From: International Movie Services (ims@telus.net)
Date: Sat May 15 2004 - 10:35:13 PDT
Can I claim the record for creative stupidity/stubborness (it's my Scottish
ancestry!).
Bought a CUCV M1010 cab and chassis in Edmonton in the dead of winter; got
it running at -20, including manufacturing a plywood panel to fit over where
the access door to the ambulance body used to be; Took two days to drive it
back here to the coast (800 miles).
Couldn't run anything electrical including the heater fan because the
alternators were defective. Got it sorted out over the winter and found a
back body in Colchester, Vermont.
Built a plywood flatdeck, bolted on a box of tools and spares and drove I-5
to I-90, across to Detroit, through Ontario and Quebec to Montreal then
south to Vermont. Bolted the box on in about three hours, turned around and
drove back. Six thousand miles; one more alternator and a full set of drive
belts. Six days!!
Want to hear about driving an M62 gas wrecker back from Medicine Hat,
Alberta in February over the Rockies?
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
Ian
----- Original Message -----
From: "M. Thirtyseven" <m37greenbeast@hotmail.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2004 5:14 AM
Subject: Re: [MV] M54A2 The Trip (Long)M37story shorter
>
> Reminds me of the 327 mile trip to bring the M-37 back from OH to WI.
Less
> than 5 miles from it's previous home just getting on OH state Hwy whatever
> my driving partner and I heard this REALLY loud bang/crash and something
> (described as card board by my wife in the chase van following behind)
> skitters out from under the beast. My pal and I do a quick drawer check
for
> any potential laundry problem areas, pull over, turn of off GET OUT REALLY
> QUICK. Nothing on fire, no glaring physical problems apparent, his 416
> trailer which we also got seems ok... Maybe some thing left by the
previous
> owners we did not see.. oh well
>
> Start it up fine roll fwd, stop all is in the green.. ok onward... besides
> the slow trip home on back killing seats (oh bye the way this is early
> summer, I-80 is being worked on.. truckers really did not like our blazing
> fast 45MPH top speed).
>
> Get home to roll under the beast and here is this clam shell wire gizmo
> hanging in the general area of this part of a cast iron wheel spinning in
> tune with the drive shaft. In so much as I had not clue what the L this
> was/was supposed to be I pulled out the "book". Oh parking brake assembly
> oh light comes on... "stuff" that flew out was parking brake drum
assembly
> self destructing (no the brake was not set lever firmly in the OFF
> position). Makes a REALLY loud noise when it bangs on the underside of
the
> body even over the usual whine/grinding of the M-37.
>
> Still have not replaced it.. that is what bricks/curbs are for eh??
>
> Daryl
> 53 M-37 (sans parking brake)
>
>
>
> >From: "Bruce Beattie" <bruce@eecs.berkeley.edu>
> >To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
> >Subject: [MV] M54A2 The Trip (Long)
> >Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 19:49:31 -0700
> >
> >As a few of you know, I just bought an M54A2 5Ton from Jim Hossack up in
> >Washington State.
> >I started driving about 13 years ago, and no, I am not in my 20's. I
> >bought a 1977 F250 and had
> >it for about 10 years and then I bought an M1008 CUCV from Gene Pantano
and
> >drove it back from Colorado.
> >
> >Driving an M54A2 is not quite the same thing I found out..........
> >
> >Jim did his best to set me up for the trip and I am deeply grateful for
all
> >his help and advice.
> >
> >Some of you may have heard about a fellow named Brad, who runs a surplus
> >gold mine.
> >No, not gold, but MV parts. It is worth taking the trip up there to see
> >what he has if you are
> >within a state or two.
> >
> >Brad set me up with a whole lot of stuff, like frame extension kits, tow
> >bars and tow bat kits
> >to make an A frame settup, almost new tires, Hoist for loading and
> >unloading the spare tire, starter,
> >wheel chocks, jack stands, NATO cables and adapters, etc, etc. He DOES
NOT
> >SHIP though.
> >
> >The trip started off uneventful enough until I got about half way down to
> >California. Parked in
> >a motel, went in and registered, came back out and went to move the
truck.
> >I heard the ringing
> >clanging noise that sounded like an 8 inch impeller or something that had
> >lost its bearings and
> >was clanging up against the housing.
> >
> >Well, I didn't know that the turbocharger was this tiny little thing, so
I
> >called up Jim and told him
> >that I thought the turbo charger had died.
> >He was all ready to go get one from Brad and have someone come down and
> >install it for me!
> >That is what I call dedication to helping someone out!
> >
> >Figured out what it realy was yet????
> >
> >I started talking to Jim and Brad some more and decided to rule out the
> >turbo. The next possibility
> >was that maybe the starter solenoid got stuck out and was pinging on the
> >fly wheel. This has
> >been know to happen, and was told about the big hammer approach. Barring
> >that, I had had the
> >presence of mind to have gotten a spare starter from Brad for the trip,
so
> >I was prepared.
> >
> >Still haven't figured out wat the real problem was?
> >
> >I had done some more checking and couldn't find anything, so I started it
> >up and NO NOISE.
> >I had previously thought that this noise was associated with the engine
> >running but the vehicle stationary, but I was a little disconcerted at
the
> >time. Bad assumption.
> >
> >The following morning I got up and figured I was ok, after all I had a
> >hammer and I had a
> >spare starter. Oh, one more thing, I had noticed that the parking break
> >was loose, so I figured
> >I would tighten it up before I left.
> >
> >Are you ready for this?
> >
> >Crawled under the truck and what do I see, but thes two wierd parts that
> >look like they are part
> >of some brake assembly, just dangling by a control cable right next to
the
> >8 inch cylinder that
> >seemed to be part of the drive shaft. Duh, so that's how they implement
> >the parking brake
> >on an M54A2. Gee, I bet that makes a clanging noise when it hits up
> >against the moving
> >drive shaft and integral brake drum.......
> >
> >Well, got to keep on trucking. That's what they make bailing wire
> >for....I'll get a replacement
> >pin after we get home. It is about a 3/4" by 5" bolt but has bearing
> >surfaces. It's what holds the
> >brake shoes in that shaft drum. Any one have one for sale?
> >
> >On the road again, tearing down the mountains at a whoping 53 MPH with a
> >tail wind.
> >Which was fine, but then eventually it started to decrease a little at a
> >time, along with the RPM.
> >Then I remembere why Brad had provided me with a primary fuel filter and
> >instructions
> >on what to look for. So when it got to 45 MPH max I pulled into
> >a rest stop, and swapped the filter...Then I cleaned up the mess I made
> >doing it... You have to
> >tilt the canister to get the filter out.
> >
> >Once that was done I was able to speed on my merry way....ok, ok, so 53
> >MPH is not speeding.
> >After going 45 though it seemed like greased lighting.
> >
> >Paul Thomas met me at the storage facility where I have to park it to
> >meet insurance and the
> >usual city problems. He helped me unload all my gear, and there was a lot
> >of it, and then drove
> >me home. This was a very noble thing for him to do, even if I did let him
> >drive it into the
> >parking space. And he didn't even hit the two adjacent cars like I
> >probably would have.
> >
> >I am now home, and I guess I should probably take a few lessons on how to
> >drive my new
> >toy so I don't traumatize any more folks on the highway.
> >
> >Bruce MVPA 23824
> >
> >
> >
> >
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