Military Truck Crazy Suspension Damage - Can We Fix It?

This 1973 M342A2 2-1/2 ton military truck has some major suspension damage that makes it very sketchy to drive. Let's get to that bottom of it and see it we can fix it.
Thanks to @tacticalrepair for reaching out and helping me!
Send us a postcard:
Watch Wes Work
P.O. Box 106
Fulton, IL 61252
Send us an email:
[e-mail]

[@WatchWesWork]

Rather than answer so many repeat comments: This is a 2-1/2 ton truck, not a 5 ton, designated M342A2. The engine is a White Multifuel. The wheel bearings are supposed to be grease packed. They cannot run oil like a modern axle. The inner wheel seal is not designed to keep oil in, it just keeps dirt and water out. The egged out locating pin in the spring perch is not causing the axle alignment issues. That is very old damage. The spring perch was located correctly when measured before and parts were replaced. The pin is just there to line the parts up during assembly. The bolts keep the perch in position.

[@domenicaluise5454]

Yes Reese

[@sampantiliano]

People love to watch to find fault. Awesome job way to get in there use common sense and experience to get it done!!

[@williamjones4483]

Those tapered roller bearings are just like what has been used on many thousands of cars and trucks steering axles. Whenever a brake job was performed on the vehicle it was standard practice to remove the bearings, examine them for wear or defects, then pack them full of wheel bearing grease and put them back in. Tighten them down until the hub wouldn't turn and then back off 1/4 turn. Timken is by far the world's biggest manufacturer of tapered roller bearings.

[@teheecandor9524]

Thanks for the excellent SHARE. :-)

[@baddog9320]

Honestly the duece was a heavily abused vehicle. I remember one we had was from the early 60s Often times the new private or none drivers were given them. So they were abused more then others. And just cause its a dump doesn't mean while in the military it didn't have parts like axle changed. I know from experience. When you turn in. You try to pass the worse stuff off first. Would surprise me if a M35 with bad axle had a late night axle change for that M34s as the m34 was being turned in the next morning. I've seen things like this. For turn in they are to be in good shape. But if the inspector isn't watching. Things get looked over. And if caught. Back to company. Fhey may try again in a couple days or swap it out. You have to be aware that many people must answer for the dumbest things. So passing it off on turn in is an easy out.

[@CAPNMAC82]

Wes, a grizzled old NCO taught me near a half-century ago that, there's no possible way to underestimate the potential damage an unsupervised 19 y/o PFC can both cause, and later cover up.

[@WatchWesWork]

LOL! I can imagine!

[@woody1320]

Exactly!! I served for 24 years, you meet some very interesting people=how could this possibly happen?

[@Ordog213]

Lol, 2000 when i was in the German Army, a new driver tippet over a Marder-Tank, and tried to cover it up....It ended like you would expect

[@DeweyCheatumNHoweLLC]

@@Ordog213 "honest, Sarge, it was like that when I got here"

[@Ordog213]

@@DeweyCheatumNHoweLLC More like...."Hey, guys, can you bring out the Büffel (Buffalo Tank), so we can bring my tank back on his Tracks......PLEASE????" Our Sarge had a face like "WTF are you for real??"....Quite funny, when you are not involved :D

[@htownblue11]

Geez Wes, you sure know how to “pick’em” when it comes to undoing someone else’s rat’s nest of a problem. Your clients are lucky to have you man.

[@alex4alexn]

knowing what i have seen the military do with their equipment, a crane swinging that thing into the side of a mountain is probably the tamest of likely culprits, great fixes as always!

[@mdouglaswray]

@@alex4alexn I agree! I suspect it got DROPPED.

[@TheStefanskoglund1]

@@mdouglaswray Not being hit by another truck ? Civilian or military ?

[@nedharrisjr2991]

The M342A2 was a fairly unique truck and was issued to, among other special units, airborne engineers. We had them back in 1968 in the 307th Engineer Battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division. and had one left in B Company 326th Engineer Battalion in the 101st Airborne in Vietnam long after they had converted to airmobile and 3/4 ton dump trucks. Yours one may have been air-dropped one day and hit hard, a fairly common occurrence when dropping heavy equipment. As you have showed here, it was a hard problem to discover and close to impossible for a 19-year old GI to even fix! Great video thanks for posting.

[@user-nj8qo8jt9u]

It is not ever fairly unique. If only one off, then it is unique,that is what the word means.

[@markcollins2666]

I agree, a unique truck, I have never encountered one, 2 1/2 ton tractors, yes. But impossible for a 19 year old? I was one, a 3'rd shop mechanic, its own MOS, 63H, which is above and beyond motor pools and support shops. We did this day in, and day out. with a junkyard of parts, collision victims mostly. We took pride in our work, and with sheer repetition, could do it speedily. With NCO guidance, and CWO's ordering parts for the whole shop, we were highly successful in what we did. Time, tools, parts and smarts can overcome any problem. What we would have done differently, would be to jack it up, remove all the rear wheels, pressure wash, then inspect. Armed with a library of technical manuals, there wasn't much we couldn't do, as a platoon of "junkyard mechanics".

[@ArmchairDeity]

What a very useful comment! Thank you!

[@davidmc1489]

Air drop or heavy collision.....man thats nuts.

[@dickbowman137]

When I came back from Vietnam in 1970 I went to Ft Hood, TX, I was in the 8th Engr Bn, 1st Cavalry Div. We had those M342A2 dump trucks, brand new.

[@andyworks5428]

I was a heavy wheeled truck mechanic (63S10) in the Ohio Army National Guard for 8 years. Heavy wheeled starts at 5 ton but we really worked on whatever was broken. My unit had 2 1/2 tons and you have now done WAY more work on one than i ever did. Good job, and keep up the good work. Love your videos.

[@TheFossil999]

That customer should count his self lucky, most shops would give in on this beast. Way to go Wes, awesome video.

[@openphoto]

And you get a free video, talk about value-added service!

[@retrofitter]

The channel should be renamed to reflect this somehow, like "Beyond Ecconomical Motor Repairs" or something

[@mdouglaswray]

Such a SMALL tweak but such HUGE consequences - I love that Wes realizes the importance of the little things.

[@jrbpit1]

I can tell you what happened to that truck….18 an 19 year olds were the primary users while the truck was in the Army’s inventory.

[@CoalChrome]

@@retrofitter Watch Wes Hurt

[@mfc4591]

Back in the day we had no air tools no forklift, no electric tools , everything was done by hand. One thing though, we had an assistant to heft stuff and hand us tools, we worked hard, had fun and got all greasy just like you did ! Great watching you work especially as you know what you are doing. That chopper pilot has a few more bravery genes than I, no way am i going up in any Robinson egg beater

[@mikejordan9220]

Same. We never had air tools.I packed a lot of wheel bearings and did a few trunion bearings. We had a few deuce and a half’s and quite a few 5 ton dumps.

[@bobstride6838]

My thoughts exactly on that Robinson, I wouldn't even like to be underneath one of those!

[@danmackintosh6325]

M F C as someone who's seen these machines in service, would they have had power steering originally, or were they Armstrong and the big ram was an add-on like Wes suggested?

[@MRrwmac]

I drove both the Duese and a half and the 5 tons in the army. A couple guys busted the thick trunnions. How I do t know but damn that had to be a big pothole or rock! At first no pwr steering in the 2.5 but the 5 tons did. I think the same thing about the Robbies and I later became a helicopter pilot in the Army for 18.5 years after my 4.5 enlisted. Went from driving trucks to flying Huey’s and little birds.

[@mikejordan9220]

I drove a 2 1/2 ton that had a fuel tank on the back instead of the cargo variety. It did not have power steering. I drove a cargo type later that did have power steering and even had a heater.

[@genieohnehirnspaziern3819]

Hi Wes, greetings from Germany! I'm an automotive master technician and service trainer and I really love the way you perform your job...with great expertise, with a good feeling for the material you work with, so calm and honest - it's great fun to see real craftsmanship!

[@Dan-gj1hz]

I give you all the props here. Even though you found out the axle was bent after doing bearing and seals on them, it would have been hard to say its a bent axle before doing them. As a customer, I would have been happy that someone took the time to truly diagnose.

[@erneststanley4854]

Always kinda liked the longer videos.

[@OnTheRocks71]

Long video supremacy. Nice to just sit down for a while and relax.

[@paulsilva3346]

I am not able to express HOW MUCH I agree with this comment. I will rewatch this'n...

[@charleszohfeld7228]

Support your local older farmers that save everything! Great video! Should of had Max puppy along for the final test drive.

[@ecclesmilligan8712]

Whilst I do like the 15 to 30 minute ones it is definitely sometimes nice to sit down and watch a good long "movie length" one. A good way to while away a horrible cold rainy Sunday Tasmanian arvo. Good job as always Wes, thanks for brightening my day.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

*Great mechanic = great videos!*

[@CajunGreenMan]

'I don't see why we couldn't have a symmetrical bolt pattern.' Welcome to the Army!

[@WatchWesWork]

Right on!

[@mfc4591]

even civilian models had this issue.

[@MrAmorti]

No sign of a drain at the bottom nor a vent at the top I guess?

[@blaircrocker9845]

You want me to make this huge and awkward to work on. Sir yes sir

[@alexlail7481]

Not that it helps but it looked to be 6 screws in groups of 2 in somewhat of a triangle pattern..... one could argue that is semi-symmetrical ... I would suggest that somewhere there's an engineer who is pleased with his ability to 'F__k' with every mechanic to encounter that dust cover(along with the rest of the truck) for the next 50 odd years those trucks exist 🙃

[@urgentcareguy3]

Military trucks can a PITA, BUT the end result is something fixing any old truck could ever give. It is a piece of history that you brought back to life. People love these trucks and they ignite a patriot spirit. Thanks for not giving up.

[@daviduglem3213]

Worked on these trucks in Vietnam 1970. Also worked on track vehicles M 48, 113, 578, m88 all without power tools or proper lifts. It was hot, muddy! And during the monsoons it rained and rained and rained! We were young peer pressure and camaraderie got the job done. Would I ever do it again? No would I trade the experience for anything no. I've stayed friends with guys in my unit for the last 50 years. Bonding you never forget. Have fun with the deuce and a half. We used to split shift them! Love your videos Wes.

[@jamesh6229]

Wes, I see by the chalk outlines in your garage that there were casualties from the sleepover. Glad you and Mrs Wes got out alive.

[@patrickhorvath2684]

Mr Bill chalk outline. Was Sluggo mechanics helper. " Now hold up this leafspring stack, Mr Bill..." oh nooooo!!

[@corvettekro818]

"...lets put this thing together, shouldn't take that long hopefully...." famous last words :-)

[@gatolibero8329]

My thoughts exactly.

[@CVO_GUY]

I used to love to hear the words from the guy I was taking over the job from..."all you gotta do". Yea, right.

[@bassmith448bassist5]

Of all the mechanical jobs on a truck, I despise anything to do with bearings the most. No matter how hard you try, you cannot avoid making a colossal mess. Having said that, I like that bearing packing tool you have. I have a similar one. But smaller. For car and light truck bearings. From one pro mech to another, I like the way you work. Methodical, conciencious, and not afraid to crack a manual when you don't know the specs on a procedure. Nice work.

[@jessicabuckman9675]

iS THIS ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS you never want to see again, but you Wess care about you're customers, way to go man!

[@johndii2194]

The guy that painted "CHECK BATTERIES DAILY" slipped in during the night and loosen your terminals.

[@samuelhe6725]

i lost it when i saw those words

[@Taachino]

😆😆😆😆

[@rambosaurusrex449]

That guy being some retired E7 needing to still teach a lesson

[@rodblod9526]

I can hardly make it through an episode of network tv but I can easily watch wes work for an hour lol

[@WatchWesWork]

I feel the same with KZbin.

[@paulsilva3346]

Hey, now wait one minute, young man. I always hope for a vid of this caliber on U Tube.

[@WatchWesWork]

@@paulsilva3346 I mean I can watch an interesting video on YT and it flies by. TV is a chore.

[@paulsilva3346]

@@WatchWesWork I am going to watch this, 1, or 3 more times.

[@rachaelwyatt754]

Wes, that was fascinating to watch and brought back some memories. I am British, ex military, disabled and also a woman. I remember doing most of the jobs you did on this truck apart from the hydraulic brake system. All the trucks I worked on had air double diaphragms brake actuators and also air bags, but it definitely brought back some memories. I remember times laying in many inches of snow working on air bags and sadly to this day I still miss it. Kind regards Rachael

[@bigsparky8888]

Hi Love...Rachael...Brake(is stop)...is not break...(meaning broken)...HUGG S!!! THANK YOU FOR SERVING...EVEN IN THE UK!!! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!! & YOU AS WELL!!!

[@rachaelwyatt754]

@@bigsparky8888 One of the disabilities I have is my sight deterioration. Although I cannot really use that excuse. Thank you for bringing the error to my attention and would also point out that it was us that gave you a perfectly good language and you guys that managed to screw it up? lol. Take car my friend. "Never give in. Never surrender".

[@willcouldkill]

@@rachaelwyatt754 thank you for your service

[@falcon8553]

Thank you for your service. I also was light vehicle mechanic (63B20) 96th Transportation Co. Fort Hood Texas. But someone forgot to tell that the shop foreman. We worked on 2.5, 5, 10 ton trucks and one we called 5 and quarter ton. We were 10 heavy. That was the unit's bread and butterfly.

[@a_rabid_raccoon]

@@bigsparky8888 lol. Giving a native english speaker a spelling / grammar lesson while not even being able to type properly yourself... That's HILARIOUS!

[@wirefeed3419]

Man I really enjoyed watching this repair, excellent diagnostics and analysis, No deception, everything done was everything needed. The owner was lucky he found you for this job, I think the only thing I would have done differently is I would have have taken ten minutes and pressure washed both sides. For me when able to it just makes for an easier overall job, easier to see what is missing, broken or worn and nice to take advantage of cleaner tools and shop during and after the work. Just personal preference when possible. Excellent repair.

[@zimbabwesteve4620]

"I guess I better tell him about it and see what he wants to do" cuts to the forklift bringing in a new rear end. Priceless 🤣

[@disturbedcarrot]

Yeah, that was excellent

[@jamesthomas3749]

I heard him say that, looked at how much time was left and thought to myself, this sucker is going to have to find an axle. Muhahaha

[@dpeagles]

I'm sure most shops would have turned this away. Thumbs up for seeing it through.

[@markdodson4267]

Good Job, thank you for all your effort to get this truck fixed. Mark

[@alexwillemse4682]

Na de OORLOGSJAREN VEEI AAN GEWERK VOOR OMBOUWEN VOOR ZANDWEGENS VOOR DE WEGEN BOUW WAS14 JAAR TOEN IK ER AANWERTEN

[@danburch9989]

That's his work ethic. I've seen it in other YT videos of his.

[@aaronray9295]

I'm not exactly a mechanic so I was always amazed and wondered how this man ALWAYS knew how to remove random parts on a vehicle. After seeing him looking through the book, makes a lot of sense.

[@duckfan5554]

Damn, that brought back a lot of memories. I got out in '74 and we didn't have many of those "new" multifuel dueces. The ones we did have didn't require much work. The older GMC dueces kept us busy enough. I have loved to have those air tools. Does anyone remember those spring loaded impact wrenches they gave us? They were crap. Nice job. We could have used you in the Motor Pool.

[@northrungrader8937]

Once again showing the difference between an old school mechanic, and a modern technician. Thank you for sharing.

[@mikemarriam]

Amen. I bought a 2011 Ford Ranger before I retired. Some time later, and after I retired, the same dealer opened a Subaru shop right around the corner. I called to get my truck inspected and they wouldn't do it. Said their computer only worked with Subaru. Near as I can figure the only thing mechanics know how to do now days is follow computer instructions.

[@thomasbrown9402]

It's funny, the NAPA rep at the school I attended made a big deal about how the students should all aim to become Technicians instead of "just" Mechanics. He'd say, "It's the difference between having a mortgage payment and having a roommate."

[@jamesschneider8228]

I would think it might’ve been on a sling and the sling broken dropped it on the left rear axle or whichever one was about bent

[@Harry-zz2oh]

@@mikemarriam This is what the current methodology is for auto mechanics: It has to be in the computer or check the scan machine. Not very much about actual diagnostics unless it is in the computer.

[@mikemarriam]

@@Harry-zz2oh That's sad. My brother went to a two year Toyota tech program and he actually gained knowledge of how the various systems work. This translates across brands. Not sure if he was just fortunate or if that type of education has gone by the way.

[@wesleybradley89]

The 36 min mark got me! Can’t believe he’s doing all of this! Kudos for this guy fixing his truck right!

[@FN_FAL_4_ever]

Something about packing bearings and hearing that very audible “click” of the torque wrench bring me great satisfaction.

[@ravenfeather7087]

Same here. His shop has perfect acoustics for a torque wrench symphony.

[@ArmchairDeity]

Good work! For almost 10 years thru my teens I worked as a shop hand and mechanic in my mom's step-dad's diesel shop... we did a LOT of suspension work, especially replacing rocker arm bushings in Hendrickson suspensions. I was 16 in 1989 and I was, effectively, the shop forklift. I could throw those 6' rocker arms around like they were made of fiberglass. I once hand-carried a junk spring pack out of the shop and Sonny just stared at me... I was like "WHAT?" He says "Those springs had to weigh 300 lbs!" I didn't get the pleasure of getting a reaction out of him very often, so I really enjoyed that one. But this video brought back so many good memories of time spent drenched in oil, soaked in diesel, coated with grease and then rolled in road dirt. Part of my life I would love to relive, but only as a much younger man! lol I am grateful for your video taking me back to those times... I am grateful. Thanks for the smiles. Man, tho, the more I think about it, the more I got stories about life in the 80s working on diesel trucks, in fabrication shops, and as a shop hand in a small shop that made jokes about OSHA... lol... I'm telling ya, dude... it was a different world!

[@josephcarino5829]

We loaded these onto rail cars in Germany. It probably got swung into something like u said or dropped if thst could have done it or it was stuck real bad and they pulled it by the axle. Dude in chopper is insane

[@craigsmith8217]

There's one nut that hold the rotor onto the helicopter. It's called the "Jesus nut". There is a lock nut on top of it called the "Judas nut".

[@silentepsilon888]

and there is one nut behind the controls, called the pilot

[@TreyCook21]

@@silentepsilon888 Why do you want to go and take good information and make the most epic Dad joke of all time? Unbelievable. Typed this comment through watering eye laughter while the lady came to check on me because she thought I was choking.

[@laknox88]

Yeah, but the pilot's a big brass one... 😁

[@Wrenchturner95]

@@silentepsilon888 LMAO! you win. Here’s my like

[@bruwin]

@@TreyCook21 Reminds me of the classic joke involving paratroopers and pilots. Pilot asks the paratrooper, "Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?" To which the paratrooper replied, "Once they start making perfectly good airplanes, I'll stop jumping out of them!"

[@doncroddy7856]

This is the second time I have watched this video. I used to work on these trucks, when I was in the Army. I brought back some good memories, of my Military Service. I never had to shoot at anyone, and praise God I was never shot at. Thanks for the video. Central, Indiana

[@CharlesLScofieldJr]

This video brought back memories from my early years in the Army. I was a Heavy Truck Driver (MOS 64C), as a driver we were tasked with assisting the mechanics any time our trucks went in for scheduled maintenance. In the eight years I was a driver I don't ever remember actually performing maintenance on the trunion bearings. That might have been something that was done at the Direct Support (DS) level. As for the axle bearings that was something as drivers we did help the mechanics with. After awhile we had a mechanic that made several errors that caused me to lose faith in his skills or attention to details. One incident could have cost the lives of 22 soldiers. After that I and my other drivers performed all our on scheduled services. He had forgotten to bend the tabs on the retainer between the inner and outer spendel nuts for the front axle. Had it not been for a simple flat tire we might not have known till it was too late. Then that mechanic was tasked with replacing the master cylinder on our 40" flatbed goose neck trailer, he forgot to put break fluid in the new cylinder and bleed the breaks. Our unit only had 2 1/2 ton cargo trucks and our's were M35A2 models. We also had 5 ton tractor trucks M52A2 models. They were 1960's vintage as I enlisted in 1971. I noticed something weird about the truck you did the test drive in, the shift pattern was different i.e the position of 4th and 5th gear were opposite from the M35A2. Might have been a different manufacturer for the transmissions since your truck was from 1973.

[@garyblack8717]

I don't remember the mechanics doing anything to our trucks (I'm sure if we turned in a ticket they would have, eventually) I fixed radios and packed wheel bearings, busted split ring tires, etc ;-)

[@kensakamoto258]

I drove a couple of those that had been repurposed into water tenders for fire departments. I have encountered the reversed 4th and 5th in a few trucks. All the ex mil trucks were small gas engines and large water tanks so I learned to split gears using the transfer case like a 2 spd axle. The pattern was 2l-2h-3l-3h-4l-5l-4h-5h. It was a fun challenge.

[@Slim_Slid]

The M35A2's-M756A2's as far as I know all had the same 3053A transmissions from Spicer and the same shifting patterns.These trucks were exactly the same from 1966 to 1988.This also includes the previous series like the M35A1's,gasoline M35's and perhaps the M34 prototype.

[@ezrhino1803]

You sir are one heck of a good mechanic. I am so glad I found your channel. excellent presentation. No 'look at me" BS or clickbait. Problem presented.....now lets get to it. Awesome job

[@alanharney5278]

Bleeding on the work is a sure sign of a quality job. Hemoglobin is nature's dielectric grease.

[@waynecartwright9478]

blood is actually conductive

[@superchuck3259]

Blood and sweat - hopefully only manly tears!

[@maestromecanico597]

I have found that all my projects that induced a 'blood sacrifice' were successful. Strange but true.

[@paulsilva3346]

One of my favorite reruns, thanks Wess. It's been a year.! However I enjoy Watching Wes Work...

[@BillyJoeJimBob28]

"ARMY TRUCK SIR!" Great job Wes! Oh I think that chopper missed a row. 🙄🤭😂

[@lordhoho1]

I can't see too many mechanics going to the trouble you went through. This video is a great ad for your shop

[@gregh7457]

even though he didn't catch the bent axle in the beginning, he kept on trying to fix it and that more than makes up for his oversight in the beginning

[@g2macs]

That was excellent, 50 minutes whizzed by, thanks W.

[@mjdthemaker7574]

I am not a mechanic, but I really enjoy your videos and seeing how you problem solve. Thank you for sharing your adventures.

[@oBseSsIoNPC]

35:17 As a fellow mechanic I can totally relate to the feeling you had during the discovery of the "actual" problem. Clearly the issue wasn't fixed with all of the preceding work, but it was necessary nonetheless. We always take a stab at the machines and when something big jumps out, we fix it. Often we wish we had looked three four times and notice the other issues, but hey, what matters is the money wasn't wasted and you DID find the issue. Good job my man, was a pleasure to watch you work.

[@oBseSsIoNPC]

@Spike S Haha, well I am glad we can all relate to it and know that in the end, fixing the problem is what matters. Someone else might have been lucky and fix it right away, but at the same time. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, to take care of all the other boo-boo's.

[@joedurso5192]

Lost in this is sometimes you have to fix known issues before finding the root cause

[@randallmyers]

Yeah its Saturday, I look forward to the weekend to see Watch Wes Work, he can fix anything. It is refreshing to watch his jobs and the quality job he does, Thanks so much!!!!

[@WatchWesWork]

Well thank you!

[@paulsilva3346]

Wes, we thank you.

[@GeminiWoods]

Wes on Sat, Mustie on Sunday, Matt, JYD, Deboss and VGG whenever they upload lol.

[@billdyke9745]

They didn't replace the damaged parts, they scrapped the truck... Fascinating stuff, Wes. An excellent bit of detective work.

[@webbzgunnuts]

Wow... love the video. I LOVED THAT OLD TRUCK. I drove and worked on that truck for years, from 1980 till the army got rid of them. The bearing you pulled out is a new bearing. The old type bearing was a solid bearing with grease grooves cut in it. hahahaha, yep, that cap goes on a curtain way. The torque rods would only need replaced if the rubber was separating. Never drove or saw one with power steering. There is a bearing seal tool for that. I was wondering if you were going to put that cork in there. It should have been as thick as a valve cover gasket and it is important. If its not there it will allow 90 wt oil to get into the bearing and then all over everything. That's a lot of work. The top brake adjustment is the major and the bottom in the minor. align the dots on the bottom cam pins, adjust the top top be back all the way off, then put the drum on. There was a pressure bleeder cap that went on the master cylinder that pumped brake fluid in so one guy could bleed the breaks with out pumping them up. The brake adjustment settings were .010 on the bottom and .020 on the top. The adjustments would have been done thru that cover that was on the out side of the hub when you took the wheels off. Good catch on the bent axle. That truck was rebuilt by Depot. It had modifications done to it that I had never seen. Which had to be after 1985 from a National Guard location. The army got rid of the 2 1/2 ton in the early 90's. That has an M35A2 Multifuel engine , meaning the fuel injection pump will meter gasoline, kerosene , DF2, DF3 or JP8.

[@scottdowney4318]

I was wondering about that too, that little piece of cork to seal the bearing grease in and not mix with the gear oil. What that means, oil will now again flush out the grease from the wheel bearings, depending on how much it is driven, is certain to be a problem in the future.

[@uncleheide]

Man, you got skills. The way you’re willing to tackle offbeat, old and crusty vehicles is truly an inspiration. Thanks for bringing us along with you.

[@321southtube]

I'm not a gear head or a grease monkey but I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this video. US Army...mid 80s and I have a fondness for the whole duece and a half line up. You're very talented and thorough and the video was well made. Sound, camera work and editing all top notch. Well done....it was nice to see this beast on the road again. Thanks

[@chrisloomis1489]

Yes ARMY 1982 ; loved those trucks!

[@davidbasey8201]

E

[@baddog9320]

That was a good thing of those old dueces. You could just about piss in they fuel tank and they would run. Not fast but they would l would run.

[@vsaprissa]

Excellent work Wes, incredible what you do with pieces of years of use and get the most recommended that you could find out there.

[@keithagn]

Wow, this sure brings back memories. I started my mechanical apprenticeship in 1973 on heavy trucks, and I assisted the journeyman mechanics on these types of repairs. Also, you have the patience of a Saint, sir. Regards from Canada.

[@rayvoorhies7180]

Wes flips a unknown master switch in the cab and a missile takes off towards Lake Superior. :)

[@bmacd2112]

Now that would've been funny!

[@rollenschultz2707]

What do you have against Michigan

[@trevorvanbremen4718]

@@rollenschultz2707 Other than Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and a bunch of watery things, not a lot.

[@bmacd2112]

@@rollenschultz2707 I'm a Buckeye! We're born with a natural dislike of Wolverines!!! LOL

[@richardcavalloro8355]

Not a lot of 2 1/2 ton dump trucks out there. Very collectable

[@kerbsidebob1]

Great job as always the guy is lucky to have you to work on his truck. Thanks for sharing

[@maxmcrae379]

Loved watching this - you are a highly skilled communicator and video-grapher, to say nothing of your mechanical expertise. Well done sir!

[@HamiltonvilleFarm]

The oxygen tank cap to put the bearing on was awesome! Great job wes

[@WatchWesWork]

Thanks Hank!

[@baddog9320]

@@WatchWesWork i don't remember mechanics using any tool. Just skipping bearing in. Good job though.

[@rl3898]

Well done Wes, another beautifully reasoned logical attack.

[@basshorseman998]

Watched start to end. Fantastic work on your part, very impressive. Thanks for the heli-footage, never seen that done before.

[@clintstephens7287]

It's fun watching an excellent mechanic at work. Great old truck, really in fine shape especially now. Enjoyed the airshow at the end.

[@cbowser8604]

Really enjoy watching you Wes. Remind of an old friend of mine. He was like you and could work on anything also. You are a vanishing breed IMO. Subbed to your channel.

[@donaldnichols2434]

I'll admit I've been waiting for this episode ever since I saw this truck.

[@danielanderson1417]

Same here with great anticipation

[@lesnagy564]

Love watching your posts! Watched every one so far! You have a beautiful family! Look after them ! Cheers all the way from Australia! God bless!

[@harveygussow7913]

Your work was worth the time to learn just how you came to the conclusion of all the problems and gave the owner a great truck that isn’t a junkyard Queen. Thanks !

[@stephenbridges2791]

I was a motor pool mechanic in the Marine Corps in 73. If I remember correctly they did not come with power steering, however; I don't remember them being all that difficult to steer. But, if you don't have anything to compare it to; you don't know. So, in some cases; ignorance is bliss.

[@flynlr]

most came with private steering

[@markpeterson5479]

Drove one a few times when I was in the Army in the 1960s. I really enjoyed driving them. They had "armstrong" steering. Not too bad to go around a corner IF you remembered to slow down BEFORE the corner and then ACCELERATE through the corner. Otherwise MAN they were a bear to steer!!!!! All the ones that I drove had non-working synchronizers for fourth gear - had to double-clutch both up and down. I remember that max speed in first-low was 1.25 MPH and first-high was 2.5 MPH. We always started out in second-high. Ahhh the memories!!!!

[@dick8193]

If you ever get into a situation with springs again, call up Atlas Spring and Axel in Wichita, Ks. They can do anything when it comes to springs.

[@colinklang]

I really loved this video!! I love military vehicles and the ol duece n half is right up there with a jeep. I just really appreciate the ingenuity and rugged simplicity of old military vehicles.

[@googlemustdie]

Thank you so much for sharing. I have a 5-ton truck with similar suspension. This really helped me understand a bunch of things.

[@eatmorecoleslaw]

Wes I’m a recent subscriber and appreciate what you’re doing, entertaining us with whatever is broken in your BFE

[@mauricekeithjohnson2598]

That same shift pattern was on a 1938, 6 cylinder, dual ignition, Mack fire pumper that I drove in the 80s, while a member of the Hamilton Fire Brigade in BERMUDA 32N64W. I really enjoyed this one. Thumbs UP ! Truck was named Aunt Helen, in respect of a gracious Lady Corporation of Hamilton Dept supporter.

[@RussMcClay]

Amazing workmanship. Happy to see you working with your bare hands.

[@EngineerMan106]

This is hands down my favorite video you have made. I’ve watched it I think four times all the way through. I love it man.

[@RobertFay]

*- I sure hope you got paid a fair price for all the work you put in getting the owner a properly useful vehicle, Wes.* *- What a lot of work and then the editing to produce a super good tutorial. Thank you and your lady for all your efforts*

[@NastyCustoms5150]

You can be sure it’s gonna be a good day when the 3” sockets come out.

[@hedge685]

And the 'Sparkle Wrench' also

[@alexlail7481]

If I heard correctly that was an 8pt 3" nut..... I'm thinking yep good luck with that odd ball nut ....next shot socket in use! Impressive tool collection and knowledge

[@gatolibero8329]

That's what she said.

[@MobWithGuns]

The only people that really use that socket anymore are the ones with the 2.5 Rockwell axles. I found that out when trying to source one. And I think only OTC makes it anymore

[@Bruceanddenise]

Man, good on both of you guys. You for taking on the job and the owner for endeavouring to fixing it right. Thanks for sharing and giving me a new thing to look for that I don't need.

[@lmj1417]

Just stumbled onto your channel and really enjoy it. I am an old retired Millwright from Canada. I really appreciated your trouble shooting ability and work standards. There are so many people on U tube that think that they can fix things but most of them can't, consequently they are having lots of rework. You use a torque wrench and do the job right. So many people just use their impacts to tighten things up until the impact stops. You are a good tradesman and take pride in correcting the problem once and for all.

[@kevinstorm6009]

It’s good to see a pro who actually protects his hearing! Too many have YT videos of them using impact tools, hammers, etc., with no hearing protection of any kind. Be smart, people; protect your hearing!

[@andreasproteus1465]

"Be smart". You sound like sleepy Joe. I hope you do not grope young girls too.

[@glenndickson7627]

And your EYES! There is no shortage of TV programs and KZbin videos of people wrenching and hammering on equipment without eye protection.

[@pipmci5409]

What?

[@baddog9320]

What? I can't hear you. Years ago I did that. And today I'm hard of hearing.

[@kennethhoovler9050]

Happy Saturday! Just when I was getting ready for yard work, an excuse pops up. Thanks for bringing us along!

[@Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin]

It's always great to 'Watch Wes Work' instead of working on my own broken junk.

[@paulsilva3346]

Hey, that's 3 of us, so far... lol.

[@geoffreyanthony4276]

Very well filmed and presented. A great learning video on a bigger scale than the VW Beetles I'm used to. Thank you.

[@launchdad972]

Thank you for a very pleasant hour. Nice quality work.

[@IH2016]

I’d say it was pretty fitting to have a helicopter flying at the end of a video about a military truck lol.

[@thomasbrown9402]

Sounds like.... Victory

[@gtfkt]

@@lakehunter48p55 Probably made by the same company.

[@kman-mi7su]

Drove and rode in the back of several of its cousins, the M35A2 deuce when I was in the Army back in the 80s and early 90s. They were rock solid built and reliable trucks. No matter how cold it was they would always fire up and run. We would often fire one up and get the slave cables (that's jumper cables to you civilians) and use it to fire up everything else in the motor pool that wasn't a deuce. They even ran reliably in super hot climates like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait back during the first gulf war where I was in 91. I'd love to own one now that I have some property and could put it to work. And yes, Wes, they had no power steering except for your arms.

[@paulsilva3346]

Thanks, Troop.! For your service.

[@Slim_Slid]

That was the benefit of the LDT-465's,and LDS-465's in some others,in the M35A2's-M756A2's. The 22:1 compression ratio was incredible in extreme cold climates,even with sloppy or gummy motor oil and diesel. The large M51A2's-M543A2's also were multi-fuel but almost all variants had the LDS-465's because of higher torque. That was only the downside in the deuce and halfs,not alot of torque but remarkable gearing ratio espiecally relying on the transfer case or in lowest gear was all that was needed to get the job done.

[@rickceasor9981]

Great Video, Wes. The takeitforarip and the end, featured some of the best gear crashing I have heard in recent memory.

[@seanu5794]

Just wanted to drop a line and tell you that I enjoyed the video, and I appreciated how you explained what you were thinking as well as the tips. Keep up the great work, Wes!

[@larrywalker7759]

For an impromptu bearing race driver to install the new race (cup) , take one of the old races and cut through it with an abrasive cutoff wheel. After tapping the new race in as far as you can with a hammer, place the cut race against the new race and continue driving it home with a soft drift and hammer. The gap you created will allow the old race to fit loosely into the same bore for easy removal after the new race is seated.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Sounds like a great solution! Now, to remember this for next time! LoL!

[@RADIOACTIVEMASCULINITY]

I love these trucks. Many have passed through my hands over the years and even though they are all the same basic truck, each one is still unique. This poor thing must have had an awful past. You’re a saint to give it so much love

[@jerryocrow1]

Your persistence and patience is amazing. Well done. Whatever bent the axel which moved the springs which bent/wore on them must have had mass like the truck. I like the CBs idea that it was the truck itself (sufficient mass) bumping into an immovable object like another truck, forklift, pier, or ship). Such focus of impact to do that without damaging things around it like the other wheel, surrounding bed, etc.. There was a reason it was taken out of service, and this could be it. PS: The truck appears to have come with ten mechanics who worked on it daily and thus were very familiar with the 10,000 things needed to do to keep it running. Check the battery daily. What a hoot.

[@darrenivak4536]

Nice I Wes, I'm a 40-year mechanic and you surprise me quite a bit, always appreciate a guy looking after another piece of equipment❤❤, it's a great show West keep up the good work brother 👍

[@davidsadler7047]

Excellent stuff to watch,I have an ex USAF ford C800 that I am restoring, this gives me much needed confidence to carry on.

[@peterresetz1960]

Watching this video brought back memories of when I was in the U.S.Army in Germany in 1982 when I was assigned a 5 Ton to fix up. That truck had three full pages of gigs wrong with it. Even though my primary MOS was 45Kilo (Tank Turret Repair) I spent two weeks working on it. I did enlist the aid of one buddy and one of the automotive mechanics for the repairs like swap the transmission, and rebuilt the front drive dif. First time I had to drive it, I drove down to Frankfurt to pickup a replacement M60-A3 main gun barrel. On return after driven round trip 450 miles, two miles from my base, the power steering pump crapped out. I and my co driver had to arm strong that beast that last two miles then get it into are motorpool. My arms were sore for a week after that.

[@war.and.peace99]

It sounds like Elvis Presley' story. He was a driver too in 3rd Div.

[@markrainford1219]

All you needed was a tin of spinach.

[@wattytipene1333]

Great work ethic mate. Couldn't stop watching👍

[@samuelharmon4093]

Wes, I really enjoyed watching you bring new life to this old "war horse". Great job!

[@roguedalek900]

Boyce Equipment or Memphis Equipment can get GI truck parts . They usually have it in stock too

[@marcryvon]

You, Mustie1 and Matt are of a dying breed : real mechanics. most now, especially at dealerships, are parts installers. No idea of what they're doing. "Hey, the forman told to change this and that and it should work."

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Great channels!

[@horacerumpole6912]

Mustie scrimps and half-asses…Wes does not, he does it right!

[@geofflee8671]

@@horacerumpole6912 what Wes does and what Darren does are nothing alike. You're comparing apples to oranges. Wes has 3 objectives since he works on other people's vehicles 1)safety, 2) dependability 3) fixed correctly. Wes' customers pay him for his work. Darren picks up free junk or gets junk cheap. All he is interested in doing is finding what is wrong and tries to fix it, even if he doesn't put much money into it. Most of the time he does. Most of the stuff he keeps. If he is trying to fix something for someone else or to sell it he puts more effort into it. Both of them are excellent at what they do.

[@horacerumpole6912]

@@geofflee8671 "Nothing alike" what nonsense! One is a real mechanic, the other is. well…somewhat entertaining at times. Mustie works on cars, trucks, and riding mowers-Wes does the same, Can you guess who I would let work on my car, and who I wouldn't? I've watched every video both of them have produced. Wes knows vastly more than mustie ever will, so go sit down…

[@dudeparistx]

Glad you and the owner decided to show this beast the respect it deserves and make it right. good job man!

[@Graham_lee]

Well done, you inspire and glad youve come to peace with deliveries

[@samcooke2742]

I love the transportation options available out in the Heartland.

[@WatchWesWork]

Whatever it takes!

[@DOSn3rd]

Excellent work as usual Wes! Respect for the owner that still chose to replace even if it meant replacing a rebuilt axle with all that work put into it. All those hours and parts must have cost quite a penny.

[@kevind8446]

Great bit of truck mechanical work. Well done; and for assisting to preserve a classic truck.

[@peterbee88]

Great video. Very interesting. Superb explanation throughout the process, and extremely well recorded! Thanks for posting.

[@christopherdewitt5868]

That bearing packer looks like it is one helpful thing to have in a shop

[@mikemmikem2758]

As an ol' Army vet it warms my heart to see you giving that truck some much needed TLC. Great video. Thank you.

[@kevinschultz6382]

Thank you for your service and welcome home

[@waterbourne9282]

Man, well done persevering and getting to the bottom of it. Your area sure is lucky to have you there.

[@thadmachia9873]

That was amazing and you did an amazing job as always!