bobbed M880/CUMMINS hybrid

[m880 unimog]

well i just got done after a 05:30 start,im indoors again now at 20:10-but the motor and trans ARE IN

it was quite a mission for me and my mate the hubster-[ ex desert rat and op teliq and bosnia veteran] just to get the chassis out of my back yard.
we got it into the street hooked up the -a-frame,put on my newly wired NATO lightboard , loaded the 5.9litre CUMMINS and the unifrog transmission into my long suffering landrover defender TUM 110 and we were AWAY.

 

[m880 unimog]

as above you can see we had a hard time getting the A bar unseized,it sat for 30 years on the side of an armoured engineer,s vehicle AVRE-and the dissimilar metals of the tow hitch,s and the steel pins seized up pretty good,my 20 tonne press would not touch it.
i got it workable and it has a date with a heavier press.
most of the time at marks welding shop was spent slinging the engine trans combo so it sat just right for lowering into the engine bay.
the plasma cutter made light work of trimming the transmission tunnel/rusted out old floor.the new bellhousing was better headgear than all those rioters in some [whatever] middle eastern country were wearing last month.
you can just see the home made clutch alighn tool and the centre,s i made on the lathe-makes lining the two lumps up a cinch.

 

[m880 unimog]

mark [brooklands welding] and the plasma cutter blitzed any and everything that was in the way.
then i plasma cut the plates to brace the sides of the engine mounts.

long day-happy.

 

[cjtroutt]

nice work more photos mate I cant wait to see it done.

 

[m880 unimog]

had to get the truck moved-got the daylight pics of engine in .

 

[cjtroutt]

Looking good more photos

 

[m880 unimog]

got to look at a few of the problem areas today,got the radiator and the intercooler/aftercooler sat on the rails.

had a look at the panhard arm and steering linkage,both of which will need modifying.

the exhaust run will be tough because the turbo side of the engine is busy,air intake and filterbox may have to be moved.

feels good to be finally putting stuff back on this ol' gal.

ALSO- i found a truck that runs 12.50 x 20 and has the same lug pcd,s as my axles,just gotta track down a set-and pay for um.

 

[m880 unimog]

got this handballed on board,shim,measure,shim measure,cut weld,cut weld-

M880...YOU'RE WORTH IT.

 

[m880 unimog]

here is what it takes to git R done-

great real beer,juicey local bacon and soda bread sarnies and the best whiskey made.reward.

 

[m880 unimog]

few more-you can see i have little space in my tiny workshop,im really set up just for motorcycles and compact stuff,so whenever i get to build something for my MILVEH,s or semi sized stuff it get CHAOTIC-
baby bandsaw worked hard cutting up all the materials.
tacked the frame and finnish welded.
added the mid brace and cross braces.
will be making the 4 pivots/hinges tomorrow.
will then finnish weld the lot and remove the bed and trial fit the frame,this will let me see where the frame to chassis braces need to sit.
when it,s done the bed will bolt to this frame and the frame will pivot on the rear pintles of the chassis on EN36B steel pins of 1"-00 dia.
the rated load of 1-3/4 tonne wont be needed,but i still build it strong,in case i come accross a 6V-71 / 6V-92 detroit for next project.

 

[DMaddox]

here is what it takes to git R done-

great real beer,juicey local bacon and soda bread sarnies and the best whiskey made.reward.

EXCELLENT!! Cheers from across the pond

 

[m880 unimog]

got the hinge pieces welded today,not much to look at,but this is my build diary-so im putting it all in there-warts an all!

thanks SS

 

[Jakob]

This is an awesome build, that thing will be an offroad hoss.

 

[m880 unimog]

hey,thanks jakob,thats what im aiming for-i will also use to drag dead wrecks around my yard.it,s a lot of work,but i am committed to MOPAR.
IM OFF TO IRELAND
- so i will put some pictures up when im back in england.

 

[acmunro]

Hello M880 unimog, Great looking project. What years were the SUMB vehicles produced with the Flat Head engines ? I used to work on some late 40's Mercs for a guy. Just sparked my interest. Safe Travels.

 

[maddawg308]

Looks awesome, gives me a lot of ideas for my own M880 project I'm planning in the future....

 

[m880 unimog]

thanks everyone,it,s sometimes hard to hotrod certain vehicles,but this has been planned for a while,plus without all this work the m880 i started out with would be just a spares truck-i like to think this way it will live again,and longer.

i think that chrysler made the v8 flatties-in brazil? to the mercury spec right up the late 70,s-the french made them up to around then too-i can find more out from my book when it resurfaces!!

got a bit more done today,before i go to eire-

turned the flats to go on the hinge pins-

welded these to the EN35B pins-

ground out the internal pivots on the hinge pieces-

finnished milling out the slots for the engine mounting blocks-

cut the pto propshaft and set up in the lathe to shorten,being as this prop will be very low revving,i will only need to do a rudimentary balancing job.it was nice to see the familier and trusted name of SPICER on the propshaft.

 

[m880 unimog]

Looks awesome, gives me a lot of ideas for my own M880 project I'm planning in the future....

always keen to bench race any ideas for dodge trucks !

i found this company AFTER i made my own bellhousing and adaptor-

these guys may be the answer.....im thinking cummins 4 or 6 bta and the stock TF727-how nice would that be?take a look,see what you think.

Phoenix Casting & Machining, Inc. - Home

 

[m880 unimog]

got back from riding indians around ireland....in the sun!!!

set some heavywall 50mm box section under the motor-sets the motor just right,even allows clearance on the steering and panhard rods

will have to get some more 50mm box and weld up a cross member type bracket.

raised the bed up on timbers/beer barrel,wheels/anything-

set the height and got marked up and took some measurments for the rear bed mounting-

i hope to get the whole lot welded up tomorrow,but the sun has been blazing and the beer and bikes beckon........

 

[m880 unimog]

few shots of the next jobs im squaring up-

some detail of the transmission crossmember-it,s made for off road service so it,s tough and incorporates a shock absorber fixed to the underside of the trans,i will reuse this-

you can see where we plasma cut the crossmember to allow the trans to sit level-

i will fabricate a heavy .25 inch thick top section to weld back into the cut section-i am also considering another crossmember right behind this one,as this will be a heavily stressed area-

i will fit a heavy plate that bolts between the crossmember and the trans isolator-and the other [possible] new cross member-

you can see the clearance has improved at the front sump/axle/steering/panhard area