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Bought my first Deuce, brakes seem weak

frank8003

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Air-Pak rebuild Military Vehicles magazine #901

issue #91 of Military Vehicles Magazine June 2002

get one of them
a full description of air-pak rebuild by Mr. Bjorn Brandstedt dated June 2002
Is that the very same Bjorn that is CRANETRUCK on SS?

it has pictures of all three "Air-Pak" types known to be in the truck
maybe your is the Midlandstel products unit?

Also the PS magazine from March 1983 which I wish I had clearly indicates how brakes will lock up and stay locked up until.....................
 

welldigger

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issue #91 of Military Vehicles Magazine June 2002

get one of them
a full description of air-pak rebuild by Mr. Bjorn Brandstedt dated June 2002
Is that the very same Bjorn that is CRANETRUCK on SS?

it has pictures of all three "Air-Pak" types known to be in the truck
maybe your is the Midlandstel products unit?

Also the PS magazine from March 1983 which I wish I had clearly indicates how brakes will lock up and stay locked up until.....................
Where could I find one of these?
 

welldigger

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Thanks frank8003. You really have given me a bunch of useful information. Unfortunately I cannot find a thread here on SS or anywhere on Google about the short air pack other than what it looks like. I have seen a few references where some folks said they had rebuilt them but other than that nothing. O well, I'm still going to give it a shot. If it doesn't work out I'll bite the bullet and buy a new one. If I do pull off rebuilding it then I will do my best to post a step-by-step with pictures here on SS so someone in my position can have something to use for reference.
 

frank8003

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airpak airpack air over hydraulic

the information you seek is all over the place within SS

try this link

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/82753-my-airpack-rebuild-photos-5.html

go forward and backward in there
I remember it was titled

MY Airpack Rebuild with Photos!

probably numerical post 82753

here is quote part of it
"stuff is hard for me to find within SS, its all in there I know it is.
But I am just a round steam gauge guy
First off what you need. Get the TM 9-2320-209-34-2-1 Instead of telling you the section which could get confusing it’s pages 569-608 of the pdf of this TM. Also take a look at the Correction that I listed in the attached pics. This mentions the difference in the seal size for the piston cup seal vs. pushrod seal. I didn’t have any confusion here as I took pics of it as I took it apart and put it back together the same way. The seals didn’t seem that similar to me. I bought my rebuild kit from Eriks for $108, Sure beats $500 for a complete airpack and for that price it was worth a try if I messed it up.

Tools you need. I used a plumbing torch to heat up some bolts that didn’t easily free up. That worked out pretty well. I purchased two cylinder hones, from NAPA, one for the air cylinder Part # BK 7769220 $22.50 and one for the pushrod tube BK 7769223 $12.60. Now looking at the site you can get a three pack on Cylinder Hones BK 7769227 for $26.10.. Argghh! You may also be able to get away with some fine grit sand paper and steel wool but for $26.10 that’s not a big investment.. I also used a small wire wheel on my drill to clean up some pieces as well. Also used some Honing Oil on the two hones when honing the cylinders. I am sure 3 in 1 oil would work fine too. Also some basic tools to have around, crescent wrench, socket set, needle nose pliers. Oh yeah and get a small pipe bender from an auto part store if you plan on replacing some break or air lines it’s a lifesaver! I also used my Sandblast booth to clean up the parts on the outside.

I don’t think there is a wrong way to take apart the Airpack but going by the TM would help. I started with the large Air Cylinder and worked my way across. The Air Cylinder piston will push out when you have all the nuts off the back as it is under slight pressure with the big spring in the cylinder. That was the only PITA thing that I was dealing with when putting back together. All else was pretty easy if you have Patience.. I took my time with it and did it in about two weeks. I was in no rush, I am sure you can do it in a weekend but it may not look as pretty as mine.. ha ha.. I painted it with a Rustoleum Rust Reformer primer from and then painted flat black to match my truck.. The aluminum end I left unpainted, thought it would look cool."

and the pictures for the General are in the original post
 

welldigger

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Thanks again Frank. I have seen that thread, along with a few others. I'm going to base my rebuild on the long version and hopefully the process is pretty similar between the long and short versions. Now if my parts would arrive then I could begin my MC/Air Pak rebuild. The wait is killing me.
 

welldigger

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Is there a place where this is supposed to be so all can find it
It has pictures for the General
Ya I read that article. Very informative. I think your confusing what I mean though. My air pack is the newer short style that they appear to be using in the A3's. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information out there about this variant. So I am going to use the rebuild procedure for the old long version. Hopefully they are pretty similar internally. I realize they do not interchange parts but I was sure to order the correct rebuilt kit for my booster. I guess I will find out when my parts come in and I start tearing into things.
 

welldigger

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Over the weekend I rebuilt the master cylinder and pulled the air pack apart. The air pack is completely shot. A large puddle of rusty water came out of the air end. I attempted to hone the air end and the pitting was so bad theres simply nothing left to rebuild. So as much as I didn't want to I have ordered a new air pack.



 

jeffhuey1n

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Over the weekend I rebuilt the master cylinder and pulled the air pack apart. The air pack is completely shot. A large puddle of rusty water came out of the air end. I attempted to hone the air end and the pitting was so bad theres simply nothing left to rebuild. So as much as I didn't want to I have ordered a new air pack.



Can't speak for anyone else but any time I get to buy new parts, it's a good thing. Rebuild is OK but new parts:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:. Of course buying parts requires cetain consessions for the boss. The things you some times have to do to get a new part...well this is a family friendly forum and I'll leave it at that :gimp:.
 

welldigger

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Can't speak for anyone else but any time I get to buy new parts, it's a good thing. Rebuild is OK but new parts:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:. Of course buying parts requires cetain consessions for the boss. The things you some times have to do to get a new part...well this is a family friendly forum and I'll leave it at that :gimp:.
I agree with you here...except I went from having to spend $165 on a rebuild kit to now spending over $500 on a new air pack. I must say in this case rebuilding was the more sensible option. But as i said there was simply nothing left to rebuild. Though if anyone needs help rebuilding the short air pack they are welcome to pm me.
 

jeffhuey1n

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I agree with you here...except I went from having to spend $165 on a rebuild kit to now spending over $500 on a new air pack. I must say in this case rebuilding was the more sensible option. But as i said there was simply nothing left to rebuild. Though if anyone needs help rebuilding the short air pack they are welcome to pm me.
I'm not sure which air packs I've got but if there's a short one out there, I'll definitely keep you in mind. And in your case, I'd have gone for the rebuild first...if it could have been rebuildable. Sorry to hear you had to go through all that work only to find you had to replace it. Guess that makes you the resident expert on the short air pack:cool:.
 

welldigger

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I appreciate the compliment but I would by no means consider myself an expert. But what I do find interesting is the lack of information about this version of the air pack. I know I'm not the first to attempt to rebuild one but there is almost no information out there on it period. Now I don't have both versions side by side to compare the two but from my research it appears the short one is different enough that the TM for the long one will be of little help. The hydraulic end of the short one seems to be quite a bit different than the long one. I have more pictures of the guts I will post as soon as i get the chance.
 

welldigger

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Well everyone, I finally received my new air pack and got it installed in my truck. Brakes finally function. Happy days. Also for anyone who hasn't built a power bleeder yet.....stop putting it off and build it already. Made bleeding the brakes easy as can be. And finally the obligatory picture of my truck.
 

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frank8003

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air pak lube MIL-H-6083

So we are supposed to be lubing the air paks with a few ounces of this. What can we use that is a match or even close to it?
air pak lube MIL-H-6083 is attached
 
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