Spent 3 cold days with the Deuce this week

[number9]

Was a very busy week, picked up a M116A3 in Richmond on Tues, then picked up 5 M105's in Frankfort on Wed. I am VERY happy with the M116A3 - gonna make a nice dirt bike trailer when I get finished modding it. That will take a while though.

Anyways, got to spend Thur, Fri, Sat working on the Deuce. Not good weather for working, mid 40's & rain on Thur, mid 30's on Fri and 19 on Sat. Got some work done though.

Replaced a gasket on the air pack to solve my air leak. Just made one with gasket material, seems to be working great so far. Had to take the step, jerry can bracket and tool box off to get to it as I didn't want to disconnect the fluid brake lines and have to deal with all that mess. Had to cut about 10 bolts out with a chisel, that sucked.

Used some 2x4's to fab up spacers for the Group 31 batteries in the battery box. Thinking more about it, I'll go back and add something across the top to hold the batts from bouncing next chance I get.

Also installed the Solargizer. I put it on the hood as I didn't want to drill holes in the cowl. I used 5/16" vacuum line plug caps and cut them about 1/4" tall (cuttin the cap end off) to make stand-off's between the solar panel and hood. Thought this would server as some anti-vibe mount and also prevent water from standing between the solar panel and hood and get some rust going. Hopefully the rubber sleeves will also act to seal water from dripping through the drilled holes in the hood too.

Got to actually drive the truck for the first time on the road. Seems to run pretty good, heater worked okay to keep it reasonably warm but the truck sure does stink when I drive it - a strange burning smell - maybe from not being driven for a long time, or the fuel I was burning.

 

[ctmustang]

nice job on the batt. box. That smell is probably from the draft tube. Fumes blowing through the firewall and around the shifter. Nice looking truck.
C.T.

 

[Yaivenov]

Sorry for a bit of a necro...

The solargizer is on my (increasingly growing) Deuce-To-Do list. I like the stand off idea there. What I'm wonder is how fragile is it? Would significant hail is a problem and require a hard cover?

 

[number9]

I don't know. Seems to have a thick coating over it, but with the stand offs and LARGE hail...... I just don't know. I'd say if we ever get hail large enough to break the solargizer on the Deuce, I've got bigger problems to worry about - ie. my vehicles. We don't typically get large hail down here.

.....

 

[Yaivenov]

Okay thanks. It just kinda became a concern of mine after my last deployment. We got golf ball sized hail with very high winds a couple times up there in the mountains. Their destructive potential became apparent when I saw one hail stone put a crack in the outermost layer of a ballistic windshield.

 

[bassetdeuce]

Make sure your exhaust elbow between the turbo and flex pipe doesn't have pinholes in it. That will make for a smelly deuce on startup.

 

[gunboy1656]

There was a pic of someone who had his solargizer, on suction cup hooks on the pass window.

I have yet to decide where to mount mine. I was thinking on the hood like yours, but snow in the winter would make that a challenge.

 

[number9]

We've had a lot of cold & snow here this winter and I am 100 miles away from my Deuce ( for now) so it was several weeks between visits and my batteries still start the truck fine. Batteries are Interstate group 31 return batteries that were tested andfound OK by local Interstate dealer..... and they werecheap too.

 

[hndrsonj]

Okay thanks. It just kinda became a concern of mine after my last deployment. We got golf ball sized hail with very high winds a couple times up there in the mountains. Their destructive potential became apparent when I saw one hail stone put a crack in the outermost layer of a ballistic windshield.

If you have golf ball sized hail, a 40-50 dollar solargizer will be the least of your problems.

 

[Yaivenov]

If you have golf ball sized hail, a 40-50 dollar solargizer will be the least of your problems.

Huh. For some reason I thought they were pricier than that. Good to know.

 

[hndrsonj]

Look on ebay or Sportsmans guide they are all over.

 

[800summit]

For thoses of you wondering where to put the Solargizer, I just stick it in between the defroster and front windshield glass, it has enough space to just lay it in there. When I drive I put it behind the pass seat. Leave it hooked up 24-7 works great through the glass.