Stock Valance/Brush Guard?

Hi all, I have some questions...

I bought and installed a brush guard, but something doesn't seem right about it's physical relationship to the valance. I hope that the following photos communicate this idea.

I have seen other M715 photos and I think that the brush guard should sit farther away from the the front of the valance. Additionally, there are mounting bolt holes on the brush guard that that don't line up, and the brush guard scratches the front of the grill. There is also a bolt hole on the top of the grill that there is no corresponding hole on the valance for. It's a mystery to me, and I was hoping someone could tell me (or show me with photos) how the stock valance/brush guard relationship should be.

While I wait for my engine to be (warranty) diagnosed in a shop, I have some time to ask lingering, unanswered questions.

Thanks in advance!

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/5351/C7REiq.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/3213/NBaol8.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/6126/Y6eG0W.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/9482/Okdwks.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/6596/6ADiX4.jpg

What you have there is a Rhino grille in the valance. The rhino grille was standard on the gladiator pickups. It isn't original on a M715. It also explains the lack of a hole on the top.



You can gain more clearance by moving the brushguard out by extending the brackets.
or remove the rhino grille. (if you don't want it, they usually sell for $200+ depending on condition).

The M715 never came with a grill, like Kawi explained. That is off a civilian Gladiator. As you can see in this pic, the stock M715 brush guard actually does fit fairly close to the front valance, especially at the peak in the middle.
https://i.imgur.com/xUhhu9V.jpg

Everyone I have seen on a truck and the one I installed ALL had that clearance problem...

Excellent... Thanks to all of you!

When I remove the grill, the radiator will seem kind of exposed to me. I drive up in the mountains, off road and through some very rugged and overgrown roads, and I am concerned that flying rocks or other debris might puncture the radiator.

Maybe a protective covering of expanded steel painted black?

What have others done? Can anyone show photos of examples of what they used to protect their radiators from debris and branches?

Thanks in advance!~

I dont have a pic...to protect the radiator, I used a heavy screen material with about a 1/4 inch opening in the grids...with a large washer through it at the edge, it never moved or gave me trouble...painted it black of course.

I removed the Rhino Grill and listed it on eBay. Bidding starts at $200 with $275 as the buy Now price. If you mention that you saw it on this site, I will sell it for less to members here. Straight...no dents. Joy!


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/8567/WJBGle.jpg


I am getting a quote for woven steel mesh. It looks more "vintage" and date authentic than does expanded steel. (In my best Mick Jagger voice) "Paint it black."

I couldn't help but notice how the radiator is offset slightly to the driver's side. Strange design, but it's that way on original photos too.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/6716/bldPFV.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/2452/VnJ5TJ.jpg

BTW, nice looking truck Beast...but then, you hear that from everyone. :)

I have expanded metal in mine too...

https://i.imgur.com/dhc13AZ.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/IHAxgMf.jpg?1

Quote:

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Originally Posted by plumas.placer.miner

BTW, nice looking truck Beast...but then, you hear that from everyone. :)

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Thanks, It's one of my favorite military vehicles in my collection. It was the first one I restored way back in 2004 and led to my green iron addiction.

After seeing these (above), I will never complain about how much money I am spending on my truck again. Whoa nelly.

I decided to go with this...

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/9813/mRusAq.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by plumas.placer.miner

After seeing these (above), I will never complain about how much money I am spending on my truck again. Whoa nelly.

I decided to go with this...

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/9813/mRusAq.jpg

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Alot of overtime/weekends goes into it... you got that right. :mad:

https://i.imgur.com/PdGMN6r.jpg?1

https://flic.kr/p/2g3fZno

Amazing....

I showed these photos of your trucks to my wife. She now understands I am not the only guy with "olive drab madness".

She began to think I was crazy when I started placer mining in the Sierras...now the M715 project has confirmed it for her.

Bless her heart. haha. I am lucky to have her.

Didn't know what placer mining was. So I looked it up.

Quote:

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Placer mining is relatively simple as long as you don't expect to make a profit; but it becomes much more difficult if your intention is to make some money.

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Haha...that's about right. I have spent a lot of money on mining equipment, and I pay taxes on 4 California claims, totaling almost 100 acres. Heck, I don't even own the land...just the mineral rights to the land.

And CA has made placer mining more difficult by outlawing small-scale suction dredging. {{boo hiss}}

But, people get lucky sometimes. Take, for instance, this guy in Butte (pronounced "byoot") County CA. in 2014:

https://www.goldrushnuggets.com/buttenugget.html

And you sure won't find any gold if'n you don't go lookin' for it! Those old times scoured the Sierras, but they didn't have machines that could look 18" underground!

In life, I have found, that LUCK plays a role...

... and gold is where you find it!



https://www.goldrushnuggets.com/buttenugget.html

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/1493/pglmUw.jpg

I found it here. Probably cheaper (but not as much fun).

http://www.buriramtimes.com/wp-conte...d-shop-006.jpg

Yeah Thailand...I remember that place! haha

Some things that make mining appealing to me are:

1. I am a teacher, so I have Summers off. I have time to go to the mountains for extended camping trips.

2. Teaching is sort of a desk job, and after dealing with those cheese-puff-eating 20-something kids all year, AND state government bureaucratic processes, I like going to the mountains and building roads and stacking rocks. haha. It's cathartic for me. I need the discharge of pent-up emotions and I crave physical labor. What can I say...I am a working dog.

3. Everyone needs a hobby.

4. Mining is a western heritage activity. Someday, small-scale mining might be completely outlawed for the common man. I want to do it while it's still possible.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/4952/GO6O10.jpg

ok. what's the steel barrel for?

It's an old water storage tank. Maybe a boiler for an old steam engine puller or something. There's tons of old mining equipment still up in the High Sierras. There are old gears and wheels sticking up out of the ground in places. They just left the equipment there. This is very high in the Sierras.

They had to move those huge trees and move those humongous boulders, so steam engines were used in the later years (1870s and afterward I think). Before that, they used mules...and strong men. Those old timers were tougher than rubber.

This is an old shaker sluice I found on one of my claims. They washed a lot of gravel and mined a lot of gold up there.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/27/CR0nRS.jpg

The radiator in our application...and many other FSJ’s...is offset because, well, Jeep was cheap.
Basically, small cooling need systems have a narrower radiator and the larger demand systems have a wider one...if you look inside at the panel the radiator mounts to you can see where you can cut and open the front for the wider radiator...
One mount stayed put and the other changed depending on which width was needed.