left is the airpack and that will require money which means more work less play. It's an honourable opportunity so I'll let you know tomorrow.


HAPPY NEW YEAR Stan.

My pleasure but I must see pics while you're building. My teammates found the perfect size lumber and mine are nearly finished......but isn't everything.

I'm in for a toast.....which means alcohol......once she's rolling....wish me luck.

The steering knuckle will throw the grease outwards, but will pick it up whenever sharp turns are made at the wheel. Just stuff as much as you can in there and you will be more than fine. The TM calls for pumping grease into the zerk fitting at the bottom of the knuckle every 1000 miles which is fairly often, so it will well lubricated. IMO the CV joints do not need a full on bath in grease to be properly lubricated, enough of a film will do the job and as I said earlier, the grease is occasionally redistributed throughout the ball bearings whenever sharp turns are made.

The reason for the inner axle seal leaking so often is due to the trucks sitting for an extended period of time which may create a little flat spot on the seals lips. These were not intended to be wet bearings, but minor oil leakage past the seal is normal especially if your doing off roading. The gear oil from the diff may splash up into the axle shaft housing where some may leak past the seal. Also, if overfilled the seal will not hold up too the extra oil. I overfilled mine by accident and in 2 weeks gear oil had made it's way past the inner axle shaft seal, into the knuckle and into the wheel bearings.

I like your method of using two thin axle seals. You should be leak free for a long time.

Test Drive

I'd Love to hear from some of the experienced M135 Pilots that have 'peddled' these trucks before.

There's lots of good info in Tm9 8024 Par40 page 55 onward, however there's nothing like gaining the knowledge of those with seat time. It's very clear that the trani is "throttle conscious" but it would be nice to hear from someone who's been
passionate enough with this trani to know what it's thinking.

Downshifting:

We will be playing with the trani as per TM however.......when the truck is slowing down what is it supposed to feel like? Veteran tricks for a smooth ride welcome.

After 10 months in a shop this was the first time since Nov. 10th she's been
outdoors. This was "THE" big day with a test drive, a move to her new shop and
lots of firsts as shown with the pics below.

First Fill up.....at a service station
First Visit to the welding shop
First car wash 'out' of the shop
Under the flags at Moen Lumber
First MV Visit at the local airport
The first visit to a museum in the dark
First Liquor Store

After a thumbs up from a "Certified Heavy Duty Mechanic" it was time to take the
truck out for a test drive. Nothing is more important than representing the MV community in a safe manner. Loaded tools, the creeper a fire extinguisher and
some wheel chocks and started rolling. First the parking lot, then the service road,
then the backroads and back to the shop for a look over and fluid top up. Had a
friend do a trip in a chase car to watch for issues then carried on my way for a
visit to some of those who helped build it.

The trani slaps a little downshifting from 3rd to 2nd but the driver hasn't slept for
two days with the CRAZY EUPHORIA OF DRIVIN" AN MV.....so it may be the
operator.

I've gained a ton of respect for anyone that's got to this point of exposing an MV
to the public. It's a lot of work but seeing the smiles and confused responses is
really worth every minute.

Onward

That's looking real sweet.

Now that you've stopped at the Jar Store, head over to SuperDave.
He can probably fill you in as to the operation as well as any of us.

If you really need it, a few of the guys in the club put many miles on these particular trucks.

Next time I'm over at Montys',
putting the finishing touches on his M37,
I guess that I could put down my Beer,
and put him on the phone!

BTW, nice pic of the Cougar. I loved those old Pig Boats. Brings back memories.

And, Karen says "Nice Truck!"

HAHAHAHA! That last pic had me on the floor you crazy Canuck! A big friggin congrats on a job very, very well done. Totally green with envy way down here. I go to sleep every night thinking about all my "firsts" and you just made it even worse. I'll bet it's pretty surreal for you.

Tom at Alfa Heaven has rebuilt dozens of these tranny's himself. You may wish to call him and ask for a few pointers. Great guy, Tom.

You going to slam 6000+ miles on her odometer by hitting Yuma in it?

Years ago, Tom at Alfa Heaven suggested that I use 10/30 hydraulic oil in the trans instead of straight weight non-detergent oil. I changed to the hydraulic oil, and it really helped smooth out the shifts. They were always fairly smooth in high range, a little jerky downshifting, and low range shifting was always very abrupt. Don't try to back up in high range - only back up in low range, or you can do a number on the trans. One other GOTTCHA is be careful if you rebuild the carb or buy a rebuilt carb - be sure the accelerator pump is in the center hole. If you overstroke the pump, the truck will nearly flood out when starting. Otherwise, think about balancing the front tires for a much smoother ride.