my first m715...any suggestions on where to start?

[kaptaincripple]

i traded my 97 jeep wrangler with a bad tranny for a 1967 m715. it has pontiac 400 engine beefed up a little bit msd ignition, offroad holly carb, moroso oil pan, pretty braided fuel lines with an inline jegs fuel pressure gage....sm465 tranny...has the original np200 devorced tcase...stock axles but rear has disc brakes i believe thats a conversion? they had custome steal rims 15" rims 15" wide...i have read thats a good thing because the split rims were a pain to deal with? 39.5 x 15 x 15 swampers. only bad so far besides a bunch of small things here and there is that someone that owned it before me welded the rear end and their weld broke so i have some problems there but i plan on getting a locker for the rear soon so that will hopefully replace everthing they welded i am wanting to use it as a weekend warrior drive it on the street now and then but mainly offroading and moving to arizona in a year maybe too so i will use it in the desert and pulling a 5th wheel tailer....does anyone have tips to make it road worthy what would be the best engine to put in it for mpg (i know it wont get much no matter what i do) and enough power for playin in the mud/learning to rock crawl...was thinking diesel and running WVO but any tips from you guys would be great! also i might be selling or trading the rims and tires because i want the 46" military michelin tires but not sure how hard it will be to make the 20" rims fit the stock 6 lug till i can aford to get some 2.5 ton rockwells.....i will post a pic as soon as i can figure out how on this site...

[randyscycle]

What a project.

The 400 Pontiac sounds like a neat choice and would work well for most stuff.

The rear disc brakes would either be something homebrew, or possibly an axle swap. Why they went with only the rear and not the front, I can only guess.

15 inch rims that are also 15 inches wide are something I'd like to see. I have a set of 15 X10's and they are pretty darn wide.

The welded gears sound like they will need some serious attention with a set of spanners.

Daily driving will be a bit out I am sure. The rest of the stock driveline behind the 400 Pontiac will need to be considered. Your new engine choice should be based on a lot of research here. Just use the search button and you'll get more info than you can ever read.

46" Michelins will be a full house to say the least, even with Rockwells.

Can't wait to see the pics.

[kaptaincripple]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89643616@N08

[Flingarrows]

Good looking truck, welcome to the zone.

If I were starting fresh and had the cash it would be a 6bt with a 5 speed. Right now Im good with anything that run reliably

[Don Cavey]

Very nice and always great to see another M715 added to the "Fleet".

Welcome and please be sure to post pictures and ask questions. There are many here with much experience and expertise. I am not necessarily one of them but I did drive an M715 for about two years "back in the day" in Utah and Germany, 1969-1970.

[kyken]

Looks good! Welcome to the Zone!
I have some extra doors down here in Louisville if you need.

[militarypotts]

Welcome aboard.

[kaptaincripple]

Thanks for the welcome.... I have doors for it but passenger door is all beat up....this build will probably take me awhile I'm trying to fix up my wife's 09 lancer I bought totaled before I really jump into the m715 with any high dollar upgrades which is why I'm leaning towards a Detroit 6.2 or maybe a 6.5 turbo...since they will mate up to my tranny nicely and the 6.2 is so cheap around me...200 to 300 complete and running...but I pulled my rear did cover and the guy I got it from must have been guessing about the rear being welded cuz it has lockers front and rear...with a broken axle on the front passenger side......anyone have a 6.2 in one of these trucks? And anyone know what spline the front and rear axle shafts are so I can get parts before I take it apart? I have searched on yahoo and got 3 or 4 different answers...

[Flingarrows]

I put a 6.2 in mine about a year ago. I still dont have a lot of drive time on it, but it is fun. Barrman is putting a 6.2 in his right now, and there a a bunch of others that have too, just search 6.2

If you come up with questions, everyone here is happy to help out

There is info about mine here: Finally got her on the road!

[Barrman]

Your Pontiac engine has a different bell housing than the Chevy side of GM used. You will need to find a Chevy bell to get the 6.2 in there. There are big hole and small hole bellhousings. Your 465 probably will need the big hole bell. Just something to keep in mind when part hunting.

Yes, there are many of us with the 6.2 in the trucks or going in the trucks. If you want the performance of a high power engine, go 4BT Cummins. If you want neck snapping performance, go 6BT. If you want super reliable normal power, good economy and cheap entrance price. Go 6.2.

Be prepared for the noise though. A diesel engine is louder than a gas engine unless you have a 2012 or newer computer controlled unit from the Big 3. Normal running 6.2 engines can best be described as a washing machine full of lawn mower parts when it comes to sound. That is with good mufflers and a very restrictive air filter housing.

I drove my 6.2 powered M1009 to work this morning. It has firewall insulation, but nothing else and it is like being inside a tin can down range of a bb gun. Riding in the 6.2 powered 725 belonging to Sermis is way louder. However, my 6.2 powered former USAF Suburban has hood, firewall and floor insulation and it is about the same noise as any other vehicle from that time period.

I drove my truck stock daily for a few years. Drove it daily with a fire breathing 396 Big Block and still think I am taking a step up with the 6.2 swap. Mainly because normal driving, trailer pulling, parades and trail runs don't need 5 trillion horse power at 5,000 rpm. They need lots of torque at low rpm, a fuel system that will handle angles and an engine that doesn't over heat at idle. A turbo would be nice, but the 6.2 turbo doesn't do anything until 2500 rpm and a center mount 6.5 turbo won't fit unless you cut the firewall a bunch.

I just keep thinking back to the 2006 national FE at WITC off road park in TN. A few people had stock trucks, a few had V8's and we all had issues on steep hills. Oilcan in his 6.2 powered M715 just chugged on by us with a smile on his face.

Thinking even further back to the 2004 FE at LBL in KY brings up Lee and his 4BT powered truck. Same thing as Oilcan, but with wheel spin.