M715 rebuild

[bmac6026]

the green looked very nice.

[teking]

the green looked very nice.

Lol ... not a fan I take it. it will be lighter in the sun.

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[jhartings]

I dig the grey. I have seen a few M715s this color and they look mean!

[teking]

Outside...



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[chimera555]

I like the gray! What are you planning to do for the canvas top? Mine doesn't have the stock bow frame. Just a sketchy roll bar

[teking]

I like the gray! What are you planning to do for the canvas top? Mine doesn't have the stock bow frame. Just a sketchy roll bar

flipped through a fabric book and picked out a convertible top fabric to go with the paint color and have a local shop making a new one with a rollup back.

[teking]

Starting to come together as the painting progresses.....

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[chimera555]

Progressing very nicely. Can I ask what made you decide to go with the sm465 and np205 over the stock set up? I see others here doing the same combo and I'm beginning to wounder if my plan to retain the stock t98 an np200 may not a be the best idea?

[teking]

NP200 & T98 were never intended to run extended modern highway speeds. This is a 45MPH truck in stock form.

NP200 will overheat at extended highway speeds ... especially where it is already hot, like down here in Florida. This is why Memphis Equipment puts oil coolers on the NP200 on M715 rebuilds. And it is loud. Not so bad if you relocate the drive shaft to the center output. But it will still sing at speed. NP205 was engineered for highway speeds and was in MANY a truck in the 70s and 80s.

I picked the SM465 because it has the granny first gear. And was cheap as crap. I got both the tranny and xfercase for $400. Both are as simple as it gets if you need to rebuild and parts are readily available at the parts store. Even with the 4.56 gearing I can have my cake an eat it to. Highway speeds AND a low LOW 1st gear for stump pulling LOL. I had a '84 Dodge 3/4 ton powerwagon with a granny and you never used it unless hauling. Manual even said start in 2nd. Loved that truck.

So basically I wanted and old school granny drivetrain with a modern engine. Thus the LS1/SM465/NP205 combo. Others will tell you I could have done this that or the other thing. But this works and is easy AS HELL to plug together. NO ADAPTERS! Standard 350 bellhousing and an LS7 pilot bearing. DONE.

There is something to be said for carefree driving an M715 down the highway to your local parts store for parts while towing a heavy trailer.

BTW - I'm tickled s--tless how badazz those hummer wheels turned out. Hillybilly Wizard and Trail Worthy Fab did outstanding work pairing the two. The ONLY DOT legal double beadlock. I can airdown to zero on the beach and right back up for the drive home!

[brute4c]

On the tcase, yeah, stock they are loud and get hot...but, at least when I did it, moving the rear driveshaft to the drivers side flange on the case from the passenger side eliminated the whine at speed up to 60...didnt run it faster than that...