TooTallMike

I've put Facet solid state pumps on loads of vehicles, from Land Rovers to Ward laFrances and never used any form of external pressure regulation. You just need to be sure your needle valve is in good nick. If you size the pump correctly from the huge range available you won't need anything else. I agree the little filter that screws directly into the pump is inadequate - fit a good quality 1.5" diameter clear plastic one in-line before the pump and carry a few spares in the glove box. 1.5 to 2 psi should be fine but talk to Southern Carbs if you're unsure. - MG

Why would it cost that much? Surely the tyres can just be cut off with a 9" grinder? - MG

Hi, Those who say a seal cannot cause this are, with the greatest respect, wrong. We had exactly this problem with a new neoprene rear seal. We proved it on the bench and confirmed that was the cause. The starter would only turn the engine very slowly. We tow started the Jeep and drove it around and it freed up. It would then start fine on the starter. We didn't know about the potential for overheating the rear main but the vehicle has done many miles since the build, including at least one trip to France so I'm confident it's ok. You need to be certain it's the seal though, and it's at your risk . - MG

Hi Jamie, As Tony says, you just needed the correct diameter flywheel housing and it would have gone straight on. The Dart engine has an SAE3 whereas I think the HT is SAE2. I'll look forward to seeing your conversion in detail. - MG

Jeff, From memory I don't think there's even anywhere on the engine to fit one? On my Autocar (Hercules) it was mounted on the side of the sump. Adrian B - the senders appear on Ebay quite frequently, but the gauges seem to be rare. - MG ps. just remembered that DT 980/981's have viscometers too.

I did one over Xmas and it came back in 5 working days. I've got another that they are arguing over the dating letter but they are replying quite promptly even if not very helpfully. I'd give them a couple of weeks before worrying! - MG

Hi Jeff, I just had a look at the ORD 8-9 and it shows that WLF Series 1-3 were fitted with 'GAUGE, oil level (dash unit)'; while WLF Series 4 & 5, and KW 572 & 573 were fitted with 'GAUGE, viscometer'. Further down there are various listings for 'GAUGE, oil pressure' so that is a distinct item. The TMs illustrate an oil level gauge on the left-hand side of the dash in hard-cab trucks but I have not seen a Series 5 (M1A1) with a Viscometer. I'd suspect this is either an error, or that it was deleted from the production models after the manual had already been released? Further to Longydagun's Mack's, the Autocars (7144 & 8144) were fitted with dash-mounted viscometers. Regards - MG

Hi Jamie, We fitted a 6BT to an International HT something like 10 years ago. We were discussing it yesterday and we are sure the engine just bolted straight on. Has yours got a non-original gearbox? - MG

Tony, To avoid confusion, SAE 3 is smaller than SAE 2. You converted from SAE 3 to SAE 2 . - MG

Hi, Last year I bought brand new 11.00 x 20's from our local tyre dealer. There was quite a choice from various manufacturers. I appreciate that wasn't in Iceland but the point is that they are available, as others have said. - MG

I think the majority of post-military users had far more problems with chassis cracking and bending than any of the mechanical components. Even the military had trouble with the chassis on the 353 van trucks, hence the various field mods to add strengthening braces. - MG

John, The engine spec I fit to WLFs are 125+hp more than this one, however there is still considerably more torque than the original truck design allowed for so I suspect it will have to be driven gently. I wonder what the weakest point of a GMC drivetrain? On a WLF it's the Xfer box. Although it's not remotely the approach I would have taken, as an engineering project it's very interesting and I'm looking forward to the next instalment.:drive:. Regards - MG

Just to be clear, the yard this gearbox is in is inhabited, among others, by a collector of Y types and NS's. He is well known in those circles. It is therefore no surprise that is what this is from, and he will be well aware of this since he owns several, albeit in bits. - MG

Given where it is I would almost guarantee it's from a bus! - MG

Hi all, I am pleased to report that with the invaluable help of Singe and some known good components removed from his own vehicles we have managed to get the Dingo running a lot better. First a good carb was fitted so that we knew that side of things was ok. It still ran badly but maybe a little better. Six new spark plugs were then swapped in and the ignition timing was tweaked and it ran a lot better. We then re-fitted the old carb and it ran worse again. We shimmed the float needle valve out with another washer to further reduce the fuel level in the float chamber and the small seal on top of the emulsion tubes was replaced as it didn't seem to have been done in the rebuild. After that Singe drove it up and down the drive and declared that it wasn't too bad. It seems there is something wrong in the top of the carb but we cannot work out what as there's not a great deal there. We think it would benefit from a replacement carb but they are rare and expensive. My gut feeling is that if it gives any problems in the future we should look at adapting a more modern carb onto it. (of course I'd be fitting a Cummins if I had my way :cool2:). Anyway I have a set of plugs on their way and then hopefully it can be returned to its happy owner. Many thanks to all on here who have given their thoughts, and special thanks to Singe and ChrisG for their loan of parts and their expertise. Cheers - MG

Thanks Richard, There are definitely two fibre washers there as I was surprised to see them, but as I said, with only one the arm will not physically go far enough up to fully close off the valve. Maybe this is the problem after all. Sadly I'm away on business so cannot go and look at it but I'll investigate first thing on Saturday. - MG

Richard, That would make sense, and of course despite changing the float bowl, it would still have been the same arm. I believe it was changed as part of the rebuild but that doesn't mean it's set up correctly! Looking at the rather poor quality drawings in the manual it seems to show two washers in this location but it is not very clear. - MG

Sadly Roy has had 'flu for the last 3 days so the restoration wasn't completed on schedule. Normal service will resume shortly... - MG

I'd recommend taking the opportunity to fit an alternator at the same time. Depending on the vehicle type there are suppliers out there that can supply alternators that looks like old style generators if the appearance is important. Otherwise there is a standard modern alternator out there for pretty much any application. You will encounter a few people who will insist that vehicles ran fine on 6V when they were built, but how many new 6V cars are on the market nowadays? There's a reason for that... You will not regret the conversion! - MG

Thanks Singe, Saturday will be fine for me thanks. I'll PM you my address and directions in the next couple of days. Regarding the points you mention - there are two fibre washers under the float needle valve with a combined thickness of around 3mm. I tried removing one but then the valve doesn't fully close and it really does flood (everywhere!). Thanks and regards - MG

Thanks Doug, Once we've got a known good carb it will be a lot easier to track down the problem one way or another. I have heard these carbs are known for running rich and that they are known to foul up plugs 3 & 4, but like you, some people say they don't give any trouble at all! People's experiences may just be luck of the draw regarding the component quality. - MG

Sorry, I was in a rush and didn't click on the link. Yes, that's the one - I hadn't seen the thread either. Whatever Cosrec says, the crane 'A' frame looks very similar, as does the vertical pivot. Even the large access hole on the angled plate on the right side is there on both. I agree the operating levers and gearboxes are not the same but the basic design seems to be. Here's a photo of it when it was being delivered. It's the only one I have of the rear but if you zoom in you can see the similarities. All the best with the truck. I toyed with buying it so I'll be interested to see what you unearth of its history. Rgds - MG

Hi, These are the only two photos I am aware of showing the Autocar US Navy crane and it can clearly be seen to be a GarWood similar to that of the WLF M1A1 so I'm afraid yours is not from one of those! Page is scanned from Tankograd Autocar book. More interestingly I have a contact in the US with an Autocar U7144-T fitted with a crane which is similar to yours. I won't post pics or details here without his permission but if you PM me I'd be happy to put you in touch with him. Regards - MG

If they have been stored in a cool dry environment and without acid they should be good to use and certainly ought to have a value. - MG

Hi Bernard, I am hoping to take Singe up on his offer of a known good carb as we need to start eliminating components. I also hope to ask him to bring a set of plugs, leads and distributor cap so we can address that side of it too. Rgds - MG