Hi All,
I am new to this forum and to M715 ownership. I recently purchased a non-running vehicle that was fairly complete and rust free. I was hoping to restore it to original military condition but have run into a few problems. I have a couple of questions that I was hoping someone could help me with.
1. The dash plates show a model M 715 E-1 - Is there any significance to "E-1"?
2. The dash plate shows a VIN # of 36151 and a delivery date of 1970 - I thought production of these vehicles ended in 1969 why does mine say 1970? Is there another place on the vehicle to to find the production date?
3. After diagnosising why the engine would not run I discovered that it had broken an exhaust valve in the Number 6 cylinder which in turn knocked a gaping hole in the top of the piston. I pulled the cylinder head and the valve seat is chewed up but looks repairable and I have not disassembled the lower part of the engine to determine the extent of the damage. The engine turns over without any significant noises and I even had it running briefly on 5 cylinders before discovering the damage. Can I get parts to rebuild this engine? Seems like most people are swapping in new engines rather than repairing the 230's but since this vehicle is so complete I would like to restore it to original condition if it is economically possible.
Thanks for any help in advance. I have discovered a lot of information on this forum already and look forward to learning much more as I continue with my restoration.