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Thread: cost to rebuild m715

  1. #11

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    Others have given you their advise on operational concerns so I'll address (to me) the real Nightmare, RUST. Upstate New York.... having been born and raised in Upstate N.Y., I say do not run it in the Winter Salt season unless you 'pickle' the underside and all those places where the salt will have a picnic eating it up. I have the utmost respect for many on this forum who have taken a 'rust bucket' and returned it to 'milk pail' condition.
    Even living in Cali for many decades, I have 'pickled' inside most everyplace I could on my M-715. Simply because vehicles built in that era did not have corrosion avoidance as part of the design/assembly.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Southern Indiana
    Posts
    341

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    i had similar plans when i jumped into 715s. now i have 2 and a parts truck none mobil now. Keep another relible dd and work on the kaiser as time and funds allow.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Southern New Hampshire
    Posts
    242

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    rust???!, just use duck-tape!!,
    in all seriousness though, really check it for rust, that is my floor, but I also got another cab and only $745 total into it so far

    I figure at least another $3-400 for brakes, plus whatever time is needed to fix the rust and paint(maybe $2-300 for all the paint and thinner stuff).. I figure I'll be at least $2,000 into it, by the time its good for the road

    as a daily to replace your current, you would be better off finding a honda/little car, and use your gas savings to build the truck

  4. #14

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    I got an M715 and a J-3000 (for the engine and transmission and frame) for $2000 for the pair.
    I've made a lot of my own body parts, welded in new steel after cutting out rust, put in new axles, converted over to disc brakes, painted sanded down and repainted everything, etc.
    I've done all the work myself and am about at 90% completion. So, far I have put in $6000.
    I figure I have another $3500 left: wheels and tires, hardtop, roll cage (which I will build/weld myself).

    I'm projecting $12,000 (including the purchase of the 2 trucks). That is not including a full overhual of the original Buick 350 V8 from the J-truck, which I plan to do sometime down the road.

  5. #15

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    I bought my truck and then started buying parts before I even touched the truck. I quit keeping track when I was 5K into it and all I had was parts in boxes in a spare bedroom.

    Like everyone else says, cost is up to you.

    At a minimum I would replace all the wiring and all the fuel delivery and brake system. You can probably get away without an axle build if you open them up and the fluid and what you can see still looks good. They are old realistically you wont be putting very many miles on it.

    I would say if you already had a decent truck, with 5K you could have a reliable smooth running one.

    Reliability is important to me, more so then looks. Lots of folks just get them running again and drive them. Its up to you if you are comfortable with that, it is a matter of time before you are broke down somewhere though.

  6. #16

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    I'm only in for $2500 so far with 6bt cummins included, but I work in a scrap yard, buy whole trucks for parts I need and either scrap weight or selling the leftover parts is keeping my costs low. The faster you want to get it done the more it will cost. Think good, cheap, fast, then pick only two for the other it cannot be. Good and cheap won't be fast, fast and good won't be cheap, etc....

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
    Posts
    414

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    Quote Originally Posted by coastal20 View Post
    I eventually want a 6bta cummins, new axles, transmission, have the whole body and undercarriage rhino lined.
    So you want an M715 body, and modern drivetrain...

    So did I. My DD is a 715 body on a 1995 F350 chassis. I bought it already built for $5K from a guy in TX, where they don't believe in rust. I get 11-15mpg, FI reliability, easy parts availability, and strong 1-ton running gear (IMHO, as parts have been uprated over the years, modern 1T is probably better than '67 1.25T.)



    Remember, no one ever gets their money out of a project, whether it's a kit car, restoration, wheeler, etc... Put yourself on the right end of that equation and buy one already done, then change what you don't like.

    I've seen 1/2 dozen Cummins 715s for sale in the last few years, mostly for $5-7K.
    $11K: http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=172317
    $6500: http://www.alaska4x4network.com/showthread.php?t=58744

    If you're OK with gas there are TONS of Chevy 350 conversions running around...and do you really need diesel? Towing heavy, turning 52" tires, etc?

    BTW, read up on rhino-lining. There seem to be very few plusses. Heavy, rough and hard to clean, encapsulates rust so you can't see it, major PIA to remove for any modifications or repairs (welding)...just my opinion.

    Here's a good build: Project Jungle Rot

    All that said, "the perfect is the enemy of the good". If you can get a truck locally for $2K and be driving, do it! Just be realistic about what you're going to do with it eventually, and how you want to get there.

  8. #18

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    I did run my M715 for some 15 years for daily use.
    However, that is some 15+ years ago. And my truck was converted to a German Diesel engine with a milage on long distances of about 15 mpg. Short distances of less than 10 miles I came down easily to 8 mpg, until all the oil was warm. It was fun and helped me a lot with howling all the construction material I needed to rebuild my house.
    After some 32 + years I'm now short of a 100000 miles with the truck and for nowadays I can not recommend the truck for daily use any more. 15 to 20 years ago, it was ok.
    12 years ago I converted the truck to a 6.2 l Diesel during the second complete restauration. The power of the truck is phantastic, however for daily use in Germany it is not fun any more with the trafic.
    From the side of costs, which are not compareable between Germany and the US, the truck is too expensive for daily use, especially with regard to replace wearing parts.
    For daily use I own a Renault Kangoo, which is not available in the States, with an econnomy of 38 mpg.
    The payload is the same as of the K5 Military Blazer, which I used for 14 years and some 200000 miles, however, had a milage of 14 mpg.
    Hope this helps to understand the circumstances.
    Wolf

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