Another A2 Project

A place to post pics and descriptions of ongoing restoration projects

Moderators: rickf, raymond, Mr. Recovery

toptiger
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by toptiger » July 14th, 2013, 3:33 pm

RickF
get out and get some fresh air, old friend, you have been inside too long recuperating.

That is a restoration, may not be up to pristine show standards but it is an honest restoration IMO, and I out ranked you back in the day, don't forget that!
Author M-151 MUTT, The Vietnam Jeep
Paper edition http://www.blurb.com/books/1646321
IOS ebook iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id598605516
2 M151A2s, M416 trailer, M274A5 Mule,
Former Army Aviator, Bien Hoa, VN 1968-69
Mustang Gunship Platoon Commander
68th Assault Helicopter Company 'Top Tigers'
Central Florida and France

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rickf
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by rickf » July 14th, 2013, 5:22 pm

Top, It is 92 out and 60% humidity, I ain't going out! True, You did out rank me but I think we have had the conversation about my views on authority. :twisted: :twisted: :roll: And I am just trying to keep in line with the initial purpose of the thread. If it seems to be a judgement call I will ask the rank and file, hence here we are.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

lpcoating
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by lpcoating » July 14th, 2013, 7:18 pm

I'm with toptiger on this. I give these guys credit for putting them back together and making them operational. I'll be lucky if mine is done in another year at the rate I'm going! They have good pictures of what they are doing and looks like they are having fun. I vote to let them stay here...
M151 Body Panels - http://www.m151bodypanels.com/

'68 A1 - Under full resto

RCA827
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by RCA827 » July 15th, 2013, 12:19 am

Good work guys saving any military vehicle and learning to do it right is all a learning experience Ask me I know, I could not have done it without the help and input from all who have been giving me advice and pointers :wink: Restoration of any military vehicle and its history is always uplifting as so many have been beat to pieces, abused cut up and crushed :( keep up the good work and thank you for posting the progress :)

LTDan
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by LTDan » July 15th, 2013, 8:20 am

Stag and Swayze...

I really enjoyed reading your posts. The Jeep looks terrific.

And from someone who doesn't know which end of the welder gets hot, I say...

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toptiger
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by toptiger » July 15th, 2013, 12:01 pm

rickF
here is a definition of restoration
:mrgreen: "the act of restoring something or someone to a satisfactory state" :mrgreen:
so I propose not moving Stag and Swayze's work, but start a new category, Pristine hangar queens and show vehicle renovations.
:roll: renovation-"the act of improving by renewing" :roll:
the definitions courtesy of Webster's, no relation.
:lol:
Author M-151 MUTT, The Vietnam Jeep
Paper edition http://www.blurb.com/books/1646321
IOS ebook iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id598605516
2 M151A2s, M416 trailer, M274A5 Mule,
Former Army Aviator, Bien Hoa, VN 1968-69
Mustang Gunship Platoon Commander
68th Assault Helicopter Company 'Top Tigers'
Central Florida and France

toptiger
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by toptiger » July 15th, 2013, 12:07 pm

BTW this got me thinking, you are in a personal renovation mode now yourself, no?
but there is no hope for getting you back to a satisfactory state, I guess. LOL
Author M-151 MUTT, The Vietnam Jeep
Paper edition http://www.blurb.com/books/1646321
IOS ebook iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id598605516
2 M151A2s, M416 trailer, M274A5 Mule,
Former Army Aviator, Bien Hoa, VN 1968-69
Mustang Gunship Platoon Commander
68th Assault Helicopter Company 'Top Tigers'
Central Florida and France

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rickf
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by rickf » July 15th, 2013, 1:28 pm

toptiger wrote:BTW this got me thinking, you are in a personal renovation mode now yourself, no?
but there is no hope for getting you back to a satisfactory state, I guess. LOL
I am way beyond the restoration OR renovation stage. WAY to many non stock items in me. The general consensus so far is that it stays so it will stay. I do not see that many others going the other way. Stagg, I would like to make a suggestion that will save you some time and effort in the long run. Go out and buy a 4X8 sheet of 18 Gauge sheet metal. The next time you run into something like that rear fender just cut the top off and weld on a new piece of sheet. Less time involved, less wire wasted and more durable in the long run. I would personally cut the spot welds but you can cut at the edges and go from there and then later you can still go back and cut the spot welds and do a proper replacement using one of Lpcoatings panels. The sheet metal is cheap and much easier to work with than the bent up panels. Plus when you cut off the worst parts you will find it easy to straighten the rest of it before welding in the new metal. NOW you are getting into renovation. :mrgreen:


Rick
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

Aswayze
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by Aswayze » July 15th, 2013, 1:56 pm

That's a pretty solid plan.

We actually have access to a bead roller as well so we could likely make it look decent too as long as we actually take the time to figure out how that thing works... We're still baffled by the magic sparky box...

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rickf
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by rickf » July 15th, 2013, 4:53 pm

There is no magic in the sparky box. Key things to remember are preparation and preparation. Oh yea, and preparation. You HAVE to have clean metal to weld on, no paint, no rust. Yea it will stick through them................ in places. That is not a weld. The other main thing is that you do not fill holes with a welder. All of the surrounding metal will become brittle and will have to be annealed to soften it back up. Same as after shrinking a stretched panel. You will need an oxy-acetylene torch with a rosebud tip for that. You especially do not want to make these hack type repairs where you are putting that one back together. It will break right in half and someone will get hurt. If in doubt, ask questions. Let me know what kind of welder you are using, a picture of the control panel is worth a million words and I can make recommendations from there. It looks to me like you know the basics and mainly just need to work on the patience and finesse a bit. And if that clamp in the first picture of the welds in the floor is the ground for the welder................... LOSE IT!!!! Get a good quality clamp and that will make a world of difference.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

Stagg
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by Stagg » July 15th, 2013, 5:28 pm

Rick, that's excellent info for me to start working with!
I'll probably start with that fender first. I have a line on a good take off fender near me. Hoping to pick it up, and get this thing done right.

RCA827
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by RCA827 » July 18th, 2013, 7:12 pm

Stagg wrote:Rick, that's excellent info for me to start working with!
I'll probably start with that fender first. I have a line on a good take off fender near me. Hoping to pick it up, and get this thing done right.
Stagg any other good rear take off small fenders down your way ??? :) :)

Aswayze
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by Aswayze » July 28th, 2013, 12:04 am

Been whipping some butt on this one this weekend as well.  

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Making up the wire cutter.  

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Wire cutter fabbed and in primer

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Getting camo added

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Wire cutter installed!  (now to make the rest of us add one)

Getting the dash area worked on...  Mostly getting the choke cable added, in hopes that the heater parts showed up in the mail and he could add it while the panel was out.  No dice, mail man didn't love us.  

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Dash panel out.  

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Complete with dirt dunes and the mouse nests.  

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Dash panel on the work bench out ready to get polished up.  

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Heater switch added, we had that at least.  

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MERDC tracked up onto the seat frame.  

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Hub pulled apart and getting cleaned up.  

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Axle cleaned up and painted.  

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Hub back together, adjusted, and installed.  

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Now on to the next one!  

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Stagg's bro Kenny stitching up windshield covers.

Stagg
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by Stagg » August 29th, 2013, 7:56 pm

More pictures, with more work to come this weekend. I'm hoping to be driving this sucker this soon.
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Rear end taken apart.

Every wheel bearing has needed to be replaced. The front two were not to bad, but the rears are hard to get to unless you break everything down.
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Its tool time. Swayze whipped this out on the lathe.
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Took plenty of time to hog out all of that brass to make it but proved to be a DAMN handy tool on assembly, MUCH nicer than driving things in with a hammer.
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Rear differential was full of grease! the axle seals were shot, and the previous owner just pumped grease inside.
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Many rags died to further the cause.
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Waiting on the seals now, so we painted it. Once new seals arrive this should be short work.
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The grease did a good job of preserving the gears, since the Rednecks who drove it, must have stopped right after doing the deed.

Half-shafts, and both drive shafts, have gotten all new U-joints.
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Almost all the U-joints were bad. Filled with rusty dust. The greasy ones were usually pitted.

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Getting ready to add some paint to the bottom. The bottom will be a work in progress, since we just discovered some serious rust in the main spar under the driver. It was covered in old paint, and looked good until I hit it with the pressure washer.

A front shot, with all the wheels on the ground.
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Here is Curfman working on his ambulance. In the background is my truck.
Pictured here, it is in the back corner (where the living, working, driving mutts get parked) Now to make sure it actually is drivable. :D
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Stagg
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Re: Another A2 Project

Unread post by Stagg » April 11th, 2014, 4:04 pm

As Rick pointed out to me in another thread, I have been lacking in the pictures department.

I blame somebody on this forum, for my laxness. By not demanding pictures you have failed, whoever you are. :lol:

Or its just me being forgetful. Lets rewind the clock a bit to last Fall. Back when it was warm, and the sun was shining and actually providing some heat!

I trucked the M151A2 to Fort Riley, where it lived in the parking lot on Post, and then eventually in my brother's garage for the winter.

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Loading docks are optional when you have a tactical cargo truck
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In the parking lot at work, on Fort Riley.
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I did small jobs on the truck throughout the winter. It is 90% complete, in running condition, with tag/title.
Here I was cleaning up the windshield, it sure needed it. New rubber went on after the restoration was finished.
This was the only picture to actually show the damage, or the work.
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Once in my Brother's Garage, and the cold 5 degree days set in for good I got some more bits worked on.
Slave cable was added, and thank goodness for that! Heater would have been nice, but has not been pieced together yet.
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Rifle mounts were added.
Driver side is 100% useful, since its hard to drive and hold a weapon.
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Passenger got on, only because I had it :lol:
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New Tires all around. I was really hoping for a good radial tire option. But the only tires that would support my off-road trips, were either to expensive ( $250 per tire) or just not available on the market.
NDCC tires it is. At least the truck looks GOOD, with these shoes on it.
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Rear
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There is some pretty amazing scenery in Kansas if you get out and look for it.
Here is a low ford, that is washing away, but still only needs 6in of fording... unless you fall off either side!
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Abandoned farmstead. Mutt is in the background.
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A very cool , arched rock, room dug into a hillside. About the only way to get is to walk (or own a mutt)
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Of Course its all fun and games until somebody falls through the ice!
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These were some seriously deep ruts.
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Lassie, go get help!
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That pretty much covers everything that happened until Eastwind.
Once there I had an almost immediate wheel bearing failure. Turns out, that getting stuck in deep ruts full of mud, water, and ice is a bad thing.
The grease was washed out, and replaced by mud :shock:
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After today, I will start Taking pictures of the maintenance that is going to take place throughout this summer.

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