considering 325/85R16 michelin's on my first M37

[Jess]

I knew I could count on RMS to come up with the pictures... I looked all over the place but didn't have any luck. Thanks RMS

Jess

[isaac_alaska]

Wow! those tires look right at home on that truck. no chains necessary! and that certainly looks like Alaska. i wonder where it's living now..

i did get some more pics of the topper and the wood trim and other bits where it adapts to the cab, but they are on my phone. so i have to email to my computer, then upload, then post. i'll get to it soon!

[isaac_alaska]

found two of the xml's for $500, brand new never mounted, hoping i can get two more from the same guy and then arrange for shipping. CA to Nome, AK is a logistical pain! (luckily i only have to get them to seattle)

anyway here's the pics of the topper (should i make a new post for these? )


there are no bolts from the rounded corner piece of the topper into the lower part of the cab, which causes it to rattle on bumpy roads. i'm still trying to decide on a clamping solution that doesn't involve too much drilling or welding, to keep things "original"


open hole above the passenger door (i filled it with a piece of sheet metal, screwed and caulked in place)
there is a matching hole (and patch) on the driver's side


passenger door wooden trim. probably going to replace it with new wood, and new screws


wooden trim. aftermarket mirrors. these mirrors can take a real pounding! i hit a bush so hard the mirror actually popped out of the driver's side and landed in my lap, and i was able to pop it back in, without any chips or cracks


those cupholders are also aftermarket

[52PLOWERWAGON]

i bet that big orange M would co through mud

[isaac_alaska]

didn't realize those were in the picture! that's my collection of three civy power wagons, as far as i can tell they are all 52's as well. the middle orange one with tarp has the dc3 tires on it.

i bought an engine off ebay, and didn't realize i was buying a 251. the bellhousing bolt pattern didn't match the transmission, so i installed the old bell housing. everything was good till i got to the starter, and the old bellhousing sets the starter out something like 1/8" farther. close enough it looks visually the same, but the teeth of the starter and ring gear just grind against each other without engaging properly.

next order of business is to swap the flywheel back to the old one, and use the old starter. Will i need alignment tools to install the clutch and flywheel after i pull them? if so i need to find where to order them from and get them on the way asap, probably with a new clutch! (can't remember if the clutch on the "new" motor is a new clutch or not)

[52PLOWERWAGON]

.
[/quote]

[/quote]

sorry I meant this one

but since you mentioned the civvy power wagons we NEED pics

[isaac_alaska]

since you asked for them...

engine is almost re-installed!

engine, clutch, and flywheel are long block. starter, ring gear, bellhousing, and transmission are off the shorter block that was original in the truck

[isaac_alaska]

motor back in, but now i'm working so it will be a few days till i get to try the starter and see if it all works! gotta bolt it all down yet

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135164469 ... res/83r6dE

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135164469 ... res/axW3Na

chain hoist, 5 ratchet straps, a cargo strap, a piece of nylon rope, and a floor jack. got the engine and transmission mated back together without needing any extra hands!

*edit*
okay so if i ever figure out how to upload photos, those links will be pictures. but for now i'm going to bed

Edit: I changed the links to URL as Flickr don't seem to share via direct (img) linking, it could simply be in your account settings though so check those....

MM

[52PLOWERWAGON]

cool I love them power wagons ill have to post some pics of our wc rat rod

[isaac_alaska]

got my tires and got them mounted. pics to come, when i have better internet. going to go finish airing them up now

[isaac_alaska]

Here I am fixing my booboo. I had to slot the flaps to get the valve stems to line up, cause I couldn't find tubes with centered stems that were big enough for my tires. (I'm absolutely open to suggestions if anyone has an idea if where to look.)
I didn't use enough rubber around the valve stem so the tube is trying to herniate through the slot in the rim. The new flaps I ordered from Lucas were about 2" narrower than the flaps that were already installed, so I used the old flaps which were still in good shape. I'm using the new flaps to cut a section out of to go around the valve stem and keep the tube protected from the slot in the rim.
I put a come-along top and bottom to pull the tire back out of the way so I can get the ring on and off. I also built a work table out of scraps in the yard, which does the same thing, and makes tire changing fairly easy.
*edited because photos were rotated*

changing tire.jpg (148.25 KiB) Viewed 2712 times

just the stand.jpg (144.15 KiB) Viewed 2712 times

tire_stand.jpg (146.74 KiB) Viewed 2712 times

[isaac_alaska]

got them done and i'm super happy with them. as far as i'm concerned these are the perfect tires for this truck. they only rub at full lock to the right, and even then it's not bad, but you can hear it. they hit the lower steering control arm, just behind the grease zerk. the ride is very comfortable at 20PSI and they don't look under-inflated. i also feel comfortable traveling without a spare and just bringing spare tubes and tire irons. i can have the tire off and back on in about 20 minutes.

[RMS]

very nice!

[52PLOWERWAGON]

sweet

[isaac_alaska]

Thanks! They were a pain in the arse to find and ship, an even bigger pain to install, and then more work on top of that to install them "right" since I couldn't find tubes in the right size with the correct bent metal stems.

But now that I have them on I love them! Won't even consider anything else next time unless I absolutely can't find another set of these. They look like they belong on the truck and I don't think I could run anything bigger without modifications.

They do rub the lower steering control arm at full lock to the right but I'm not worried about it.