6BT, CUCV Axled M715 Build

[Mikel]

This week is supposed to be a forced vacation for all teachers at my year round school. I don't have the time to take the entire week because of MV trips and Scout camps. So, I convinced the higher ups that I would do class related activities in my room if I could come in. Today was "Get the 6BT started" day.

I had a few gallons of diesel in a Gerry can and we set up a battery. It took forever, but we finally got all the injectors bled and fuel coming out the return line. To bad I forgot about the return line and wasted all that fuel on the floor before we could run it back to the Gerry can. Anyway, we got it to fire up and run.

A little blue smoke the first few times, but then it smoothed out and ran clean. No knocks or weird noises. The vacuum pump which is between the timing gears and the power steering pump is spitting oil. That could be a new seal or a new part. I haven't looked at it yet. The turbo spins free, without noise and puts out a lot of air. We can tell this because it isn't hooked to anything but the exhaust.

I tried about 5 times to get a video of it starting, running, revving and then turning off. I either screwed up the buttons on the camera, a student walked into the frame, a student knocked the fuel line out of the can or as the only usable video turned out. I didn't start it before I started the engine and the camera battery died before I could rev it. Two gallons of diesel doesn't go very far when the pump and lines are dry and the return line isn't hooked up from the start. However, here is the 6BT idling away sounding happy and ready to go down the road:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB_CZyFIIJU

Nice! Music to my ears

[sermis]

Tim are you going to see if the other motor will run or wait for another day?

[Barrman]

I am hoping to try it Friday.

[Barrman]

Well, we tried it. Hand pumped fuel through the pump and out the return line, hooked up a battery and got it to turn over real slow. Kind of like an old 6 volt tractor turning over. I tried a few shots of starting fluid, but it wasn't going fast enough.

I hooked the charger to the battery and it gave me maybe a second of normal speed before the charger kicked off. I don't have jumper cables in my class (security risk. Those things make great grapling hooks for fence climbing.) and not a dog bone either to make a 24V attempt at it.

Could that laundry truck have been 24V? 830 amp 12V battery just doesn't have the guts to turn the engine. I really didn't want to try a 24V attempt without letting you know a burned starter might be the result. I might try both batteries in 12V if I bring in some more cables too.

Oh, that huge power steering/hydraulic pump works really good at low rpm. It blew the duct tape right off. Along with the little bit of fluid still in it across the room.

[sermis]

Not sure if it was 12V or 24V. Do what ever you need. If the 12V starter is fried I will have to get another anyways. Will the starter from the other motor work?

[Barrman]

They look the same and the bolt pattern looks the same as well. I had to cut short any more attempts because somebody got the idea the students need to practice getting on and off of a bus. "Hurrucane preparedness drills" or something like that. I just know a call came in telling me to send the students back to the dorms. I did, sat down at the computer and am going to go deliver a 300ZX to a customer with the M715 in another hour or so.

[Barrman]

The welding teacher had to go to a meeting and wanted me to watch his students. I told him that if they came with a plasma cutter and a grinder I would watch them all week. Turns out we didn't need the whole week. Just two hours.

We cut the valence up and got the 31" Summit aluminum radiator to fit and the big 24" mechanical fan fit too! We have a little more grinding to do yet because the radiator can go down another 1-1/2" to be where it needs to be. Here are the two together:
[IMG][/IMG]

I need to bring the hood in to make sure everything clears. Then it is just a matter of making front end mounts, radiator mounts and figuring out what kind of crazy shapes the hoses will need to be.

I also got creative with a band saw and a pair of tin snips. Here is what is left of a 1993 Dodge stock air cleaner, housing and hose:
[IMG][/IMG]

The picture doesn't do it justice. It looks cool across the room to see that tall truck and that huge air filter sticking up.

Oh, we tried the other engine with 24V yesterday and it spun super fast for about 1 second then went back to barely turning. I am convinced the starter is bad. I wonder if they pulled that engine instead of replacing the starter? When the front end comes off this truck, we will swap out starters and give it another try.

[sermis]

Have a picture from the front of the truck.

On the other motor I checked with Freightliner and was told the truck had 200,000+ something miles so that might just be the case.

[brute4c]

Fan clutch and radiator look a little too cozy...or is it the angle?

[ryanroo]

Fan clutch and radiator look a little too cozy...or is it the angle?

i think its the angle Jon. mine looks the same way and i have almost an inch.

Tim, have you test fit the hood? the radiator looks way to tall from those pics. it sounds like its about the same size as the GM rad. i used in my truck. if that is the case, be prepared to get drastic with the plas and the frame

Ryan