Central FL M1031 project

[CARC686]

Kind of a long drive. Now that yours is done, you can do mine.

 

[deank]

Kind of a long drive. Now that yours is done, you can do mine.

 

[deank]

Today I found a new way to store my trailer hitches when my step is mounted in the receiver. I like having an M1031!

 

[deank]

To continue from my last post…

 

[deank]

Started building an obstacle course at work. It is nice to have portable power for sanding.

 

[bkueber]

Have you thought about soda blasting it?

 

[deank]

Have you thought about soda blasting it?

I did think about that. I ended up taking it to a local place and having it sandblasted. It was about $2600.00. It was by the hour… $100.00 per hour. I did not expect it to be that high. Live and learn.

Reading your post again, I think we are misunderstanding. I needed the power at our training area to sand down the sharp edges of wooden 4x4s being used to make obstacles for my students to navigate.

 

[deank]

Not too long ago I read a post in the CUCV forum asking why a radiator cap would spontaneously start leaking. I did not have an answer back then.

Now that I have encountered the same propblem on my truck, I have figured out why it happens and how to solve it.

1. The radiator caps are stamped steel.
2. The two ears that lock onto the radiator are part of the outer circle of the cap.
3. The ends of the ears are upturned and make destructive contact with the underside of the radiator neck and wears away the surface of the brass.
4. Two solutions
A. Straighten and rebend the ears to get a better grip.
B. Find a replacement radiator neck and have a radiator shop sweat out the old one and sweat in the new one.

I used solution A today.

 

[deank]

I did a quick internet search. Brass radiator necks are readily available.

 

[deank]

Good evening all,

Made some time today to get more fun done on the M1031.
I finished installing the upper backup camera in the homemade mount and added extra reverse lights to shine down on the hitch at night.

I have mounted a toggle switch for changing camera views next to the switch for the light bar.









Next up, I am going to recreate the dash panel reinforcement that the PO cut out. Then I will mount an LS-671 speaker to the dash and wire it to a CB. And I will get an military antenna mount and base and convert it to CB use. I have the metal to make the reinforcement panel, the LS-671 speaker (nos in box, new) and the connecting cable. When I wire it up, 24v will go to the LS-671, then I will have a 24v relay send 12v to the CB.

 

[deank]

I had a chance to hook up to a trailer today. The camera works great. I just came back from getting a shot at night with the reverse lights and the lines on the screen.


The added reverse lights make a great difference!

 

[CGS]

The truck is running and driving well!
I did find the belts that work best for me.
View attachment 950591
7570 for driver’s side, 7480 for passenger. Both a snug fit getting over the pulleys, but more room for adjustment.

I was reading a post about the vacuum regulator valve and how to adjust it. I made the .646” block out of wood and followed other peoples tips about having a string attached for drops into the valley.
Being that I have an M1031, I was able to hold open the throttle with small visegrips on the throttle actuator rod.
My VRV valve would not hold a vacuum at any position, so I am convinced I will have to get a new one eventually. I set it a little CCW from full CW. MY vacuum pump it set close to the passenger side valve cover. I went for a test drive and shifting was smooth and at 25-28 and about 45-50. So I will hold off on the VRV valve for now.

Coolant level has been good. I purposely overfilled the recovery tank to allow for the engine to burp really well over the course of four separate run times. I also carry extra coolant in my POL cabinet.

I have verified that my APECS controller runs my generator at 60hz/120vac and powers my plug in compressor very well. I still think it is running the generator in second gear because RPMs seem very high. I dont know what to do about that or how to tell what gear it is in.

Now I need to find a windshield shop to install the puck on the glass to hold my rear view camera screen. And I need to get back to work on my dual rear camera wiring.

I installed my NOS 4WD switch on the NP205. That was a costly part that I was only able to find on fleabay from Saudi Arabia. $150.
But, now my 4WD light is working perfectly. I did cut a gasket for it (I think the gasket was the part that got the switch height right to work).

That is all for now!

what are you running for the rearview screen? looking for an app compatible with Amazon fire tablet

 

[deank]

what are you running for the rearview screen? looking for an app compatible with Amazon fire tablet

It is a rear view camera system. The mirror is the viewing screen. Not plugging for the company or getting money for it. Found it on amazon by autovox

 

[deank]

Starting my next project. I am going to add two solar panels to the roof of the work box. Connecting them to 2 group 31 batteries that will be mounted under the work box at the back of the truck (the spare doesn’t fit anymore with the trailer hitch). The batteries will be connected to an inverter located by the generator controller.

This will provide DC power for lights in the work box and 120 VAC for small things like battery chargers for my ryobi tools.


More to follow as the project moves forward.

 

[deank]

Okay! Today I have proof of concept. I took my time and carefully painted the frames of the solar panels and the mounting brackets.


I have mounted them both on the roof of the workbox and routed the wiring through an existing hole with a grommet and black RTV.



The solar panel system is a Renogy 200 watt 30 amp, 12 volt starter system.


I have installed the charge controller in the electronics bay with the generator controller and the inverter. I made sure to connect a battery to the charge controller before connecting the solar panels.




I have not purchased the batteries and battery trays that I want yet. So for now I only have one lawn tractor battery in the setup. Charging at 14.0 volts.

I will mount the batteries under the back of the workbox where the spare tire used to be. That will get the batteries outside for ventilation. Harder for maintenance but better for safety and space management.

I am going to install a second USB charger with a voltmeter in the cab connected to the solar system so I can monitor the voltage.

I still have to get the buss bars, disconnect switch, battery terminals, fuse, 2 gage connectors, batteries and battery mounts.

 

[deank]

Well, had some more fun time today. Not able to do anything more with the solar system until I get the batteries and mounts, so gutted the antenna base and rewired it for CB use. Then i made some support brackets to go inside the workbox to hold the sugar scoop mount to the forward bulkhead. Then mounted it all to the workbox. Of course, the antennas I have do not fit the base.

 

[deank]

I found some play time this past weekend. Converted the lower passenger side rear storage box into a battery box for 2 group 24 batteries.

Batteries are connected in parallel to stay at 12 volts.
Batteries are set up so that both negative terminals are outboard by the door

I used (edit, I mistyped ) 2 gauge cable and ran it inside the wheel well and back into the main compartment.




Inside I used conduit to protect the cables sending to them to bus bars.




I have solar panels connected to the batteries full time but I have a 30 amp circuit breaker with a manual trip switch in case I have to disconnect manually to service the batteries.



I have a disconnect to cut power to the inverter.



I also installed a battery charger so that I plug in to shore power if needed.


Now to clean up the wiring a little neater and stencil the battery compartment.

 

[deank]

Today was a good day.



LET THERE BE LIGHT!



I finally got around to lighting up the inside.

Thank you for the lights @cucvrus

 

[cucvrus]

Get the tanning lotion out. I may have a few more of them if anyone is interested. I have lots of LED stuff.

 

[Geo James]

Hey deank,
I didn't realize you had your own project going. Looking good! I envy your cargo area/shell. Want to do some camping in my 1009, sure would be easier your rig.