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mah deuce

1M views 1K replies 260 participants last post by  jesusgatos 
#1 · (Edited)
introduction

In December of 2008 I decided to pack it all in and hit the road. Load up my dogs and my bikes and go wander through what's left of the wild west, keeping an eye out for places where I might eventually like to buy some land and build a place to live. Had been living up in Bend, OR for the last 4-5yrs and spent a lot of time exploring different parts of the Pacific NorthWest (mostly on dirtbikes). Been all over the west coast wheeling and camping in different vehicles that I've built over the years. But my wanderlust goes back much further, to the days I spent playing in the wilderness as a kid, looking forward to a time when I'd be able to set out on bigger adventures. When I was about 19yrs old I started making plans to build a custom motorhome out of an old schoolbus. Was going to haul my bikes and my Jeep around in the back of it. Had it in my head that I was going to spend my life traveling around the country/world writing about my adventures, and would do this all under the Trails Less Traveled banner. Was almost exactly 10yrs later that I found myself in a position to follow-through on what it felt like I'd been planning all my life.

The decision to build a deuce and a half was a simple process of elimination. Did a ton of research on different vehicles and didn't find anything else that was comparable and I could, 1) afford, and, 2) get in the US. After finding out that I could buy a deuce for a fraction of what a decent 1-ton pickup truck would cost me, it was a done deal. After learning all about the different variations of these vehicles, I settled on an M109, which is just a basic deuce and a half (M35A2) with an insulated 12ft box on the back of it (instead of the regular cargo bed). Ended up finding one for sale, listed right here in the Pirate classifieds section. Drove down to Lake Shasta from Bend and bought mah deuce for $3500 from Ed (Hammer). You can buy trucks straight from military surplus for a lot less, but couldn't afford the uncertainty that goes along with buying surplus.

There's nothing particularly unusual about traveling/living in a motorhome, but the imposing nature of mah deuce tends to give people the wrong idea. A lot of people see a military vehicle and assume that I must be preparing for the apocalypse, and a surprising number of people try to relate to me like that nutjob in the military surplus store in the movie Falling Down. They want to tell me all about their bunkers and their stockpile of weapons and food and whatever. Like we're brothers in arms or something. Creeps me out. But this is just a motorhome, much like any other motorhome, except that I want to be able to travel and live unsupported for extended periods of time, in some pretty remote places.


This is what it looked like when I picked it up.





 
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#64 ·
The choice between building a military or a civilian truck really came down to whether I wanted to 'civilize' a military truck or beef-up a civilian truck. I've already explained why I found these deuces so appealing, and I wasn't unaware of the downsides. These big old trucks are loud and slow and the ride-quality is... not great. So before committing myself to building on this platform, I looked into each of these problems and determined that I wouldn't have much trouble modifying mah deuce to make life on the road a little more pleasant.

But before I get into these modifications, I want to say that I put more than 4,000 miles on it before making any changes and didn't find it to be anywhere near as unbearable as most people make these vehicles out to be. Sure there were springs poking through the driver's seat and sometime I felt like my teeth were going to rattle out of my head and there was a warning sticker on the passenger's side door that said "WARNING: hearing protection required for driver & co-driver" and the top-speed is only about 55mph, but you know what? I absolutely LOVE driving this thing. Might just be that my perspective is out-of-wack, but I didn't mind it a bit. Not in stock form, and definitely not after I made some improvements.
 
#70 ·
But before I get into these modifications, I want to say that I put more than 4,000 miles on it before making any changes and didn't find it to be anywhere near as unbearable as most people make these vehicles out to be. ... but you know what? I absolutely LOVE driving this thing. Might just be that my perspective is out-of-wack, but I didn't mind it a bit. Not in stock form, and definitely not after I made some improvements.
I'm thinking I better apologize in advance if anyone related to me ever shows up and kicks you in the nads... I've always loved the Deuce but have also always talked myself out of the idea of owning one as being totally impracticable - much to the relief of those related to me. You're being a baaaddd influence here... :laughing:
 
#65 · (Edited)
muffler

First item on the list was to add some sort of muffler. I don't know why these trucks were not equipped with any sort of mufflers in the first place, but the exhaust exits right above the windshield on the passenger's side of the truck, so it resonates through the whole cab. In any case, I figured that adding a muffler would be an easy way to tame the drone. Started by searching on steelsoldiers.com and saw that most guys were using a Walker muffler (part number 21470). Not one to follow the crowd, I proceeded to look at all the alternatives and in the end, came right back to where I started. The guys on SS really know their stuff, and had already figured the muffler thing out. SO I ordered one of the Walker mufflers and spliced it into the exhaust stack. Thought about re-routing it to dump in another location, but with all the doors and windows, I think the stock exhaust configuration might be the best choice.

The Walker muffler is 3.5" diameter in/out, which allows it to slip over the 3.25" diameter exhaust tubing perfectly. The overall diameter of the muffler is 7", the body length is 30" and the overall length is 38". The larger diameter of the muffler meant that I would need to make a new mount for the exhaust and modify the mirror mounts for clearance. Was able to modify and reuse parts in both cases though, so there was almost no fabrication required. This was a quick and easy cut/weld project and made a measurable difference as far as the noise that's transmitted into the cab. Still wear earplugs on long drives, but no longer consider them mandatory for shorter trips.



















 
#67 · (Edited)
turbo

Next up was the turbo. Mah deuce was equipped with the coveted 'whistler' turbo, officially designated as a C model turbo. For some reason people love these things. The reason why beyond me. The novelty of that shrill whistle wore off almost immediately, so when I found out that the later-model D-series turbos were quieter AND made more power I started looking for one. Was prepared to pay, but it seems there's no shortage of people looking to trade their D-series turbos for whistlers. Responded to this post made by someone looking to trade a brand new D-series turbo and it was a done-deal.

Really did look almost brand new when I opened up the box, but was less-than-happy when I looked inside and saw that the turbo was full of packing pellets. Had read about a turbo-porting service that one of the members on steelsoldiers provided, and this seemed like it would be a good time to go ahead and have that done. Ken provides this service as a favor to fellow enthusiasts more than as any sort of money-making proposition, so the price was very reasonable. Haven't put more than 50 miles on mah deuce since installing it, and made too many other changes at the same time to be able to say whether or not it made any difference performance-wise, but it's a lot quieter and that's what I was really after.

(new D-series turbo / old C-series turbo)


(new D-series turbo / old C-series turbo)


(ported intake)


(ported exhaust)


(new D-series turbo installed)
 
#68 ·
These two things alone (muffler + turbo) made a huge difference. Still going to insulate the new cab and do a few more things to help with the heat and noise, and expect to be able to hold a conversation at a normal volume when it's all said and done.
 
#69 ·
wheels/tires

Spent a bunch of time researching wheels and tires, considering 1) speed, 2) ride-quality, 3) payload, 4) traction, 5) fuel economy, and 6) price. It was only the fact that my truck was originally equipped with archaic bias-ply NDT tires that made it possible for me to improve on ALL these things at once.

Knew that I wanted to stick with 20" wheels so that I could take advantage of all the cheap military surplus tires. If I was planning to travel much internationally, I would probably switch over to 10-lug hubs and 22.5" rims, but that's not a big concern of mine right now. But for anybody that might be thinking along those lines, Ouverson said they're able/willing to custom-make their rockwell hubs with a 10-lug patter, and there's a SS member working on custom 10-lug adapters.

After looking at all the different sizes and types of tires that have been used on these trucks, I settled on the 11.00-series Firestone T831's as the ideal tire for this application. Was tempted to go with the larger 395/15.5's, but managed to restrain myself. The T831's are 43.5" in diameter, where the stock 9.00 NDT's were about 39.5" tall. Figured this would give me a little more topend without bogging the truck down too much.

The T831's are rated at 7,390lbs in a single-tire configuration, which is more than the NDT's were rated for in a dual-tire configuration. The load rating and the reduction in weight / rolling resistance made dropping the duals and run singles all the way around seem like an obvious choice. The only benefit I could see to having all that extra rubber on the ground was all the extra built-in spares. I was actually pretty concerned about that given some of the places I'm likely to end up traveling, but I think I figured out a way around that problem. I kept an eye on the military surplus auctions, and ended up buying twelve T831's that were all practically brand new and they cost me less than $200ea.

Running single T831's would prove to be a bit of a challenge though, when it came time to find wheels to mount them on. My choices were very limited, due to the narrow width of these tires and specified 8" rim width. The stock rims were very close to the right width, but the track-width would have been WAY too narrow if I ran them as singles and if I ran them to the outside the front/rear axles wouldn't track. The fact that these 2.5-ton rockwells have kind of an odd six-lug pattern wasn't helping matters, and I couldn't afford to have custom wheels made. There is a Canadian version of the deuce that was equipped with combat-style bead-locked wheels and 11.00 series singles, and those are available at pretty reasonable prices. But they still have a pretty narrow track-width, so I decided to go another route.

 
#71 ·
I read all this by 10:05. Its 10:50.

.MOAR!!!!!!
.MOAR!!!!!!
.MOOOOAAAARRRRR!!!!!!!
please?
 
#74 · (Edited)
wheels/tires

What I ended up doing for wheels is this the following, and it's not anything that I thought of on my own. Somewhere on steelsoldiers I read about it being possible to flip the center-sections in the older deuce wheels that were riveted together. All the details are posted here, but only members can view images so I'll cut/paste.


gringeltaube created these drawings that he posted on SS, comparing the geometry between a stock wheel and one that has had the center-section flipped.












Rounded-up a bunch of old riveted wheels, which was a bit of a hunt, because they were used on the older deuces but the newer wheels are all welded. Started blowing-out the rivets with a cutting torch. It's been suggested that there are a bunch of other (better?) ways I could have done this, but I was just working with the tools I had and everything came out OK in the end. This step took me about 1/2hr per wheel.





 
#133 ·
What I ended up doing for wheels is this the following, and it's not anything that I thought of on my own. Somewhere on steelsoldiers I read about it being possible to flip the center-sections in the older deuce wheels that were riveted together. All the details are posted here, but only members can view images so I'll cut/paste.
One more comment; when you mess with the offset of the wheels you can easily put a lot more load on the bearings. Generally most vehicles are designed such that the centerline of the wheel is over the bearings so that the load on the bearings is correct.

I typically see this where people drastically change the offset on wheels, either by reversing them (if they can) or by buying wheels with a lot more offset.

From looking at your drawings I can't quite make out which is stock and which is mod (I think I know which is which) but then you flipped some of the flanges around and so on, so I am not quite sure where you wound up when finished (not to mention I am not sure where the bearings need to take their load, or how negative offset affects them, or the fact that you went to singles v. duals).

Also, you are probably carrying a lot less weight than the vehicle is rated for you will probably be fine, but I just thought I would mention it because this is something that a lot of people gloss over and then later wonder why their wheel bearings are FUBAR.
 
#75 · (Edited)
wheels/tires

I used an angle-grinder to knock-off the slag and take off the paint where I had to weld-up the rivet holes, then filled the holes and ground all the welds down. This was pretty time-consuming.




Then I mounted the center-sections to one of the axles on mah deuce, which made a handy fixture to hold the center-sections while I trimmed an inch off the lip of each one. Used a square and a sharpie pen to mark a line 1" in from the lip, all the way around the wheel. Then I used a 4.5" grinder with a cutoff wheel to remove that ring (shown laying up against the center-section). I cut it freehand, but rotated the hub/wheel as I cut, to keep it in a comfortable position. Did this because I wanted to maximize the backspacing by welding the flipped center-sections as close to the outer lips of the wheels as possible.




Backspacing ended up right at 6", exactly where gringeltaube said it would be. That guy really knows his stuff.




This is how I checked to make sure the wheels ran true. Hammered on 'em until I got them where they needed to be, then tacked them into place. Was able to get them all within 1/8" (and most within 1/16"), which seems to be a better than the runout on an average stock rim off one of these trucks.




I only welded-up one wheel at first, just to see how it would go. Removed it from the axle to be welded, and welded that first one on the the frontside and the backside of the center-section. Then mounted it back on the axle to make sure the welding hand't affected the runout (it was fine). But when I posted pics on SS, gringeltaube commented that it might be a bad idea to weld on the backside of the center-sections. Welding in that nice deep V sure felt right, but I what he was saying made sense so I started a thread on pirate to ask about that. Brighter minds prevailed and convinced me that I should only weld on the outside of the center-sections. Glad I had only built one wheel at that point, and I got an extra for exactly that reason.



 
#77 ·
I was curious about the scrub radius even though I couldn't really do anything about it. If I was having custom wheels built I might have gone with something closer to 7-8" of backspacing, but 6" was all I could get and I was pretty happy with that (especially for the price). So I posted on pirate, but once again gringeltaube came through.

I had asked him:
jesusgatos said:
Do you happen to know what the distance from the center of the u-joint to the wheel-mounting surface is gringeltaube? What about the kingpin inclination angle?
To which he replied:
gringeltaube said:
9.6" and 8º, respectively.
Scrub radius in your case should be around 2 3/4"

G.
Thanks again G!
 
#78 ·
After assembling my 'practice' wheel, I realized that I should be truing the wheels off of the lip where the rings would seat. Worked out much better that way. All the finished wheels run very true.




After tack-welding the center-sections into place and re-checking the fit, I welded 'em up (on the outside of the flange only).




I decided that I wanted to grind-out all the welds, so I went at them with a sanding disc on a 4.5" angle grinder.




Then I went back and filled in the low spots.




This is what they looked like after I finished grinding out all the welds. Not perfect, but then, nothing is on these old trucks.



 
#79 ·
Then I hauled all those wheels down to Agri Trade School in Salinas, where Tom sand-blasted them for me.




I was going to prime/paint them myself, but fortunately, a buddy of mine told me that I could get them powder-coated at Les Schwab for $25 before I bought paint. And that INCLUDES sandblasting. Dangit. Wasted a little bit of money there, but it worked out alright in the end. Dropped my wheels off with the guys at the Les Schwab up in Fremont.




They obviously have to send the wheels out for powder-coating, so it takes about a week. For $25/wheel, I wasn't complaining though. This is what they looked like when I came back to pick them up.




I went ahead and had them order new tubes and flaps for me. I could have mounted them myself, but I was already there and they do a LOT of work on big trucks. Man, they whipped these things out. It was cool to see how it should be done.











 
#81 ·
wheels/tires

Loaded them all back up and was so excited that I installed them all that night. Well, all except for one of them. Stripped a stud, and had to go buy a new one the next morning. Apologies for the crappy pictures.









 
#84 · (Edited)
Thanks. I wondered about that too, but that's Tracy there in that picture; he's the manager at the Les Schwab in Fremont and he didn't even blink when I asked him about mounting my tires on those wheels. They do a lot of work on heavy trucks, and he was really cool about letting me watch and ask questions and take pictures. Anybody in the area's sure to get good service there but anybody anywhere near a Les Schwab ought to take advantage of their powder-coating services. $25/wheel is crazy-cheap.
 
#302 ·
I was at Les Schwab at Fremont, CA last week getting some brake work done. They are really good guys down there! Their final price was less than estimate because they found a better deal on rotors. Most other shops just run over estimate all the time...
Anyway, it's good to see your project running. Please let me know if I can help you with something, that way, I can be a helper and learn things from you. I'm in SFO bay area.
 
#88 ·
cabover rack

I know this looks like an enormous vehicle, but it's only 26ft long bumper-to-bumper and the box itself is only 12ft long (inside). That's small. REALLY small. So I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to make best use of space.

Really wish I was able to add a cabover section to the box, but that was beyond the scope of this project. Not that it would have been so difficult, but at that point it would have been easier to make a whole new box. Believe me - I was tempted, but that's how the neverending story starts...and I'd rather spend my time traveling (instead of building the end-all ultimate motorhome). So I resigned myself to living within the existing box, but knew that I still needed to make use of that space above the cab somehow.
 
#364 · (Edited)
I know this looks like an enormous vehicle, but it's only 26ft long bumper-to-bumper and the box itself is only 12ft long (inside). That's small. REALLY small. So I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to make best use of space.

Really wish I was able to add a cabover section to the box, but that was beyond the scope of this project. Not that it would have been so difficult, but at that point it would have been easier to make a whole new box. Believe me - I was tempted, but that's how the neverending story starts...and I'd rather spend my time traveling (instead of building the end-all ultimate motorhome). So I resigned myself to living within the existing box, but knew that I still needed to make use of that space above the cab somehow.
Mann this is a Loooong thread. it became apparrant to me on the first page--That YOU have a few screws loose-pal. How do I know--it takes one to know one.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=67309&d=1241051085

mah afkx352 1941 1.5-3 ton im doing a similar thang but gonna build my own rv body w slide out. im using gm 1 ton axles and a 292--with the same spicer 3053a tranz your truck has---because im a skinflint. if you-re ever crusin the senators hwy tween prescott and crown king we might have to find room to pass. Mah jimmy had the same 6 lug buds yours had--most ww2 had 5 lug--sold them split axles and transfer case for what i paid for the truck. Mah body is gonna be 8x15'. You got a stout built woman that can carry a lot of firewood and clean fish and that sorta womans work?
 
#89 ·
cabover rack

Designed a cabover rack in SolidWorks that would be made of tubing and sheetmetal, and would be attached to the box (floating over the cab). I had all the sheetmetal parts laser-cut at a local shop and had been planning on doing the install at my place, but the sheetmetal parts weren't done in time. By the time I got the parts, I had already moved out of my house.

Explained the situation to Graeme and he invited me to come down and work on my rig at his shop. Took the two of us the better part of two days to assemble and mount this rack. Was a little bit tough to keep square as we were putting it together, and getting it into position on the truck was also a challenge. Turned out great in the end though.

The rack will eventually have a lid (hinged on the leading edge) and some type of mesh or something on the sides. Need to maintain some airflow because that's where I'm planning on mounting a generator and the water-heaters, AC condenser, etc. The four circular cutouts on the front are for driving lights.

Will be uploading all the CAD files related to this project to the CAD Library, where they will be available to download and use (free of charge).










 
#90 ·
cabover racks

We used tie-down straps to hold the sheetmetal portion of the rack in place as we riveted it into place. Moved on to the tubework from there. The cabover rack is tied into a horizontal tube (2" x .120-wall) that is bolted to the two lift-points at the top/front corners of the box. Similar tubes run down the sides of the box and across the back, tying into similar lifting points. The plan is to use that tubework to support a party deck and solar panels.

















 
#91 ·
reddot ac

That big hole in the middle of cabover rack is where I mounted an AC condenser. I'm using a RedDot AC/heater (model R-5045) that was originally designed for armored trucks (the type used to transport money). You can read the full specs here, but it's a heavy-duty heat/AC unit that moves up to 430CFM and puts out 46,000BTU's/hr (heat) / 33,000BTU's/hr (AC). Went with one of RedDot's largest units (model R-4500), which has a nice low-profile. Haven't done anything related to the compressor yet. Was much more concerned about these components that I had to design/build things to accommodate. Have also been talking to the people at RedDot and Sy-Klone about fresh air and recirculating air filtration and cabin pressurization systems though. Sent some CAD files to their engineers so they can help me decide how to duct everything. Never gave much thought to airflow and this kind of stuff before, but I'm learning that it makes a huge difference in the overall performance and efficiency of the system.







 
#93 ·
electrical

Back inside the box, my buddy Duane helped me figure out the electrical side of things. We spent some time talking about anticipated loads and how I wanted everything to work. Duane worked-up some schematic drawings, when we put together a shopping list and I spent about $1000 at Home Depot. Had to get some specialty products other places, but that took care of all the 110 wiring and switches and I bought a 250ft spool of 10-guage 3-wire electrical cable to make some extension cords (shore-power). Over the course of about a week Duane and I got all the old wiring stripped out and I made all the cutouts for the electrical outlets and switches.



 
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