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M35A2 Radiator-Murphy's Lawyers.....

saddamsnightmare

Well-known member
3,618
80
48
Location
Abilene, Texas
June 29th, 2010.


Gents:


You've heard the saying: "If it ain't busted, don't fix it?":cookoo: The Murphy's Lawyer contingent showed up here Saturday after Mr. Weemes checked over and changed fluids on my 1971 Kaiser Jeep M35A2.... Seems I had to have the cooling system flushed out after many, many years in Uncle's and two other private owners hands... Well the clean out revealed, that like Bill Cosby's Captain America car, the only thing holding the radiator togather was the crud.
Every other tube, top or bottom, was cracked loose from the headers and bottom tank due to old age and vibration.
It seems that these trucks have "Bucket" header radiators, and none of the local large truck radiator shops could see enough life in the radiator to try to save it. Fortunately, Mr. George Kivett of White Owl Parts had a new radiator for chump change more then a take out anywhere else, so I am opting for the new radiator, because this truck is due for a 750 mile or 1500 mile round trip loaded with M105A2 trailer loaded in tow during my move to Illinois. Way I figure it, the engines worth more then the radiator, but a blown radiator can take the engine down fairly fast if I'm not careful. In any case, anyone wanna guess at what the brass in the old radiator will bring locally as scrap? At the same time, the Unimog got a dose of water in her gasoline and was bad tempered about getting it out of the system... The gas was gotten at a reputable national chain with tanks and pumps less then 6 months old.... Bad gas, in East Texas, come from more then the bean less chili, most gas stations seem to stock it also in their tanks....

Also the M35A2 had one gallon of water in the front axle oil, and one gallon over on oil in the No.2 axle and one gallon low on the oil in No.3 axles. Likely the last owner went deep fording, and either did not do the PM or WalMart sold him some goods, but it is a credit to the Rockwells that they are still functioning after that treatment. And most truck grages around here will get nowhere near the deuce because they don't know how to handle one, so they are afraid of the whole truck. Weemes, in Clarksville, Texas, does good work at a fair price, and seems to like working on these trucks, as he worked on them in "Nam as a mechanic for Uncle Sam....[thumbzup]

Remember, the first object of an Army Mule's life is to find out what his teamster wants him to do, then not do it. Deuces are descended from Army Mules, no doubt about it.
 

swbradley1

Modertator
Staff member
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Steel Soldiers Supporter
14,192
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Location
Dayton, OH
Kyle, Did you pick a location to move to around Springfield, IL?

sw
 

runk

Active member
542
65
28
Location
Houston, TX
I've got a radiator in at a local shop right now as well, only one pinhole, but the guy said the same thing. Bucket tank construction at the top will cost $700-$800 to recore, so if the the core is starting to rot, I'll be better off buying a new one !
 

saddamsnightmare

Well-known member
3,618
80
48
Location
Abilene, Texas
June 29th, 2010.

SWBRADLEY:

Right now I am waiting for my background check to go through, and if it comes in by Friday (July 2), I have to get her (the truck) and I to Springfield from here. If it doesn't make it, I won't start until the 18th of July. I did get to look at some properties around Springfield, but nothing rang my bell (so to speak), so I may pick up some land in the country and build something to suit. My preference is in the country so as tolimit interference with my restoration projects.
Runk: The new ones are less then recoring, and used serviceable are only a hundred or two below new, so for my money, I'd rather put a new radiator in. I figure mine is probably the original, as I had a 1951 Ford F6 that had the same problem in a simpler radiator, and it was shot after about 37 years use.... (I wonder how long the plastic tanked modern radiators are goning to last). I should be in south or central Illinois in between four or five days and two weeks as things look now....;-)
 
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