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Guys,
After reading lots of different posts, I wanted to get some answers from you, given the following scenario...
How would you upgrade a M715 to make it the most fun to drive and most reliable, if you only had $1,000 to spend and are not worried about keeping it stock?
I am keeping the Tornado, and have new tires already. Assume the truck is already running, and all fluids and plugs are fresh.
Selectro hubs, Pertronix ignition, carb upgrade, what else?
Civilian distributor helps with power and mileage...great thing if you can find one.
Swap the rear driveshaft location on the tcase, need a new flange and such to do it but it gets rid of all that gear whine the stock trucks have.
What Jon wrote. Plus have your fuel tank boiled by a radiator shop or get a new one built. Then if any money is left over start on replacing the oldest thing in the brake system. The brakes will need constant money or labor over the years. So you might as well go at it.
If you are just tooling around town, I would just swap to a pertronix ignition and keep an extra coil in the glove box. No need to move drive shaft or civvy ignition since you won't likely spend much time on the highway. A 2 bbl carb would give more power if you need it, but for cruising I don't think it would be a problem.
Put on a top with the roll-up rear window. Much more pleasant to drive especially with the fixed windows in the doors removed.
You are in Co. so a heater would be nice if you don't have it already.
Selectro hubs are nice. But if not highway driving I wouldn't bother.
One of the best mods I made for my truck was a padded battery box cover with cupholders in it. I tried to sell 'em on here but no one was interested. Hitting your funny bone on the battery box ain't funny.
Swap to Dot 5 for the brakes. Lengthens the life and reliability of the brake ccomponents.
And most important, swap the stock seats for suspension seats. They smooth out the ride. I used hmmwv seat bases to mount them in the truck, since the stock bases were a little tall.
I would add a restored J-truck bench seat: much more sensible (to me) than the stock military seating.
Guys, thanks for the input.
So I will replace brakes lines and rubber, go with DOT5, rebuild or replace cylinders, reline shoes.
Pertronix EI for sure, it is on the way to me now. I will order an extra coil, sounds like wisdom.
I have to figure out if the heater fan works, the wire is cut right now, suspicious. Any suggestions for upgrades?
Kensdodge1 is selling me a windshield, which I will use to fab the hardtop, using it as the rear window. I want to figure out how I can make it operable, so that I can just swing down the whole back window, like the front does. Might need help with some engineering there...stay tuned.
I will research the shaft/tcase relocation idea on the Zone, I am sure it has been documented well, and I will be on the highway sometimes. Nervous about overheating issues, we will see what to do there. Also, if money is available, the Selectro hubs will probably happen. I swapped to manual locking hubs in my 86 4Runner, and it made a big difference.
Keep the ideas coming fellas, really appreciate the help. RB
I did the Pertronix, changed the brake master cylinder out for a dual reservoir mc, changed the wheel cylinders to E350s, added the Selectro hubs and an all metal FSJ heater (some are fiberglass). Welcome and let the fun begin!
Kyken,
What dual reservoir MC did you use?
And you used wheel cylinders from an E350 Ford, shown here...like this? Photobucket sucks. Wonder if there is a way to get those photos back?
I need to go hunting for a heater on the FSJ sites...winter here is cold!
Thanks for the input. RB
Pretty much everything I did, with the exception of the seat mentioned above.Quote:
Originally Posted by kyken
The MC I used was a Napa 10-371.
I believe I used the Cardone #A-1-10-1331. A search above should be able to give the info and instructions. The instructions I printed out said also the Wagner F66857 (updated #96246) and Raybestos 36246.
BJ's still sells a driveshaft relocation kit. And sectro hubs too.
http://www.bjsoffroad.com/Driveshaft-Parts_c_224.html
http://www.bjsoffroad.com/Axle-Parts_c_222.html
There's $400 gone.
that's the fun of the $1000 limit. makes you prioritize what is really important to you.
True. Wish I had back the money I wasted on a radio. Can't hear it over 20 MPH and the memory drains my primary battery if I don't drive it very often. Yanked it out yesterday.Quote:
Originally Posted by kwai
Anybody need a fancy Audiopipe boat stereo?
I'd put brakes ahead of the driveshaft relocation and hubs. Once you dig into the brakes ain't no telling what else you'll find. May end up doing shoes or bearings and seals too.
once you tear in it's like drinking out of spittoon... hard to stop until it's all done. :puke:
I have to agree with you, Von. The driveshaft relocation seems like icing on the cake to me, not all that essential.Quote:
Originally Posted by Von
Power steering and power brakes can also be added fairly inexpensively (although mounting a PS pump on a 230 can take some work).
Regarding the bench seat, I can now stretch out (6'4") and it absorbs the bumps well!
Done! Thanks for the tip!Quote:
Originally Posted by Nailhead
$300ish for Gronk's 2 Barrel MC2100 upgrade
$200 for Classic Tube stainless lines (also converting to DOT5 when I do the brakes next month)
$150 for a front and back bench from a Grand Wagoneer (bench to go in bed for kids)
$150ish for Pertronix
$120ish for spark plugs (holy smokes, guys that sucked)
$100ish for fluids and filters
I am sitting right above a grand at this point. Expect to do the dual MC upgrade which will cost a little, and need to buy the flex lines for the brakes, as well as figure out relining costs for drums, yada yada.
By the time I get this thing 'reliable' I will be at two grand, I bet. My 230 seems to be happy currently, so I am crossing my fingers, but I do have an LS sitting in the garage, anxious to be swapped in...
I wish mine did...:(Quote:
Originally Posted by ColoradoSpringsRob
You bet! Old trucks should have bench seats, IMHO.Quote:
Originally Posted by ColoradoSpringsRob
Forgot I had the wheels sandblasted, then I coated with three coats of 2K epoxy, then three coats of paint, then new tubes, flaps, meat.
Probably sitting at $450 or so for that whole project, with paint and stuff. Tires were a sweet score from a guy in Denver via Craigs.
Started to post stuff to YouTube.
FLAP AND TUBE INSTALL
SAFETY SPLIT RING INSTALL
$300ish for Gronk's 2 Barrel MC2100 upgrade
$200 for Classic Tube stainless lines (also converting to DOT5 when I do the brakes next month)
$150 for front and back bench seats from a Grand Wagoneer (bench to go in bed for kids)
~$150 for Pertronix
~$120 for spark plugs (holy smokes, guys that sucked, 6 @ about $20 with tax, shipped)
~$100 for fluids and filters
$450 wheels stripped, 2K epoxy, paint, flaps, tubes, tires
$100 4 E350 cylinders (2-Dorman W37263, 2-Dorman W37262, $50) and Corvette dual MC (Dorman M56193, $50), all on Amazon.
$140 for seat belts from Wesco (6 of them, 3 front/3 back)
$1,610 as of 3/4/19
$5,000 truck cost, ebay
$1,000 shipping from Iowa
$1,610 spent so far that I can remember
$7,610
I gotta ask: 1. Are those plugs military? They're hideously expensive-- mine were like $5. 2. Where'd you get a deal like that on tires? Mine (all in) were $1300-ish.Quote:
Originally Posted by ColoradoSpringsRob
Yes, military plugs, painfully expensive. What plugs do you use?
Regarding the tires, I scored those on Craigslist. It was one of those days where I thought 'Hey, I need tires, lets look on Craigs...' and I did a search for Power King Super Traction, and lo and behold, a fresh set of four, brand new, were posted for $300. I got lucky. The guy sold me tubes and flaps too. Sometimes God smiles on my project, and this was that kind of day.
Now, the untold story here is that God had a lesson to teach me. Driving up to Denver to pick them up, I got pulled over by a highway patrol officer, and he happily gave me a ticket for expired tag (but he did not smile much), which resulted in him impounding my truck immediately, a hefty impound fee, an expensive ticket, and the cost of a ride back to Colorado Springs in an Uber, which was not cheap. All because my tag was expired by a couple of months. I even explained that I was getting tires for my M715, and this did not sway him in the least. Usually when I play the M715 card, I get special treatment, but not that day.
So, one could say that I should really list the tires as $800+, and that would be most accurate and reflective of the true cost to me for those tires, but I am attempting to not commingle my irresponsibility into these numbers...
Wow... Colorado doesn’t play with expired tags. Normally I would think that would be a ticket but not an impound.
I was shocked when he said 'Get out of the truck, the wrecker is on its way.'
They don't play in Colorado. I think they probably arrest you for lack of insurance, and give you five years breaking rocks for a dead tail light. Beware!
Champion L87YC or Autolite 375, I can't remember which-- I took that info from my M715 notes. They work great, whichever ones they are. Cheap, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by ColoradoSpringsRob
I ran a set of Super Tractions on my M43, and they were excellent off road. On road, they wore really quickly. Watch out for deep, soft surfaces-- you will dig your own grave nearly instantly: picture an M43 ambulance, a sandy beach by a lake, and an idiot with no tools or recovery gear at the wheel. It was a long day digging with my hands and cutting willow branches with my pocket knife to stuff under the tires as I slowly made my way out of there.
I didn't know CO was so hard on expired tags these days. Back in the 90's, it was a wrist-slap offense. Good to know.
true. And with lockers in both axles you can get twice as stuck twice as fast.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nailhead
In the second pic I stopped before the axles hit the ground.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4704/...e2c4160d_c.jpgIMG_20160423_121804354 by kerry walker, on Flickr
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4770/...74437678_c.jpgIMG_20160423_193000173_HDR by kerry walker, on Flickr
I had a Hercules DT3.7 diesel in that M43, and had the running boards on the ground a few times while out in the sticks that spring. It was really rainy for months.Quote:
Originally Posted by Von