😃 FLASHBACK!!! A Duce and a Half Electro-Optics Maintenance Vehicle!!! That was exactly what I had back in 1983!!! USMC (2171/2172) Bear Hunt!!! Okinawa to Korea!!! Damn it was cold!! But, I learned a lot!!!🇺🇲👍🏿
Night vision repair? Thanks for your service. I spent two years in Korea as well. We had our squad tent heater glowing red hot at one point when our fire guard fell asleep. That scared us all and we didn't tell anyone!
Have had my M109 since 1992, thing is stupid reliable. The only potential issues are the head gaskets, the “old” style would start leaking coolant internally. Keep a close eye on the rad levels. I put a turbo off a LDS 465 onto the exhaust manifold and plumbed the oil lines. 10 PSI boost! Diesels are Briggs and Stratton simple, but heavier. One head weighs about 100lbs. Be careful wheeling, if you don’t have a winch (10k PTO), getting stuck becomes a burn in-place operation unless you have a buddy with a comparably sized truck and recovery equipment. They will not go anywhere, ask me how I know, sunk it into a spring fed high Sierra mud hole, 8 hours of shovel time, and some seriously stupid tug strap operations with a Land Cruiser FJ-55. Go to Steel Soldiers forum and start reading.
I see you got some fab skills, I would suggest a solid bar on the roof to protect the fragile solar panels, hate to go under a tree branch and ruin all of that.
Probably the best exploration vehicle conversion I've seen is a mountain rescue ambulance. ;-) It has everything that you could need preinstalled (and a bit more that you don't).
Drip loops are your friend! whenever wire penetrates inside the cabin, you want the wire to go "uphill" (even for the smallest amount) before it enters, That way rain water can't follow the wire inside. The water will fall off the wire where it turns up.
Highly recommend having every tool needed to do just about anything these trucks are designed for a quick fix situation especially for the air pump if the belt comes loose. carry an extra tire or two for the certain situation and there should be a air hookup underneath the dash driver side so you can air up just about anything
Nice start, good platform to build from. I strongly recommend you watch for Pinion Seal leaks , those axles will pump themselves dry in just a couple miles and those seals commonly fail, and the fuel pump on that engine can be your worst ghost to chase when you feel that the multi fuel engine needs a tune up, just stay with pump diesel and clean your injection parts with some quality K 1 kerosene before reassembly. You might want to look into converting to 10.0x20 Super Singles and doing the hub flip on your own, radial tires are so much better on mileage, off road, and wear life, than those uni-directionals. Remember that truck is roadside maintenance friendly, she will get you home if you listen to her. I pulled my Pioneer Rack off and added a second 50 gal tank, and since I built my van box in the factory bed , I left space to move the spare behind the cab and added a diesel compressor and a generator / welder stacked, but my van box is only 10 ft long, but easily removable. 1969 Kaiser w/continental, M35a & 1998 General M923a1 project
Thank you Steve, bought an M109 1968 Kaiser shop van similar to yours back in August and these videos are helpful. I actually appreciated the solar installation as I was planning this as well. Cheers!
I like! I would think a queen sized bed would be more than enough, giving you a little more room inside. Get the bed off the floor, and you have storage underneath ... whether your build drawers/cabinets, or just have space to slide totes in (and fix them in place). Lots of potential with what you have there!! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this thing.
Interesting fact about your van box. The truck might be a m109a3 but the box is a m185 box. Reason is you have a generator start/stop button below the main circuit breaker box that allows you to switch between 110 & 24v. The m109 boxes didn't have that. Your m109a3 is setup like mine for power that's how I know.
This is bad ass! Are you considering running hard conduit on the outside down the line to make sure nothing ends up flapping in the wind? Also, super singles down the line with bigger tires so you can cruise at a lower RPM? I love this thing! I'll be following this build!
I want one of these trucks... but ditch the diesel engine, and install an electric powertrain. More panels on the roof, make an awning of panels... "Unlimited" range.
After You've invested ( waisted ) 30 grand you'll realize that was a down payment on a home that appreciates in value . The parts inventory for that old DOOSH is getting leaner as each year passes .
Hi Steve, a very Interesting video again. I was watching you clean your fuel tank filter, and remembered something i saw or read that you can use a certain percentage of used motor oil mixed in with diesel fuel for highway use, but, would your fuel burning heater also work on that mixture ? .. As always, thank you for the video..Ian - UK. - Oh before I forget, off subject but thought of you - Tom Cotter finding cars in the UK, worth watching - ua-cam.com/video/5-RozE99z6w/v-deo.html
@@bcgrittner Hi mate thanks for that.. I owned a landrover Discovery early 3 door with its 2 -1/2 litre diesel TDi engine, and when diesel fuel was very expensive here In the Uk, i mixed new fresh cooking oil 50% with diesel fuel plus a splash of unleaded, the engine ran as normal, but quieter, still went very well, but did smell of french fries going down the road.. I had to sell it on at 240.000 miles still going strong, loved that old discovery but i became disabled and the clutch became just too heavy for me.. Owned it 10 happy years.. Mixing Bio fuel with diesel fuel IS permitted under UK law up to 2.500 litres per years IF you keep records of it - I never did, no one said anything..More modern diesel engines wont normally accept that mix now though I been told, even diesel fuel is currently £1.39 per LITRE so x that by 4.5 should equal 1 UK gallon ? I dont know, I just fill my current Landrover till its full or to the nearest £..
@@ianburit3705 Sounds like you hit the magic mix. When I worked with some farms a few years back, we tried bio-diesel in the farm engines. We accepted the reduced power. The problem was that when we stopped the engines, the bio-diesel baked onto the injector tips. The only fix was to replace the injectors. If you can start and finish with the engines on petro-diesel, that would solve that problem. Modern farm engines, generally, don't have a separate fuel tank for that purpose. Then, there was the problem of the refineries not getting all the glycerin out of the bio-diesel. Our climate, here in the north central United States, is much harsher than the climate in the UK. The extreme cold of our winters was causing the fuel systems to plug up. The law requiring 90/10 percent petro-bio diesel mix was suspended until the refineries could solve the problem. Currently, the situation is stable, and our fuel prices are very moderate here in the US - the crude oil market being depressed. Meanwhile, I urge extreme caution regarding vegetable based fuels.
I want one of these trucks... but ditch the diesel engine, and install an electric powertrain. More panels on the roof, make an awning of panels... "Unlimited" range.
I think you have *drastically* miscalculated the rolling resistance of a vehicle like this. You'd need a Tesla Semi pack and drivetrain, and an acre of panels. I'm not exaggerating.
@@PatrickKQ4HBD I think you *drastically* overestimated how much I care for your opinion on the matter, or how much you think you're better than me... You ain't.. I'm fully aware, and versed in the physics & electrics required to move such a vehicle. I'm perfectly comfortable with 100-150miles traveled, for 3-7 days of recharging. If I were in the situation, I'd be in zero rush to go anywhere... Not everyone needs (wants) 600miles range and fully charged in 60 minutes.
😃 FLASHBACK!!! A Duce and a Half Electro-Optics Maintenance Vehicle!!! That was exactly what I had back in 1983!!! USMC (2171/2172) Bear Hunt!!! Okinawa to Korea!!! Damn it was cold!! But, I learned a lot!!!🇺🇲👍🏿
Night vision repair? Thanks for your service. I spent two years in Korea as well. We had our squad tent heater glowing red hot at one point when our fire guard fell asleep. That scared us all and we didn't tell anyone!
We got a 1974 M109 love driving in the woods with it
Making me wish I had the deuce with this top instead of the bed with the cover
Have had my M109 since 1992, thing is stupid reliable. The only potential issues are the head gaskets, the “old” style would start leaking coolant internally. Keep a close eye on the rad levels. I put a turbo off a LDS 465 onto the exhaust manifold and plumbed the oil lines. 10 PSI boost! Diesels are Briggs and Stratton simple, but heavier. One head weighs about 100lbs. Be careful wheeling, if you don’t have a winch (10k PTO), getting stuck becomes a burn in-place operation unless you have a buddy with a comparably sized truck and recovery equipment. They will not go anywhere, ask me how I know, sunk it into a spring fed high Sierra mud hole, 8 hours of shovel time, and some seriously stupid tug strap operations with a Land Cruiser FJ-55. Go to Steel Soldiers forum and start reading.
I see you got some fab skills, I would suggest a solid bar on the roof to protect the fragile solar panels, hate to go under a tree branch and ruin all of that.
Probably the best exploration vehicle conversion I've seen is a mountain rescue ambulance. ;-)
It has everything that you could need preinstalled (and a bit more that you don't).
Drip loops are your friend! whenever wire penetrates inside the cabin, you want the wire to go "uphill" (even for the smallest amount) before it enters, That way rain water can't follow the wire inside. The water will fall off the wire where it turns up.
Highly recommend having every tool needed to do just about anything these trucks are designed for a quick fix situation especially for the air pump if the belt comes loose. carry an extra tire or two for the certain situation and there should be a air hookup underneath the dash driver side so you can air up just about anything
Nice build, but you might want to consider fusing that new wiring.
Well done Colin Robinson!
Now that looks like an off road camper! I can't wait to see what else you come up with for this rig!!
Nice start, good platform to build from. I strongly recommend you watch for Pinion Seal leaks , those axles will pump themselves dry in just a couple miles and those seals commonly fail, and the fuel pump on that engine can be your worst ghost to chase when you feel that the multi fuel engine needs a tune up, just stay with pump diesel and clean your injection parts with some quality K 1 kerosene before reassembly. You might want to look into converting to 10.0x20 Super Singles and doing the hub flip on your own, radial tires are so much better on mileage, off road, and wear life, than those uni-directionals. Remember that truck is roadside maintenance friendly, she will get you home if you listen to her.
I pulled my Pioneer Rack off and added a second 50 gal tank, and since I built my van box in the factory bed , I left space to move the spare behind the cab and added a diesel compressor and a generator / welder stacked, but my van box is only 10 ft long, but easily removable.
1969 Kaiser w/continental, M35a & 1998 General M923a1 project
YUP.. READY FOR PART 2. KEEPING IT AFFORDABLE AND FUNCTIONAL.. AWESOME!!
See all the videos of this build here: ua-cam.com/play/PLRMQ-ShmnWOatsXZotIJOqGKvPDOMZ77V.html
where you put your new ladder was where we stored the steps to get into the shop van. there were built in mounts on that spot.
I have those steps but they are incredibly heavy. They make the new steps out of aluminum but mine are steel.
The motor home built to survive a war! Tough stuff. Cheers
Thank you Steve, bought an M109 1968 Kaiser shop van similar to yours back in August and these videos are helpful. I actually appreciated the solar installation as I was planning this as well. Cheers!
You’re doing some nice work, Steve.
This week with cars and campers.
Nice.
hi i stopped by at the ford dealer to day to say hi and look at the duce , i was the guy with the dog with one eye
I will watch every video you post on this project
I like! I would think a queen sized bed would be more than enough, giving you a little more room inside. Get the bed off the floor, and you have storage underneath ... whether your build drawers/cabinets, or just have space to slide totes in (and fix them in place). Lots of potential with what you have there!! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this thing.
Interesting fact about your van box. The truck might be a m109a3 but the box is a m185 box. Reason is you have a generator start/stop button below the main circuit breaker box that allows you to switch between 110 & 24v. The m109 boxes didn't have that. Your m109a3 is setup like mine for power that's how I know.
Love all your projects. This one is brilliant. Keep up the great work. You are such a talented fellow, an inspiration to us all.
I'm liking this set up....wish I had one
Looks great. I have a diesel pusher motorhome I use often and love it. Its sure nice to be comfortable away from home.
Well, I guess I'll have some jelly with my lunch😊😊😊 lookin' great! THNX!
That's a nice project you have going there.
😳...Holy crap!! Thats 37 year ago...😳😏
Nice upgrades Steve,definitely more on this mate,
It's mostly from JP-8 which is pretty nasty. Just put it into a can of carb cleaner over night. It'll look nearly brand new.
Very interesting build, nicely done!
Most portable generators have a 12 VDC output already on them.
So cool man i saw this thing on marketplace! I have a 67 kaiser m35a2 wish it had the camping rig set up really clean looking rig too
Perfect SHTF rig
Awesome. Can't wait to see it
Love it! Keep those videos coming! 👍🏽
love these videos subbed because of them and then to my surprise you literally show a ton of cars awesome channel
FYI. Those old school tires give you no traction whatsoever in wet weather. Invest in modern all weather tires
One issue there, price
The depth of your skills and design s is really great! Congratulations on taking a cool ole' truck and giving it a shot at a new life!⚙⚙⚙
This is bad ass! Are you considering running hard conduit on the outside down the line to make sure nothing ends up flapping in the wind? Also, super singles down the line with bigger tires so you can cruise at a lower RPM? I love this thing! I'll be following this build!
I want one of these trucks... but ditch the diesel engine, and install an electric powertrain. More panels on the roof, make an awning of panels...
"Unlimited" range.
Looking good!
Yes!--BugOut!
Good equipment for a "Doomsday Prepper", go bush and camp, good set up.
There is supposed to be a stow space for that staircase under the body.
Also, amazing the screen was intact. A lot of those screens ended up with holes in them... used for a screen for a hash pipe. Not joking.
The stow for the stairs on this model are on the left rear door.
Looking at something similar....how's the insulation factor in cold weather and have you considered a wood stove?
Love it!
Nice install on the roof ladder but how do you get into the back of the truck?
Fantastic.
More please
Nice
Its so much amazing
Where do you stow the steps now that you covered the mounts with the ladder?
How cool would it be to convert to electric power but keep the look
After You've invested ( waisted ) 30 grand you'll realize that was a down payment on a home that appreciates in value . The parts inventory for that old DOOSH is getting leaner as each year passes .
Doi it!
Super camper , get out of his way!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha, he's not passing anybody. I used to drive one in Korea. I had the slowest vehicle in our convoy, but I loved it.
Typical , @13:34 on the roof of a camper truck he's building, parked right next to it we see ... another of his camper trucks.
Hi Steve, a very Interesting video again. I was watching you clean your fuel tank filter, and remembered something i saw or read that you can use a certain percentage of used motor oil mixed in with diesel fuel for highway use, but, would your fuel burning heater also work on that mixture ? .. As always, thank you for the video..Ian - UK. - Oh before I forget, off subject but thought of you - Tom Cotter finding cars in the UK, worth watching - ua-cam.com/video/5-RozE99z6w/v-deo.html
The military considered these engines multi-fuel, but it’s best to run them on petroleum diesel.
@@bcgrittner Hi mate thanks for that.. I owned a landrover Discovery early 3 door with its 2 -1/2 litre diesel TDi engine, and when diesel fuel was very expensive here In the Uk, i mixed new fresh cooking oil 50% with diesel fuel plus a splash of unleaded, the engine ran as normal, but quieter, still went very well, but did smell of french fries going down the road.. I had to sell it on at 240.000 miles still going strong, loved that old discovery but i became disabled and the clutch became just too heavy for me.. Owned it 10 happy years.. Mixing Bio fuel with diesel fuel IS permitted under UK law up to 2.500 litres per years IF you keep records of it - I never did, no one said anything..More modern diesel engines wont normally accept that mix now though I been told, even diesel fuel is currently £1.39 per LITRE so x that by 4.5 should equal 1 UK gallon ? I dont know, I just fill my current Landrover till its full or to the nearest £..
@@ianburit3705 Sounds like you hit the magic mix. When I worked with some farms a few years back, we tried bio-diesel in the farm engines. We accepted the reduced power. The problem was that when we stopped the engines, the bio-diesel baked onto the injector tips. The only fix was to replace the injectors. If you can start and finish with the engines on petro-diesel, that would solve that problem. Modern farm engines, generally, don't have a separate fuel tank for that purpose. Then, there was the problem of the refineries not getting all the glycerin out of the bio-diesel. Our climate, here in the north central United States, is much harsher than the climate in the UK. The extreme cold of our winters was causing the fuel systems to plug up. The law requiring 90/10 percent petro-bio diesel mix was suspended until the refineries could solve the problem. Currently, the situation is stable, and our fuel prices are very moderate here in the US - the crude oil market being depressed. Meanwhile, I urge extreme caution regarding vegetable based fuels.
Trump 20 20 America 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸
I need to pick up a deuce 5 ton as well not quite sure what year gonna shoot for though
I want one of these trucks... but ditch the diesel engine, and install an electric powertrain. More panels on the roof, make an awning of panels...
"Unlimited" range.
I think you have *drastically* miscalculated the rolling resistance of a vehicle like this. You'd need a Tesla Semi pack and drivetrain, and an acre of panels. I'm not exaggerating.
@@PatrickKQ4HBD I think you *drastically* overestimated how much I care for your opinion on the matter, or how much you think you're better than me... You ain't.. I'm fully aware, and versed in the physics & electrics required to move such a vehicle.
I'm perfectly comfortable with 100-150miles traveled, for 3-7 days of recharging. If I were in the situation, I'd be in zero rush to go anywhere... Not everyone needs (wants) 600miles range and fully charged in 60 minutes.