RE: [MV] M35A2 Brake woes resolved (?) (Next in an occasional series) LONG

From: Rikk Rogers (rkltd@swbell.net)
Date: Fri Nov 23 2001 - 17:38:48 PST


Farmers field?
I wouldn't be very cooperative either!
Mine lives beside the house in the motor pool, with the M38 to be good
company.
<wicked grin>

rikk

-----Original Message-----
From: Military Vehicles Mailing List [mailto:mil-veh@mil-veh.org]On
Behalf Of Ron
Sent: Friday, November 23, 2001 4:58 PM
To: Military Vehicles Mailing List
Subject: [MV] M35A2 Brake woes resolved (?) (Next in an occasional
series) LONG

My Thanks to all the responses from listers in regards to tips, suggestions
and the like.

    Last straw was when I went to assemble a brand new,in box,, but never
opened, 1.5 year old Craftsman (Special Purchase) 4 inch by 36 inch belt
sander to take off the high spots on the various NEW pads as evidenced by
scuffing. Motor barely turned. I nutted out. Now using it as a chock.
    Pulled off all of the NEW pads and put on all of the cleaned, old pads
(as suggested by Dr. Deuce). Marked new pads as they came off and will play
with them further next spring. When I put the old pads back on and tried to
adjust the brakes per the 361 series manuals...no joy. Ended up using a mix
of 209 series manuals and Kentucky windage and eyeballing the spacing
between the pads and the drums. Buttoned up hubs, started truck and ran on
stands to check for dragging and overheating and ability to stall engine in
3rd, 4th and 5th gears. Put wheels back on and went for test drive. Seems to
work and stop. Longer test drive to come tomorrow.
    When the beasts run, they are the greatest. When they don't, they suck
worse than an Electrolux.

Things learned:

    1) If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
    2) If it seems like a good idea, Reconsider, cause your missing
something.
    3) See 1 above.
    4) See 2 above. Repeat as necessary.
    5) The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
    6) If it's a Craftsman 'Special Value' power tool, open immediately and
make sure it works. Even though it's new in box, without a sales slip and if
it doesn't match anything they are pushing this week, you are SOL.
    7) Some vendors sell off shore parts as NOS, NIB parts. Don't know what
country is surplusing Chinese, Japanese or Korean parts manufactured in the
last 3 years for their M35A2s, but they must...
    8) Your local truck parts store counter man is not necessarily your
friend, nor will he go out of his way to help you.
    9) Note the direction of the opening in the spray nozzle on the brake
cleaner can before you spray. If you note you can see the opening clearly as
your finger starts to move....
    10) Air tools at the end of two fifty foot lengths of 3/8th" air hose
don't work all that well when the temperature gets close to 35 degrees. Nor
Do I.
     11) Heavy Duty Reynolds Wrap is very handy in the garage. If you take
it from the kitchen, do not leave it out in plain sight when the missus asks
you if you know where it is, or sneak it back into the kitchen with Pennzoil
Premium Red High Pressure Wheel Bearing grease all over the box and then try
to blame the kids.
    12) Do not scratch your nose when packing wheel bearings.
    13) Do not put rags on top of your parts trays, for they will invariably
cover parts needed at the initial stages of reassembly, but not found until
everything is reassembled, torqued and siliconed and you pick the rag up to
wipe your hands and spy those 2 washers and 'C' clips that should have gone
on the brake anchor pins...
    14) If the reassembly is moving right along and you find yourself
whistling, STOP immediately, cause you've probably forgotten something.
    15) Soldiers A and B were never around when I had to remove tires or
brake drum/hub assemblies. I think the manual tech writer read too many
Beetle Bailey comic strips.

    Plusses:

  A) I had (to have a justification, and this job worked) to purchase:
    1) An 8 point socket for the axle nuts
    2) 2 Craftsman micro torque wrenches (250 ft lb range and 50 ft lb
range)(watch out for 90 day warranty).
    3) A new roll around seat, since the old ones casters were too small to
roll around the lunar landscape my driveway resembles.
    4) 3 sets of 6 ton jackstands.
    5) A Snap-On 3/4" drive combination Budd socket....neater than sliced
bread.
    6) The BADDEST pair of brake spring pliers I have ever seen, with a
corresponding price to match. Absolutely necessary if you plan to play with
the brakes on your deuce. If you're young and strong,or reasonably bright,
you might get by with the regular size ones, but when you find your self in
the garage looking for pieces of pipe to fit over the handles..... DANGER,
DANGER WILL ROBINSON.....
    7) Various plastic buckets, drain pans, parts and tool trays.

    B) I got to rediscover the Zen like experience of hand packing bearings
with grease. Over and over and over ....

    C) My 12 and 9 year old daughters now know how to jack up, support and R
and R the rear wheels of a deuce.
    The 12 year old also now knows that if you are pushing down on a 6 foot
steel bar on a fulcrum with a 9.00x20 tire and wheel assembly on the other
end, and you suddenly feel the wheels weight disappear, do not let go until
your Dad says "OK you can pull the bar out." It is a lesson that just can't
be learned by hearing "Pay attention to what you're doing" over and over.
"Shiner" is no longer a meaningless word.
    Both now understand levers, fulcrums, open and box end wrenches, air
tools and the importance of scheduling things away from the house if the
Deuce is in the driveway and tools are all over the ground around it, and
Dad is mumbling to himself about fornicating male off spring of female dogs.

    D) Neighbors have learned the importance of having the right tool for
the job, as evidenced by the colorful language and learning curve of the
army truck nut next door. Brake spring pliers into forehead created an
especially colorful example of talking in tongues and the heritage of him
and his truck in general. They also believe that he is not very bright and
raised roosters with a straw, or something like that, since they could not
hear him too clearly when he was bent over, holding his head, screaming at
the ground...

    Now, if the darn thing will stay running long enough to get it to it's
winter quarters in a nearby farmers field, I'll be thrilled.

    Ronzo

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