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I read this quote this morning in ad and boy did it hit home. I’ve parted out trucks and saved what I thought I should, then recycled the rest. But this time I got burned. One of the first tasks on my tonner M-H is to add in rear frame legs where the originals were lopped off by the electrical coop. I’ve saved some frame pieces from other trucks, but not these pieces. Worse comes to worst I can “cut and paste” pieces together to match the originals but it’d be a whole lot more straight forward to beg you guys for pieces you might have saved. The secondary benefit of the original pieces is ability to perfectly line up the bed mountings. So if anybody has a dead tonner or later 48-52 F-2/3 frame sitting behind the barn I’d pay for those pieces. I have the rear cross member. Thanks. Stu
I just may have what you need. I bought a bobbed off tonner chassis and the bobbed of section was included in the junk pile. I will try to find it in my heap. If you butt a tape measure to the rear spring hanger what does it measure now? Here's to hoping!
OK, I think this is it. All I had had to do was move a couple of crab pots and some tongue and groove pulled from and old house and there it was! I can run it in on Monday to our freight house. Of coures you just pay freight. I could cut metal off that you don't need to save shipping weight.....Heck, with all you've done for me I'll pay shipping. Least I could do.
Hey hey!! That’s exactly what’s needed, the whole thing. Looks like a deal, but you paid shipping on the stuff I’ve sent you. If you didn’t keep my address I’ll email you, and either PayPal you or send a check. Many thanks. Stu
You know back in the day no self respecting MH would run around without a heavy bumper and hitch...
Yup, these were tools, not show ponies. In my email to Gary I mentioned that several of the M-Hs I’ve chased down and hauled home were too far gone and not really restorable. Better used as parts trucks, which have now provided pieces to other guys in their M-H restorations. The ‘47, on the other hand, had not been abused. Just shortened. No frame fractures, no axle housing fracture, no missing or sloppy half shafts. And fortunately the axle, hubs, drums, and transfer case internals are exactly like those in the 1950 to 1953 model R3-4s and R32-4s I’ve parted out. This truck just seems to have good karma. Stu
Yeah, me too. For the winter, available shop space is a big deterrent. I can only get to one side of the truck, plus front and rear. Besides Gary’s rear section I have a parts order in to Chuck for new axle bearings, seals, and baffles. In a pinch I could reuse wheel bearings from parts inventory, and probably source the seals locally. But there are baffles that block gear oil from flowing freely past the knuckles into the hubs and brakes. Chuck has to make them. Picture below. The original baffle was pretty worn and was sent to Chuck as a pattern. He needed to make sure of the size versus ones he’s made for half tons and bigger trucks. The one on the right is what happens when an axle half shaft knuckle fractures! Stu
Ouch! This kind of thing is why I went halves with a friend last year on a couple old lathes and a mill. Now we just need to build a shop, set them up, wire in 3 phase, you know, details. I bet you get your parts from Chuck at least a year before we get our machine tools set up.
I keep wondering, since the MH nuckle is closed, what keeps a restorer from using a modern stronger constant velocity joint instead of the impossible to repair original? Does the original take an axial load the modern ones can't?
I’ve found there are few mechanical assemblies that can truly withstand sustained abuse. Chuck told me long ago that the 3/4 ton M-Hs (and now I see early tonner) weren’t built all that much heavier than the half tons, but got used like they were F-5s. Naturally the front axle, sitting proudly right out front, took on the ditch or any other unexpected obstruction first. I don’t know if the front axles are termed “full floating” like the rears, or “semi floating”.
Sitting here pondering this, of the about one dozen OT5, R3, R32, and M254 trucks now owned or once owned by our forum members, I can think of four that had axle fractures whether internal or external. That’s 1/3rd which makes Chuck’s point. Chuck has worked with another of his customers, an engineer I’m told, who got two of the four mentioned damaged axles to combine into one good axle. They now have found a source to supply new half shaft sets. Chuck says the new sets are adaptable to the full range of applications from half ton to 1.5 ton. So there is now a remedy. Stu
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
