Introducing Smokey

Spot_ll · Oct 5, 2021

Most, if not all, of the gauge cluster lights didn’t worked with the original 194 bulbs. So I cleaned the contact areas of the printed circuit in the gauge cluster for the lights with 0000 steel wool, and updated the lights to LED. I also polished the lens with buffing compound. Much better.

Mullaney · Oct 5, 2021

Spot_ll said:
Most, if not all, of the gauge cluster lights didn’t worked with the original 194 bulbs. So I cleaned the contact areas of the printed circuit in the gauge cluster for the lights with 0000 steel wool, and updated the lights to LED. I also polished the lens with buffing compound. Much better.View attachment 847213

.
Looking mighty fine!

Spot_ll · Oct 12, 2021

View attachment 847680

Well as sad as I am to let it go back, my time with “Smokey” has came to an end. I finished up the final touches to the paint work today. Got my wife to cut some vinyl stencils for me, and got the unit number, star, and tire pressure markings on. @patracy wanted his fathers old unit number put on the rear (he opted out of putting it on the front, and I agree that he made the correct decision. The clip looks great from the front without the markings), So that’s what I did. I based the location of the star and the unit number being on a tan background from another CUCV bumper I had as an example. The tire pressure got traditional white, and I think it looks awesome. Thank you Andrew for the privilege to bring this thing back to the way she needed to be (and giving you a few comforts as well on the inside)!

patracy · Jan 22, 2022

Today my youngest son found this on the inside roof of the cab. Anyone happen to know him?

This also explains the sand @Spot_ll .

patracy · Jan 22, 2022

Man, looking back at the dates. That was 3 days prior to the "Highway of death" in Kuwait.

patracy · May 10, 2022

So.... I have a problem.

I like cranes.

I put them in everything apparently. (How do I fit one on a ferret and a hmmwv?)

I've had this one for a while sitting around. And given how time to time I lift heavy crap working on transmitter sites, the cucv is a good place to put it. I had thought about mounting it on the trailer I just rebuilt. But that would add to tongue weight. And eat up deck space. Plus trailers aren't that great off road. I built a frame out of one left over section of 5" c channel. I milled the corners to allow the bolts to sit flat when you tighten them down. Also it just worked out perfect that where I needed to drill the holes to keep the channel in the bed slots means I can tighten the bolts underneath without any help or a wrench up top. All of this is reversible as well.

Crane has up to 11ft of reach and 850lbs of lift capacity out there. The retracted capacity is 2450lbs.

Got a few other ideas and upgrades in store for the cucv.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Mullaney · May 10, 2022

patracy said:
So.... I have a problem.

I like cranes.

I put them in everything apparently. (How do I fit one on a ferret and a hmmwv?)

I've had this one for a while sitting around. And given how time to time I lift heavy crap working on transmitter sites, the cucv is a good place to put it. I had thought about mounting it on the trailer I just rebuilt. But that would add to tongue weight. And eat up deck space. Plus trailers aren't that great off road. I built a frame out of one left over section of 5" c channel. I milled the corners to allow the bolts to sit flat when you tighten them down. Also it just worked out perfect that where I needed to drill the holes to keep the channel in the bed slots means I can tighten the bolts underneath without any help or a wrench up top. All of this is reversible as well.

Crane has up to 11ft of reach and 850lbs of lift capacity out there. The retracted capacity is 2450lbs.

Got a few other ideas and upgrades in store for the cucv.

View attachment 867274 View attachment 867275 View attachment 867276 View attachment 867277

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

.
That is neat! A nice way to lift something into the bed without breaking your back - and enough weight capacity to deal with most things you would want to carry in the truck. Definitely a sharp idea!

ezgn · May 10, 2022

patracy said:
So.... I have a problem.

I like cranes.

I put them in everything apparently. (How do I fit one on a ferret and a hmmwv?)

I've had this one for a while sitting around. And given how time to time I lift heavy crap working on transmitter sites, the cucv is a good place to put it. I had thought about mounting it on the trailer I just rebuilt. But that would add to tongue weight. And eat up deck space. Plus trailers aren't that great off road. I built a frame out of one left over section of 5" c channel. I milled the corners to allow the bolts to sit flat when you tighten them down. Also it just worked out perfect that where I needed to drill the holes to keep the channel in the bed slots means I can tighten the bolts underneath without any help or a wrench up top. All of this is reversible as well.

Crane has up to 11ft of reach and 850lbs of lift capacity out there. The retracted capacity is 2450lbs.

Got a few other ideas and upgrades in store for the cucv.

View attachment 867274 View attachment 867275 View attachment 867276 View attachment 867277

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

It looks like a Howitzer to me.

ToddJK · May 11, 2022

Now that is what a lot of us need when we need to change a tire and swap the bad one out with the spare, especially on the bigger trucks with 200lb+ tires.

patracy · May 11, 2022

ezgn said:
It looks like a Howitzer to me.

Waiting on the form 1.

patracy · May 18, 2022

Replaced the u bolts for the rear axle. (They were too short when I installed them years ago honestly.) And installed airbags for the rear. Just need to replace the tires now. And I'm going to change to a 2.5" spacer on the front from the 3s that are on it.

Eventually I'll pull the 4l80e out of the donor truck and swap it in. And I need to bedliner the bed. But smokey is almost ready to put in some work.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

ssdvc · May 18, 2022

That's a lot of trailer !!

ezgn · May 18, 2022

patracy said:
Replaced the u bolts for the rear axle. (They were too short when I installed them years ago honestly.) And installed airbags for the rear. Just need to replace the tires now. And I'm going to change to a 2.5" spacer on the front from the 3s that are on it.

Eventually I'll pull the 4l80e out of the donor truck and swap it in. And I need to bedliner the bed. But smokey is almost ready to put in some work.View attachment 868075 View attachment 868076 View attachment 868077

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

That thing is a beast. You have done a lot of nice work on it. How do you climb up in it?

patracy · May 19, 2022

ezgn said:
That thing is a beast. You have done a lot of nice work on it. How to you climb up in it?

Slower than I used to....

I just open the door, get my left leg up on the rocker and my left hand on the door. Right hand on the seat. Then push up into the cab. I was directed when I was 16 to never pull up using the steering wheel in lifted trucks. So that's stuck with me ever since.

ezgn · May 19, 2022

patracy said:
Slower than I used to....

I just open the door, get my left leg up on the rocker and my left hand on the door. Right hand on the seat. Then push up into the cab. I was directed when I was 16 to never pull up using the steering wheel in lifted trucks. So that's stuck with me ever since.

Sounds like some nice fat running boards might be in your future some day, along with a side handle. Nice work on your truck.

patracy · May 21, 2022

ezgn said:
Sounds like some nice fat running boards might be in your future some day, along with a side handle. Nice work on your truck.

Already have those on my new truck lol. I'll just have to suffer through to ride in style here I guess.

I did test out the trailer with the HMMWV today. Plenty of room to spare.

ezgn · May 21, 2022

patracy said:
Already have those on my new truck lol. I'll just have to suffer through to ride in style here I guess.

I did test out the trailer with the HMMWV today. Plenty of room to spare.
View attachment 868277

View attachment 868278

Man you got that HMMWV looking awesome. I can't tell from the picture, but from the looks of the grips, you have a 50 mounted on top. Those are bad ass guns.

kubotaman · May 26, 2022

patracy said:
So.... I have a problem.

I like cranes.

What model is the crane?

patracy · May 28, 2022

kubotaman said:
What model is the crane?

Maxlift 012.

Also finally installed some new tires on it.

And I might have been also putting off installing the spacers on the rear....

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

patracy · Jun 22, 2022

We ended up using the crane for the first time this week. My son helped steady the load to keep it from swinging. But the lift didn't really even complain much about it. This frame is for a pick and place rack setup with linear bearings and servo motors. The frame is all steel and heavy. I do plan to build some sort of outrigger setup for the truck as you can see it certainly flexes with a heavy outboard load.

Introducing Smokey

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Administrator

Administrator

Well-known member

Well-known member

Administrator

Well-known member

Administrator

Well-known member

Well-known member

Administrator

Administrator