As if I do not have enough project going on right now. Taking a down day is always dangerous for me as I tend to catch up on some of my favorite car shows. This particular show was of the Great Smoky mountain Jeep invasion. The guy had a great build based on a late 60s M715. He turned it into a mobile Work shop for his business. this set me thinking.
Concept is based on the Kaiser M715 "Five Quarter" weapons carrier ( aka pickup) for the army. As built this rig came with an open cab/soft top and less than Steller accommodations for the driver and passenger. Axles are D60 front and D70 rear at 73.5 WMS to WMS length with a closed knuckle and drum brakes. transfer case is a NP 200 1.91:1 low range divorced and a Warner T98 4 speed. Factory motor is a 230 6 cylinder which is grossly underpowered but will move the rig down the road on an almost 6:1 gear set...
The plan is to Swap the cab for a J10/20 pickup cab. The sheet metal all works for the front clip and the body lines align for a weather tight cab. Pull the Tornado 230 Six and find a 24v Cummins 5.9 and a 6 speed manual trans for power.
Axles are 30 spline stock, so either find a custom length and move up to 40 spline or ditch the axles and go with a more modern set up from a dually with Disc brakes all around. and locker(s)
Interior plan is to set it up like a Grand Waggy comfy and plush.
Bed I have some overlanding ideas that might make it way into the plan.
Overall goal is to be able to drive this on the road as a daily driver / tow pig and still off road to a moderate level. With the right gearing and balance of power the set up should get something like 20mpg unloaded and 15mpg with the trailer.
The search begins.
Concept is based on the Kaiser M715 "Five Quarter" weapons carrier ( aka pickup) for the army. As built this rig came with an open cab/soft top and less than Steller accommodations for the driver and passenger. Axles are D60 front and D70 rear at 73.5 WMS to WMS length with a closed knuckle and drum brakes. transfer case is a NP 200 1.91:1 low range divorced and a Warner T98 4 speed. Factory motor is a 230 6 cylinder which is grossly underpowered but will move the rig down the road on an almost 6:1 gear set...
The plan is to Swap the cab for a J10/20 pickup cab. The sheet metal all works for the front clip and the body lines align for a weather tight cab. Pull the Tornado 230 Six and find a 24v Cummins 5.9 and a 6 speed manual trans for power.
Axles are 30 spline stock, so either find a custom length and move up to 40 spline or ditch the axles and go with a more modern set up from a dually with Disc brakes all around. and locker(s)
Interior plan is to set it up like a Grand Waggy comfy and plush.
Bed I have some overlanding ideas that might make it way into the plan.
Overall goal is to be able to drive this on the road as a daily driver / tow pig and still off road to a moderate level. With the right gearing and balance of power the set up should get something like 20mpg unloaded and 15mpg with the trailer.
The search begins.