A. The seal for under the wind shield.
B. Gas and water Can mounts.
C. Straps for the pioneer kit.
D. The inner set of head lights. I'm not even sure what goes there. Black
out lights?
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-Mil-Veh@skylee.com [mailto:owner-Mil-Veh@skylee.com] On Behalf
Of Mark Masse
Sent: Saturday, May 23, 1998 10:49 AM
To: MIL-VEH List
Subject: Re: [MV] M-715
Bruce & Jo,
If I had to do it all over again, here's what I would look for when buying
an M715:
Starting from the rear:
-Check rear bumper for rust on the inside
-Check for original tailgate (HARD to find on M715s that were turned into
fire trucks)
-Check for rust in floor of bed (EASY to find on M715s that were turned into
fire trucks)
-Check for troop seats and rear canopy bows
-Check rear wheel cylinders for leakage or frozen condition
-Check rear brake shoe condition (It'll cost you $90 to reline all the
brakes yourself (if you have the tool for the rivets) or $160+ core to get
remanufactured shoes--not cheap)
-Check rear drive shaft/U-joints for security, dents, wear/play
-Check for leakage from rear differential housing & shaft
-Check parking brake on transfer case for wear, and to make sure all the
parts are there.
-Check transfer case input and output shafts for leakage (a big pain to
replace the seals)
-Check rubber bushings on transfer & transmission mounts for servicibility
-Check front drive shaft, short shaft and universal joints for looseness,
wear and dents
-Check transmission mount for servicibility (It's the 6-8 inch long flat
rubber and metal piece between the bottom of the transmission and the
crossmember that supports the transmission. If this is shot, the 4 WD/2WD
selector handle will rub and strike the edge of the access hole in the
transmission hump cover inside the cab. You will be in for a very noisy
ride).
-Check the condition of the clutch--Easily done by removing the bottom cover
on the bellhousing.
-While you've got that bellhousing cover off, check the starter gear ring on
the flywheel. Replacing this gear will require removal of the flywheel.
This is a major operation (at least on my truck)--I couldn't get the
flywheel off because it would hit the bellhousing before it would clear the
studs on the crankshaft. The bellhousing can't be removed with the flywheel
still in. Get the Idea? I had to remove the entire crankshaft with the
flywheel still attached. Fortunately, I was rebuilding the engine at the
time.
-Check the cab corners, pan, and sill (rocker) panels for rust.
-Check the roll up windows for good rubber seals and tracks (especially
where the roll up window slides up and down inside a track in the fixed
window. If this seal/track is shot or non-existent, an annoying rattle will
result as the roll up windot rattles back and fourth in the fixed window
track.
-Check all instrumentation for condition and accuracy.
-Check for seat belts.
-Check condition of cab canvas and snaps.
-Check condition of windshield seal (between bottom of windshield and hood
of truck)
-Check for rust around where the brake master cylinder attaches to firewall
(both inside and outside)
-Check windshield wiper motors (hopefully converted to electric instead of
vaccuum)
-Check operation of the transmission (1st gear and reverse are not
sinchronized)
-Check for proper operation of the transfer case-High neutral and low/ 2
wheel drive and 4 wheel drive. (You may need to back up a short distance to
shift from 4 wheel drive back to 2 wheel dirve).
-Check for proper operation of the PTO for the winch.
-Check steering for looseness/play.
-Check engine compression--150 is where a new/rebuilt 230 engine should be.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO REBUILD THIS ENGINE--MAKE SURE IT'S GOOD.
-Check for oil leaks especially around the timing cover-to-block seal.
-Check for blue smoke/burning oil. Again, YOU DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO
REBUILD THIS ENGINE.
-Check front engine mount rubber for rot/sagging/damage from petroleum
products.
-Check steering box for leakage.
-Check all steering ball joints for play/wear.
-Check front differential for leakage/shaft play.
-Check front swivel balls (where the front wheels pivot for steering) for
pitting and leakage.
-Check front brake shoes and wheel cylinders-same as rear.
-Check for a heater--it would have been installed from a civillian truck.
-Check for radiator leakage.
-Check winch for oil leakage, cable condition and proper operation (the
lever on the winch engages the drum to the shaft that runs through the
middle of it. By moving the lever toward the passenger's side, the drum
will disengage, thereby "freewheeling" so you can pull the cable out).
-Check front bumper for rust.
-Check body for overall condition/rust. Pay close attention to the metal
chanels under the cab where it mounts to the frame. Rust flakes off inside
these chanels.
-Check all wiring for cracking/rubbing.
-Check tires for tread, dry rot, and condition of the rims.
-Check front wheel hubs for security by grabbing the top of the tire and
pushing and pulling it back and forth as hard as you can several times with
the truck on the ground (not on jacks). If any clunking sound is heard or
felt, the huge nuts inside the axle hub have backed off or are loose. This
is not good.
I paid $3500 for my truck and it suffered from many of the above mentioned
problems. I paid too much for my truck, considering what it cost to correct
the problems. It's a great truck when properly repaired, though.
If the truck you're looking at passes all the tests above, I'd pay up to
$4000 for it (if it looked and drove good). This is only MY opinion,
however, and others will have different opinions. One important lesson
learned: If the owner claims to have rebuilt the engine, DEMAND to see the
receipts. The rebuild parts are so expensive that only a die-hard M715 fan
would rebuild it. A die-hard M715 fan would also save the receipts. Anyone
else is probably lying (like the guy I bought my truck from).
Hope this helps.
-Mark Masse
1967 Kaiser M715
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