Toolmakers Deuce
New member
- 27
- 0
- 1
- Location
- Bath, MI
Tom, could make some new ones on the lathe. What type of engineer are you Tom? Mechanical? Your doing a fantastic job Tom 
-
Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!
Totaled Deuce Gets Rebuilt
- Thread starter Wildchild467
- Start date
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
thanks pat! my job title is manufacturing engineer. i never was good at the mechanical engineering part in school because i am not great at math.... like taking calc... that is just evil stuff. i have my industrial engineering degree. all the skills i am using here are not from school, it just experience i learned doing the stuff, building hot rods and being in the garage since i was in diapers.
i measured the shake diameter of the bolt (the part where there are no threads) and it is about .308". this will work good on the part of the hinge where the pin is fixed (because of no wear). the part that pivots will also work good in my case, but still be a little lose in some spots. i say a little loose.... but then again, it is a hood hinge.... so i have to tell myself not to get too crazy. It is good to have nice tight hinges. The rivet that is used on the factor hinges is a softer metal and that is the part that gets a lot of the wear. I talked to a guy down the road from me who is a great resource to have. He said he could help me get the hood hinges super accurate, but he also said, it IS a hood hinge. Plus having a little play in the hinge allows for weird alignment of the hinges when mounted on the truck and allows for oil to get in there. So im sure these bolts will be good in there and last longer than the factory hinges.
The Plan:
Ream/drill out both parts of the hinge to .307” (or the next size bigger I can get closest to .307”) and install a grade 2 bolt with a smooth shank length that will run the whole length of the hinge. This way there are no threads being used to support the load of the hinge. After I get it together with a self locking nut, I will cut the end of the bolt off and round the edges so it looks factory. The whole on the pivot part of the hinge may not be consistent .307” but that’s ok, it will be 100% better and still provide some flexibility when the hinge is on the truck.
If anybody does this fix on their truck, make sure they see what side the hinges came off their truck. There is not a right and left side, but it does matter what way you put it on the truck. The round part of the rivet points to the outside of the truck when it is mounted on the cab.
i measured the shake diameter of the bolt (the part where there are no threads) and it is about .308". this will work good on the part of the hinge where the pin is fixed (because of no wear). the part that pivots will also work good in my case, but still be a little lose in some spots. i say a little loose.... but then again, it is a hood hinge.... so i have to tell myself not to get too crazy. It is good to have nice tight hinges. The rivet that is used on the factor hinges is a softer metal and that is the part that gets a lot of the wear. I talked to a guy down the road from me who is a great resource to have. He said he could help me get the hood hinges super accurate, but he also said, it IS a hood hinge. Plus having a little play in the hinge allows for weird alignment of the hinges when mounted on the truck and allows for oil to get in there. So im sure these bolts will be good in there and last longer than the factory hinges.
The Plan:
Ream/drill out both parts of the hinge to .307” (or the next size bigger I can get closest to .307”) and install a grade 2 bolt with a smooth shank length that will run the whole length of the hinge. This way there are no threads being used to support the load of the hinge. After I get it together with a self locking nut, I will cut the end of the bolt off and round the edges so it looks factory. The whole on the pivot part of the hinge may not be consistent .307” but that’s ok, it will be 100% better and still provide some flexibility when the hinge is on the truck.
If anybody does this fix on their truck, make sure they see what side the hinges came off their truck. There is not a right and left side, but it does matter what way you put it on the truck. The round part of the rivet points to the outside of the truck when it is mounted on the cab.
Attachments
Toolmakers Deuce
New member
- 27
- 0
- 1
- Location
- Bath, MI
Tom, looks like that bolt will work good. Are you going to dome the head? I noticed the origonal rivet has a knurl on it so it won;t spin.
Toolmakers Deuce
New member
- 27
- 0
- 1
- Location
- Bath, MI
If the fit was to tight, it would bind
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
I did not plan on doming the head. When I drilled it out, the 5/16” bolt fit in real tight and I think after I put a self locking nut on it and snug it down, that will definitely keep it tight. I could also prick punch around the outsides to give it a “knurl” when I put it in. that would help too. I agree on the possible binding issue. The holes on the hood and cowl are oversized to allow some adjustment, so we’ll see what happens when I install the hinges. Meanwhile, im trying to get things lined up for me to put the hood on. Which leads me to what I was doing last night….
Last night I made new rubber hood pads that go on the front of the hood between the hood and brush guard. It seems like every hood I have seen always have these pads cracked and dry rotted. I see I could get replacements somewhere online, but I opted to make my own out of ¼” mud flap material. I used flat head screws to allow them to countersink themselves in the rubber once I torque them down. The dimensions of the pads were about 7”x ¾” x ¼”. The screws I used were #10 with a washer and nylon locking nut. They turned out pretty good.
Issue with the brush guard: I got a “new” take off brush guard , painted it and the braces that go from the brush guard to the frame. When I went to install the brush guard last night, the right side brace would hit the radiator by a little bit. It hits the radiator on the parts where it bulges out to make room for the cooling fan. This is a new radiator, so that should be fine, nothing at all looks bent on the frame. I also loosened up the bracket that mounts on the frame and connects to the brace to allow that to move, thinking that could help, but it didn’t. that bracket is more for front-to-back movement to allow adjustment, but not adjust side to side. I’m stumped on what to do. I guess I’ll look at it in the day time and see if I notice anything different. After I get the brush guard on, I can get the hood on. I still need a J-pipe, stack and flex pipe though.
Last night I also worked on the front fenders. I stripped down the driver’s side fender to do a little body work on that. I noticed even that got tweaked a little bit. It can straighten out though. I am going to get the fenders decently looking, spray the, on the edges, then mount them on the truck. I’ll do the final body work on the fenders with them mounted. It will be easier. I won’t have much time tonight to work on the truck, but if I at least get one thing done, it is progress and one step closer to where I want to be.
Last night I made new rubber hood pads that go on the front of the hood between the hood and brush guard. It seems like every hood I have seen always have these pads cracked and dry rotted. I see I could get replacements somewhere online, but I opted to make my own out of ¼” mud flap material. I used flat head screws to allow them to countersink themselves in the rubber once I torque them down. The dimensions of the pads were about 7”x ¾” x ¼”. The screws I used were #10 with a washer and nylon locking nut. They turned out pretty good.
Issue with the brush guard: I got a “new” take off brush guard , painted it and the braces that go from the brush guard to the frame. When I went to install the brush guard last night, the right side brace would hit the radiator by a little bit. It hits the radiator on the parts where it bulges out to make room for the cooling fan. This is a new radiator, so that should be fine, nothing at all looks bent on the frame. I also loosened up the bracket that mounts on the frame and connects to the brace to allow that to move, thinking that could help, but it didn’t. that bracket is more for front-to-back movement to allow adjustment, but not adjust side to side. I’m stumped on what to do. I guess I’ll look at it in the day time and see if I notice anything different. After I get the brush guard on, I can get the hood on. I still need a J-pipe, stack and flex pipe though.
Last night I also worked on the front fenders. I stripped down the driver’s side fender to do a little body work on that. I noticed even that got tweaked a little bit. It can straighten out though. I am going to get the fenders decently looking, spray the, on the edges, then mount them on the truck. I’ll do the final body work on the fenders with them mounted. It will be easier. I won’t have much time tonight to work on the truck, but if I at least get one thing done, it is progress and one step closer to where I want to be.
Attachments
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
I did not do much on the deuce this weekend sad to say. I had a wedding to go to and a picnic on Sunday. I am hoping to get more done this week. I am close to bolting the passenger side fender on and installing the exhaust. It will be nice to get the exhaust on that way I can take it for its first drive and clear out some of the wet stacking. I got the radiator to fit better with the brush guard support. After looking at the old radiator, the “bulge out” where it makes clearance for the fan on the right side, is a little different that the original. I knew everything was straight, especially when the upper radiator hose it pretty darn close to a straight shot into the thermostat housing. So what I did was make sure I had enough clearance for the fan (had plenty) and took a ball peen hammer and gave the radiator some swift blows on the shroud to make room. It is not how I would have liked to do it, but it worked and a blew some black paint on it and it was fine. The shroud is nowhere near the cooling part of the radiator, so there is no risk of cracking a solder joint on the radiator.
I also got the glass back from the glass shop with all new glass for the windshield, and both doors. It looks nice and now I just have to paint around the edge of the frames. Lot of masking off, but it will be worth it.
I think tonight I am going to focus on getting a bunch of the small stuff on the truck done tonight. Small things such as, hook up the throttle pedal, hook up the boost gauge, tidy up the wiring under the dash, hook up the parking brake, and get the heater core back in the heater (and install anti chafing material so the core does not wear against the side of the heater box). It may not seem like a lot of work, but it should keep me busy the whole night. Hopefully I will have more updates and pictures for everybody tomorrow!
I also got the glass back from the glass shop with all new glass for the windshield, and both doors. It looks nice and now I just have to paint around the edge of the frames. Lot of masking off, but it will be worth it.
I think tonight I am going to focus on getting a bunch of the small stuff on the truck done tonight. Small things such as, hook up the throttle pedal, hook up the boost gauge, tidy up the wiring under the dash, hook up the parking brake, and get the heater core back in the heater (and install anti chafing material so the core does not wear against the side of the heater box). It may not seem like a lot of work, but it should keep me busy the whole night. Hopefully I will have more updates and pictures for everybody tomorrow!
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
well last night i got some good stuff done. I got the parking brake hooked back up (just need to put the return spring on), installed my 12 volt alternator belt adjustment bracket, dressed some of the wires a little better under the "hood" and installed my throttle pedal linkage. Yesterday was hot out and i was feeling a little exhausted, so after fighting the throttle linkage (installing the bell crank under the throttle pedal), i got in a bad mood. I really hate feeling like that. i can’t put my finger on what i was upset about, but I was definitely grumpy. I think a combination of the heat, being a little tired, the garage being all torn up and complete mess from working on the truck and the length of time i have been working on it were all factors. In addition to dropping hardware on the ground from working inside the truck did not make me happy crawling under the truck to get it. What I need to do is focus on getting the passenger side fender on, installing the exhaust, pedals and taking the truck for a quick ride down my road. I think that will get me feeling better and knowing that I am getting very close. Of course after I get the front end together, I will need to start on the back of the truck taking the box off.
So I guess tonight’s goal will be to install the passenger fender and exhaust. Another plus is when I finally get the fender on, I can install my air horns and right now, that is the only thing preventing the truck from building air. Slowly but surely, I am getting there.
So I guess tonight’s goal will be to install the passenger fender and exhaust. Another plus is when I finally get the fender on, I can install my air horns and right now, that is the only thing preventing the truck from building air. Slowly but surely, I am getting there.
Attachments
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
oh, by the way, the picture on the cowl is not done yet. i want to make it look a lot neater than that. Use more P-Clamps and tidy it up so i know that no wires are going to chafe, etc. i just took the picture to show some progress.
Jeff Nelson
Member
- 131
- 10
- 18
- Location
- Queen Creek, Arizona
Sometimes just taking a couple of days off a project, especially one this involved, does wonders for attitude. Been there, done that.... That being said, when you look at your amazing progress on your truck in a relatively short time, a couple of days won't hurt a thing. A beer or two while parked in a lawn chair in front of your truck will put things in perspective again... 
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
Thanks Jeff. I feel better today. Well when I got home yesterday, dad had some mulch to put around the trees, so I helped him with that. Then he had some of his friends over and asked me to take some to grandmas and finish off shoveling the load at her house. so like a good grandson, I shoveled off the last little bit around grandmas trees. I’m glad I got to help her and dad out, but I think I was just too tired and hot. stumbling around stuff does not help either. I think I’ll try to move the truck more in front of the shop tonight. it will be better to work on it there being closer to the door. we'll see. I'd love to get that fender bolted on though. so many things to do.
I also got a detent ball and spring today for my winch clutch lever. maybe I’ll try to put that in tonight. mine never had one since I got it. I better take my time... last thing I want to do it bump the fins on the radiator taking the handle off. all the detail I spend working on the truck, I don’t want to bend the fins on the radiator. Of course I get the parts AFTER I put the brush guard back on. Oh well. I think I can do it with it on. The detent ball for the winch is 7/16” diameter by the way. The spring I have is just cut-to-length spring stock. So it’s better than nothing until I get the correct spring. What I used before was just a standard spring with a hook at both ends and just hooked it to the stone guard to keep the handle in the “out” position. That worked too.
Wish me luck tonight. i hope the rain stops.
I also got a detent ball and spring today for my winch clutch lever. maybe I’ll try to put that in tonight. mine never had one since I got it. I better take my time... last thing I want to do it bump the fins on the radiator taking the handle off. all the detail I spend working on the truck, I don’t want to bend the fins on the radiator. Of course I get the parts AFTER I put the brush guard back on. Oh well. I think I can do it with it on. The detent ball for the winch is 7/16” diameter by the way. The spring I have is just cut-to-length spring stock. So it’s better than nothing until I get the correct spring. What I used before was just a standard spring with a hook at both ends and just hooked it to the stone guard to keep the handle in the “out” position. That worked too.
Wish me luck tonight. i hope the rain stops.
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
Well the rain held off somewhat and i was able to get everything buttoned up enough for me to take it on its first test drive down the road!!! Im very excited! Everything worked good but it wasnt that long of a trip to get a good feel for it. Plus the engine was all loaded up from idling for so long. What it needs is a good trip down the highway and an oil change. Ill have more details tomotrow with pictures! 
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
Last night the truck ran decent, but was still sluggish. The engine is definitely loaded up and needs a trip down the highway. There was some wet stacking oil dripping out of the exhaust. What I did get done last night was cleaned up more of the wiring under the dash, hooked up my low air warning light and lubed my speedometer cable. Basically not a whole lot of progress, but did enough stuff to get the truck ready for its first trip down the road. It was good to finally drive it again even though it was not put all together. I need to put in a new temperature gauge because mine quit working. I think the crash jolted it enough, it quit…. Which leads me to a pet peeve of mine…
I don’t like Faria Brand Gauges. It seems like every one I see, the outside plastic part is never clear and polished like the “original” Stewart Warner Gauges are. When the light comes through, it looks cloudy and not clear. I have a Clark Brothers Temperature gauge which has polished plastic on the outside to let the light in and looks a lot better quality than the Faria. It seems like all the oil pressure gauges I see are Faria or are the original 0- 60 PSI ones. Anyway, I need to paint the Clark Brothers Temperature gauge tonight so it matches the rest. I have another Faria oil pressure gauge, maybe I’ll paint that one too and see if it looks any better than the one I have in there now. I do not have any proof that one brand is any better than another. Both have good form, fit and function. I just like the finished look of the Clark Brothers Gauge better because it will have better light transparency.
I took pictures of the stock Deuce seat mounted in the cab for Shenkmen… he asked a while back if I could mount it in there and I finally got to it. It shows there is enough clearance with the A3 seat belt brackets and the Stock Deuce Seat.
I got a takeout fuel tank and I noticed it had a stencil on it that said the fuel cap was under pressure. I had to laugh a little bit because if the fuel tank is under pressure, that is not a good thing. It means the vent is clogged. Somebody must have got stencil happy with marking a truck I guess!
The plan tonight is to paint and weld up the access hole I cut in the cab to get the stripped cage nut out where the fender bolts to the cab. I was also thinking I need to weld up the hole in the floor where the A3 had an access point to get to the other brake booster. I should get that stuff done before I mount the fender on. It will be easier to get to. Of course If I was really smart, I would have done it when the cab was off. I’ll probably use a body washer as a filler piece of metal and then fill the hole in of the body washer by putting a flat piece of brass behind the hole. Wish I could get to the other side of the cab so I can polish up the welds (that’s the OCD in me talking).
We'll see what i get done tonight... i hope it is good progress. Last night was not a lot of progress on the truck, but was a good mental health motivation booster that i got to drive it.
I don’t like Faria Brand Gauges. It seems like every one I see, the outside plastic part is never clear and polished like the “original” Stewart Warner Gauges are. When the light comes through, it looks cloudy and not clear. I have a Clark Brothers Temperature gauge which has polished plastic on the outside to let the light in and looks a lot better quality than the Faria. It seems like all the oil pressure gauges I see are Faria or are the original 0- 60 PSI ones. Anyway, I need to paint the Clark Brothers Temperature gauge tonight so it matches the rest. I have another Faria oil pressure gauge, maybe I’ll paint that one too and see if it looks any better than the one I have in there now. I do not have any proof that one brand is any better than another. Both have good form, fit and function. I just like the finished look of the Clark Brothers Gauge better because it will have better light transparency.
I took pictures of the stock Deuce seat mounted in the cab for Shenkmen… he asked a while back if I could mount it in there and I finally got to it. It shows there is enough clearance with the A3 seat belt brackets and the Stock Deuce Seat.
I got a takeout fuel tank and I noticed it had a stencil on it that said the fuel cap was under pressure. I had to laugh a little bit because if the fuel tank is under pressure, that is not a good thing. It means the vent is clogged. Somebody must have got stencil happy with marking a truck I guess!
The plan tonight is to paint and weld up the access hole I cut in the cab to get the stripped cage nut out where the fender bolts to the cab. I was also thinking I need to weld up the hole in the floor where the A3 had an access point to get to the other brake booster. I should get that stuff done before I mount the fender on. It will be easier to get to. Of course If I was really smart, I would have done it when the cab was off. I’ll probably use a body washer as a filler piece of metal and then fill the hole in of the body washer by putting a flat piece of brass behind the hole. Wish I could get to the other side of the cab so I can polish up the welds (that’s the OCD in me talking).
We'll see what i get done tonight... i hope it is good progress. Last night was not a lot of progress on the truck, but was a good mental health motivation booster that i got to drive it.
Attachments
- 3,182
- 3,127
- 113
- Location
- NORTH (Canada)
Just zip tie one headlight in place...it looks decidedly evil in its current configuration!
Consider driving it through town, wearing a vampire or zombie outfit!
Nice to see that you got it back to being drive-able. What a ton of work.
Consider driving it through town, wearing a vampire or zombie outfit!
Nice to see that you got it back to being drive-able. What a ton of work.
Last edited:
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
it has been a lot of work... lots and lots. I cant wait until i get it back to how it was. Im not going to say done, because they never seem to be done. Always something you want to do to it. getting a bunch of stuff painted tonight will be good. a lot of stuff just needs paint and then can be installed. should not be that bad to do. plus when you bolt things on for the last time and it starts looking more and more like a truck, it gives me motivation. painting is relaxing anyway
shenkmen
Active member
- 1,107
- 12
- 38
- Location
- Lancaster, PA
Thanks Tom! Let me know how the A2 passenger bench seat fits with A3 belts too.
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
Seatbelts?? I already proved that you can crash a deuce and be just fine without them! just a little scratch on your face and if you have a rifle mount, you will take some skin off 2 knuckles upon impact. haha
- 3,657
- 27
- 48
- Location
- Dallas, Texas
Did you take the oil pressure regulator off and clean it?
(since we are asking questions about things that are not easy to reach) but that is an important thing and it is on the outside of the engine and they usually have some crud in them.
Attachments
zout
Well-known member
- 7,744
- 154
- 63
- Location
- Columbus Georgia
Only thing I was thinking about the accident was:
You would have had to pay for that much fun at 6 Flags or Cedar Point.
opcorn:
You would have had to pay for that much fun at 6 Flags or Cedar Point.
opcorn:
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
No i did not. I never heard of cleaning them out. i put 12,000 miles on the truck since i got it 2 years ago with regular oil changes. wouldnt it stay clean since it has been driven regularly? It has 30psi of oil pressure at idle and 60 going down the road. I should check it with a mechanical gauge too.
- 2,052
- 56
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
Here are the pictures from what I got done last night. It was a night of painting pretty much. I got out of work at 4:30 and I was in the garage at 5:30. When I was using the DA to sand down my hood side panel, I noticed it had the word “STORM” stenciled on the side of it. I did not see anything else on it except that. when I bought the truck, there was a wrench stenciled on the air intake mushroom. Any idea what any of that meant? I also painted the bottom of my fuel tank, so when I flip it over, I can lay some nice paint on the outside of it. the seats got painted, air horn, shifter (darn it, I just remembered I forgot to paint the high low range lever!), head light rings and some of my jerry can. Everything turned out pretty good.
I also installed a nut-cert (spelling?) in the side of the cab where the cage nut was stripped out. I just need to weld up the access hole in the body and I will be ready to mount the fenders on. it was a very productive night.
I also installed a nut-cert (spelling?) in the side of the cab where the cage nut was stripped out. I just need to weld up the access hole in the body and I will be ready to mount the fenders on. it was a very productive night.
