M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

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Hambone
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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by Hambone » August 22nd, 2017, 12:41 pm

If you weld it with nickel rods, it's a cold weld process, weld just a little, peen your deposit, let it cool down to touch, repeat process, if you have a local machine shop, they may sell you a rod or 2, probably have to buy by the pound at the local welding supply.

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rickf
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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by rickf » August 22nd, 2017, 5:50 pm

I think I may have some nickle rod that followed me home from my last job. They had no use for it, once I left they had nobody that could weld. I am so jammed up with this RV that I doubt I will be able to look for it before I get back from Virginia.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by m3a1 » August 22nd, 2017, 7:38 pm

All I have is a wire feed welder. Never learned how to drive stick.

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by m3a1 » August 22nd, 2017, 8:22 pm

So today was supposed to be easy. Just a bunch of little things to do. Turned out to be anything but easy and the results, while a step in the right direction, weren't pretty.

We started out with removing the long nuts from the transfer case levers. You know the ones that are left over after all the knob has departed? Heat wasn't getting it so we simply bisected the nuts, allowing them to expand and off they came. After all, the kid needs to learn some of the tricks of the trade.

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And, since we were working in that area we decided to remove whatever retaining bolts for the transmission covers we could locate. Keep in mind we are going through a layer of paint, a layer of undercoating, a layer of Bondo and, as it turned out, several layers of patches.

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To start with, removing paint on what we thought were the margins. We sketched those out with permanent marker as a guide.

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Some of the access panels were ready to come off, such as this upper one which was only being held on with two mismatched bolts...on the same side...

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Trophy shot. Smile while you can, kid.....smile while you can. You're about to get schooled.

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Its removal uncovered some cheap tricks played by the last guy...such as an unsecured throttle linkage simply hooked through a nut welded to the back side of the gas pedal. It worked...but, really?

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Notice the top of the bell housing? That bell housing had been in a serious wreck but not in this chassis, Apparently there are not enough bell housings in the world to be able to find a suitable replacement.

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And some panels were not ready to come off... This is the 'Before" photo...all smiles and warm fuzzies. My son gets to use a tool that is new to him. He is a happy camper. The tool is loud and powerful and easy to control and it makes short work of sheet metal...that is to say, it makes short work of sheet metal that you can reach with it.
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Fast forward to the "After" photo. We're all out of smiles at this point and the warm-fuzzies meter is on E for empty. We are no longer happy campers. It is hot, we are dirty, we are sweaty, we are thirsty, we are tired, we are miserable and we are pissed off. By Texas law, work such as this is prohibited from taking place within earshot of a church, hospital or daycare. There was Bondo dust everywhere and what we had pulled off appeared to be only just barely salvageable. We were fighting patch panels welded upon patch panels and having no means of telling where one patch stopped and where another started, it was just a crap shoot. Some patches were covering other patches entirely. Some edges of the transmission cover were below the patch. Some edges of the cover were above the patch, all of which made it's removal an extremely dicey proposition. In the end, I'm ashamed to say the business at hand degraded into something that was less about finesse and more about good old fashioned muscle. :roll:

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The transmission cover's removal revealed more odd repairs, abuse, and some rather sketchy decisions made by a mechanic of questionable judgement and one who had a curious ability to achieve the illogical by fitting square pegs in round holes. Every time another layer was pulled back, more of the same! This bell housing, while repaired many times over, is probably Ok but if I can find a replacement, I'd love to keep this monstrosity around for a nice conversation piece; a fine example of what lurks in the shadows of old trucks.

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Last edited by m3a1 on April 26th, 2018, 1:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Haas
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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by Haas » August 23rd, 2017, 3:26 pm

Somebody has had fun with that poor jeep :lol: You will definitely want to replace that bell housing, they are not very strong to begin with, and the way that housing is damaged will lead to problems down the road. Looks like a great opportunity to spend time with your son and teach him the ins and outs of working on these old vehicles!
1942 Willys MB "slat grille"
1943 Ford GPW
1953 M38A1
1952 M38A1
1951? M38
1st run M151
1953 M37
Ford G8T
2 Ford GTBs

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by m3a1 » August 24th, 2017, 12:18 am

What he learned tonight was that his old Dad has valuable stuff squirreled away everywhere! I got to thinking about it and remembered I had a fresh bell housing just sitting around (naturally!). I presented it to him without much fanfare, other than to have to remind him to say thank you. :roll:

Anyway, if you do the fishes and loaves stuff like that too often, people start taking your miracles for granted. :lol:

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by rickf » August 24th, 2017, 9:32 am

They are some pretty good looking welds on the cast iron bell, with the exception of the bottom left one. May have been hack jobs but he knew how to weld. I have one thing to say to you about these vehicles and if you are going to continue to get them, Plasma cutter. :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Like the grab bar by the way, that is a classic. All you need now is a Sani-potti camping toilet for the passenger seat and you would be right at home. :twisted:
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by m3a1 » August 24th, 2017, 11:13 am

Oh I have a plasma cutter...but there was literally no way to know what was beneath or between layers (there is even some linoleum in there!) and, on the off chance the transmission cover was intact I didn't want to risk cutting it up. That, and the kid has to learn the ropes, including the hard way to do things, which will make him appreciate the easy way all the more. I'm afraid some folks would say I'm just a tough, mean old man when it comes to my kid. But, there will be some plasma cutting in his future, I promise you all.

We actually took a look at the cover on the internet and then figured out where its margins most likely were. Did fairly well with that and didn't go too far afield. However, that cover was also modified in one of the first versions of this truck and the original edges on its right side actually no longer has anything to attach to.

It looks like a big job now but I've found these problems tend to shrink significantly with some calm contemplation. Once the power pack is out things will become much clearer and begin to fall into place. This may be the perfect chance for me to use that Harbor Freight flanger and bead roller thingy. Since this truck is no virgin, I think we are free to go about this in a way that suits us best, and perhaps even with a creative flair. The last guy clearly didn't give a hoot about anyone who came after him as he gave no thought to that cover ever coming up and out again. We will.

We got the new bearings pressed on the axles yesterday evening. I would have liked to have replaced the seals but despite their years, they still appear to be doing their simple job of isolating the greased bearing from the gear oil. It's a very simple system.

I could throw money at this and sleep very well, having done it but, what would the kid learn from that? Because my kid is doing this on a zero budget and when you're "poor" you have to be able to understand there is a difference between what you want to do and what you can afford to do. Training him in that regard is part of this project. Poor kid, he's had a lot of things simply handed to him in his life. Time to have a little taste of reality. Comes the time when/if they do leak, well, we now know we can get to them with relative ease.

Ahh, yes, I was sure you'd notice the plumber's grab handle. I have a love/hate relationship with that handle. It speaks volumes about the previous owners and yet, it is not who we are. Frankly, I would love to see it go away because, in my mind, Timmy wants to take Lassie to Camp Runamuck in this Jeep and perhaps even score with some hot Runamuck Debs in the process but, he can't do that with it looking like he just drove it out of Hillbilly Hell. Still, this really isn't my truck so once the majority of wrenching is through, I will have to take a deep breath and cede creative control to my son. Anything is allowed as long as it doesn't devalue the truck.

More photos soon. I am afraid we are facing some weather with the storm in the Gulf. By the way, I've been slowly rebuilding my previous posts with photos. Miserable job!

Cheers,
TJ
Last edited by m3a1 on August 24th, 2017, 7:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by m3a1 » August 24th, 2017, 6:55 pm

The plumber's grab handle is officially gone. My son read my post, and quickly realized he'd never get lucky at Camp Runamuck (or anywhere else for that matter) with a nasty thing like that hanging off the dash of his vintage Jeep.

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Made some small advances today in the job of getting the rear axle buttoned up. Flanges are blasted and in primer. Will lay the paint on at dusk.

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Somebody had been beating on this one. :twisted: Not me!

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Fired the opening salvo in sorting out the floor panels we removed. Took off the multiple layers of patches that had been laid over this central panel, for starters.

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Blasted and primed the original starter button which does nothing now, other than add to the vintage flavor of the truck (unlike that awful grab handle). And, when you think about it, we kept the part that didn't work and eliminated the part that (technically) still worked. This is how we roll, friends. :lol:

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Without complaint, my son spent some time cleaning up the hardware for putting the axles back together. He is beginning to warm up to the idea that the scut work is simply the largest and most necessary part of these projects whereas the technical stuff, while also really important, comes in a distant second. He is learning to roll up his sleeves and jump in.

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Cheers,
TJ
Last edited by m3a1 on April 12th, 2018, 5:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by rickf » August 24th, 2017, 7:37 pm

That tranny tunnel is ROUGH! Ahhh, learning how to chase parts that get shot from the wire wheel across the shop while checking to see if you still have skin on fingers. Yep, still do that to this day. Except my grinder is against the wall so what gets shot out the back usually comes back to bite me.


EYE PROTECTION BOY!!!!!!!!!!
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by m3a1 » August 24th, 2017, 7:43 pm

Yep. Absolutely right! And he has eye pro at his work station! I came across four pairs of eye pro at a rummage place for a dollar a piece. I bought 'em all and spread em around.

Looks like I'm going to have to work on some new skills in order to repair that cover. Gonna have to hit the books, I suppose. It will be interesting! Those english wheels and pneumatic planishing hammers make my mouth water. Oh boy, what I could do with tools like that!

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by rickf » August 24th, 2017, 8:07 pm

I would love an english wheel, then I would have to learn how to use it.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by Hambone » August 24th, 2017, 8:55 pm

EYE PROTECTION BOY!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

Amen, Rick! Ask me how I know, 20 yrs ago, I almost lost my eye, you always think it won't happen to you, YOU CAN WALK ON A WOODEN LEG BUT YOU CAN'T SEE OUT OF A GLASS EYE!!

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by jeepfinger » August 25th, 2017, 8:12 am

Hi TJ,

Just been looking through your thread. It's great that your son's getting good knowledge from his Dad,I wished I had when I was younger.
Show this to your lad, as something to aim for,
http://www.milweb.net/webvert/a2609/91013
This M38, used to belong to some friends of mine, it did have a new body though.
You may have got rid of the plumbers grab handle, but DON'T get rid of the smiley face :) Just look at it at the end of a session of grinding etc, and smile.
Keep up the great thread.

Dave

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Re: M38 - Nothing at all to do with M151s

Unread post by rickf » August 25th, 2017, 9:18 am

How far are you from the storm coming in? Hopefully it does not affect you too bad.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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